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THE TENSION IN
B2B CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
MANAGEMENT
TRADITIONAL
PRIORITIES VS.
NEW EXPECTATIONS
In association with
THE TENSION IN B2B

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
MANAGEMENT
In association with
Published May 2016

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Copyright Econsultancy.com Ltd 2016
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9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PAGE 4
FOREWORD BY SAP HYBRIS

PAGE 8
THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
PAGE 9
PRIORITIES AND PLATFORMS

PAGE 12
CHALLENGES TO BUILDING A GREAT B2B

COMMERCE EXPERIENCE
PAGE 19
DATA, TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE

PAGE 22
CONTENT AND CUSTOMERS

UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS BUYERS JOURNEY
PAGE 25
BUILDING YOUR CX OF THE FUTURE

PAGE 27
APPENDIX: RESPONDENT PROFILES

PAGE 30
ABOUT ECONSULTANCY
ABOUT SAP HYBRIS
PAGE 33
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
Customer experience covers such a multitude of interactions between

businesses and their audiences that its impossible to universally define its
scope and scale. But leaders in every sector recognize that the qualities of
those interactions can make or break their brands.
The challenge of addressing
and improving customer
experience (CX) was the topic of
an international survey given to
over 220 senior leaders at B2B
companies spanning a range of
industries. The sample includes
organizations that are embracing
change, but these leaders are

in the minority. The research
suggests that while most in B2B
recognize the importance of
better satisfying buyers, there
are significant obstacles to be
overcome, some of which are
self-imposed.
COMPARED TO A TYPICAL B2C RETAIL EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS AMAZON OR

ZAPPOS, HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR CUSTOMERS RATE YOUR DIGITAL CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE?
40%
34%
35%
30%
29%
25%
21%
20%
16%
15%
10%
OBSTACLE #1
BUSINESS CUSTOMERS WITH
CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS
B2B companies are coming to
realize that theyre not immune
to the digital revolution in how
people find, research and buy
their products. Increasingly, they
see that theyre being evaluated
on the same curve as consumer
brands, with their customers
prizing ease of use, relevance and
value just as they do on Amazon
or Zappos. The question is: what
are they doing to match these
expectations?
Trying to match a consumerstyle customer experience
sets a benchmark that most
respondent companies arent
able to meet. Only 16% say
that theyve achieved a CX
thats on par with the best B2C
experiences.
5%
0%
On par with the best B2C retail

Reasonably advanced
Somewhat less advanced than Much less advanced than the
experiences
compared to typical B2C retail typical B2C retail experiences typical B2C retail experiences
experiences
The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management
The question is why? The

report explores specific reasons
throughout, but an underlying
factor is that B2B marketers and
merchandisers are torn between
committing to a new model and
sticking with what they know.
In association with
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
OBSTACLE #2
B2B SETS A LOW BAR FOR
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
STRATEGY
A focus and reliance on strategy
is a key difference between
leaders in providing a great
customer experience and their
peers. While 58% of respondent
companies believe that they
have practical and visionary
guidance for these initiatives, the
reality is that most are lacking
some of the fundamentals of an
effective strategy.
Most troubling is that only 40%
include cross-departmental
involvement into their strategy.
That suggests that most
respondents are thinking of
customer experience with
too narrow a focus, limiting it
to a marketing function and
therefore the impact that can
be achieved.
One of the challenging realities
of CX is that its the work of
everyone in an organization, not
simply marketing or product or
customer service. That means
that every division and team
has to be a part of the larger
strategy and buy into the part
they play.
The companies that have been
most successful in undergoing
digital transformations report
that reducing internal barriers
plays the strongest role in their
success. In this vein, to set
strategy without planning on
how to involve every relevant
team and maximize their
contributions is to ensure
resistance to change and to
squelch innovation.
Less than half of polled

organizations have CX
strategies that extend at
least a year into the future.
That means that for the other
half, important questions are
unaddressed and unanswered.
A year may be a long time from
the perspective of an executive
who sees their customers
habits changing daily. But
its no time at all to the
organization that is integrating
technologies across disparate
systems and building a datadriven marketing capability.
Addressing customer
experience in a meaningful way
isnt a short-term project. The
horizon on the components of a
CX engagement will range from
weeks for fixes to months and
years for systemic changes. A
strong strategy looks across
the medium-term horizon,
defined as the length of time
for which the company can
make predictions with some
semblance of accuracy.
Companies with an advanced
approach to customer
experience recognize that its
the work of everyone in an
organization, not simply the
domain of IT, marketing, product
or customer service. In doing so,
organizations set themselves
ahead of the mainstream,
where only 40% are working
to include cross-departmental
involvement into their strategy.
Most B2B companies are thinking
of customer experience with
too narrow a focus, limiting it
to a marketing function and
curtailing its potential impact.
Another oversight is in the area of

how B2B companies understand
and apply human resources to
the challenges outlined in their
plans and strategies. Only 26%
report that they identify the
talent necessary to accomplish
customer experience goals. That
suggests that hiring is conducted
ad-hoc for new technology
implementations, which often
results in under-resourcing and
correlates with poor performance
of those technologies and the
programs that depend on them.
This is a particular concern for
B2B companies who, outside
of the technology sector, have
historically had difficulty in
attracting strong digital talent.
Its also a sign that theres an
over-emphasis on the tools,
minimizing the teams using
them. Technology isnt change
in itself, its an enabler. Tech is
where many companies start, the
catalyst to looking at customer
experience with data and
digital capability in mind. But
technology without expertise
and full staffing has little effect
on performance.
In association with
OBSTACLE #3
TOP ECOMMERCE GOALS
ARE MISMATCHED WITH
CUSTOMER PRIORITIES
Consumer-centered
companies are all too aware
that to be successful in digital
endeavors, they not only need
to rethink their approach
to engagement, but to also
make experimentation with
new technologies, processes
and media a way of life.
This conviction is a long way
off for the majority of B2B
organizations. They know that
their customers expectations
are rising, but are often
unwilling or unable to commit
to real change.
Security and compliance, order

management and back-office
integrations are important
functions of an ecommerce
system, but they are generally
unnoticed unless something
goes wrong. Nonetheless these
are the top three choices, far
above some of the functions
that touch the customers
experience directly, such as
content management, product
information management or
merchandising capabilities.
Time and again, we find

a tension between the
overarching goal of an
improved customer experience
and the day-to-day decisions
being made. For example,
when asked to evaluate their
ecommerce platforms as they
relate to customer experience,
respondents tend to emphasize
capabilities that are vital, but
largely invisible to the end user.
The experience on the platform
will be their customers
primary connection to their
brand, and yet B2B companies
are still thinking more about
their internal processes than
their customers needs.
WHEN SELECTING A COMMERCE PLATFORM, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FOLLOWING

