Unpacking the Rise of B2B E-commerce: A Comprehensive Overview

By 2020, the global B2B e-commerce market had soared to an impressive valuation of $14.9 trillion, dwarfing the B2C market by over fivefold. Forrester’s forecasts further underline this trend, projecting that by 2024, B2B e-commerce in the U.S. will represent 17% of all B2B sales, reaching a staggering $1.8 trillion.

The Ascendancy of B2B E-commerce

B2B e-commerce, standing for business-to-business electronic commerce, involves the online sale of goods or services between businesses. This digital mode of transaction streamlines order processing, thereby enhancing buying efficiency and effectiveness for a spectrum of B2B stakeholders including wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors."

The Evolution of B2B E-commerce in the Digital Age

Traditionally, B2B enterprises have been hesitant to embrace e-commerce. Prior to the pandemic, a report by eMarketer highlighted that only a mere 9% of B2B product sales in the U.S. were conducted through e-commerce platforms.

However, the pandemic has been a significant turning point, accelerating digital adoption. Coupled with an influx of millennial professionals in the B2B realm, buyer expectations rapidly evolve, compelling B2B entities to adapt swiftly or risk falling behind.

Gone are the days when cold calls, offline marketing, and cumbersome paper-based processes dominated B2B transactions. Mirroring the dynamic and digital-centric nature of B2C interactions, modern B2B customers now demand similar digital experiences and exhibit little tolerance for vendors lagging in digital capabilities.

Indeed, 80% of B2B purchasing decisions are influenced by the buyer’s experience, either directly or indirectly. Notably, 87% of B2B buyers are willing to pay a premium for suppliers offering superior e-commerce experiences, up from 81% in 2020 and 74% in 2019.

This shifting landscape challenges B2B merchants to decode and cater to the contemporary needs of B2B buyers. For businesses entrenched in traditional practices, transitioning to digital platforms can seem daunting. This guide aims to demystify B2B e-commerce for such businesses, offering insights into effective marketing strategies, dispelling common myths, highlighting the benefits of B2B platforms, and sharing success stories from BigCommerce B2B merchants.

The Diverse Spectrum of B2B E-commerce Models

Gartner forecasts that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between buyers and suppliers will take place over digital channels.

Moreover, advancements in e-commerce technology are lowering the barriers for traditional B2C companies to integrate a B2B component (B2C2B) and, conversely, for traditional B2B firms to venture into direct-to-consumer sales (B2B2C).

As a B2B enterprise, you are likely to align with one or more of the following models, each with its unique benefits and challenges:

B2B2C E-commerce

The B2B2C (Business-to-Business-to-Consumer) model removes intermediaries, linking B2B organizations directly with consumers. This model typically applies to wholesalers or manufacturers interacting with both B2B and B2C frameworks.

Traditionally, a wholesaler or manufacturer supplies products to a B2B entity, which then sells to the end consumer. In the B2B2C paradigm, the wholesaler or manufacturer engages with the final consumer through a B2B partnership or direct sales. These interactions often occur online via e-commerce sites, virtual storefronts, or mobile applications.

In many B2B2C setups, consumers know they are purchasing from a different business than the one they initially engaged with. For instance, a consumer might buy a product through an affiliate blogger, but the product is branded and shipped by the actual manufacturer.

Understanding the Wholesale Model in B2B E-commerce

In traditional B2B commerce, businesses often purchase products in bulk at a reduced price from manufacturers or distributors to resell them at a retail price. This practice, known as wholesaling, is widespread across numerous sectors such as retail, food service, construction, and medical industries.

Previously, wholesale transactions were predominantly conducted over the phone, through emails, or via spreadsheet order forms. However, with the advent of wholesale e-commerce, these processes have transitioned to digital platforms. These platforms facilitate efficient product display and offer a streamlined purchasing experience for buyers.

The expansion of the B2B e-commerce market is partly attributed to the transition from B2C to B2B models. While feasible, this shift requires adapting to new dynamics, as B2B transactions are typically larger and rely heavily on established vendor relationships.

The Role of Manufacturers in B2B E-commerce

Manufacturers are entities that produce finished goods on a large scale, utilizing raw materials, labor, and machinery. In a B2B context, these finished goods are sold to other manufacturers, suppliers, or wholesalers.

