B2B Next Conference 2020 Preview
The B2B Next conference has quickly become one of the premiere B2B digital ecommerce events in North America since it’s founding a few years ago by industry analyst/B2B guru Andy Hoar. This is an event known for eschewing fluff for substance and offering an unparalleled offering of expert stories and lessons. The 2020 version of this conference will be held virtually, of course, as we remain in the midst of the global COVD-19 pandemic.
Speaking of pandemic-related changes, the current situation has resulted in increased demand for online ordering capabilities to the point where many organizations have compressed their innovation timeline by 4-5 years. Suddenly, physical events, trade shows, on-site sales rep visits, lunches, dinners, all of the places where in-person transactions and orders occurred are no longer present. Combine that reality with the fact that only 15% of businesses have digitized their supply chains, according to Capgemini, and we’re seeing a real need to transform these capabilities NOW. Despite the hit to the global economy Digital Commerce 360 research found that B2B ecommerce will still grow by more than 10% in 2020.
Digital commerce transformation and iteration is what B2B Next is all about. Over the course of Tuesday September 29th and Wednesday, September 30th, we’ll learn how the pandemic has altered the landscape, what many successful businesses are doing to adapt, and how your organization may enact similar changes. Some of the keynote highlights are Grainger CEO, D.G. Macpherson, and Kathy Mazzarella, Chairman, President, and CEO of Graybar on Tuesday, and Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO of Dawn Foods, and Mark Mahaney, Managing Director for RBC Capital Markets on Wednesday. And that’s not even counting the excellent educational sessions from organizations like Unilever, Systemax, United Airlines, Thomson Reuters, and ABB.
The ABB Case Study session, “Entering New Markets with Marketplaces” is a perfect example of the kind of quality story attendees will learn about at B2B Next. In this session, ABB’s Global eCommerce & Innovation Director, Samer Shehadeh, speaks about how the marketplace model affords B2B sellers the opportunity to try out new markets at a far lower risk and cost than entering with a sales team and building in country infrastructure. Since we all know that entering a new market is time-consuming, complicated and very expensive, but the way ABB launched it’s eMart Marketplace in India showcases a way to enter a new market that minimizes overhead while maximizing the buying experience for the customer. Samer will also discuss what it takes to get started and remain competitive in dynamically changing industry-specific and country-specific markets. This session is on Wednesday, September 30th at 2pm ET.
McFadyen Digital is proud sponsor of B2B Next 2020. Please visit us during the event at our virtual booth and learn more about how our clients are driving scalable revenue, even in this new normal of ours.