TYPES OF BUSINESS PROCESS-RELATED FUNCTIONALITY?
Security and compliance
63%
Order management
44%
8%
42%
14%
Back-office integrations
38%
50%
12%
Business intelligence
37%
52%
11%
Billing / payment integration in multiple currencies
36%
Ability to handle high number of SKUs
42%
34%
Call center support
32%
25%
45%
23%
29%
56%
Product information management (PIM)
28%
58%
Multichannel
27%
Critical
14%
18%
60%
16%
0%
15%
56%
19%
Merchandising
22%
41%
Content management system
Third-party systems and plug-ins
30%
21%
54%
10%
20%
Important
30%
40%
30%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Not important
In association with
100%
OTHER SELECTED FINDINGS

Theres still more opportunity
than progress with customer
data. While the majority of
respondents are using CRM
data (55%) to improve the
digital customer experience,
its also the only data source
being used by more than half
of the companies surveyed.
In contrast, less than 40%
of organizations are using
purchase history, at the
company (37%) or individual
(34%) level, to improve future
purchase behavior. Even
when customers have made
their desires explicit through
preference centers, they are
unlikely to be utilized, with only
29% of companies leveraging
this data.
during different seasons of the

working calendar. The same
proportion (40%) work in ways
that allow teams across the
enterprise to work together to
define customer needs. This
means that each department
can pull in their own insights on
the customer journey to better
inform decisions for each stage.
Ultimately, B2B is still a sector
with two realities, one mired in
the past while another looks to
the future. While 58% say that
in five years time, the digital
experience will be our brand,
48% acknowledge that today,
the digital experience is an
afterthought in our business.
This stark divide will define the
winners and losers in short
order.
A new emphasis on the customer

journey, for a forward-leaning
minority. Two-fifths (40%) of
companies are consistently
re-evaluating their customer
journey research in order to
expand their knowledge and
react to any changes. This also
allows the identification of any
mass changes in customer habits,
either as touchpoints evolve, or
as customers act differently
In association with
FOREWORD
BY SAP HYBRIS
The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer...

business has only two functions: marketing and innovation.
Peter Drucker, Management Expert
Resisting change is
natural. That can be
especially true when the
need for change does not
seem immediate or urgent.
For many B2B companies
today that could be said
for their need to evolve
to become omnichannel, with the ability
to engage their customers digitally. And of
course, it can be especially true when the dayto-day demands of running a business make
investing in and prioritizing significant changes
difficult to focus on.
Druckers words reframe a constant in business
philosophy: that a company is either moving
forward or sliding backward. There is no standstill.
The quest for innovation demands that products
remain relevant and engaging. And today the
product is increasingly the total experience,
inclusive of finding the right item, having all
the information you need to make a confident
decision, having a simple experience that is
the easiest and most convenient, and of course
getting the service and answers you need quickly
and effectively. In todays marketplace, it means
having great online and mobile experiences that
complement traditional channels, and that are
quickly becoming the preferred channels for
customers.
Unfortunately many B2B companies are not doing

enough to deliver great customer experiences
and adapt to these new realities. Many have even
convinced themselves that their B2B markets are
sufficiently different enough from B2C that they
are immune to the effects of digital transformation.
Others either do not understand what it means
to deliver a great customer experience, or
do not recognize the threats that the digital
transformation and changing customer habits have
to their businesses.
This research, conducted and presented by
Econsultancy, reveals key missed opportunities.
With B2B commerce quickly becoming twice
as large as B2C, a rich, relevant, effective
customer experience will be the primary
method for differentiation and growth. It is
now an imperative for digital transformation,
omnichannel customer engagement, and
the evolution of the customer experience
which embraces online and mobile to be at
the forefront of the C-Suite and boardroom
agenda across the landscape of B2B companies
worldwide.
I hope this research helps you create a sense of
urgency and advance that conversation inside your
organization.
Brian K. Walker
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
SAP HYBRIS
In association with
THE ROLE OF
STRATEGY IN
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
Changing the customers experience can mean anything from a small technical
fix to complete reformation of products, processes and structures. As digital
permeates and impacts every sector, most companies are forced to deal with
both poles and everything in between. The question is whether they will be
successful in advancing both their business and customer-related goals.
Many companies will fail
to improve upon past
performance because of the
complexity of the issues theyre
trying to overcome. The failures
are often blamed on poor data,
missing technical resources
or simply poor execution. But
every failure in a CX initiative
can be traced first to the
strategy that defined and
determined it.
A strategy is unique to its
organization, but it should
perform three essential
functions. First, it must define
reality through the companys
eyes, describing the market
and the forces affecting it
for the near and medium
future. Second, the strategy
should define the terms and
metrics that are essential to
clear communication about
customer experience and its
measurement. Finally, the
strategy should be a tool for
decision making for employees
at every level.
FIGURE 1: HOW ADVANCED IS YOUR COMPANYS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE STRATEGY?
45%
39%
40%
35%
35%
30%
25%
20%
19%
15%
10%
7%
5%
0%
Very advanced we have a

documented strategy that
straddles digital and offline
Quite advanced we have a Not very advanced we have a Immature there is little or no
detailed strategy in place but it
strategy of sorts but the
documented strategy
hasnt been fully implemented
experience is still broken in
places
yet
RESPONDENTS: 212
At first glance, B2B companies

seem to be well on their way, at
least for a sector not normally
thought of as being at the
forefront of customer experience.
Nearly 60% of respondents
describe their organizations as
quite advanced or better.
But as well see, many of the

companies that give themselves
good grades are missing key
elements that should be part of
every CX strategy.
In association with
3. THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Strategies are as complex as

their subjects, with a multitude
of moving parts. In Figure 2, we
use just a few of them to act as
proxies for the sophistication
of respondents approach to
customer experience strategy.
The fact that jumps off the page
is that no one characteristic has
more than 50% adoption, which
gives a sober context to the
positive opinions expressed in
Figure 1.
Addressing customer
experience in a meaningful way
isnt a short-term project. The
horizon on the components of a
CX engagement will range from
weeks for fixes to month and
years for systemic changes. A
strong strategy looks across
the medium-term horizon,
which might be defined as the
length of time for which the
company can make predictions
with some semblance of
accuracy.
Thinking about the essential

