“A great B2B site always has its customers in mind and it should be designed and function according to their needs,” said Sherry Lay, chief merchandising officer for Viva International Group. “For Viva, this began with the creation of the site itself. We knew our customers wanted the opportunity to learn about our brands and products and make purchases at their convenience. We keep them in mind with every enhancement we make.”

Those enhancements include real-time product stock information; brand info including consumer profile, news, events, specs and trends; Viva corporate information; 24/7 account access and ordering. “The biggest differentiator of www.vivagroup.com is the shopping capability. I also count our real-time inventory status, advanced search functions and the 360-degree product view as unique features,” added Lay.

“B2B sites have evolved to be much more customer focused,” continued Lay. “At one time, sites simply functioned as platforms for companies to ‘talk’ about themselves. Now functionality and content is about what the customer needs and wants and with the advance of social media, customers have many platforms where they can interact with a brand.”

Part of the www.vivagroup.com evolution includes adding online ordering for its international accounts in 2011. “The site was last redesigned in March 2010. We have spent the last few months better understanding our customer and how they use the site and will make improvements based on their feedback. We target March 2011 for enhancements to go live,” concluded Lay. ■ ■

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