by Brianna Crandall — January 13, 2016—Omnichannel commerce is no longer a buzzword for business-to-business (B2B) buyers, but Staples Advantage, the B2B division of Staples Inc., is leading the charge on providing these buyers with the kind of convenient and consistent buying experience typically reserved for consumers.
Staples Advantage enables facilities managers, office managers, and procurement officers to make work-related purchases online or from the Staples Advantage mobile application for a quick pick-up in-store at their discounted contract prices.
Driven by online shopping experiences for personal goods and services, B2B purchasers are increasingly demanding seamless, cross-channel capabilities when conducting business purchases, notes Staples. As a result, according to a recent study by Forrester Research, “Building the B2B Omni-Channel Commerce Platform of the Future,” nearly half of B2B buyers now make work-related purchases on the same Web sites and mobiles apps they use to do their personal shopping.
While this provides convenience, it is also leading to FMs spending money they do not need to through the unnecessary upcharges of shopping outside of their contracts with negotiated lower prices.
Staples Advantage is empowering B2B buyers with the same options as consumer purchasers, including:
- The option to order product online for pickup in a store location in as little as two hours.
- Mobile application featuring a scanning option, enabling customers to scan the barcode of an item in their stock room and immediately add any quantity to their online cart – for delivery or in-store pick up.
- Ability to order print jobs online for pickup at their closest store.
Staples Advantage says it provides a personalized experience, with recommendations tailored to customers’ organizational needs, helping them discover other products they may need, with a simplified check-out process. Additionally, customers can see what supplies they may be running low on and need to reorder based on their order frequency history.
With an emphasis on streamlining the customer experience online, Staples says browsing is now easier than ever with consolidated categories and the ability to browse by industry. Users can also view recently purchased items and a revamped deals section that highlights the best savings opportunities for their organization.