uses of a strategy a tool for
vision, definition and decision
making its clear that there
are important gaps for most
companies.
With that in mind, its of

note that only half of polled
organizations have CX
strategies that extend at
least a year into the future.
That means that for the other
half, important questions

are unanswered. A year may
seem a long time from the
perspective of an executive who
sees their customers habits
changing daily. But its no time
at all to the organization that is
integrating data technologies
across disparate systems or
restructuring how teams work
together.
One of the challenging realities
of CX is that its the work of
everyone in an organization, not
simply marketing or product or
customer service. That means
that every division and team
has to be a part of the larger
strategy and buy into the part
they play. Yet only 40% are
FIGURE 2: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS ARE PART OF YOUR CUSTOMER

EXPERIENCE STRATEGY?
Our strategy extends more than 12 months into the future
50%
Our strategy details the participation of departments outside

marketing in customer experience
40%
Our strategy details the technology we need to improve our

customer experience management
40%
Our strategy details the participation of different marketing teams

in customer experience
34%
Our strategy details the talent necessary to accomplish our CX

goals
26%
None of the above
10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
RESPONDENTS: 210
10
In association with
60%
3. THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
attempting to include crossdepartmental involvement into

their strategy. That suggests
that most respondents
are thinking of customer
experience with too narrow a
focus, limiting it to a marketing
function and therefore the
impact that can be achieved.
Technology isnt change in
itself, its an enabler. But
technology is also where
many companies start, the
catalyst to looking at customer
experience with data and
digital capability in mind. How
technology will be integrated,
implemented and supported
is an important function of
customer experience strategy,
but one thats lost to 60% of
respondents. At a minimum,
the strategy should answer or
outline the following:
1 What are the technology
needs of the organization in
the context of its customer
experience goals?
2 What data is required to
power these goals?
3 What internal/external
resources will be required
to operate necessary
technologies at high
efficiency?
4 Are the tools simply a cost
of doing business, or do
they offer a competitive
advantage? Can they offer
the latter if their resourcing
formula is changed?
5 What are the timelines for

integration and how do
they change with different
resource approaches
(internal vs. external for
example)?
6 What are the implications
for existing systems,
processes and people
inherent in these moves?
In what is the most glaring
area of concern in CX strategy
design, only 26% of the sample
say that their planning includes
the role of talent in achieving
their largest goals. Technology
is only as effective as the people
using it. As customer experience
management grows to include
a set of increasingly technical
disciplines, the challenge and
priority of identifying, attracting
and keeping specialized staff
increases.
Customer experience is the

sum total of every interaction
a person has with a company.
Thats an expansive relationship
that extends across time and
nearly every corporate function.
If executive leaders are truly
committed to understanding
and improving their CX, they
need to acknowledge the
complexity and breadth of that
effort.
Strategy is how we make sense
of large-scale change. At its best,
a customer experience strategy
should be the most useful tool
in the kit for the enculturation
of goals and achieving them.
But as we see, only a handful of
companies take a comprehensive
approach to this critical activity,
giving themselves a competitive
advantage and threatening those
with a less rigorous approach.
Many companies take a limited,

responsive approach to skills
acquisition; needs emerge
and are addressed by hiring.
Thats inefficient and often
unsuccessful as new hires
lack critical organizational
knowledge to be effective
quickly. A good strategy will
address both the needs that
are going to arise from a shift
toward customer experience,
but also how to meet them
through a combination of
training, hiring and in many
cases, outsourcing.
In association with
11
PRIORITIES
AND PLATFORMS
With the B2B ecommerce market expected to be twice as large as the B2C
market in five years1, the incentive to ramp up efforts and take a piece of that
growing pie is obvious. But are B2B organizations well positioned to achieve
further growth and bolster revenue opportunities?
Separate research conducted
by Econsultancy2 revealed that
customer experience is the
primary way B2B companies
will use to differentiate
themselves from competitors
over the next five years, with
two in five (41%) B2B customer
experience professionals
surveyed saying thats the case.
This comes as no surprise
when taking into consideration
that the goals of B2B and
B2C customers are, in some
respects, broadly similar.
A similar study carried out
by SAP Hybris and Accenture
Digital3 also revealed that there
are two key drivers behind B2B
investment in omnichannel
initiatives: to meet customer
expectations (74%) and provide
a consistent experience
across channels (65%). The
two are inherently linked and
its encouraging to see that
these are key focus areas
for a large proportion of B2B
organizations.
1
2
3
12
RESPONDENTS RATING THEIR CX STRATEGY AS VERY ADVANCED VS MAINSTREAM

FIGURE 3: COMPARED TO A TYPICAL B2C RETAIL EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS AMAZON OR
ZAPPOS, HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR CUSTOMERS RATE YOUR DIGITAL CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE?
60%
55%
50%
40%
33%
34%
29%
30%
21%
20%
16%
10%
10%
2%
0%
On par with the best B2C retail

Reasonably advanced
Somewhat less advanced than Much less advanced than the
experiences
compared to typical B2C retail typical B2C retail experiences typical B2C retail experiences
experiences
Very advanced
All
RESPONDENTS: 210
While budgets are significantly

higher and buying cycles are
much longer and more intricate
in B2B, buyers are as likely as
their B2C counterparts to have
high expectations in terms of
functionality, personalization
and customer service. The

desire to receive an outstanding
experience is universal and
B2B customers are increasingly
expecting the same level of
convenience theyve become
accustomed to in B2C.
Various forecasts, including Forrester Research and Frost & Sullivan. In the US, the B2B ecommerce market is already twice as large as the B2C market.
https://econsultancy.com/reports/b2b-digital-trends-2015/
https://www.hybris.com/en/downloads/analyst-report/omni-channel-b2b-customer-engagement/077/
In association with
4. PRIORITIES AND PLATFORMS
However, there is a long way

from ambitious plans to reality.
As Figure 3 shows, less than
a fifth (16%) believe that the
digital customer experience they
provide is on par with the best
B2C retail experiences. A further
34% consider themselves to be
reasonably advanced.
One would think that these
results paint a relatively
positive picture. But when put
into perspective, it becomes
evident that the gap between
organizations in the leaders
category (those who rate
their CX strategy as very
advanced, see Figure 1) and
the mainstream is far from
for technology investment

