Bob Barr

The term "omnichannel" has been around for a few years, but as a successfully implemented reality, it still remains an aspiration for most. That said, 2014 will likely be a year when many B-to-C - and even a few B-to-B - companies will seriously benchmark their commitment to becoming omnichannel, either because of their competitors' experiences, or ideally, for their own customers' wants and expectations. One fundamental, often over-looked piece of the omnichannel journey is that successful omnichannel doesn't necessarily mean every-channel - it is foremost predicated by being on the right and relevant channels.

B-to-C e-commerce has radically transformed the modern marketplace, delivering big rewards to consumer-facing brands, with B-to-C e-commerce spending expected to surpass $1.25 trillion in 2013. But with few exceptions, B-to-B e-commerce has been less successful in capturing the attention (and wallets) of business buyers. Nearly all consumer-facing e-commerce features translate to B-to-B and can be modified for more successful strategies. B-to-B shoppers are also B-to-C consumers, signifying that B-to-B brands must work from these strategies to achieve leadership positions in the marketplace.