A breakdown of BigCommerce’s new B2B integrations and their respective feature sets.
B2B eCommerce was featured in our list of 10 Hot eCommerce Trends for 2022 (from January), even though the segment itself has been on an upward trend prior to the COVID pandemic. BigCommerce took notice early and announced a full B2B initiative in 2019, which brought forth the launch of BigCommerce B2B Edition in 2021 and the acquisitions of two longtime B2B technology partners in B2B Ninja and BundleB2B earlier this year.
In our last entry, BigCommerce and B2B, we broke down the importance of B2B and discussed some of the native B2B features within the BigCommerce platform. Now, let us dive into B2B Ninja and BundleB2B themselves and break down their individual features.
What is B2B Ninja?
B2B Ninja is a comprehensive and robust B2B price quoting app born out of the business needs of company founder John McCann. Developed by B2B Ninja co-founder Micha Thomas, Micha paid close attention to John’s B2B requirements and specifications and in 2014, launched the first version of the B2B Ninja quote-to-order app. B2B Ninja is designed as a ‘business first’ solution, placing major emphasis on the features and functionalities that are most crucial while streamlining the process for efficiency. B2B Ninja’s baked-in flexibility can adapt to all kinds of B2B businesses based on their particular needs. At the present, more than 125 enterprise-level companies across the globe use B2B Ninja to handle their B2B quoting.
Features of B2B Ninja
There are three main goals that B2B Ninja aims to accomplish in regards to the B2B client relationship: streamline the quoting process for your clients, free up your sales staff to generate more leads, and drive sales and conversions while saving your clients’ time. The B2B Ninja Quote Management Dashboard centralizes all quotes into a single easy-to-use central hub within the BigCommerce platform. Customers can submit their own request(s) for quotation (RFQ) by way of the Add-to-Quote button in the storefront, without the assistance of your sales staff. Quotes can be custom-tailored to each individual customer, thus speeding up the response time for RFQs. Customers can populate their carts from the quote directly with a convenient Click-to-Order button on the quote itself.
Preferred BigCommerce Partner
As an official BigCommerce integration, B2B Ninja was specifically developed from the ground up to work with the BigCommerce platform. Manual updating or importing of product information is not necessary as the app takes the required data straight from your BigCommerce product catalog. B2B Ninja also supports ShipperHQ and Avalara for quick and easy tax and shipping calculation.
1-Click Quote-to-Order
Save yourself and your clients valuable time with the 1-click Quote-to-Order button. Once a customer submits an RFQ, the Quote-to-Order button allows your sales reps to easily convert the quote straight to an order. This eliminates double data entry, which not only speeds up the process but also decreases the chance of an order error due to inaccurate info. Quotes can also include a link to purchase.
User-Friendly Central Dashboard
Manage quotes easily and quickly with the central dashboard. Track statuses, see when your quotes are opened and who it was that opened them, plus decrease the chances for error and accidental edits with detailed history and restore features. B2B Ninja also includes support for multiple users.
Create Attractive, Professional-Quality Quotes
B2B Ninja builds quotes in HTML which include a .PDF copy so that they can be quickly sent to your customers. Quotes can be downloaded or printed out for easy recordkeeping. Electronic copies of your quotes can also accept custom EMail attachments.
Customization Through API Integration
Like the BigCommerce platform itself, B2B Ninja can be customized to suit your exact business needs. But because BigCommerce does not allow app scripts to run on account or checkout pages, you can add your BigCommerce API Token to unlock all of B2B Ninja’s customization capabilities. The API Token lets B2B Ninja make changes without physically modifying your BigCommerce storefront. This is especially important for BigCommerce websites that use a great deal of custom coding.
Additional Features
- Support for product options, variants, rules, custom fields, etc.
- Product options can be configured in the dashboard just as they would in the product page
- Includes eye-catching built-in quote templates that can also be customized
- Incorporates BC Shipping and Tax Settings for fully-validated quotes
- Custom shipping rates override the standard cart shipping
- Set special permissions and restrictions for catalogs, customer groups, API integrations, etc.
What is Bundle B2B?
BundleB2B is a SaaS application that enables businesses of all sizes to take advantage of enterprise-level B2B capabilities. BundleB2B replaces traditional B2B methods (i.e. sales calls, sales meetings, etc.) with a convenient, self-service online platform. BundleB2B is also BigCommerce’s partner in the creation of BigCommerce B2B Edition, a version of the SaaS platform designed primarily for business to business buyers. Providing users with a secure portal for front-end and back-end processes, BundleB2B users can manage and automate both processes with ease. The system lets you customize the level of visibility and authority to meet your specific needs.
