WHY IT MATTERS: Digital Transformation

As B2B buyers become more digitally savvy, they prefer less human interaction and expect more from their digital interaction. COVID-19 has accelerated this expectation. B2B buyers expect a similar shopping experience to B2C buyers. This means B2B buyers expect the digital commerce platform to understand them and anticipate their needs as a sales representative might do. They expect better tools for researching and comparing products. They want to engage with organizations digitally without having to resort to a call or email to get a quick response and a good deal.

At an early stage, apparel was identified as the starting point for Xunxi – a sector in which the lengthy production cycles and high inventory levels have long been a problem for small and large players alike. Powered by new technologies such as real-time resourcing, process and cost planning, automated in-house logistics and Xunxi’s manufacturing operating system, the factory is able to produce small-batch orders at reasonable costs and with shorter delivery times, consequently increasing manufacturing efficiency from 25% to an average of 55%.

The coronavirus outbreak will continue to propel funding, acquisitions, partnerships, and experimentation by brands and retailers as they are forced to grapple with global supply challenges posed by our increasingly interdependent world.

Regardless of the coronavirus’s impact on the global economy, we will surely face a similar situation in the future; brands, retailers, and their supply chains will need to be prepared.