How manufacturers are digitizing product content for next-gen

B2B sales were once all about relationships—in-person walk-throughs of facilities and hands-on product demos. Today, 92% of B2B buyers prefer virtual sales interactions. This figure is highest among the millennials taking on leadership roles and the Gen-Z professionals following in their footsteps.

Thanks to a digital-native generation of buyers, the COVID-19 pandemic’s in-person restrictions, and the proliferation of online tools, 80% of B2B sales now take place online.

That can be a good thing, but only if you’re ready to meet B2B customers where they are today, and where they will be tomorrow. Now, it’s essential that up-to-date, digitized product content is at your buyers’ fingertips. 

Here’s what you’ll learn in this article: 

• Why traditional product documentation no longer meets buyer expectations
• Digitizing product content: what it means and why it matters
• How modern manufacturers are delivering buyer-ready content
• The role of PIM in scaling content for the digital buyer journey
• Looking ahead: preparing product content for the next wave of B2B commerce

Why traditional product documentation no longer meets buyer expectations

Not too long ago, most B2B sales cycles began with person-to-person interaction that provided a foundation of trust along with key product information. From there, interested buyers were free to conduct independent, in-depth reviews of the technical details with specs and sales materials. 

But now that most B2B buyers do their research long before setting a meeting, non-digitized, non-dynamic product content can create friction.

Before speaking with a sales rep, B2B buyers want to browse product specifications in depth. That means you need to digitize and share information like: 

• Regulatory certifications
• Point of origin, labor conditions, and environmental impact
• Whitepapers and case studies
• Instruction manuals
• Cost (including discounts with volume)
• FAQs based on real customer inquiries
• Related products and accessories

Moreover, if this information is scattered across different documents, buyers may struggle to find the most relevant information, especially if they’re required to download, store, and organize it on their devices.

It’s an even bigger problem for buyers who view data on mobile devices or tablets, where it’s even less readable. (You can expect 80% of B2B buyers to interact on smaller devices.) 

The pitfalls of traditional product documentation can create a negative buying experience before they even buy—or worse, send them to a competitor. 

In today’s digital age, it’s essential to provide easily accessible and digestible information that can stand alone before—or without—a sales call. The solution is digital product content.

Digitizing product content: what it means and why it matters

Your product content refers to all the technical and sales information about your product: everything a potential buyer might want to know before making a purchase.

If you struggle to organize these assets, you’re not alone: a 2024 study by Zoovu & Forrester found that 76% of B2B businesses don’t have centralized product data.

However, if your content is hosted across multiple sites, folders, and file formats, it’s likely causing problems for your organization and the buyer, like: 

• Manually updating static documents, such as PDFs, is a time-consuming and error-prone process.

• Without a dedicated location for product content, it’s also inefficient to update information across all your channels (e.g., your sales portal, retail partners, or resellers).

• You can’t track engagement from downloadables, which prevents you from optimizing your pipeline.

• Delays and errors in updates on your end are passed on to the buyer during their consideration stage, creating more friction.

Digitizing your content means storing it in a centralized location from which it can be easily structured, enriched, and distributed across your channels.

For instance, Product Information Management (PIM) software can compile information on sourcing from external suppliers alongside internal product specifications to create a structured database with inbuilt hierarchical relationships.

Once you’ve digitized your product data for top-down visibility, you can enrich it. Together, sales, product, and marketing can work to optimize each product page with easily digestible information (eliminating PDFs).

Likewise, you’ll readily identify areas where you can improve with web-friendly copy, technical diagrams, videos, and other information that edges your buyers closer to purchase.

So, as a modern manufacturing company, what does that look like in practice?

How modern manufacturers are delivering buyer-ready content

Leading manufacturers have adapted to buyers’ shifting needs by providing tools that enable them to research before—or even without—connecting with sales representatives. While the right content depends on your product, the following formats are key to success across industries.

Product portals

A product portal creates a bespoke buying experience that showcases your brand with your audience’s unique needs in mind.

For example, Nike’s B2B portal, nike.net, enables retailers and wholesalers to browse their full range of products and make informed purchasing decisions. It’s navigable in multiple languages and includes audio tutorials to help buyers become acquainted and address any questions.

