Business Manchester | Manchester's Leading Business Online Magazine

How personalisation is vital to convert B2B buyers

Business

-

19/10/2022

How personalisation is vital to convert B2B buyers

In the ever growing world of Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce in recent years, it has become more difficult to stand out than ever before. No longer can sellers set up with just a simple checkout and product selection.

A survey of 1282 B2B buyers across Europe and the US conducted by independent market research company Sapio on behalf of e-commerce platform Sana Commerce shows that B2B buyers are now purchasing 75 percent of their products online. The new generation of B2B buyers are much more tech-savvy, and have higher expectations of what their buying experience should be like. In order to meet their expectations, businesses need to cater directly to specific, and rapidly evolving customer needs.

Millennials have set a new standard for B2B e-commerce

The growth of the working Millennial and Gen Z population has transformed B2B e-commerce. Millennials have now become the largest generational cohort in the workforce. These employees are the first generation of digital natives who grew up using social media, shopping online and communicating electronically. Their tech-savviness brings greater diversity of knowledge into the workforce, but more importantly, more experience in commerce as consumers.

Previously, B2B customers settled for a relatively impersonal buying experience. It wasn’t uncommon to place orders by phone and have no further communication with the supplier until (or, if) the product or service arrived.

Now, B2B customers expect the same seamless and tailored experience that they would get in a B2C transaction. Research for Sana Commerce reveals that customers prioritise features like ease of check out and repeat ordering, which they’re accustomed to as consumers. This is one of the reasons why new flexible payment solutions, like Sana Pay, are gaining traction within B2B sectors. Ultimately, B2B buyers are consumers too, and they want the easiest buying experience in both personal and professional contexts.

Personalisation has changed the market

Catering directly to your customers is key to standing out in the competitive B2B market. B2B buyers only spend 17% of their time meeting with possible suppliers when they’re considering a purchase. In the internet-led age, buyers typically identify and research new suppliers independently online. With that in mind, your web store is the gateway to win new customers over and retain existing ones.

One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through personalisation. Personalisation involves creating a unique experience for every customer, for example, offering them hyper-relevant product recommendations, offers and content. Tailoring each customer’s experience is the norm in B2C, but this approach has recently grown more popular within B2B sectors. There are several benefits of personalisation:

Reduces the purchase cycle. If you know what your target audience is looking for, you can feed them hyper-relevant recommendations, and quickly convert them into customers.
Accelerates returning customers’ experience.Existing customers don’t want to trawl your website for hours to find what they need. Customising the products and services they see makes their buying experience faster and effortless.
Helps you to understand your customers better. By gathering information on who your customers are, and what they’re looking for, you can develop a targeted approach for attracting future customers.

Advanced technology has enabled seamless personalisation

Make no mistake, personalisation isn’t new to commerce. Retail stores have hung their hats on building relationships with their customers, understanding their pain points and addressing them. These in-person efforts improved their customer’s experience by increasing the speed and accuracy of their recommendations.

Now, tools in modern technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) have made it easier for businesses to gather this data. AI and automation software can gather data on customers’ real-time browsing and shopping habits online. This includes everything from their purchase history, to their search history and job function. By analysing this data, businesses are then able to make accurate recommendations that fulfil their customers’ requirements.

According to Sana Commerce, it’s possible to gather this data on offline activity as well. The company’s recent partnership with Solen Energy UK is bringing AI-powered personalisation to the UK through its e-commerce platform, Sana Commerce Cloud. The personalised product recommendation feature is powered by data mining algorithms which utilise the tight ERP/web store integration that Sana Commerce Cloud creates.

Michiel Schipperus, CEO of Sana Commerce, said: “By gathering and analysing information on their buyers’ behaviours and purchasing patterns, web stores can provide buyers with a personalised buying journey – leading to higher revenues, loyalty, and trust. But in B2B e-commerce, this feature did not exist based on both online and offline purchases. Because product segmentation, customer-specific pricing and discounts make this a challenge.

