Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I am in the process of taking our B2B equipment sales company and creating an online counterpart. We have good sales to distributors now, but we want to create a brand in which end-users (restaurtants, etc.) can purchase through us with the best possible price and less hassle.

We are going to be the first in our class to actually have a branded site. Our competitors are all boring `catalog`-ish websites without a brand identity.

I am not a webdesign specilist, we have a webdesigner. I want to give him some guidelines to make our site different in terms of how the products are displayed. My question is what ways could I implement to get away from the traditional dry catalog feel and make the site more interesting and innovative in terms of how it displays the products. Where can I find more information on creative B2B sites.

Thanks,

Patrick

I think it may depend on your product range. Is it all general office supplies or more specific things? Then you may need to think about how your audience is different. For example, I don`t know if your audience is buying bulk office chairs, or a single Specialized printer. The audience and buyer specifics will probably also shape your end design.

I`m thinking you need to look at how a Dell, or Alienware distinguishes themselves online in their respective markets. You`ll get an idea of product display setups better by looking at your competition, maybe not in your specific B2B department, but in other markets such as my Computer reference. Simplicity has always been the all-around favorite when it comes to design/functionality. Fewer clicks, AJAX picture displays, Smart and Easy search, Hard details and not fluff, clear navigation, etc.

Lastly, while branding is a great thing to have for the long run, I don`t think it will completely benefit your site to focus on that in the short run. For example, I would argue a business trying to compete in the online side of their market for the first time needs to worry more about functionality and marketing of the website than the brand design or `creativity`. Existing sites, as ugly they may be, will already have a strong presence online which your new site will be far behind in.

Functionality is important to make the most out of your visitors, and then marketing to get the visitors there in the first place. Unless you are okay with relying on your existing clients/marketing to sell via the website, I think you need to evaluate how your competitor catalogs do at bringing searchers to their sites. However this is a speculation without any real information on your individual business or market.

Regards



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Colin Winter
Small Business Website Management and Marketing

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Of all the items being sold as commodities, I`m thinking computers and computer parts are right up there near the top. Take a look at the Tiger Direct site, and see how that works.

Notice that it`s a catalog, but that each item has its own visual "focal point." The specials and sales are right on the front page, but the search capabilities are excellent.

When you have a lot of stuff to sell, I would argue that the two primary things to worry about are 1) on-site search, and 2) photographs. After the photos, comes the descriptions. I don`t think it matters all that much if you`re selling to the public, to other businesses, or a combination. Selling is selling. ;-)

great advice guys, thanks so much