and building upon the right
commerce platform can
certainly help.
negligible. These top 20%

organizations are more than
three times as likely to provide
experiences which are on
par with those of their B2C
peers. At the other end of the
spectrum, only around one
in ten (12%) of these leading
organizations claim theyre less
advanced than their B2C peers.
To explore the extent to which

commerce platforms address
the needs of B2B organizations,
weve asked respondents to
outline the criticality of key
areas of functionality, both
related to business processes
(Figure 4) and marketing/
customer-facing capabilities
(Figure 7) and rate their current
platforms for these areas of
functionality (Figure 5 and
Figure 9).
Taking the lessons learned by

their B2C peers and applying
them in a B2B context is
not an easy task, as the
differences between B2C and
B2B commerce environments
far outweigh the similarities.
Despite these challenges,
having a focused agenda
FIGURE 4: WHEN SELECTING A COMMERCE PLATFORM, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE

FOLLOWING TYPES OF BUSINESS PROCESS-RELATED FUNCTIONALITY?
63%
Order management
30%
44%
8%
42%
14%
38%
50%
12%
37%
52%
11%
36%
42%
34%
Call center support
32%
41%
25%
45%
23%
29%
56%
28%
58%
Multichannel
27%
0%
14%
18%
60%
16%
Critical
15%
56%
19%
Merchandising
22%
21%
54%
10%
20%
Important
30%
40%
30%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not important
RESPONDENTS: 207
In association with
13
When it comes to business

process-related functionality
(Figure 4), security and
compliance (63%) is most likely
to be seen as a critical function
of commerce platforms, with
many others competing closely
for the second place, such as
order management (44%), backoffice integrations (38%) and
business intelligence (37%).
Surprisingly, content
management systems are
considered a top priority by only
three in ten (29%) organizations.
Figure 5 shows theres room for
improvement in the ecommerce
platforms deployed by
respondents, with only a small
minority saying their technology
performs well across the whole
spectrum of these functionality
requirements.
With the exception of three
areas (third-party systems
and plug-ins, merchandising
and multichannel), these
functionality areas are more
likely to be rated as poor than
good.
FIGURE 5: HOW DO YOU RATE YOUR COMMERCE PLATFORM FOR THESE AREAS OF
FUNCTIONALITY?
33%
Call center support
29%
Merchandising
29%
Multichannel
21%
48%
19%
53%
18%
51%
Order management
17%
54%
17%
RESPONDENTS: 197
25%
31%
28%
31%
29%
60%
23%
55%
10%
Good
24%
53%
14%
10%
27%
51%
22%
0%
30%
45%
20%
41%
25%
14
47%
31%
51%
20%
Okay
30%
40%
39%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Poor
In association with
100%
FIGURE 6: BUSINESS PROCESS-RELATED FUNCTIONALITY: CRITICALITY VERSUS

PERFORMANCE
10%
63%
Order management
17%
44%
22%
38%
19%
37%
21%
36%
18%
34%
Call center support
29%
17%
32%
29%
14%
28%
Multichannel
25%
27%
19%
33%
Merchandising
16%
0%
10%
20%
29%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Proportion of companies rating functionality as 'critical'

Proportion of companies rating current commerce platform as 'good' for these areas of functionality
Figure 6 shows the proportion

of companies who have outlined
the criticality of key areas
of business process-related
functionality, as well as the
percentage of those describing
these areas as good.
There is an obvious
discrepancy between the
perceived importance and the
functionality effectiveness
rating. It is clear that survey
respondents do not feel that
that the solutions they are
using are working effectively for
them and their business.
Its worth noting that these

discrepancies are significantly
more pronounced across the
most vital functionality areas.
For example, although the most
important feature (security
and compliance) is regarded as
critical by nearly two-thirds of
responding organizations, only
one in ten rate their ecommerce
solutions as good in this area.
When investigating what
the most important areas of
marketing-related or customerfacing functionality are (Figure 7),
its evident that
B2B organizations suffer from

a lack of focus as each area was
deemed to be critical by just
under a fifth of respondents. This
somewhat stagnant mindset can
result in disjointed experiences
for end customers and an overall
inability to derive value from
their efforts.
While those with very advanced
CX strategies are significantly
more likely to rate these areas
of functionality as critical (on
average, at least three times
more likely than the mainstream),
the same lack of focus emerges
as a key issue (Figure 8).
In association with
15
This can be triggered by a wide

range of factors, with B2C peer
pressures to raise the bar and
try to meet growing customer
expectations probably playing
a central role. However,
casting a wide net can usually
cause more harm than good.
If B2B organizations want
to equip themselves for the
omnichannel future, they need
to zero in on those tactics that
can bring them a competitive
advantage.
Although it seems commerce
technologies are not very well
positioned to support B2B
requirements, only a quarter
(26%) of those surveyed perceive
limitations of commerce software
to hinder their ability to provide
an optimal digital experience
16
(Figure 14). While for some that

holds true, for others its probably
a matter of naivety and lack of
sophistication. When looking
specifically at the barriers quoted
by those with very advanced
CX strategies, limitations of
commerce platforms are only
second to issues related to
fragmented data and solutions.
Interestingly, across all areas of
marketing-related functionality,
only around a fifth of those
surveyed rate their current
platforms as poor (Figure 9).
Those in the very advanced
category are even more likely to
say their platforms perform well
in these areas, with the obvious
winners being multichannel,
mobile and SEO (Figure 10).
Organizations in the B2C sector

are all too aware that in order
to be successful in their digital
endeavors, they not only need
to rethink their approach to
customer engagement, but also
constantly experiment with and
prioritize technologies, processes
and strategies.
It seems this conviction is a long
way off for the majority of B2B
organizations but sooner or
later they will have to follow the
lead of those taking a strategic
approach to their customer
experience. As their customers
prioritize, so should they.
In association with
FIGURE 7: WHEN SELECTING A COMMERCE PLATFORM, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE

FOLLOWING TYPES OF MARKETING RELATED/CUSTOMER-FACING FUNCTIONALITIES?
Multichannel
19%
Localization (languages and locales)
18%
51%
SEO capabilities
17%
54%
Site search
15%
Personalization
14%
Mobile
14%
0%
52%
29%
31%
29%
51%
35%
58%
28%
46%
10%
20%
Critical
30%
Important
40%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not important
RESPONDENTS: 199
RESPONDENTS RATING THEIR CX STRATEGY AS VERY ADVANCED