A prime example of a manufacturing-driven B2B market is the automotive industry, where manufacturers produce individual car components like fuel pumps and engines. These parts are then sold to automotive companies that assemble the final vehicles for consumer purchase.

Following the lead of wholesalers, manufacturers are increasingly taking their business online. Reports indicate that a significant portion of manufacturers anticipated a 25% growth in their B2B e-commerce sales during 2021 and 2022. Moreover, many manufacturers express a desire to sell directly to consumers, indicating a shift in B2B buyer expectations that manufacturers must meet.

Notably, it’s not just B2C customers who have elevated expectations. Wholesalers, distributors, and channel partners also seek manufacturers offering digital purchasing options, such as online price viewing and order status checking.

E-commerce and Distributors

After manufacturing, a product’s journey can take two paths. Manufacturers may opt for direct sales to consumers, which involves managing orders, packaging, and marketing. Alternatively, they can collaborate with distributors who handle the sale and promotion of the products.

Distributors play a critical role in increasing product visibility and sales, moving products through the distribution channel. With e-commerce, the sales logistics are managed online, providing distributors with significant growth opportunities.

E-commerce has revolutionized the distributor’s role, as evident in online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. The surge in e-commerce adoption among distributors was particularly pronounced, with a 26.3% increase from 2019 to 2020. To maintain customer engagement in this competitive landscape, distributors must integrate more sophisticated e-commerce technologies, following the benchmark set by platforms like Amazon for automated and personalized experiences.

Stages of B2B Business

If you’re a B2B business just getting off the ground, or even if your B2B business doesn’t exist yet, it’s essential to understand the four stages of B2B business growth. Gauging what phase your business is in right now will help you prepare for the inevitable obstacles and resolve them quickly as they arise.

Just as a tree begins as a seedling and requires different resources to sprout and mature, your B2B business will go through several phases of business development, each requiring separate finances, marketing strategies, and resources. 

Here, we’ll walk through each of the four stages of becoming a B2B business, as well as the unique challenges of each.

New/Startup.

It all starts with an idea for a product or service and the dream to make a business out of it. 

During the startup stage, you’ve decided to pursue your business venture and launch your B2B brand. At this point, you have finished developing your product or service and have begun marketing and selling it to customers. 

Sales are often slim but slowly growing in this stage, and your business focus is likely on researching your target market and determining consumer segments. As you begin making your first sales, you’ll probably need to adjust your product or advertising based on initial customer feedback and demand. 

As a result, you’ll hopefully be able to secure your marketing strategy and move on to the next development phase.

Common Challenges

• Establishing a market presence.

• Establishing a target audience.

• Facing larger competitors.

• Managing cash reserves.

Growth.

After launching your product and getting your bearings, you’ll move into the growth, aka survival stage.

At this point, your business will pass your breakeven point and begin to see increasing profits, however not as high as your sales level. As your business generates more revenue and gains new customers, you can cover operating expenses and explore new business opportunities. 

However, this stage often brings increased competition, requiring you to revisit your business model and consider critical activities such as sales model, marketing, and operations.

Common Challenges

• Handling more customers.

• Managing increased revenue.

• Increased Competition.

Expansion.

Once you’ve established a presence in the B2B market, you’ll likely experience rapid cash flow and revenue growth as you enter new markets and distribution channels. However, this growth may slow as the market becomes more saturated and new competitors steal market share.

To capitalize on growth, your B2B business will need to gain more market share and new sources of revenue, such as new product lines or target customers.

Common Challenges

• Increased competition.

• Creating new products and services.

• Expanding into new markets.

• Maintaining and growing your existing business.

Maturity.

Once your business has reached maturity and climbed to the top of the market, cash flows will likely taper off, and profit margins will become thinner. While your business may be dominating and expanding, it’s probably not at the same rate as in the expansion stage.

At this point, you decide whether to form an exit strategy or reinvent yourself as a B2B business. By investing in new e-commerce technologies and exploring new markets, your company can extend its life cycle and return to the expansion stage.

Common Challenges

• Saturated market.

• Exploring new markets.

• Creating new products and services.

• Maintaining and growing your existing business.

• Potential exit strategy.

