Billtrust found in a survey of more than 500 sellers that ecommerce now accounts for at least one-half of all sales in five key industries.

B2B ecommerce continues to make significant inroads into some of the oldest segments of the industrial United States, says a new research report from Billtrust.

Billtrust provides cloud-based software and integrated payment processing applications. It recently surveyed just over 500 sellers in five established industries:

  • Electrical
  • General contracting
  • Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
  • Janitorial/sanitation
  • Plumbing

In all these industries, ecommerce now accounts for at least one-half of all sales, including janitorial/sanitation at 54%.

“It appears that the days of salespeople making rounds to client branches are being replaced by omnichannel digital experiences where deals are secured via the click of a mouse versus the shaking of hands,” according to the Billtrust survey. “While this shift to online was happening at a steady pace prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis’ onset massively accelerated it.”

advertisement

The survey also reveals that the vast majority (88%) of wholesalers and suppliers to the contracting, electrical, HVAC, JAN/SAN and plumbing trades have deployed an online ecommerce ordering option.

Billtrust: Top five digital features B2B buyers want

  • Ease of ordering (55%)
  • Shipping speed (49%)
  • Price (49%)
  • Product assortment (47%)
  • Product availability (43%)

Lower on the list were easy of payment, easy reorder and loyalty programs. Meanwhile, post-purchase support ranked lowest on the list, Billtrust found. Respondents could choose multiple answers to this survey question.

More Charts & Data Stories

Check back soon for more Charts & Data Stories. We add new content regularly. 

Sign up

Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News, published 4x/week. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan.

advertisement

Follow us on LinkedIn and be the first to know when new Digital Commerce 360 B2B News content is published.

Favorite