Due to Sana Commerce Cloud’s tight integration with the ERPs of our customers, B2B web stores running on Sana have access to both on- and offline order information, as well as historic purchasing data. This golden combination is fed into the new algorithm, delivering accurate recommendations that most closely represent typical transactions.”For more insights download the report here.

Double hit for the nation’s shopping baskets

Retail

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Double hit for the nation’s shopping baskets

Shrinkflation and inflation having dual impact on shopping baskets
Inflation back up a rate not seen since the year of the Prince of Wales birth
Food prices are adding to cost pressures on everyone but hit the poorest hardest

As inflation hits 10.1% Retail expert Dr Gordon Fletcher from the University of Salford Business School says our shopping baskets are being hit doubly hard, with rising process and shrinking quantities combining to create real difficulties for a lot of people.

Dr Fletcher said: “As inflation returns to the reported rate from July it is a timely reminder that these are figures last seen in the year of the Prince of Wales’ birth and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. Although the rate is calculated from a range of different factor the signals are that households will be directly feeling the pinch over Winter. With the overall increase moving from last month’s 9.9% to 10.1% a significant contributor to this number is the result of increasing food prices. We are paying around 14.6% more for our shopping basked than a year ago and that is a direct drain on household budgets.

“This shift in day-to-day costs is felt differently in different households. Lower-income households have to spend more of their available income on essentials including food, fuel and power. As costs continue to increase there are fewer ways for low-income households to cut back on non-essential costs – such as visiting restaurants or leisure activities – with the result that more people are pushed across the poverty line.

“A further effect with the rising prices of food items is the tendency for manufacturers to reduce the physical size of the items to maintain a price point or at least the apparent rise in costs. We simultaneously have inflation and shrinkflation happening at the same time. So while a slightly shorter or thinner chocolate bar could be seen as a healthy decision a haphazard reduction in size could force shoppers to buy two smaller items when previously one item was enough to feed a family. Driving costs up even further for those least able to pay for this change in packaging. Pay careful attention at your next shop. It will cost more, but it will also probably weigh less than it did a year ago.”

Business-to-business data seller launches self-build list portal to support small businesses.

Business support

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Business-to-business data seller launches self-build list portal to support small businesses.

A Yorkshire businessman has launched a business-to-business data sales company, aimed at supporting small businesses in Manchester and the North West with their marketing data.

BuyUKData.co.uk is the world’s first platform which can gather large volumes of quality contact data at speed and at an unrivalled price point.

The company behind the innovative solution is a start-up business launched by Yorkshire businessman Paul Smith. BuyUKData.co.uk was created after more than 2,000 hours of development work by one of the UK’s top digital agencies.

Users can get started by following a simple three-step process that allows them to build their own contact lists in seconds. They select a business sector, browse a map to select the county of interest and then complete their purchase.

The price of the quality data list is typically available from eight pence per contact and so is up to 95% cheaper than rivals such as Credit Safe and Experian.

For example, businesses looking for contact details of architects in West Yorkshire, there are more than 400 available and the list costs around £120. Once the purchase is complete, the data is sent directly to an email inbox in a user-friendly format and can be used within 30 seconds of receipt.

The platform’s director Lewis Smith said: “The whole point of this is to be a disrupter in the market and to give people with small businesses an opportunity to purchase data in specific areas and sectors for a price point that was previously unachievable.

“We are already getting repeat orders on data requests from our customers, and this is because of the system’s ease of use and the quality of the data being provided. It is a completely new way to gather data which makes it accessible to everyone.

“Another huge benefit is that the process is 100% automated from end to end so our customers have no interaction with salespeople.”

This powerful contact-generating engine helps organisations to build business-to-business data lists to drive their sales activities.

The platform currently holds more than two million contacts across more than 100 business genres from accountants to zoos. All the data provided has undergone rigorous quality checks and all the contacts are GDPR accredited too.

The data platform is constantly adding new contacts to its engine and within the next year it will be stocked with three million contact records.

BuyUKData.co.uk

GAIN A STRONGER HAND WITH PIP DECKS

Business

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

A Manchester-based entrepreneur has poured his business brains and creative flair into a range of products specifically designed to help people reach their potential at work.

