Some research review that almost 60% of B2B buyers are open to purchasing products on digital marketplaces. A B2B platform enables B2B buyers to perform online transactions between global companies. With the support of the best online platform, you can create a set of special features tailored to your needs. Companies in the selling process based on a digital marketplace need higher levels of automation, advanced inventory management and order fulfillment options, and various sales and marketing tools. So here are some of the features that an effective B2B online platform should have.

Web design
Every web design is a representation of a brand’s character & personality. In a good B2B online marketplace, you will be able to build anything that can support you perform your sales process smoothly without the support of a web designer. With ready-to-go designs and layouts, it will allow you to design your profile with essential images, text, and colors to get selling faster. The followings are some of the benefits of good web design.

• Clear and user-friendly interface
• Clear call-to-action buttons and messaging
• Consistent branding and visual design
• Easy checkout process with minimal steps
• Fast page loading speed
• High-quality product images and descriptions
• Intuitive navigation and search functionality
• Flexibility to customize and build anything you would want to portray
• Mobile-friendly and responsive design
• Secure website with SSL encryption
• Trust signals, such as customer reviews

Multiple payment options
B2B shoppers need to purchase large quantities of products on a regular basis. Hence, the best B2B online marketplace should have multiple payment options such as partial payment, paying one or several invoices at the same time, and a model of subscription payment. With the model of multiple payment options, your customers will have the ability to divide the costs for their orders into small sums of money. B2B ecommerce firms organize flexible payments nowadays that are advantageous and firms requires taking every advantage that they could get. With the best B2B platform, you can do the following.

• Ability to accept PayPal payments
• Ability to save payment information
• Automated payment reminders and follow-ups
• Automatic invoicing and receipts
• Easy payment processing and checkout
• Integration with popular payment gateways
• Payment fraud protection and security
• Support for alternative payment methods
• Support for major credit cards
• Transparent pricing and fees
• With better data, there will be higher revenues

Marketing tools
During this digital age, a digital life-focused marketing tool is a key feature of any marketing strategy. With the best B2B marketplace platforms, companies can sell their products to global customers through the latest digital marketing tools. An effective B2B marketing can be challenging to execute. With creative demands, budget, and channel decisions, marketers have a lot of work to do in order to come up with an effective marketing strategy. The followings are some of the best marketing tools that a B2B marketplace should have.

• A/B testing and optimization tools
• Analytics and reporting for marketing campaigns
• Automated email marketing campaigns
• Content marketing and blogging capabilities
• Integration with CRM and sales tools
• Lead generation and customer acquisition tools
• Personalization and segmentation capabilities
• SEO optimization and search visibility
• Social media integration and sharing options
• Targeted advertising and retargeting options

Shipping
Companies that sell physical products need to adopt a good B2B platform that has good shipping facilities. The crucial factors to consider when choosing shipping facilities are reliability, speed, flexibility, transparency, cost and proximity to customers. When you deliver large amounts of products simultaneously, you need to have the following facilities. If you find a B2B marketplace that has all these features, you may choose it to sell your products without any further delivery issues.

• Ability to print shipping labels and invoices
• Automated order fulfilment and shipping
• Automated shipping notifications and updates
• Bulk shipping capabilities and order management
• Customer self-service tracking and updates
• Integration with international shipping and customs
• Integration with shipping software and APIs
• Multiple shipping options and carriers
• Real-time shipping rates and tracking
• Returns and refunds management tools

Analytics
The best B2B online marketplace will allow clients to monitor the way customers purchase, the biographic details of customers, and produce actionable insights. These are all important because technology has been evolving swiftly and purchasing trends changes daily. When sellers closely monitor this data, they can make adjustments to their offerings to capture the desired demographic sales. Here below are the best features of analytics, which a (or that a) B2B marketplace should have.

• A/B testing and experimentation tools
• Conversion tracking and optimization
• Customer lifetime value analysis
• Customizable reports and dashboards
• Integration with third-party analytics tools
• Marketing ROI and campaign analysis
• Real-time sales and revenue tracking
• Sales forecasting and inventory analytics
• Visitor and user behaviour analytics
• Website traffic and referral source analytics

Personalized experience
The B2B marketplace should allow clients to develop an online store that is mobile-optimized, SEO-friendly, and easy to navigate. If you want your B2B store to reach more customers, the designs of your store should interact with your customers. Here below are the best features of a B2B marketplace, which interact with your customers.

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If you want your B2B marketplace to win, you should follow these steps:

• Create digital commerce teams that are capable to evaluate data through AI & advanced analytics
• Give the buyers the information they need by providing the right mix of product data, specs, illustrations, and photographs on your marketplace listings
• Work with a qualified e-commerce solution provider
• Work for higher conversion rates
• Practice purchase delegation
• Customizable customer profiles and preferences
• Customizable website content and messaging
• Dynamic pricing and product bundling
• Integration with personalized email marketing
• Loyalty programs and rewards
• Personalized product recommendations and upsells
• Personalized promotions and discounts
• Targeted messaging and communication options
• User-generated content and reviews
• Wish lists and saved shopping carts

Inventory management
The most effective B2B online marketplace platform should have powerful inventory data. These are software platforms built to optimize and modernize the process of managing inventory for B2B transactions online. B2B clients need to have access to order tracking, one-click reordering, shipping information, quote approvals, and other functions that help to manage their accounts smoothly. Self-service inventory management allows B2B customers to place their orders in a fast and efficient approach and supports them to avoid costly backorders. Here are the best tools that the best B2B marketplace should have.

• Automated inventory replenishment tools
• Automated restocking and forecasting tools
• Customizable inventory categorization and management
• Integration with barcode and scanning tools
• Integration with third-party inventory management tools
• Inventory aging and obsolescence tracking
• Multi-location inventory tracking and management
• Purchase order management and tracking
• Real-time inventory tracking and alerts
• Sales and demand forecasting and analysis

Conclusion
There are several B2B online platforms, with unique features and wonderful benefits, available on the market.  When you choose a B2B platform, it is essential to make sure that the platform has all the functionalities you need to manage the versatility of your sales processes. An online store is the face of your company and the body of all your marketing strategies. You can connect directly to products and services in your marketing emails and advertising campaigns and can monitor the success of your efforts to plan your next goals.