Kimmo Ilmavirta
Head of Sales
kimmo.ilmavirta@dhl.com
Jani Seppälä
E-commerce and Major Account Manager
jani.seppala@dhl.com
Quick Key Points
- B2B sales online are taking over all aspects of what businesses do—from large machinery to entire software platforms
- Consumer eCommerce experiences—the convenience, speed, as well pre-purchase research and decision-making—have moved on to the B2B sector
- The biggest challenge is for companies to make the shift to opening a customer-centric webstore in the first place
- DHL Express offers consultancy services to help companies tailor their B2B eCommerce to the trends and realities of a quickly changing market and can help with the logistics of delivery, taxes, and more
Traditionally, B2B sales have taken place face-to-face. Accelerated by the pandemic, this reality is quickly changing. It is now time to consider the full scope of eCommerce.
According to McKinsey & Company, 15% of B2B buyers are willing to spend up to USD 1 million in online purchases. More than spare parts and services, B2B sales online are taking over all aspects of what businesses do—from large machinery to entire software platforms.
We talked with Kimmo Ilmavirta, Head of Sales at Amcham Finland member DHL Express Finland, and Jani Seppälä, E-commerce and Major Account Manager at DHL Express, to see what global trends Amcham members should be aware of in B2B eCommerce.
“I recently bought a house,” Ilmavirta tells us, “and I never once visited a bank. I bought the house over my mobile phone. Huge purchases can now be done over the internet.”
Consumer eCommerce experiences—the convenience, speed, as well as pre-purchase research and decision-making—have moved on to the B2B sector. Buyers expect their purchasing experience to be as smooth as visiting Amazon and almost entirely done over the internet.
“When I bought my house, I did go walk around it for 15 minutes,” Ilmavirta says. “Large purchases in the B2B sector should also be integrated—some face-to-face interaction is still necessary.”
The biggest challenge is for companies to make the shift to opening a customer-centric webstore in the first place. The good news is that it’s incredibly easy and, instead of growing incrementally from the Finnish to European and finally global markets, the global market is available as soon as the webstore is up and running.
“You have to be out there and create a sales channel that answers the expectations of how companies are buying,” says Seppälä. More and more, this is done digitally, which is a trend that some companies may not yet be embracing fully.
Global B2B eCommerce topped USD 12 trillion in 2019 and is growing.
DHL Express offers consultancy services to help companies tailor their B2B eCommerce to the trends and realities of a quickly changing market and can help with the logistics of delivery, taxes, and more. This opens a global market to any company, big or small, that has taken advantage of the global trend of B2B sales moving online.