Pip Decks has created a whole new category of business ‘recipe cards’ to help give people confidence in their careers – whether they are entry-level, management or C-suite.

Brainchild of professional designer, Charles Burdett, the range of Pip Decks products focus on key areas in business that create the most pinch points for employers and their teams. The cards include in-depth guidance for more efficient and enjoyable meetings; aiding teams to hone their communication and storytelling skills and the art of successfully managing a team to greatness.

Pip Decks created the range of expert cards in consultation with top business coaches to bring the most up-to-the-minute training and best practice tips into the decks.

Workshop Tactics comprises 54 unique cards that aim to herald the downfall of pointless meetings and encourage active, engaging workshops.

Calling time on dull presentations is Pip Decks’ Storyteller Tactics, which aims to empower the storyteller to be as relatable as possible to their audience, engaging them from the very first slide.

Joining the range and available for pre-order are Idea Tactics and Team Tactics, which aim to increase the level of support for ambitious career-climbers or bosses who want to invest to get the very best out of their teams.

Pip Decks has also worked in collaboration with award-winning designer Jon Yablonski to create UX Principles – a card deck of psychological principles that helps designers to justify their user interfaces.

The roaring success of the decks has been unprecedented since Pip Decks launched in 2020. The fledgling brand is already counting Google, Apple and the NHS among its customers and with new products coming to market early next year, the business recipe card revolution is well and truly here.

Explore the full Pip Decks range:

Available now

Workshop Tactics

Ditch dull meetings. Design better products. A card deck of workshop recipes that help you lead your product team to design better products together.

From £59.99 https://pipdecks.com/products/workshop-tactics?variant=39770920321113

Storyteller Tactics

Ditch dull presentations. Tell great stories. A card deck of storytelling recipes that help you influence and inspire your team, stakeholders and customers.

From £59.99 https://pipdecks.com/products/storyteller-tactics?variant=39770996736089

Available for pre-order

Idea Tactics

A card deck of 54 idea-generating exercises that help you explore uncharted territory and innovate beyond the obvious. For Designers, Marketers, Innovators, Strategists, and Change-Makers.

From £49.99 (currently on offer) https://pipdecks.com/products/idea-tactics?variant=40103053426777

Team Tactics

A card deck of 54 organisational and leadership tactics that help you design, grow and nurture effective teams. For Managers, Heads of, Teams Leads and Chief Officers.

From £49.99 (currently on offer) https://pipdecks.com/products/team-tactics?variant=40103570079833

Laws of UX

Build better user interfaces with psychology principles.

In collaboration with award-winning designer Jon Yablonski, a card deck of psychological principles that help you design and justify your user interfaces.

From £49.99 (currently on offer) https://pipdecks.com/products/laws-of-ux

GREATER MANCHESTER ELECTRICAL COMPANY HEADS TO WEMBLEY FOR NATIONAL AWARD FINALS

Awards

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

GREATER MANCHESTER ELECTRICAL COMPANY HEADS TO WEMBLEY FOR NATIONAL AWARD FINALS

A Greater Manchester electrical company is heading to Wembley Stadium after being announced as a Finalist for ‘Best New Business’ at this year’s SME National Business Awards.

Peter James White Electrical Ltd is a small electrical company, which services Greater Manchester and surrounding areas, specialising in the Residential, Commercial and Industrial sectors. Company Director Peter White explained: “Drawing on decades of industry experience and knowledge, I aspired to create and build a company whose name would be synonymous with electrical quality, its logo an emblem of recognisable, trusted service. Now, we are delighted to have had our efforts recognised by being in the running for ‘Best New Business’ at the SME National Business Awards and we look forward to attending the awards ceremony at the iconic Wembley Stadium.”