BundleB2B Features
BundleB2B’s core features allow users to effortlessly control the front-end and back-end B2B operations. Whether your company is growing or is already well-established, BundleB2B can be reconfigured to suit your exact B2B requirements.
Bundle B2B has a comprehensive list of features for buyers and sellers alike. Customers of Bundle B2B will enjoy a secure Corporate Account Management portal that makes managing and automating front-end and back-end processes easy. Visibility levels can be adjusted for optimal control and security. Provide specific customer segments with customer catalogs and special pricing to personalize the B2B customer shopping experience. Price lists can be edited and customized for customer discounts. Multiple shopping lists can be managed and saved within the app, allowing the user to retrieve them for future use and seamlessly purchase previously saved products. Bulk Ordering Tools let buyers easily place orders online by entering a SKU, searching for SKUs through line items, or uploading a CSV file. With Sales Representative Masquerade, logging in as an employee of a company, sales representatives are able to access shopping lists created by company buyers, add purchases to the cart, and complete the order placement for the company.
B2B Customer Account Management
Sellers can comfortably manage their B2B accounts and pricing from one location. BundleB2B takes care of the B2B customer account approval process and can also personalize content based on the specific customer who happens to be logged in at that moment. B2B account management is also seamlessly integrated with BigCommerce Customer Groups and set price lists. Buyer-side user management is separated into 4 roles: Super Admin, Company Admin, Sr. Buyer, and Jr. Buyer. Set up multiple tiers of buyers by specific role and available permissions in the corporate account. B2C and Guest account users are able to apply for a B2B account using the Trade Professional Application. Upon approval, both types of users are granted B2B-exclusive features such as special pricing, assigned sales reps, address books, etc. New merchant side rules can be set to a ‘Sales Staff’ position which will only allow access to view companies, orders, and quote requests from the assigned company account(s). Visibility of approved payment methods (including POs and credit card payments) can be adjusted according to set role, as well. Plus, pre-approved billing and shipping addresses can be set up by Company Admins and Sales Reps if the permissions are given.
All-in-One B2B Ordering Tools
BundleB2B’s self-serve functions simplify and accelerate the purchasing process for end-users and sales reps that work with multiple B2B customer accounts. Customers can receive quick access to account information and ordering tools to help them immediately place large orders and reorders of previous purchases. With Company Account Masquerade, Super Admin users can manage one or more companies, log in on behalf of a company, access and modify the shopping lists made by other users under the said account, and complete the order placement. Previously purchased items can be viewed under the company-specific base price and buy again feature. Shopping lists can be created by multiple users under a single account (except for Jr. Buyers, who will still need to submit a request for additional approval) and are approved by Senior Buyers or Company Admins.
Quote Management
Price quotes and additional discounts, in addition to preset pricing, can be created by sales reps. With a quote request that was sent by the buyer from the storefront, quotes can be made as well as additional discounts. You even have the ability to negotiate based on the buyer’s quote request. All B2B customers (registered users, as well as guests) can request a quote. Sales reps on the merchant’s side can communicate and negotiate prices through EMail and messages. Upon finalizing the quote, a customer can place an order which will generate an invoice directly from BundleB2B’s Invoice and Payment Management System.
Centralized Invoice and Payment Management System
Customers can view invoices and make payments online through their BigCommerce accounts with either a credit card or bank payment in the Invoice and Payment Management System. The Invoice and Payment Management System also supports credit cards, bank transfers, and other payment types. View and make invoice payments in a single area as well as pay for multiple invoices together, either in full or partial payment. Synchronize your accounting software with BundleB2B and create invoices from BigCommerce Orders to show relevant, accurate and up-to-date account statement information.
Conclusion
BigCommerce is already one of the eCommerce industry’s most powerful platforms to promote increased conversions and scalability for business growth. As effective as it is for B2C eCommerce, BigCommerce delivers those capabilities to the B2B front with its B2B Ninja and BundleB2B integrations. Together, these feature sets make BigCommerce a premium platform for any business in any field and of any size.
Diztinct is an official BigCommerce Design Partner and has experience with B2B Ninja, having implemented the software on previous and current clients’ respective projects. If you’d like to learn more about our custom BigCommerce design services and additional web development solutions, get in touch with us today and get ready to make your website work for you.