Just like B2C buyers, B2B customers want you to know them and make their buying process easy. Afterall, in their off time, they're B2C customers just like the rest of us. These days, B2B businesses are empowered to change – from the back end to the customer-facing experience. B2B firms must leverage the right digital capabilities to move toward personalization for their customers.Read about the 5 imperatives for B2B firms to personalize and improve the customer experience. For more information visit: https://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?htmlfid=UVW12552USEN&;

1. The Five Imperatives
to Drive B2B
Personalization

2. It’s table stakes for playing
in the B2B space today.
Just as in B2C buying, B2B customers want you
to know them and make the buying process easy.
They’ve come to expect this because – in their off time –
they’re B2C buyers just like the rest of us.
© 2017 IBM2
According to Gartner analyst Gene Alvarez, “By 2018, B2B companies
with e-commerce personalization will outsell those without by 30%”¹

3. True. B2B buying is different.
It’s more complex all around, but now
B2B businesses are empowered to change –
from the back end to the customer-facing experience.
B2B firms must leverage the right digital capabilities
to move toward personalization for their customers.
We’ve identified five imperatives for B2B firms to
personalize and improve the customer experience.
© 2017 IBM3

4. © 2017 IBM4
1. Personalize marketing
messaging with relevance
Just like B2C buyers, B2B customers expect to see
relevant and customized promotions/messaging.
So, B2B firms must:
• Provide the right message to the right customer
at the right time
• Display marketing results following business
terms and conditions
• Identify both registered users and guests
to personalize messaging
• Create unique customer segments

5. © 2017 IBM5
2. Personalize business rules
and requirements
Decision makers in B2B firms are often many and
dispersed throughout the organization. To
accommodate this complexity, B2B firms must:
• Be able to create customized catalogs
and contracts
• Customize views and workflow processes
by organizational hierarchy
• Personalize templates for quick order,
order history, and save orders
• Have flexible payment options

6. 76% of B2B buyers list enhanced search as
one of their top three must-have features…
but only 48% of B2B sellers cite enhanced
search as a top technology priority
The
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7. © 2017 IBM7
3. Personalize Search and optimize
product finding capabilities
We spend the majority of our time on the internet
searching for information and products. But when searching
has the added pressure of filling a business need, it ups
the ante. It’s critical that B2B firms:
• Align with all catalog entitlement and
contract rules
• Have customer-centric searches based on the
user’s role
• Offer type-ahead capabilities
• Utilize guided navigation and robust filtering
to support product complexities

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4. Personalize guided selling
Purchasing for some B2B customers can be very
complicated. Guided selling is a customized product
selection system that walks the user through the
process and ensures order accuracy. Effective guided
selling offers:
• Automation of configuration, pricing and ordering
• Personalized configurations specific to the business
• Customized automated quoting workflow process
based on business requirements
• Intelligent cross-selling and up-selling
opportunities within contract negotiated products

9. According to the Content Marketing Institute2…
Content personalization is among the
top 5 priorities for B2B content
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10. © 2017 IBM10
5. Personalize content
with customizable and flexible
business user tools
Business users need the ability to personalize the
buying experience, without reliance on IT. This enables
agility to modify pages and offers quick implementation.
• Easy creation and management of store pages
without the need for IT
• The ability to personalize different page layouts
for various needs
• Flexibility to launch segmented marketing
campaigns quickly and more…

11. © 2017 IBM11
B2B and B2C buyers are different…and the same
B2B and B2C buyers have different demands, but they both want the same exceptional online
experiences. B2B firms have the opportunity to gain customer loyalty through outstanding, personalized
purchasing experiences. Anything short of this and customers may reward your competition.

12. Find out more.
Read The Power of B2B Personalization:
Maximizing the B2B digital experience.
¹ InternetRetailer, Personalized web content will be crucial for B2B sales, analyst says
2 The Content Marketing Institute, B2B content Marketing: 2016 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends - North America
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