B2B Ecommerce Marketing 101

No matter your hesitation to launch your B2B e-commerce store, know this: Nothing needed for a B2B business to prosper online can be done.

• Have customers who need bulk ordering? Done.

• Have customers who need specific sizes or materials? Check.

• Have customers with ongoing accounts or pre-negotiated rates? Taken care of.

Here’s how to market to your B2B customers to grow your online sales, streamline your business, and focus on what you do best: getting products into the hands of your customers:

1. Educate better than your competitors.

2. Teach customers how to save themselves — and you — time.

3. Use technology to reduce manual work and mistakes.

4. Increase customer support and loyalty with all your extra time.

5. Align your teams with a single source of truth — and scale better.

6. Reduce costs while increasing sales (no-brainer).

7. Make e-commerce integral, not central.

8. Talk to customers as you always have — over text or messenger.

9. Segment customer experiences so everyone feels special (and you don’t feel bogged down).

Educate customers on products, features, and promotions.

The concept of an online strategy interweaving content and commerce has an efficient application.

If a user is not presented with all the information — from sizing charts to ingredient lists to how-to guides — they will seek it elsewhere. That exploration often results in the consumer entering another purchasing funnel outside your organization’s digital commerce channel.

B2B user experiences have transformed from green screen-like portals with limited information into educational avenues that push products and promotions to your buyers.

Why? Because this is the way the online value ladder works.

• You prove your value to customers for free through educational content.

• Then, you close the deal once they trust you.

Companies using a B2B business model have long done this with conversations over the phone or drinks. It would be best if you did it to drive traffic and close sales online.

Migrate customers from offline to online channels.

As millennial buyers gain more decision-making and purchasing power within their organizations, it will be no surprise if fewer and fewer B2B customers choose to speak to a sales rep in person or use phone, fax, or even email. 

65% of B2B buyers prefer doing their purchase research online rather than from a salesperson, and a quarter of today’s B2B buyers complete at least 50% of their work purchases online — which means it’s probably time for your B2B to start implementing e-commerce channels if you haven’t already.

Of course, If your team implements a new channel, communicate early and often with your customers so that everyone is on the same page. 

Simple web forms allow connecting with sales and support and requesting samples and catalogs all online. The chat box persists throughout the site as another option for customers to seek support. 

Regardless of how you introduce the digital channel, anticipate questions and concerns and, most importantly, highlight the benefits of migrating to the new platform.

To ensure customers can use the platform efficiently, create:

• **FAQs:**Odds are if one customer has a question about your site, several customers probably have the same question. A dedicated FAQs page lets you deal with specific queries about your business and reduce any confusion or frustration for your customers. Moreover, this is an excellent opportunity to connect with your target audience as new questions arise.

• **How-to guides:**Whether it’s about bulk ordering, selecting specific sizes or materials, or managing ongoing accounts and pre-negotiated rates, how-to guides can be helpful for B2B customers who need more guidance when placing orders.

• **Interactive navigations:**Even more hands-on than a how-to guide, interactive guides can give B2B customers a clear visual for navigating and making purchases on your e-commerce site.

Use technology to solve ongoing customer challenges.

Due to the nature of the type and quantities of product ordered, B2B fulfillment errors can be costly for an e-commerce business — potentially resulting in truck- or trainloads of product being impacted.

Thus, your B2B brand must consistently deliver the right products on time while meeting customer expectations. Instead of dealing with customer service challenges, refunds, and apologies, your team must be able to develop new relationships and introduce ancillary services.

So, it’s no surprise that, in 2021, 51% of U.S. B2B buyers stated investing in e-commerce technology as their top priority. 

For instance, e-commerce technologies associated with cloud computing and storage, search engine optimization, and predictive analytics are becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. Other innovations have opened the door to personalized products, promotions, checkout experiences, marketing messaging, and price customization, which allow businesses to base B2B pricing on individual customers and situations and streamline sales processes. 

Some B2B companies can benefit from technological developments in AI and IoT, which help give businesses more actionable customer insights, enhance targeting and segmentation, and drive intelligent automation.

B2B brands can also use an ERP or OMS as a central source of truth — using powerful APIs to sync those systems with an e-commerce platform. But beyond an ERP, e-commerce platforms can also automate various e-commerce aspects to improve customer experience.

