Important Features of an Enterprise eCommerce Platform

Enterprise eCommerce platform, better known as enterprise-grade eCommerce solution is specifically designed for large companies that deal with multiple products. These companies want to set up multiple eCommerce stores to start their online business.
Generally, B2B/B2G companies will require an enterprise eCommerce platform to launch their business online. Large enterprises do overly complex business. An easy way to reduce complexity in business is to choose an appropriate eCommerce solution that can simplify the business processes.
Following are the must-have features in an enterprise eCommerce system:

1. Supports Multiple Languages

Many large companies serve international customers. They have a customer base in another country that does not conduct business transactions in English. Big companies often want to expand their business to the international market.

In such circumstances, if the eCommerce solution doesn't support multiple languages, going global is a challenge for large companies. To expand global reach, it is necessary to choose a multilingual eCommerce store.
Similarly, the eCommerce platform should allow you to sell products in multiple currencies on a single store.

2. Flexible Integrations

Quite a few large enterprises incorporate a software application to run their business smoothly. For instance, big companies in the manufacturing sector use ERP software to manage their business processes.

On the other hand, product-based companies implement a CRM solution to keep track of their interactions with prospects and customers. Whereas, professional service automation (PSA) software is used by businesses across various industries for project management.

When these businesses want to build an online store, they expect their eCommerce platform to seamlessly integrate with their existing software application.

Dealing with disparate systems can lead to inefficiency and lower team productivity. Too much time is spent on manual re-entry of data. To avoid such a situation, businesses are looking for eCommerce solutions that have excellent integration capabilities.

3. eCommerce App

The last few years have witnessed unprecedented growth in the mobile commerce industry. Mobile commerce sales are expected to reach the $2.91 trillion mark in 2020. The rise of m-commerce cannot be ignored.

Both B2B and B2G customers are now shifting from desktop PCs to mobile devices for making online purchases. Customers tend to use apps more often as compared to sites on smartphones.

With mobile commerce now an integral part of retail experience, enterprise eCommerce platforms should have their own mobile app. This will allow your B2B and B2G customers to make purchases using a variety of mobile devices.

Mobile apps also help to create brand loyalty, which can have a positive impact on business revenue in the long run.

4. Omnichannel Experience

A majority of B2B and B2G customers browse through multiple sales channels such as websites, social media platforms, and marketplaces before making a purchase. In such a scenario, businesses need to offer an omnichannel experience.

It is a multi-channel approach in which customer touchpoints on different sales channels are connected seamlessly to provide a unified customer experience. An integrated omnichannel interaction is engaging and can certainly help to improve business performance.

No matter what device, platforms, or channel touchpoints are used during the buying journey, customers can move from one channel to another seamlessly.

5. Personalized Shopping Experience

Dealing with B2B/B2G customers is altogether a different ball game. For instance, you cannot show the same catalog for all B2B customers since each one comes with its own set of unique requirements.

So every enterprise eCommerce platform should have provision to create customer-specific catalogs. In other words, you need to offer a highly customizable catalog for every B2B/B2G customer.

One eCommerce backend - multiple storefronts; Well, this is the most important feature that will allow you to manage your large customers from a single backend.

B2B/B2G customers should be allowed to reorder, request a quote, etc. There should be a provision to get bulk/volume discounts. Offering a personalized shopping experience to B2B/B2G customers is critical to grow your business.

6. Scalability

An enterprise eCommerce system that does not scale is not worth buying. This is because large companies won't be able to expand their operations using unscalable eCommerce solutions.

Say, as a VAR, you want to take your business to newer markets. To achieve this, your VAR eCommerce software should support an increase in traffic load.

An eCommerce platform that isn't scalable will not be able to handle a surge in traffic and will make your website slower. Hence, site scalability is a top priority when selecting an enterprise eCommerce solution.