FIGURE 8: WHEN SELECTING A COMMERCE PLATFORM, HOW IMPORTANT
ARE THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF MARKETING-RELATED/CUSTOMER-FACING
FUNCTIONALITIES?
Site search
43%
41%
Personalization
41%
SEO capabilities
38%
Mobile
38%
Multichannel
49%
54%
10%
20%
Critical
5%
57%
3%
51%
11%
54%
35%
0%
8%
8%
59%
30%
Important
40%
50%
60%
5%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Not important
RESPONDENTS: 40
In association with
17
FUNCTIONALITY?
30%
Site search
51%
28%
Multichannel
26%
Mobile
25%
Personalization
53%
10%
20%
52%
22%
53%
20%
0%
19%
54%
23%
SEO capabilities
19%
24%
62%
20%
30%
Good
Okay
40%
50%
18%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Poor
RESPONDENTS: 197
RESPONDENTS RATING THEIR CX STRATEGY AS VERY ADVANCED

FUNCTIONALITY?
Mobile
51%
Site search
46%
46%
SEO capabilities
43%
Multichannel
43%
Personalization
38%
35%
10%
20%
Good
19%
41%
14%
46%
11%
51%
41%
0%
11%
5%
43%
30%
Okay
40%
50%
60%
16%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Poor
RESPONDENTS: 40
18
In association with
CHALLENGES TO
BUILDING A GREAT
B2B COMMERCE
EXPERIENCE
FIGURE 11: TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU REGARD THE FOLLOWING AS PROCESSRELATED B2B COMMERCE CHALLENGES?
100%
90%
16%
19%
16%
21%
19%
19%
45%
50%
49%
34%
31%
32%
15%
31%
80%
13%
25%
70%
60%
43%
44%
43%
44%
50%
58%
69%
50%
40%
30%
20%
41%
38%
41%
10%
0%
31%
19%
All
Very
advanced
Managing product
content consistently
All
Very
advanced
Delivering a B2Cstandard shopping

experience
Major challenge
All
Very
advanced
All
Very
advanced
27%
All
19%
Very
advanced
Managing suppliers,
Streamlining order
Dealing with complexity
distributors and partners processing and fulfilment of B2B processes and
on a centralized platform
transactions
Minor challenge
Not a challenge
RESPONDENTS: 95
When organizations
were asked about a
number of processrelated challenges, it is
notable that companies
with advanced CX
strategies appear
to have responses
consistent with the
mainstream, with two
distinct exceptions:
DELIVERING A B2C
SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Those organizations that identify
themselves as having advanced
CX strategies were only half as
likely (19%, Figure 11) to consider
delivering a B2C standard
shopping experience as a major
challenge than the mainstream.
It is fair to say that B2C
experiences are shaping even
business buyers expectations.

Indeed, the wider and evolving
multichannel commerce
environment is impacting
on how B2B companies are
engaging with their customers.
The multichannel environment
requires enhanced business
processes and organizational
structures to align to customer
behavior.
In association with
19
5. CHALLENGES TO BUILDING A GREAT B2B ECOMMERCE EXPERIENCE
It is likely that organizations that

have advanced CX strategies
have also made inroads into
enhancing their business
processes and structures.
Some of the best ecommerce
experiences replicate B2C
shopping experiences offering
features such as in-store
collection, next day delivery
by providing reordering and
searching by catalogue number
functionality.4
DEALING WITH COMPLEXITY

OF B2B PROCESSES AND
TRANSACTIONS
dealing with complexity of B2B

processes and transactions
as major obstacles compared
to 27% of mainstream
respondents.
Often barriers to advanced CX

business processes are linked
to organizational and structural
issues as well as management
resistance. Any kind of
misalignment can prevent
digital technology effectiveness.
Process-oriented obstacles can
hinder B2B sellers from being
able to offer advanced customer
experience capabilities. Of
the companies with mature
approaches to CX, only 19%
of them (Figure 11) consider
Those respondents may have

already commenced their
journey to digital transformation
by integrating legacy systems
which can pose a real problem
for many B2B suppliers (as
seen in Figure 14), with many
reporting that integrating backoffice systems is their biggest
barrier in achieving an effective
multichannel strategy5.

FIGURE 12: TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU REGARD THE FOLLOWING AS B2B COMMERCE
CHALLENGES?
100%
90%
25%
20%
80%
30%
30%
25%
35%
33%
25%
20%
34%
35%
37%
70%
60%
50%
40%
47%
40%
30%
52%
47%
40%
40%
48%
55%
50%
45%
52%
30%
20%
10%
0%
40%
29%
All
40%
24%
Very
advanced
All
23%
Very
advanced
All
25%
Very
advanced
Providing
Fostering community Dealing with different
customized catalogs, and collaboration international markets
prices and offers between customers
Major challenge
35%
20%
All
16%
Very
advanced
Mapping
experiences
appropriately to
stages of customer
journey
Minor challenge
All
20%
Very
advanced
25%
11%
All
Very
advanced
Maximizing online
Personalizing
potential for cross- experience, content
sell and upsell
and navigation
Not a challenge
RESPONDENTS: 101
4
5
20
https://econsultancy.com/blog/65259-which-b2b-ecommerce-sites-are-getting-it-right-here-s-15-of-the-best/
https://econsultancy.com/reports/b2b-real-time-marketing-report
In association with
5. CHALLENGES TO BUILDING A GREAT B2B ECOMMERCE EXPERIENCE
In analyzing approaches to
B2B commerce, it is worth
comparing those organizations
that identify themselves as very
advanced in their approach to
customer experience against
the aggregate response to the
question of how organizations
regard a number of challenges
(Figure 12).
In taking this approach, one
insight that shines through
clearly is that organizations
that operate with an advanced
CX strategy appear to be
more aware of their strategic
challenges.
For example, those
respondents that identify
themselves as being advanced
with regard to their CX strategy
were more than twice as
likely to identify personalizing
experience, content and
navigation as a major
challenge compared to the
mainstream.
6
7
This demonstrates a level