Let’s look at a couple of those B2B e-commerce automation:

Automatic Inventory Management from a Customer Viewpoint

Since B2B transactions often involve large amounts of product, stocking transparency is crucial. One shipping error can be costly for a B2B business, damaging the customer relationship. B2B customers — who rely on your business to run their business — should be able to get the amount of product they need when needed.

Luckily, automated inventory control can help your business keep track of how much product you have in stock and alert your customers to the e-commerce platform; you’ll be able to integrate systems that centralize data, keeping your product, inventory, platform, and you’ll be able to incorporate systems that concentrate data, keeping your product, inventory, and pricing information accurate at all times.

Order Dashboard Visibility for the Fulfillment Team

A clear order dashboard is available for your fulfillment teams. You can also use APIs to send order information to an ERP for a real-time sync.

From this view, you can also clearly see the fulfillment process — what has been sent out, what is pending, and why.

Beyond an orders dashboard, you can drill into each order to see fulfillment stages, order details, PO numbers, and more.

Roll out programs that spur loyalty, higher order values, and increased purchasing frequency.

After deploying the platform, look to other initiatives to turn the needle continually.

If you are a B2B organization, you likely supply consumable products that must be continually maintained and replaced. Allowing subscription-based and traditional one-off purchases can lock in buyers, yield higher customer lifetime values, and simplify business activities.

Furthermore, the data can empower your sales team to present and offer complementary products and understand when a customer might be ready to buy. Industry behemoth Amazon has already begun to implement these programs. For instance, products like this air filter can be purchased in regular (monthly) increments. On your own B2B e-commerce store, you can use integrations with partners like Rebillia to manage subscriptions and memberships or PayWhirl for recurring billing.

Align business processes and teams to scale.

Organizations often find themselves working inefficiently due to resources being in the wrong roles or process silos that negatively impact momentum.

These obstacles occur either because the digital channel was built as an “add-on” and not cohesively structured within the organization or because organic decisions over time have morphed into a structure (i.e., solely marketing or IT “owning” the e-commerce software) that no longer has a practical foundation for cohesive cross-channel growth.

Here’s how to make sure your teams are aligned:

• **Review your current organizational structure time to examine your business’s functional structure and organizational chart — do you have a functional, departmental, or matrix organization? Meet with executives and other key stakeholders to determine how your current structure was created and whether it is still sufficient for your business.

• **Re-align your roles and resources, create functions for each team/department, and map those functions against your current organizational chart. This will help you identify duplicate responsibilities and gaps that need to be filled. Lastly, create KPIs and metrics to help align business functions and set measurable goals.

• **If need be, look outside the organization and hire .**If you find gaps in your organizational structure, you may need to seek out additional employees dedicated to specific functions. You may require an individual or team to manage your digital channels solely. Or, you may create dedicated team divisions to help ease responsibilities and allow for better decision-making.

• Once that structure is in place, have a charter over budgeting and management decisions that impact this digital team. To ensure that all resources are allocated correctly, the digital team should create a budget to reflect activities, tasks, and milestones.

Reduce back-office costs and sunset legacy systems.

As commerce platforms become more robust in functionality beyond just a “shopping cart,” their reach and influence within a company’s existing technology landscape is widening. Lines of traditional applications are blurring as large software companies acquire and integrate smaller, specialized software at a rapid pace.

When undergoing a digital commerce initiative, it’s essential to understand the selected commerce technology platform’s roadmap and what that signifies in terms of capabilities. This knowledge could allow you to trim license and maintenance costs on overlapping technology and reduce technical bloat.

Ensure e-commerce complements all other sales channels.

Internal channel conflict is a common pain point for B2B organizations. And with the demise of the B2B salesperson, the online channel can be seen as a legitimate threat.

To successfully overcome internal anxiety, organizations should communicate early and often with the individuals who could be affected.

The digital teams and sales leadership should showcase the benefits of customers leveraging technology-based customer self-service and how it can help sales members retire and exceed quotas.

For example, B2C-like e-commerce sites often exist in the telecommunication space for SMBs to order hardware, upgrade their plans, or increase their services. 

Only if and when that customer becomes complex does an actual sales rep take over the account. This approach allows the team to focus more on selling and less on order-taking.

Create value with the human side of the transaction.