While you may not need to service as many global markets, a custom product portal can still increase accessibility and drive sales. As you begin to centralize your product data, make sure each product page contains the following:

• Product descriptions – Include a concise headline and an in-depth description.

• Visuals – Your photos and videos aren’t just there to persuade the buyer—they’re also a marketing asset.

• Comparisons – Ensure customers can easily locate your other similar products and compare their price points and specifications.

• Relevant products – Use your product portal as an opportunity to upsell, helping buyers discover complementary products within your ecosystem.

• Detailed specifications – From point of origin to product measurements to materials to ingredients, be sure to provide all the specifications your customer is looking for.

• Testimonials – If relevant, customer testimonials, ratings, and reviews can provide buyers with an additional insight into how your product performs.

Rich media

Including rich media in your product portal and on the digital shelf can help B2B buyers gain a deeper understanding of your product. Likewise, rich media can dually serve as a marketing asset on their end.

Square’s website is a master class in rich media, using all of the following to showcase their physical point-of-sale devices:

• Interactive 3D renderings of all their products to understand scale and functionality
• Explainer videos showing products in real-life scenarios
• Interactive comparisons that compare specs for selected products

Each of these assets helps the device feel real and tangible. And, regardless of your niche, videos and interactive elements can offer benefits comparable to those of an in-person experience.

Self-service tools

A 2022 study by Gartner showed that 72% of B2B buyers now prefer a sellerless experience. Although sales teams are still essential for most manufacturers, there’s a lot you can do to streamline buying for these prospects.

For example, Michelin sells both D2C and B2B. Their centralized product data enables them to easily update product content across all their channels, allowing consumers to find consistent information on their website and through retailers. However, B2B buyers, such as manufacturers, retailers, and dealerships, have distinct needs when purchasing in bulk. 

A custom sales portal allows Michelin to deliver the right experience to each kind of buyer. After registering, buyers can:

• Place orders
• Track deliveries
• Browse products (with enriched data)
• Make and track claims

These self-service options reduce friction at the consideration stage and help maintain positive customer relationships throughout a product’s lifecycle, increasing retention.

Mobile-friendly content

Digital-first product content is ready for any device—including the mobile kind.

Caterpillar’s wide range of products—from their construction equipment to parts to workwear and accessories—reaches a wide range of customers, including B2B buyers. 

Their mobile site is built with buyers’ needs in mind. But their mobile friendliness extends beyond their digital storefront: the Cat Central app provides an alternative retail portal along with customer service tools.

Even if you don’t need a dedicated app for your content at this point, take simple steps to make your content mobile-friendly, like:

• Optimizing text for a vertical format by using headlines and plenty of white space
• Avoiding wide images that will appear tiny on mobile, especially if they include text
• Varying your content (e.g., including video and other enriched content alongside copy)

The role of PIM in scaling content for the digital buyer journey

Before you enrich your data, you need to unify it. This demands a content management solution. Product Information Management (PIM) software centralizes your data and makes the most of it:

• Your PIM solution should enable you to upload existing product specifications and create a custom data set that serves as the single point of truth for your products going forward.

• Once your content is in the right place, sales, marketing, product, and other stakeholders can collaborate to optimize and enrich product content (all in one place, without emailing attachments back and forth).

• Integrations will allow you to easily syndicate your new product content across all of your sales portals and channels.

The right PIM solution for B2B manufacturers will also provide you with real-time insights into how buyers interact with your products across all your channels. As a result, you can easily see the kind of content that converts your buyers.

Looking ahead: preparing product content for the next wave of B2B commerce

Digital commerce already dominates B2B, and as a new generation of buyers comes to the forefront, it becomes an essential business decision to establish and perfect a digital-first content structure that’s sustainable for tomorrow. 

To do that, you need a reliable home for your product content. At Inriver, we’ve developed just that: a PIM that makes it easy to deliver digital, reliable product experiences to your B2B customers that keep you on the competitive edge. 

Inriver’s composable PIM solution will lay the groundwork for this evolution in your sales funnel, and the next and the next. Let us show you how (or scope it out for yourself).