B2B Web Portals: 4 Features with Growing Customer Demand
At what point does a value-add evolve into an indispensable feature? The answer is: as soon as enough prospects and clients deem it so. Print buyers of all types and at every scale are becoming increasingly accustomed to the role of software in their supply chain.
Web-to-print technology has redefined the print purchasing journey, seamlessly aligning the browsing, personalization, and ordering of print materials and marketing assets with the user-friendly experience of e-commerce platforms. While the potential of web-to-print software is undeniable for print providers, its core strength lies in its customer-centric approach.
To maintain a competitive edge, print providers aiming to stay ahead must closely monitor customer demand trends in the B2B web portal space. Adopting a customer-focused mindset is paramount across all aspects of marketing solution provision, particularly when it comes to the web-to-print storefronts being offered.
To shed light on some of the features important to today’s B2B web portal users, we’ve outlined four that are experiencing growing customer demand.
1. User Controls Tailored for Complex Business Rules
According to a recent publication by NAPCO Research, a substantial 47% of print providers offering web portals to their B2B clients are witnessing an escalating demand for features allowing intricate user controls. These controls are designed to bolster complex business rules, ensuring brand protection, budget oversight, and inventory management.
While the description of this feature set may seem intricate, it comprehensively encapsulates the multifaceted requirements from the customer’s perspective. The burgeoning demand for this feature can be attributed to the distinctive characteristics and needs of large enterprise-level customers. Many of these brands operate under intricate business rules dictating every detail of their marketing materials. Additionally, they often require stringent permissions, determining who can access the portal, what content is visible, product presentation, users’ editing permissions (and their extent), spending limits, payment procedures, and protocols for inventory depletion.
Given the meticulous management of marketing and sales departments within these major brands, user controls must offer meticulous customization. The web portal utilized by these departments must mirror the same level of systematic operation.
2. Access to Data and Analytics
One distinguishing trait of B2B print clients is their unwavering demand for data, setting them apart from their B2C counterparts. A printer should never underestimate a marketer’s desire for more data. Sales and marketing people, especially those involved with large brands and enterprises, have been in the game of turning data into gold for a long time.
In this context, a robust and modern web-to-print solution not only enriches a printer’s business insights but also extends the same advantage to their clients. Leading B2B web portal solutions function as centralized data management hubs, catering comprehensively to both printers and their customers. These platforms empower clients with transparent visibility into their orders, inventory status, and budget allocations.
This explains why a notable 82% of printers offering B2B web portals emphasize the indispensable role of robust reporting tools in meeting the high expectations of major clients. In a world where brands strive for optimal efficiency in their marketing expenditures, a comprehensive view of the management platform proves invaluable. The escalating demand for reporting tools and data analytic services within web portal solutions is set to persist.
3. User-Friendly Apparel Support
It may sound like a smaller ask than the last two customer demands, but apparel is a huge part of the modern marketing asset landscape and many web-to-print solutions simply don’t get it right.
For major brands and organizations, web portals encompass more than just a platform for print orders; they serve as comprehensive hubs for all marketing and sales assets. Achieving this requires meticulous attention to each product type and the user experience associated with ordering those products.
This surge in demand for web portals adept at handling apparel products is a testament to their integral role in the marketing landscape. Apparel products inherently come with customization attributes and options, necessitating flexible approaches to offering color choices, sizes, and quantities. The ease of ordering multiple sizes and colors for entire teams with a few clicks is a defining factor.
To give an example of the difference these considerations can make, in a case study of one of Propago’s customers, Brian, the Director of IT of a large marketing solution provider, says “Apparel has become a very large part of our business. On our previous platform, apparel wasn’t handled well from a user perspective. Our apparel volume has increased in part because of Propago.”
4. Comprehensive Mobile Experience
In today’s digital era, cross-device support is no longer a luxury but an essential element for web portal platforms. The ascent of mobile support spans multiple software categories since the inception of smartphones. This trend applies not only to B2C but also to B2B web-to-print market segments.
76% of surveyed printers, as revealed by NAPCO’s latest industry report on web-to-print, emphasize the moderate to high importance of mobile web access in fulfilling customer requirements. The operative term here is “requirements.” Mobile support has transitioned from a mere value-add to an indispensable requirement for numerous prominent print buyers worldwide.
To distinguish themselves, printers must exceed the bar of mere adequacy in a mobile experience. This entails offering a responsive user interface adaptable to a variety of screens and devices. Additionally, it requires a nimble platform capable of keeping up with the evolving internet landscape. While many web-to-print solutions falter in this aspect due to the involved efforts in prioritizing an exceptional mobile experience, the resulting benefits are substantial.
The market for robust web portal platforms tailored to B2B clients is on an upward trajectory. Printers keen on leveraging this trajectory for business growth must vigilantly track evolving customer demands within the web portal landscape. This valuable insight serves as a compass for selecting the most suitable web portal platform and effectively positioning services for brands and enterprises. Knowledge is indeed power in the realm of B2B marketing.
