One of the key benefits of ecommerce is the ability for customers to self-serve. They should be able to view their past orders and their current status. In the “My Account” section of the site, it is common to find the “My Orders” area. Here, customers can review their purchases, reprint receipts, request returns, or repeat orders.
However, there are several differences in the implementation of “My Orders” in B2B ecommerce. In B2C, “My Orders” literally means the orders placed by the logged-in user.
In B2B, the list should display orders placed by all users of that business or by all users in the same business unit, in the case of a large organization. The list of orders could be lengthy, so it’s important to implement the ability to search for orders containing specific products and filter orders by the dates when they were placed.
The order detail page lists the products included in the order and offers an interface to cancel the order or initiate the return process. It’s important to note that displaying the overall order status is often not enough. You should also show the order processing status for each individual item. If an order has been split into multiple shipments, this should also be clearly displayed on the order details page.
Customers should be able to view all order modifications, even if they were made after the initial order was placed.
Repeat business drives a significant portion of revenue, especially in a B2B company. Therefore, reordering should be made as simple as possible. Customers may want to repeat the entire order or just some items.
Implementing a well-designed self-service system in B2B ecommerce can provide numerous benefits for businesses. By allowing customers to access their purchase history and track their orders, businesses can improve customer satisfaction and reduce the number of support inquiries. This saves time and resources for both the customers and the business.
By displaying the order processing status per item and allowing customers to view all order modifications, businesses can provide greater transparency and build trust with their customers. This is especially critical for B2B companies, where the value of purchases is often higher.
Finally, making it easy for customers to reorder items can drive repeat business and increase revenue for the business. Overall, a well-implemented self-service system can provide numerous benefits for both the customer and the business.
