B2B eCommerce: Different Requirements, Different Solutions

Standard eCommerce platforms are designed for consumers: browse, add to cart, pay, receive. Business-to-business selling has fundamentally different requirements that consumer-focused platforms struggle to accommodate.

How B2B Differs from B2C

Complex Pricing

Consumer pricing is simple: one product, one price. B2B pricing involves:

Customer-specific pricing (negotiated rates for key accounts)
Tiered pricing (different rates based on volume)
Contract pricing (agreed rates for specific periods)
Volume discounts (price breaks at quantity thresholds)
Trade vs. retail pricing

A single product might have dozens of valid prices depending on who's buying and how much they're ordering. Standard eCommerce platforms struggle with this complexity.

Approval Workflows

Consumer purchases are individual decisions. Business purchases often require approval:

Junior staff can add to cart but can't checkout
Orders over certain values need manager approval
Some products require special authorisation
Different budget holders for different departments

B2B platforms need to support these hierarchies, routing orders through approval workflows before completion.

Payment Terms

Consumers pay at checkout. Businesses often buy on account:

Net 30/60/90 payment terms
Credit limits and balance tracking
Purchase order references
Invoice generation and statement management
Multiple payment methods per customer

The payment flow is fundamentally different. Checkout might create an order awaiting invoicing, not an immediate payment.

Account Structures

Consumer accounts are simple: one person, one login. Business accounts involve:

Multiple users per company
Different roles and permissions (buyer, approver, viewer)
Cost centre or department allocation
Delivery to multiple addresses
Billing vs. delivery address separation

Ordering Patterns

Consumer orders are typically small and varied. B2B orders often:

Contain many line items (dozens or hundreds of products)
Repeat regularly (re-ordering the same items)
Use CSV/spreadsheet upload for large orders
Require quick reorder from history
Involve scheduled/recurring orders

The interface needs to support efficient bulk ordering, not just browsing and adding individual items.

Integration Requirements

B2B eCommerce rarely stands alone. It needs to integrate with:

ERP Systems

Enterprise Resource Planning systems (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Sage) are the source of truth for:

Customer data and credit limits
Product information and stock levels
Pricing and discount structures
Order processing and fulfilment

The eCommerce platform needs bidirectional integration: pulling data from ERP, pushing orders back. This integration is often more complex than the website itself.

Inventory Management

Real-time stock visibility matters more in B2B. Customers ordering 500 units need to know whether stock is available, when backorders will arrive, and whether partial shipments are possible.

Trade Account Applications

B2B sites often require account applications before purchasing. The workflow might include:

Application form with business details
Credit check processing
Manual review and approval
Account setup with appropriate pricing tier
Welcome and onboarding

Platform Options

B2B Features on Consumer Platforms

Platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce offer B2B extensions. These can work for simpler requirements but often hit limitations:

Customer-specific pricing is clunky or limited
Approval workflows require add-ons that don't integrate smoothly
ERP integration is challenging
Performance degrades with complex pricing rules

For businesses just starting B2B online selling with straightforward requirements, these can be pragmatic starting points.

Dedicated B2B Platforms

Platforms built for B2B include OroCommerce, BigCommerce B2B Edition, and various enterprise solutions (Magento Commerce, SAP Commerce, Salesforce B2B Commerce).

These provide B2B features natively but carry higher costs and complexity. They're appropriate for businesses where online B2B is a significant channel.

Custom Solutions

For complex requirements or unusual business processes, custom development may be necessary. This provides exactly what you need but requires careful specification and higher investment.

Implementation Considerations

Start with Existing Processes

Document how B2B selling works today: How do customers order? How is pricing determined? What approvals are needed? What information flows between systems?

The website should support and streamline these processes, not force complete reinvention.

Customer Adoption

B2B customers may be accustomed to phone orders, emails, or sales rep relationships. Moving them online requires:

Clear benefits (24/7 ordering, faster processing, order history)
Easy onboarding and training
Support during transition
Maintained relationship (sales reps remain involved)

Force-feeding customers an inferior online experience damages relationships. The digital channel must be genuinely better.

Internal Adoption

Sales teams may resist online ordering, fearing commission loss or relationship erosion. Consider:

How sales attribution works with online orders
How reps use the platform to serve their accounts
Training and support for staff

Data Quality

B2B eCommerce exposes data problems. If your ERP has inconsistent product data, duplicate customer records, or inaccurate stock levels, these issues become visible online.

Budget time for data cleaning before launch. Garbage in, garbage out—the website can't fix underlying data problems.

Measuring Success

B2B eCommerce metrics differ from B2C:

Order value (typically much higher than consumer)
Repeat purchase rate (ongoing relationships matter)
Customer lifetime value
Order processing cost reduction
Sales team efficiency (time freed from routine orders)
Customer satisfaction and feedback

Success isn't just sales volume—it's about serving existing customers better and reducing operational costs.

Common Mistakes

Treating B2B like B2C: Using consumer platforms for complex B2B requirements leads to workarounds and frustrations.

Ignoring integration: A standalone B2B site that requires manual data entry to sync with ERP creates more work, not less.

Overlooking training: Assuming customers and staff will figure out the new system leads to underutilisation.

Perfect at launch: Trying to replicate every offline process immediately. Start with core functionality and iterate.

Our Approach

We build B2B eCommerce solutions tailored to how your business actually operates. We start by understanding your processes, customers, and systems before recommending platforms or approaches.

Whether you need custom B2B features added to an existing platform or a purpose-built solution, we can help design and implement systems that genuinely serve your business needs.

Contact us to discuss your B2B requirements. We'll help you evaluate options and plan an approach that fits your situation.