Paradigm B2B published its first-of-its-kind research about the leading B2B eCommerce solutions in both the Enterprise and Mid-market buying segments. The Paradigm B2B Enterprise Combine and Paradigm B2B Mid-market Combine research methodology was developed by Paradigm B2B CEO Andy Hoar.
The report covers platforms such as Magento, Elastic Path, Intershop. Amla Commerce (Znode), Miva and Unilog.
Digital commerce research approach
Hoar designed the Combine research to follow the rigorous assessment process that pro sports leagues use to evaluate the skills of prospective draft candidates. He said: “I’m mirroring the combine process to evaluate the capabilities and fit of B2B eCommerce solutions across performance areas.
“The decision-making dynamic for eCommerce platform technologies is too complex to capture in a single two-dimensional graphic. The purpose of the Paradigm B2B Combine was to score the capabilities of certain offerings against objective criteria. The report should enable buyers to see where individual solutions are relatively strong or weak.”
Paradigm’s Enterprise and Mid-market Combines are the only reports in 2019 exclusively focused on B2B eCommerce. The Combine reports are distinctive because they focus on how specific vendor products perform within key non-product and product categories. Conventional research reports in the B2B space evaluate how solutions perform as monolithic platforms.
Best-of-breed versus best-of-suite
Paradigm’s Combine addresses the best-of-breed versus best-of-suite approach and empowers technology buyers to choose a solution best-suited for their organisation’s unique needs. It also provides clear information about how vendors price their offerings and how solutions perform in categories it claims have never before been evaluated in the space, such as Customer Service & Support.
“The Combine is the only research out there that evaluates the customer service and support associated with specific B2B eCommerce solutions. I can’t tell you how important that is for us,” said Mike Powers, Director of eCommerce and Marketing at Hill & Markes. “We practitioners know that the hard work begins after you buy the solution and start to implement it. You need to know that you’ll be well taken care of when you inevitably run into issues.”
According to eCommerce Business Manager at Wurth Louis & Company, Carla Gonzales, “The methodology of this report is far more in line with how I as a practitioner should be evaluating modern B2B eCommerce solutions. With this more skills-based assessment, I can understand how each platform performs in the areas I truly need to focus on.”
Paradigm B2B evaluated all solutions on a six-point scale across 36 detailed and weighted criteria. Medals were awarded based on composite scores in 10 distinct categories. Hoar established the criteria used in the Combines based on years of industry experience, as well as nearly 70 recent interviews with senior B2B VPs of eCommerce, IT decision-makers and eCommerce platform vendors. “I trust Andy Hoar’s work. He’s covered the space for years and knows a great deal about B2B eCommerce platforms. So many people turn to Andy for insights,” said Apryl Erickson, VP of eBusiness & Customer Centricity at HID Global.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business?
Digital innovation produces an ever-changing, unpredictable, and challenging environment that can make or break a B2B company. To be successful today, B2B companies must transform archaic business practices and business models. Furthermore businesses must fundamentally rethink how they interact with customers. Paradigm B2B’s report potentially can help guide B2B companies through today’s complex, digital-first environment. B2B companies need world-class strategies and roadmaps, as well as clearly differentiated customer experiences. This will be required to thrive in an increasingly disrupted commerce landscape. Paradigm B2B focuses on offering advice that’s well-informed and immediately actionable.