of strategic awareness that
organizations with more
mature approaches to CX
possess. Previous research by
Econsultancy may offer guidance
around this phenomena as
organizations operating with
advanced CX capabilities
may also have more mature
organizational structures
consisting of agile teams and
technical infrastructure.
These foster crosscollaboration, coordination and
a greater understanding of the
customer and thus also help
organizations be more aware
of the operational reality (or
indeed difficulty) of optimizing
customer experience
through personalization and
mapping experiences across
the different stages of the
customer journey.6
Indeed, organizations with an

advanced CX strategy have
a more mature approach to
sales and marketing, where
these functions are more than
operational and are built into
the fabric of how the business
operates.
With this in mind, the words of
renowned management thinker
and author Peter Drucker are
relevant. He was noted as saying
that because the purpose
of business is to create and
keep a customer, the business
enterprise has two and only
two basic functions: marketing
and innovation. Marketing and
innovation produce results; all
the rest are costs. Marketing
is the distinguishing, unique
function of the business.7
The emphasis on experience,
service and not simply profit
as key business objectives is
increasingly relevant today.
https://econsultancy.com/reports/digital-marketing-organisational-structures-and-resourcing-best-practice-guide/
Drucker, P F (2001). The Essential Drucker, the Best of Sixty Years of Peter Druckers Essential Writings on Management. Collins Business Essentials
In association with
21
DATA,
TECHNOLOGY
AND KNOWLEDGE
While the standardizing of
design elements, language and
practices ensures the first part
of this equation, the latter is
mostly dependent on the data,
technology and knowledge
owned within an organization.
But based on the data in
Figure 13, it is clear that most
organizations are not in the
position to give their teams the
best tools in order to optimize
experiences for their customers.
As the profession and scope of UX in corporate

settings continues to permeate through
organizations, designers and developers will spend
less time implementing design features and more
time involved in user research.8 This exercise will
increasingly look inwards, as organizations seek to
create experiences and a point of differentiation that
is aesthetically pleasing and meets the unique use
cases of their potential and existing customers.
FIGURE 13: FROM WHAT SOURCES DO YOU GATHER INTELLIGENCE ABOUT

CUSTOMERS OR PROSPECTS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE OR PERSONALIZE THE ONLINE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE?
CRM data
55%
Previous company buying behavior
37%
Browsing behavior
37%
Call center intelligence
35%
Location
34%
Previous individual buying behavior
34%
Device usage
33%
Search terms
30%
Mobile app data
29%
Explicit user preferences
29%
Other
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
RESPONDENTS: 190
22
http://uxdesign.cc/ux-trends-2015-2016
In association with
60%
6. DATA, TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
While the majority of

respondents are using CRM data
(55%) to improve the digital
customer experience, its also the
only data source being used by
more than half of the companies
surveyed. For instance, less than
40% of organizations are using
purchase history, data that is
often used for forecasting and
sales targets, at the company
(37%) or individual (34%) level, to
actually improve future purchase
behavior.
Particularly in the case of
personalization, the criticality
of having a wide range of
datasets cannot be overstated.
Using aggregated or individual
data around browsing history

and location can help to
identify localized user trends,
while integrating call center
intelligence with search data can
provide explicit insight on the
issues organizations should be
focused on solving.
However, even when customers
have made their desires explicit
through preference centers,
they are unlikely to be utilized,
with only 29% of companies
leveraging this data.
experience has been a challenge

to many.
Unsurprisingly, legacy
technology (42%) is the most
cited technology barrier to
delivering an excellent digital
commerce experience. These
platforms have been built and
used to facilitate not just old
technology and processes,
but also old organizational
incentives. However, it is these
changing incentives that are at
the heart of other key issues.
From a technological
perspective, pulling together
these disparate datasets for the
common good of the customer
FIGURE 14: WHAT ARE THE MAIN TECHNOLOGY BARRIERS YOUR ORGANIZATION
FACES IN TRYING TO DELIVER AN OPTIMAL DIGITAL COMMERCE EXPERIENCE?
Legacy technology
42%
Fragmented data and solutions (zero or limited integration

among point solutions)
39%
IT process roadblocks
38%
Lack of tech budget / resources
35%
Limitations of commerce software
26%
None of the above
9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
RESPONDENTS: 186
In association with
23
6. DATA, TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE
As previously illustrated in Figure

2, just 40% of organizations have
considered the participation
of departments other than
marketing in customer
experience management. In
this context, it is inevitable
that a significant proportion of
businesses will suffer more from
fragmented data and solutions
(39%) and IT process roadblocks
(38%) than limitations of
commerce software (26%).
24
These integrations and crossfunctional collaborations have

become problematic, potentially
because historically there was
little need for such partnerships
to take place.
With the customer experience
becoming a critical priority at
the highest level, it is important
for organizations to adjust their
explicit and implicit incentives
throughout the organization.
Addressing cultural priorities

and practices is just as much of
a hygiene factor in the effective
implementation and use of new
technology as providing the
budget to purchase it. So while
it may be somewhat harder
to identify than a shortfall in
budget, the reconstruction of a
collaborative culture is critical in
the transition towards creating
a technological infrastructure
that provides the foundation for
delivering an excellent customer
experience.
In association with
CONTENT AND
CUSTOMERS
UNDERSTANDING THE
BUSINESS BUYERS JOURNEY
The reality of producing content that meets customers needs at every stage of
their journey is often significantly different and difficult from the theory.
Companies might excel at the
early stages only to leave the
customer to fend for themselves
on subsequent visits or theyre
good at speaking to CMOs, but
cant find their voice to speak
to the influencers that matter
or they fall into any number of
other traps. To counteract this,
it is integral that the needs and
patterns of the customer are
understood before theyre acted
upon.
Two-fifths (40%) of companies

are consistently re-evaluating
their customer journey
research in order to expand
their knowledge and react to
any changes. This also allows
the identification of any mass
changes in customer habits,
either as touchpoints evolve,
or as customers act differently
during different seasons of
the working calendar. The
same proportion (40%) work
in a fashion that allows teams

across the enterprise to work
together to define customer
needs. This means that each
department can pull in their
own insights on the customer
journey to better inform
decisions for each stage.
FIGURE 15: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS APPLY TO HOW YOUR