Founded in March 2020, this can-do company didn’t have the easiest of beginnings, following the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK’s Lockdown just a few days after the launch of the electrical company. Facing the challenging circumstances of starting and sustaining a small business during a pandemic, and without the assistance of government funding or financial support, Peter James White Electrical Ltd strove to service the Greater Manchester community, securing collaborative working opportunities with companies, contractors and interior designers, as well as being part of the electrical team during the construction of the NHS Nightingale Northwest Hospital at Manchester Central Convention Complex (formerly GMex) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the challenges of the past few years, Peter James White Electrical Ltd recently celebrated its two-year anniversary and its status as an award-winning company.

It has been quite a year for the Greater Manchester-based electrical specialist company, which was nominated for four accolades, including Finalist for ‘Lighting Installer of the Year’ at the e-Fixx Electrical Industry Awards in March and Finalist for the ‘Business of the Year (Under 5 Employees)’ at the Greater Manchester Business Awards (GMBA) held in September at the Hotel Brooklyn Manchester, compered by ITV’s Paul Crone.

In May, Peter James White Electrical Ltd was announced the winner of the Town & County Business Award for the Greater Manchester region at the prestigious Copthorne Tara Hotel Kensington, London. Upon winning the award, Peter White said: “We are honoured to be an award-winning company and, on behalf of Peter James White Electrical Ltd, with heart-expressed thank yous and gratitude to our customers and clients, we can only aspire to continue in service of the Greater Manchester community.”

This year marks six years for the SME National Business Awards, with the black-tie awards ceremony being held on Friday 2^nd December at Wembley Stadium, London. For further information: https://eventsandpr.co.uk/sme-national-business-awards/

For further information on Peter James White Electrical Ltd, visit: www.peterjameswhiteelectricalltd.com

Orlando Reid taking the lead in Manchester’s rental market appointing a rising star to head up its lettings department

Appointments

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Orlando Reid taking the lead in Manchester’s rental market appointing a rising star to head up its lettings department

Over the last 12 months, a huge increase in the demand for rental homes in and around Manchester has seen Orlando Reid expand its busy lettings department and recently appoint experienced lettings professional, Alice Pittard as Head of Lettings.

Alice Pittard, Orlando Reid: “Having observed Orlando Reid’s success in London makes me excited about taking on this role here in Manchester, after working within the rental industry for the last five years. There’s a wealth of opportunity to grow the lettings portfolio by building strong relationships with landlords and investors, whilst sharing my knowledge of the local market based on my industry experience.

I believe Manchester is one of the best cities to live in the UK with its independent bars and restaurants, museums, art galleries, live music venues and interesting heritage.

The rental sector is a landlord and developers’ dream. The market is more active than ever, with around 31% of the city’s population renting and an average achievable rental yield of 6.6%. The city’s skyline is constantly changing with new high-rise developments around every corner. There’s infinite opportunity and room for us to grow to become the best residential lettings agent in the heart of Manchester.”

Managing director, Baljit Arora commented: “Manchester remains one of the most popular buy-to-let cities in the country with very few vacant properties and high yields for investors. Alice comes to us with vast agency experience. She is known as a trusted and talented lettings professional – one of the best in the city centre’s independent and corporate agency lettings departments. We’re confident that Alice will help us reach our target of 1000 managed properties in Manchester and its suburbs by 2025.”

Winners of Ward Hadaway North West Fastest 50 announced

Business

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Winners of Ward Hadaway North West Fastest 50 announced

The winners of the annual Ward Hadaway North West Fastest 50, in partnership with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce have been announced.

The Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 celebrates the North West’s fastest growing, most innovative businesses that are independently owned. Now in its 13^th year, the North West Fastest 50 looks at publicly available financial data from the past three years and uses it to rank the most profitable, high-growth businesses in the region.

Celebrating as winners of the overall and large categories is Stockport-headquartered IMS Euro, a company that provides medical supplies to veterinary surgeries across the UK. Liverpool’s Applied Nutrition, worldwide suppliers of sports nutrition products, exporting to over 50 countries is the winner of the medium category. Training Qualifications UK, providers of Apprenticeships TEFL courses and skills support for the unemployed topped off the list of award winners, scooping the award in the small business category.

