BtoB, Transforming the Internet Threat into Opportunity (Europages case)
Among the many studies published by the BtoB Europages directory , one concerns the use of the web by professionals.
What promotional tools are used in BtoB?
The site is the main element, in almost 80% of cases. It is important to note that this was only the case for 46% of the pros in 2008.
Then, it is the catalogs, leaflets and PR, in 60% of the cases.
On the other hand, attendance at shows fell sharply from nearly 50% in 2008 to 35% of cases today.
Mailing and emailing are at the same level, 50% to 55% of cases.
How are the searches done?
One of the particularities of the BtoB compared to the BtoC , is that the Internet is used much more upstream of the purchase process. Today, more than 93% of decision-makers start their research (information, suppliers, etc.) via the Internet. Hence the importance of structuring your BtoB site differently from a BtoC site, whether for the architecture, the content or the targeted keywords. In 55%, there is more than 1 month between the start of the search and the transaction. The transaction that occurs on the day of the search is a rare exception (less than 4% of cases).
Moreover, if in BtoC, the transaction is often done online, this is not the case in BtoB, where the process often ends face to face.
Sur Internet, l’outil le plus utilisé reste le moteur de recherche (64%) des cas, loin devant le site du fournisseurs (19% des cas). Suivent les portails de secteurs (7%) et les sites de magazines pros (5%).
Sur les moteurs de recherche, on note un alongement des requêtes effectuées. Les recherches génériques composées d’1 ou 2 mots sont de moins en moins fréquentes. La moyenne est aujourd’hui de 3.2 mots. Mais on enregistre beaucoup de recherches de 4 voire 5 mots. Plus la recherche faite est précise, plus l’internaute visitera de pages parmi les résultats proposés par son moteur de recherche. Et, c’est logiquement dans ces cas que les taux de conversion sont les plus forts. Un même mot peut avoir différents sens selon le contexte B2B ou B2C : sans aucune précision, un moteur de recherche générique donnera des résultats génériques.
What are the influential factors in the buying phase?
The 3 factors that most influence the buying process are: The supplier’s site, Wew searches and word of mouth. Word of mouth remains the most influential, but is not the most used.
Who uses the Internet in BtoB?
Most of the purchasing departments make use of the web (71% of cases), far ahead of sales representatives (14%).