ORGANIZATION ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF CUSTOMERS AT DIFFERENCE STAGES OF
THE JOURNEY?
When thinking about

the marketing and sales
departments specifically, 20%
of responding organizations
agreed that these departments
aligned in order to deliver the
best customer experience
(Figure 16).
Our customer journey research is re-evaluated on a regular

basis
40%
Teams across the enterprise work together to define customer

needs
40%
We have content that is mapped to the role of the customer
35%
We have content that is mapped to each stage of the customer

journey
34%
We have established a system for analyzing the customer

journey across devices (desktop vs mobile for example)
31%
We have a process for analyzing customer goals by role
30%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
RESPONDENTS: 184
In association with
25
7. CONTENT AND CUSTOMERS
Just under a third (31%) have

a system allowing them to
join up the customer journey
across devices, such as on
desktop versus mobile. This
is an extension of the 19% of
companies who would describe
their customer experience
strategy as very advanced,
incorporating online and offline
(Figure 1).
A similar proportion (34%)
have content mapped out for
each stage of the customer
journey, and 35% for the role
of the customer. This level
of personalization leading to
improved customer experience
will only become better with
more time and investment in
the customer journey research
mentioned earlier in this
section.
Those tasked with content
strategy may want to take a step
back and evaluate where they
are and where they need to go:
1 CONDUCT A FULL CONTENT
AUDIT. Thinking about your
different buyer personas,
create a grid that covers all
of them, at every stage of
the process. Remember that
buyers really means every
stakeholder, from press and
analysts to tech evaluators
and the C-suite signatory.
What content do you have to
engage them, educate and
nurture their thinking about
your products and ultimately,
support their case for working
with you?
2 BUILD A STRATEGY
AROUND BUSINESS
GOALS THAT RESONATE
THROUGHOUT THE
C-SUITE. The CEO wont
necessarily want to know
26
about your latest white

paper, but they might want
to know what impact CX
initiatives are having, or how
youre working to lengthen
customer engagement or
increase relationship value.
3 TARGET THE MOST
IMPORTANT GAPS FIRST.
Every company has those
influencers or decision
makers that most often
correlate with sales. Some
buyer profiles simply fit
better with quick or large
sales, so work backwards
and think about content
thats built for them.
4 SHOOT FOR EVERGREEN,
BUT PLAN FOR
OBSOLESCENCE. In B2B,
content can be productive
for months or even years if
its designed well, but thats
rarely the case. The best
way to boost the lifetime of
a content piece is to think
about how its component
parts can be reused as part
of the planning phase and
creating a schedule for those
mini-initiatives. Above all,
dont let irrelevant, out-ofdate content languish on
your properties. Its a black
eye for the organization and
a missed opportunity with a
prospect.
5 REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE
(AND YOUR BUYERS
PERSONAS) WORK
TOGETHER. Content
pieces benefit by being
targeted to the role of the
reader and that extends to
thinking about how that role
interacts with others. For
example, if its a financial
analysis of the five-year
impact of a product on
production efficiency, think

about how the financially
inclined reader needs that
information in a way that
can be communicated
to others who arent so
savvy. Similarly, technical
specifications that read like
poetry to an IT evaluator
need to be expressed in a
story that laypeople can
understand.
6 THINK PROGRAM NOT
CAMPAIGN. Campaigns
end, programs keep
working thats a simple
way to evaluate your
content initiatives with an
eye toward efficiency and
diversity. Campaigns are
labor-intensive throughout,
but a program has elements
that can continue to
work, generating leads or
nurturing them for months.
7 TEST AND REPEAT. In many
ways digital technology
has made life for customer
experience professionals
more complicated and
challenging, but the
capability to rapidly test
content for effectiveness
and reach is a powerful new
tool that should inform each
iteration of strategy and
practice.
If companies are keeping on top
of the information they have on
their customers, particularly
when matching this up across
teams, small changes can
continue to make the customer
experience smoother, meaning
they are more likely to return.
In association with
BUILDING YOUR
CX OF THE FUTURE
Customer experience across digital channels is heralded by business leaders
as a top priority for business success, past, present and future.
For many, customer experience
is the most important part of
their strategy for acquiring and
retaining customers. Figure
16 shows that for more than a
third of respondents, the digital
experience is their brand, and far
more have big CX plans for the
future 58% said this will be the
case in five years time (Figure 17).
have some way to go in

structuring their teams to
enable improvements in the
digital experience.
Less encouraging is the fact

that only 20% agree that
marketing and sales are
aligned for the best possible
customer experience, with a far
higher proportion disagreeing.
Econsultancy research
has shown that siloed and
misaligned internal structures
can be a central barrier towards
digital transformation: a process
that is key to a streamlined
customer experience. This
indicates that B2B companies
Section 4 showed that more than

a third of companies said they
thought their customers rated
their digital customer experience
as reasonably advanced
compared to a typical B2C retail
experience. However, Figure 17
shows that for a larger proportion
(48%), the digital experience is
an after-thought, supporting the
indication that B2B companies are
less advanced in terms of digital
CX than typical B2C companies,
FIGURE 16: TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENTS?
We build individual profiles based on behavior and interests

across different channels
16%
The digital experience IS our brand
8%
We think mobile first when it comes to our customer experience

strategy
8%
17%
27%
23%
15%
The marketing and sales departments align themselves for best

5%
possible customer experience
15%
29%
We use digital engagement to nudge our customers along the

4%
journey from discovery to advocacy
18%
27%
0%
Somewhat agree
30%
12%
24%
31%
11%
31%
Our ecommerce is 'anytime, anywhere, any device' across

6%
brands and regions
Strongly agree
26%
30%
29%
35%
33%
38%
10%
15%
19%
14%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Neither agree nor disagree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
RESPONDENTS: 101
In association with
27
8. BUILDING YOUR CX OF THE FUTURE
despite a third of respondents

saying that the digital experience
is their brand.
The use of data to make content
decisions is important for
almost 70% of respondents, and
62% are currently consolidating
data from different sources to
make content decisions, as
seen in Figure 17. The chart
also shows the importance of
using digital along the customer
journey, and the challenge
still posed by customers using
multiple channels and devices
along the path to purchase.
Digital transformation is evidently
important for the future success
of B2B companies. The misaligned
sales and marketing departments
revealed in Figure 16 are added
to IT roadblocks, selected by
39% of respondents as a main
barrier to driving revenue (Figure