Liz Bottrill, Executive Director at Ward Hadaway, Manchester, said; “From Bolton to Burnley and Cheshire to Chorley, these North West’s businesses have demonstrated their talent, drive, innovation and resilience as they’ve adapted to ever emerging challenges and continued to grow. Entrepreneurialism is alive and kicking across the region and the post-Covid era is shaping up to be a very exciting time for North West businesses.

“Armed with ambition, creativity and determination, they are breaking barriers and attracting investment, prosperity and jobs to the region. The 2022 Fastest 50 exemplifies this, demonstrating growth in a wide range of industries from manufacturing and construction to education and healthcare.

“Our congratulations to all those who made the list, it’s a fantastic achievement.”

Durgham Shamot, Owner & CEO of IMS Euro, said: “We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award from Ward Hadaway and we congratulate all of the finalists on their achievements. It is the same passion to deliver exceptional service, quality and value every day to our customers that also underpins how we do things, ensuring our people, community and environment remain at the centre of our family values. We have just celebrated our 30-year family anniversary and while I reflect with pride on the achievements to date, I am more excited about the continuing IMS Euro story and bringing our exceptional service, quality and value to more customers across all healthcare sectors.”

View the full Ward Hadaway Fastest 50 list, and find out who won awards as the fastest growing small, medium, large and overall business here.

18% of small businesses have considered closure in the past year

Business

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

18% of small businesses have considered closure in the past year

Prices rises, extension to business hours and energy savings top tactics to keep small firms afloat

October 2022: A new survey of 1000 small business owners and managers has revealed that 18% have considered closing their business in the past year in the face of rising costs. The leaders of small firms in the North East were the most likely to contemplate this decision while business closure was simply not on the radar for any of the owners and managers of small firms surveyed in the East Midlands. As rising costs bite down, the survey by Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance has uncovered the measures being taken by small firms across the UK to keep themselves afloat.

42% have implemented price increases, topping the list followed by energy saving measures being used by 31%. 23% are increasing or changing their business hours, while 20% are looking for extra financial support either in the form of new investment or an extension of an overdraft limit:

Increase prices 42%

Cut energy use 31%

Increase business hours 13%

Seek new investment 13%

Operate the business remotely 11%

Change business hours 10%

Reduce workspace 9%

Relocate 7%

Extend overdraft limit 7%

Todd Davison, MD of Purbeck Personal Guarantee Insurance said: “Small business owners continue to show immense resilience and are taking sensible measures to manage costs as a matter of survival. However, our survey suggests there are clear differences in how businesses are coping in different regions of the UK, underlining the importance of the ‘Levelling Up’ agenda.

“Purbeck’s focus is on enabling small businesses in the regions most impacted, to access funding without risk to the business owners/directors. The key issue is that small businesses must not over-extend themselves financially given the rise in interest rates and risks of signing personal guarantees for business loans. If access to new funding is vital and investors are proving hard to find, then expert, independent advice from a professional such as commercial finance broker is critical. This will help to ensure the right loan product is secured for the business’s needs.”

Regional Analysis

Bosses of small businesses in the North West are taking a wide range of measures to cut costs but increasing prices and cutting energy use are the most common and outside of London and the South East, small business leaders in the North West are amongst the most likely to take a pay cut. Compared to other regions however, they are less likely to cut headcount or reduce workspace.
Small businesses in the East Midlands and Wales are most likely of all regions to increase prices. More small firms in the East Midlands compared to the rest of the UK are extending their overdraft limit and this is one of the top regions to cut energy use to cut costs
West Midlands based small firms are most likely to save costs by operating the business remotely and by cutting headcount but leaders in this region are also the most likely to be offering financial support to staff
The owners and managers of small firms in the North East are most likely to reduce workspace or relocate to save costs as well as extend business hours. Interestingly, small business leaders in this region are the most likely to ask friends or family for financial support
The bosses of London based small firms are more likely than other regions to take a pay cut as well as to sign a personal guarantee for a business loan which would put their personal assets at risk if their business fails. Worryingly, they are also the most likely to cut back on their business insurance costs
The owners and managers of small businesses in the South East and South West are also seeking new investment and bosses of small businesses in the South East follow London in considering taking a pay cut
Small businesses in Scotland are increasing business hours but like the West Midlands, are offering financial support to staff.