Usability is an essential element in creating value for customers.

This does not necessarily mean creating “consumer-like” e-commerce experiences centered on visual and interactive elements.

Instead, focus on factors like:

• Site performance.

• Robust search, i.e., faceted search.

• An efficient purchasing funnel.

• Social media integration.

• Detailed product content.

• Simplified checkout to create a “business-like” commerce experience.

Usability also means empowering customers to take control and complete goals on their terms. Including responsive design as part of the e-commerce software frees customers to research, complete transactions, and manage their accounts, regardless of device.

This cross-device enablement can also make sales representatives far more productive and efficient.

Create value with the business side of the transaction.

No two customers are the same.

Customize the e-commerce channel to cater to how they do business and become an indispensable business partner — this starts by building one-to-one relationships.

Use customer segmentation to present customer-specific product catalogs and price lists and introduce incentive programs that reward customers for loyalty and the volume of business they transact. Then, develop workflows aligning the e-commerce ecosystem with how your customers do business to remove friction from the sales process.

For instance, if customers require a multi-step order approval process, the underlying e-commerce platform should be built to support this. You can also do this with a quoting tool.

The same goes for payments.

From enabling purchase orders to checking credit availability and enforcing purchasing thresholds, ensure the e-commerce system conforms to customer needs.

For wholesale brands needing customer financing options, look for e-commerce platforms integrating Klarna and PayPal Credit.

Lastly, keep customers in the loop by being transparent with data. Proactively notify customers of back-ordered items and low inventory counts for products they purchase to minimize any potential disruption to their business.

Although it’s only applicable in a subset of B2B use cases, punchout allowing catalog feeds and ordering directly through the customer’s procurement system can make the e-commerce channel a powerful tool for building lasting value.

B2B E-commerce Misconceptions

Yes, perhaps the B2B space isn’t quite up to speed with B2C regarding e-commerce, but the numbers don’t lie — B2B is going digital.

But despite the apparent shift toward B2B e-commerce, several misconceptions exist surrounding the industry. From misunderstanding the complex technology available to naivety around automation best practices, let’s demystify the most common myths.

The belief that you’re not selling B2B.

The number one reason many brands say they aren’t selling B2B is because they don’t realize they are already doing it.

Selling B2B can be a variety of things:

• Wholesale.

• Distribution relationships with large or chain retailers.

• Selling to organizations (schools, businesses, nonprofits).

• Supplier selling to resellers.

You do not have to be a supplier to sell B2B. Many online brands are both B2B and B2C.

You do not need a separate e-commerce site to sell B2B. Instead, you can optimize site engagement and SEO on a single URL and use customer groups to allow for personalized browsing experiences for your B2B segment.

B2B customers don’t want to order online.

As the new generation comes to managerial and purchasing power age, their preferred method of purchasing, e-commerce, may surpass older processes.

In general, B2B customers want to see their B2C conveniences transfer over.

• 41% say that self-service functionality is one of the top three ways B2B companies could make it easier for them to shop online.

• 73% of B2B execs say that customer expectations for personalized experiences are significantly higher today than just a few years ago.

• 50% of B2B buyers identified improved personalization as a critical feature when searching for online suppliers with whom to build relationships, with consumers spending 48% more when their experience is personalized.

A recent report found that millennial B2B buyers aren’t just coming –– they are here. In 2020, nearly half of B2B buyers were millennials — roughly double the amount from 2012.

Today, 73% of millennials are involved in the B2B buying process.

Today’s B2B buyer conducts approximately 12 online searches before purchasing a specific brand.

• 44% of millennials are making purchasing decisions.

• 33% say they are vital influencers or recommenders in order.

• Only 2% reported not being involved at all in purchasing decisions.

And they shop differently than their generational peers. A Heinz and SnapApp study found:

• Millennial buyers are far more independent than Generation X or baby boomer buyers during their path to purchase: They conduct extensive research on their own before making any purchasing decisions.

• While Generation X and baby boomer buyers rely on salespeople for guidance, millennial buyers are more likely to rely on the opinions of peers or outside experts than to trust a salesperson: They actively avoid engaging with sales early on; nearly 60% say they don’t engage with a salesperson until they’re in the middle of a purchasing decision.