18). This is also likely to be
impacting the level of integration
between community content
and commerce sites, with almost
a quarter of respondents finding
this a main barrier to revenue
generation.
Again, a lack of digital

transformation could be
one of the causes for this:
Figure 19 shows that a
significant proportion of all
respondents have no strategy
to manage online communities.
Comparatively, those with
advanced CX strategies (and likely
to be more digitally advanced
in general) are far more likely to
have a community management
strategy in place.
Encouraging engagement
with and between individual
customers and communities
is shown by this research
to be a pain point for B2B
companies. Figure 16 showed
that using engagement to nudge
customers along the customer
journey was the statement
that the lowest proportion of
respondents strongly agreed
with, and Figure 18 supports
this, with two-way dialogue a
barrier for more than a quarter.
Second to IT roadblocks is the

issue of attracting customers to
respondents ecommerce sites,
which is a more prominent issue
for B2B-focused businesses
than their B2C counterparts
due to the differences in the
customer journey, and the
increased need for personal
interaction.
FIGURE 17: TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENTS?
We have to be able to use data to make intelligent decisions

about what content to serve
38%
We consolidate data from different sources to make intelligent

decisions about what content to serve
28%
Using digital to nudge our customers along the journey is vital to

our success
28%
The challenge of the multichannel customer is important and

growing for us
22%
The digital experience is an after-thought for our business
14%
0%
Somewhat agree
22%
34%
26%
In five years, the digital experience will BE our brand
Strongly agree
30%
21%
14%
28%
10%
37%
21%
10% 7%
20%
26%
18%
15%
2%
4%
11%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Neither agree nor disagree
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree
RESPONDENTS: 92
28
3%
32%
36%
34%
9% 1%
In association with
8. BUILDING YOUR CX OF THE FUTURE
FIGURE 18: WHAT ARE THE MAIN BARRIERS YOUR ORGANIZATION FACES IN TRYING
TO DRIVE REVENUE WITH YOUR COMMUNITIES?
IT roadblocks (e.g. API-driven technology)
39%
Attract customers to our commerce site
31%
Self-service support and question resolution
29%
Solicit two-way dialogue with customers
26%
Tight integration between community content and commerce site
24%
Connect customers together
23%
SEO-optimized community (i.e. driving customers to commerce

site through SEO)
17%
None of the above
15%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
RESPONDENTS: 186

FIGURE 19: DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE A STRATEGY TO MANAGE ONLINE
COMMUNITIES?
80%
74%
70%
60%
50%
46%
40%
37%
30%
20%
20%
17%
10%
0%
6%
Yes, we have a defined strategy for

communities
No, but we are considering this

Very advanced
No, we dont have a strategy for

communities
All
RESPONDENTS: 190
In association with
29
APPENDIX:
RESPONDENT
PROFILES
This report is based on an online survey focused on customer experience of over 220
B2B professionals from the IT, marketing, digital and ecommerce fields, carried out in
October and November 2015.
The following charts provide further details on the profile of survey respondents.
FIGURE 20: WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR POSITION AT YOUR COMPANY?

50%
45%
44%
42%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
6%
6%
5%
1%
0%
C-level / SVP / VP /
General Manager
Senior Director /
Director
Board level /
business owner
Manager
Junior Executive /
Associate
0%
Other
RESPONDENTS: 218
30
In association with
9. APPENDIX: RESPONDENT PROFILES
FIGURE 21: IN WHICH BUSINESS FUNCTION DO YOU WORK?
IT
28%
Operations
14%
Business development
13%
Sales
13%
Marketing
13%
Ecommerce
5%
Digital
2%
Customer service
1%
Channel / partner
1%
Web development
0%
Analytics team
0%
Content / editorial
0%
Separate mobile team
0%
Other
9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
RESPONDENTS: 216
FIGURE 22: IN WHICH BUSINESS SECTOR IS YOUR ORGANIZATION?
Manufacturing
31%
Retail
10%
Software
8%
Travel and transport
7%
Insurance
6%
Telecommunication
6%
Wholesale distribution
6%
Consumer products
2%
Media and entertainment
Fashion
1%
0%
Other
22%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
RESPONDENTS: 218
In association with
31
FIGURE 23: WHAT IS YOUR ANNUAL COMPANY REVENUE?
45%
42%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
20%
17%
14%
15%
10%
7%
5%
0%
<$100 million
$100 million $499

million
$500 million $999

million
$1 billion $2 billion
More than $2 billion
RESPONDENTS: 218
32
In association with
ABOUT
ECONSULTANCY
ABOUT SAP
HYBRIS
Econsultancys mission is to help its customers

achieve excellence in digital business, marketing
and ecommerce through research, training and
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THE TENSION IN

THE TENSION IN B2B

Published May 2016

FOREWORD BY SAP HYBRIS

THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN

PRIORITIES AND PLATFORMS

CHALLENGES TO BUILDING A GREAT B2B

DATA, TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE

CONTENT AND CUSTOMERS

BUILDING YOUR CX OF THE FUTURE

APPENDIX: RESPONDENT PROFILES

Customer experience covers such a multitude of interactions between

change, but these leaders are

COMPARED TO A TYPICAL B2C RETAIL EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS AMAZON OR

On par with the best B2C retail

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

The question is why? The

Less than half of polled

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

Another oversight is in the area of

Security and compliance, order

Time and again, we find

WHEN SELECTING A COMMERCE PLATFORM, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FOLLOWING

Security and compliance

Billing / payment integration in multiple currencies

Ability to handle high number of SKUs

Call center support

Product information management (PIM)

Content management system

Third-party systems and plug-ins

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

OTHER SELECTED FINDINGS

during different seasons of the

A new emphasis on the customer

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer...

Unfortunately many B2B companies are not doing

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

FIGURE 1: HOW ADVANCED IS YOUR COMPANYS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE STRATEGY?

Very advanced we have a

At first glance, B2B companies

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

But as well see, many of the

3. THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Strategies are as complex as

Thinking about the essential

With that in mind, its of

half, important questions

FIGURE 2: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS ARE PART OF YOUR CUSTOMER

Our strategy extends more than 12 months into the future

Our strategy details the participation of departments outside

Our strategy details the technology we need to improve our

Our strategy details the participation of different marketing teams

Our strategy details the talent necessary to accomplish our CX

None of the above

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

3. THE ROLE OF STRATEGY IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

attempting to include crossdepartmental involvement into

5 What are the timelines for

Customer experience is the

Many companies take a limited,

The Tension in B2B Customer Experience Management

RESPONDENTS RATING THEIR CX STRATEGY AS VERY ADVANCED VS MAINSTREAM

The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer...