New research examines e-commerce and digitalization strategies of leading European manufacturers

• This report is a must-read for all manufacturers aiming for successful digitalization of their sales and service processes
• Study results provide B2B manufacturers with an insightful source of benchmarking and indications for investment priorities
• Digital leaders in manufacturing share inspiring insights and recommendations for the implementation of a customer-centric digitalization strategy

Jena, Germany, February 15, 2022 – In 2022, manufacturers will invest up to 20% more in their digital transformation to meet the expectations of modern B2B customers and tap new business potential. This is one of the key findings of the survey report “The Voice of Digital Leaders in Manufacturing 2022: E-Commerce and Digital Adoption” published today.

For this study, commissioned by Intershop and Evident, the Swedish market research company Copperberg surveyed more than 50 proven digital leaders from European manufacturers with annual sales of at least 250 million euros. In qualitative interviews, they reported on the progress of their digitalization and e-commerce initiatives and shared insights about their biggest challenges, most important goals and strategies.

“The answers underscore the need for manufacturers to invest in appropriate technologies and ramp up human resources to further optimize the B2B customer experience and compete globally over the long term,” emphasizes Lisa Hellqvist, Managing Director of Copperberg.

Key findings include:

• European B2B manufacturers will invest up to 20% more in their digitalization initiatives.
• Up to 71% of the manufacturers surveyed are strongly ambitious and some (24%) are even aspiring to become market leaders through digitalization.
• 56% have established basic structures for a company-wide digital strategy and roadmap.
• Most of our survey respondents plan to deploy solutions geared towards simplifying the sales process both for the organization and its customers. 36% each want to implement CPQ (configure-price-quote) systems to sell complex products and digital customer portals with convenient self-service functions, while 37% want to invest in data platforms.

Herbert Pesch, founder of the digital agency Evident: “We succeeded in making this report different from the others out there. We've made it personal! The digital leaders provided extensive responses to many open questions. These give great insights into how these leaders personally manage and sometimes struggle with the many challenges in the world of B2B digital commerce.”

The report contains valuable recommendations and insights for the development and company-wide implementation of a customer-centric digitalization strategy, such as:

• “Secure C-level support. Set a strategy. Also, quantify internal values.”
• “Focus on how digitalization can enhance your specific business goals, create a clear, prioritized digital roadmap, and recognize that adoption will take time.”
• “Fix the foundation – don’t reinvent the wheel. And if you have something unique, have a focus on that!”

Markus Klahn, CEO of Intershop Communications AG: „As a market leader in B2B commerce, we monitor the exciting developments in the manufacturing industry. To capture the digitalization progress of the industry, we have joined forces with the market research company Copperberg and our business partner Evident and survey Europe's leading manufacturers on their digitalization initiatives on an annual basis from now on. The resulting survey report will serve other companies as a benchmark and source of inspiration for their digital transformation.”

Note for editors:

The complimentary survey report “The Voice of Digital Leaders in Manufacturing 2022: E-Commerce and Digital Adoption” can be downloaded here. Supporting graphics/visuals are available here as a .zip-file.

About Copperberg

“The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action”.

Copperberg creates original content, on physical and digital platforms, bringing together the manufacturing community in order to grow and build relationships globally.
During the recent global pandemic, we have been focusing on virtual events and digital content – ensuring our community remains connected.

On a daily basis, we work hard to improve, develop and innovate our concepts and original content in order to ensure the best hands-on, real-life strategies for all our community members. Our ambition is to provide ideas, networking, and industry exchange between peers that inspires and leads to action.

Learn more at www.copperberg.com.

About Evident

We help B2B companies grow in an ever-changing digital world.

With a 100% focus on B2B and 20+ years of experience, we identify and address digital opportunities for manufacturers, distributors and service providers in Europe.

We love designing digital experiences and solving complex technical challenges. In short, we love creating business value for and with our customers. How? We create commerce and service platforms that redefine the B2B digital experience and drive growth.

We help our clients by leveraging these capabilities:

• Consultancy
• Design
• Technology
• Data

With a team of more than 100 people based in Utrecht and Lisbon, we work in interdisciplinary teams of consultants, designers, and developers. For more information about our company go to www.evident.nl/.