These buying behaviors mimic B2C buying behaviors in which brands must educate, build trust, and build community before a purchasing decision is made — or even considered.

You must have an online presence if you want your brand to appear in those buying committees.

E-commerce requires price transparency.

An overwhelming majority (89%) of B2B researchers use the Internet in their research process, and they conduct 12 searches before engaging on a specific brand’s site. This increased reliance on e-commerce implies that B2B customers expect B2B sites to incorporate B2C-like practices, such as price transparency, personalization, and convenience, into the customer experience.

However, with low margins and fierce competitors looking to underbid a B2B business, many brands may not want their prices available to the public.

This safeguarding of the supply chain is understandable, and it’s why many e-commerce solutions offer price availability only after a customer logs in. This means only your customers see the prices — and that prices can be presented exactly as negotiated for individual customers. 

You can also use your site to enable product visibility but require customers not logged in to their customer groups (likely a prospect) to call in to get prices.

The key is to find a balance between automated price personalization for prospective B2B customers and negotiated for those who are ready to purchase.

Online ordering is cold.

Building a long-term, personal relationship with them is one of the best ways to ensure a customer doesn’t go to a competitor. This is why so many B2B businesses are family-owned and operated. There’s a personal touch to being one of the family: phone calls, dinners, visits, and trips.

An online store can seem cold in comparison, but it doesn’t have to be.

And, especially now that millennials are at the forefront of many B2B buying decisions, buyers are looking for a streamlined digital purchasing experience.

In a Demand Gen Report, 55% said that when all other factors are equal (e.g., price, quality), “a digital buying experience is significant to selecting a vendor.”

With 24/7 chat technology that can turn an online chat on your store into a text on your phone, the new generation can communicate efficiently and effectively in their preferred communication channel: text, Facebook messenger, or various other options.

This type of customer service is not only easy to set up but also highly desired by customers across the board.

A study by McKinsey & Company found that slow site response times are a B2B buyer’s biggest complaint with online ordering.

Increasing your speed to respond to a customer is today’s version of quality, face-to-face interactions. Ignore it, and you may lose business.

An online store negates custom ordering.

With B2B customers and wholesalers, the possibility for custom orders is high, and many B2B businesses want to provide for the custom order (which helps with that personal relationship).

But custom orders aren’t often an e-commerce norm — or so many think.

Thanks to custom quoting tools, unique variants, and segmented customer groups, B2B businesses can allow customers to send in a PDF quote 24/7, then evaluate the quote and get back within regular business hours if the unique order can be filled.

Then, your e-commerce business can place that customer in its unique customer group so that when the customer reorders, they won’t have to go through the quote engine again.

Instead, they can click and check out the item made specially for them.

Customers aren’t willing to make big-ticket purchases online.

While making an online purchase may have once seemed like a risky decision, this fear is almost nonexistent today. 

With the ability nowadays to purchase cars, wedding dresses, and even groceries online, it’s no surprise that more than 35% of business buyers are willing to spend $500,000 or more in a single transaction online. Not to mention, 15% of corporate decision-makers are eager to make online purchases worth more than $1 million.

E-commerce is not just for low-value and repeat purchases — it’s now an opportunity to make big sales in just a few clicks.

Advantages of Using a B2B E-commerce Platform

If you’re a B2B business locked in legacy processes such as faxes, cold calls, and Excel spreadsheets, it may be time to revamp the way you do business. 

Once you’re ready to leap into e-commerce, the first big step is to select a B2B e-commerce platform. With hundreds of platforms on the market, businesses can easily take advantage of the newest e-commerce features to help meet their customers’ needs and modernize their current systems.

Here are a few reasons why using a B2B e-commerce platform may be the best move for your business:

Better management of suppliers and customers.

Running an e-commerce platform allows you to manage everything in one place, from customer data to order fulfillment to inventory control. With options for automated sales processes between businesses, suppliers, and distributors, your e-commerce platform can help streamline B2B operations and improve the customer experience.

With BigCommerce, B2B merchants can integrate mission-critical systems like POS and ERP through versatile APIs. Rather than starting from scratch, BigCommerce’s modern technology lets you work with your existing business tools and systems via pre-built, one-click integrations or customize your automation with our APIs.

Sell more to existing customers.

With a platform that’s accessible and available to your audience, B2B e-commerce is a great chance to cross-sell and up-sell to existing buyers. And one of the best strategies to keep your customers intrigued is offering a personalized experience. 

55% of B2B marketing budgets in 2020 were focused on digital efforts to help provide a more personalized customer experience. 

In the B2C world, this might look like augmented reality fitting rooms or personalized product recommendations on Instagram. But in the B2B space, personalization can include custom quotes, discounts and shipping rates, AR tours, personalized sales portals, mobile ordering, and self-service features.

Potential Expansion.

However, B2B e-commerce isn’t just a chance to target current buyers — it’s also an opportunity to expand into different markets and attract new customers. With so many e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, and digital solutions available, there are practically no limits for merchants looking to go digital, which makes it easier than ever for B2B businesses to go global or enter new product markets.

Luckily, platforms like BigCommerce are already aiding B2C and B2B merchants today in expanding across borders and reaching new buyers. Supporting over 140 local currencies in over 150 countries, BigCommerce offers a range of features to let you sell anywhere, including cross-channel selling and international options for shipping and tax. Plus, with advanced payment options, shared shopping lists, and buy-again capabilities, BigCommerce B2B Edition allows your business to create frictionless paths to purchases so customers can buy from you on their terms.

Better data analytics.

One of the major perks of having an e-commerce site is that you can often track customer behavior as they shop. Using data analytics, like BigCommerce’s E-commerce Analytics and Insight Report, you can identify which parts of your business are working and which should be tossed, allowing you to make better business decisions and optimize the user experience.

Cloud computing, storage, and predictive analytics are not a luxury nowadays but a priority. As more and more B2B businesses embark on digital transformation, the race to adopt innovative technologies will require B2B sellers to rely on data analytics to drive their overall shopping experience.

Exceed B2B Shopper Expectations

To discover the benefits of selling online with BigCommerce B2B, click here.

The BigCommerce Advantage.

As a leading open SaaS e-commerce platform for mid-market and enterprise brands, BigCommerce offers all the benefits of multi-tenant SaaS — ease of use, high functionality, and continuous updates — paired with open APIs, allowing B2B businesses to customize their websites and integrate with existing systems. 

Plus, the BigCommerce platform provides headless capabilities that let you easily plug in your preferred CMS through WordPress or Bloomreach or even custom-build your frontend solution. At the same time, BigCommerce supports you on the backend. Using this composable architecture, you can create unique, user-driven experiences on the front end and use the best vendors for each part of your strategy. 

Better yet, BigCommerce offers B2C and B2B merchants value, including creating B2C experiences for your B2B customers. BigCommerce has native B2B functionality for merchants on Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans.

Plus, if you’re a hybrid business with B2B and B2C customers, the BigCommerce platform makes offering different price lists or catalogs to customer groups easy.

With a host of enterprise B2B sales features, including seamless integration with POS and ERP platforms, B2B-specific payment features through partners, reliability, and performance, BigCommerce offers a more flexible alternative to competing SaaS platforms and a more accessible, faster alternative to your legacy solutions. To discover more of the benefits of selling online with BigCommerce B2B solutions, try out our 15-day free trial or check out our B2B case studies to learn how other B2B merchants have succeeded with e-commerce.

B2B Ecommerce Examples

Different businesses have adopted B2B e-commerce. Here are a few examples of companies that have used e-commerce to their advantage.

Berlin Packaging.

As a reasonably complex B2B operation, Berlin Packaging was on the hunt for a B2B e-commerce solution that offered:

• Specialized item attributes.

• Custom inputs.

• An interface with their existing ERP.

• Custom shipping and handling abilities for customers that would improve the overall user experience and streamline processes for them, too.

Since switching to BigCommerce, Berlin Packaging has seen a substantial lift in conversions — as much as a 27% increase. They’ve also seen an increase in orders and demand revenue as well.

United Aqua Group.

In 2020, United Aqua Group, a collaborative of residential and commercial swimming pool and spa builders, was looking to shift away from its previous platform, NuORDER, to a platform that offered more B2C-like experiences. With a catalog of over 400,000 products, United Aqua Group sought a platform that provided site speed, ease of use, ability to customize, and consistent performance.

After viewing a demo and seeing the platform’s numerous customization features, United Aqua Group soon landed on BigCommerce. These were just some of the deciding factors that led to the company’s decision:

• Integration to ERP and the ability to pass information from their ERP back into their store.

• Quick loading and improved search.

• Ability to upload order spreadsheets.

• Ability to choose multiple views and multiple shipping addresses.

• Ease of managing categories.

• Ongoing support.

• A dashboard to see weekly purchases and compare orders from the previous week.

After making the switch, United Aqua Group saw a 284% increase in customers, a 539% increase in conversion rate, and a 336% increase in revenue.

Tradelink.

As a company ingrained in tradition and experience, Tradelink, Australia’s oldest plumbing merchant, wanted to pursue new technologies to modernize its services. To help achieve this modernization, Tradelink wished to adopt an e-commerce platform that could stay up to pace with Tradelink’s scale and scope, considering the company had over 200 branches across Australia, 300 cars in operation, and 1300 team members serving its customers.

With limited e-commerce functionality on its previous backend system, Tradelink sought a platform to provide speed, flexibility, and connectivity. After considering their options, Tradelink eventually switched to BigCommerce, which offered the company quick response times, fast page loads, accurate search functionality, and mobile readiness.

With third-party apps like consumer reviews with Trustpilot, marketing automation with dotdigital, and merchandising with Klevu, BigCommerce was able to provide Tradelink with a versatile online storefront that rivaled its in-store experience.

After migrating to BigCommerce, Tradelink experienced a 346% increase in customers, a 373% increase in orders, and a 338% increase in revenue.

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The Final Word

With 32% of U.S. B2B professionals claiming e-commerce to be the most effective sales channel — compared to 23% in favor of in-person channels — there’s no doubt that B2B e-commerce is making headway. And with B2C businesses already moving quickly through the digital space, the B2B industry is likely not far behind. 

Whether you’re looking to launch a B2B business or want to shift your current business online, you’ll be pleased to find no shortage of e-commerce platforms and capabilities available for the B2B community. Although going digital may be out of your business’s comfort zone, the benefits of e-commerce far outweigh the initial expenditure: access to new markets, increased conversions, improved customer satisfaction, centralized data — and so on. So, if your B2B business is still stuck in legacy processes, it might be time to set aside outdated misconceptions and embrace the future of B2B e-commerce. Start exploring BigCommerce B2B solutions today to prepare for future B2B e-commerce growth opportunities.

FAQs About B2B E-commerce

1. Difference Between B2B and B2C Ecommerce:
   B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business-to-Consumer) ecommerce differ primarily in their target audiences and sales processes. B2B ecommerce involves transactions between businesses, typically involving bulk orders, longer sales cycles, and more complex decision-making processes. B2B transactions often require negotiation over prices, payment terms, and delivery schedules. In contrast, B2C ecommerce targets individual consumers, focusing on smaller, more frequent purchases. B2C sales are generally straightforward, with fixed prices and immediate payment, and they emphasize convenience, customer experience, and emotional engagement.

2. B2B Buyer Journey vs. B2C Buyer Journey:
   The B2B buyer journey is more complex than the B2C journey. In B2B, the decision-making process involves multiple stakeholders, each with their own requirements and concerns. The journey is characterized by a need for detailed information, a focus on ROI (Return on Investment), and often a longer evaluation and approval process. B2B buyers usually require personalized solutions and may engage in negotiations. Conversely, B2C buyers often make quicker decisions influenced by factors like brand, price, and convenience. Emotional and psychological factors play a larger role in B2C purchasing decisions, and the journey is typically shorter and more straightforward.

3. B2B Ecommerce Market Size:
   As of my last update in April 2023, the B2B ecommerce market has been experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing digitalization of businesses and the adoption of advanced technologies. While I cannot provide the most current market size, it’s worth noting that in previous years, the B2B ecommerce market was expanding rapidly, with forecasts predicting continued growth. Factors such as the rise of online marketplaces, mobile commerce, and the integration of AI and machine learning in business processes are key drivers of this growth. For the latest figures, it’s advisable to consult recent market research reports or financial news sources.

These responses provide a succinct overview of the key differences between B2B and B2C ecommerce, the distinct nature of the B2B buyer journey, and an insight into the B2B ecommerce market size as of early 2023.