Manchester-based investment business welcomes biggest ever apprenticeship intake

Apprenticeship

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Manchester-based investment business welcomes biggest ever apprenticeship intake

Award-winning apprenticeship scheme welcomes 22 new apprentices
Apprentices join investment and technology teams at FTSE 250 firm AJ Bell
Scheme enters its sixth year with 140 now having taken part in apprenticeships across AJ Bell

AJ Bell, the FTSE 250 investment and pensions business headquartered in Manchester, is pleased to announce it has welcomed its largest ever apprenticeship scheme intake.

A total of 22 apprentices have joined the business in its 2022 intake. It means that since launch six years ago 74 new apprentices have taken part in AJ Bell’s core Investment Operations Specialist and Digital Apprenticeship programmes for people aspiring to build a career in financial services and technology.

This year’s intake will see 13 apprentices join the Investment Operations Specialist Programme, where they will undertake a Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment qualification as part of their two-year work and study position with AJ Bell.

A further 9 join the Digital Apprenticeship Programme scheme, which will see them obtain a Digital & Technology Solutions degree with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) while working in AJ Bell’s Technology Services team.

The apprentices have completed a three-week induction programme, during which time they met senior leaders in the business, including CEO Michael Summersgill, before beginning their new roles.

The business also offers apprenticeship training on its Team Leader and Manager development programmes for existing staff, with the total number of apprentices to have enrolled across all its schemes now numbering 140.

AJ Bell was named North West Large Employer of the year at the National Apprenticeships Awards 2021, which recognise the very best employers, apprentices and apprenticeship champions across the country.

Applications for AJ Bell’s 2023 apprenticeship scheme will open in November.

AJ Bell CEO Michael Summersgill says:

“We’re delighted to welcome the biggest ever intake into AJ Bell’s award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has gone from strength to strength since launching six years ago. Developing our people is something I’m really passionate about and I’ve been privileged to witness our apprentices becoming key members of their respective teams, with every apprentice completing the programme subsequently going on to be offered a permanent role at AJ Bell. Our two programmes offer a fantastic opportunity for anyone that wants to build a career for themselves in financial services or technology to join a brilliant team in our Manchester office and study at the same time.”

Max Heath, who recently joined the Investment Operations Specialist apprenticeship programme, adds:

“I really enjoyed the induction period, where I met so many heads of departments which was really good for helping me understand what each department at AJ Bell does.

“I am really looking forward to the networking aspects of the scheme – AJ Bell really values networking between departments and often organise social events to encourage this.

“Working in my team as an apprentice, everyone is so nice and informative. As someone who asks lots of questions, I sure do get all the answers!”

Banc Appoints Big Agency Talent to Lead Client Services

Appointments

Sam Allcock

-

19/10/2022

0

Banc Appoints Big Agency Talent to Lead Client Services

Manchester-based digital agency Banc attracts big agency talent for their latest hire in the Client Services team.

Taking on the role of Account Director, Neil Dring will oversee Banc’s extensive client base, enhancing account growth and business development whilst supporting the agency’s strategic evolution. Neil started his digital marketing career 18 years ago – and has worked for three agencies in that time, including a decade long stint at CTI Digital. Prior to this, Neil worked in-house for Royal Northern College of Music and Out There events.

Jonathan Branney, Banc’s Strategy Director, said of the appointment: “I cannot think of a more astute and intelligent professional to be heading up our burgeoning team. Neil not only brings with him extensive and rich client services experience, but years of enterprise-level technical project management knowledge, which will no doubt add significant value to our website development and marketing propositions – as well as further improving the outstanding experience we pride ourselves on offering to our clients”.

Neil said: “Banc is a fantastic agency with a client-first focus, a great working environment and a vast roster of exciting accounts. I’m delighted to be a part of the hugely talented team here. I can’t wait to build on our successes, continue to grow our accounts and bolster performance for our clients”.

About us

Company

Must Read

Subscribe to our newsletter