B2B eCommerce platforms have proven to be a game changer in the wholesale business.
They streamline operations, help manage intricate and convoluted supply chains, expand the business beyond boarders and enable growth.
But with so many B2B eCommerce platforms available, how do you decide which is right for you and your business?
This guide looks at the best B2B eCommerce platforms available today with practical advice on selecting and implementing such platforms. Let's dive in
Let's first understand what is a B2B eCommerce Platform?
B2B eCommerce Platforms are not the same as B2C platforms. They deserve their own shine! Yes, they share similar features like products catalogue and online ordering. However, B2B solutions are more intricate.
B2B eCommerce platforms are designed to meet the complex needs of three key audiences: businesses, wholesalers, and distributors.
The best B2B eCommerce platforms help manage needs very specific to business to business interactions such as bulk orders, custom pricing and payment terms.
They can also handle negotiated contracts, customization and quotes. These platforms offer the flexibility needed for business-to-business relationships.
Also, the Best B2B eCommerce platforms have robust API integrations to easily integrate with ERP systems, CRMs, warehousing and more .
What are the Top Features of B2B eCommerce platforms?
Choosing from the best B2B eCommerce platforms can be overwhelming. The easiest way to decide is to understand the features offered and how these can help you operationally.
Below are the features you will find offered by B2B eCommerce platforms:
1. Scalability
Scalability removes any limitations regarding your business’ potential growth. No matter what area/s you’re expanding (catalogs or customer accounts) or, if you’re entering a new market/s, scalable eCommerce platforms for B2B will evolve with your needs.
Thinking long-term is crucial for any business and failing to do so will slowdown growth and result is lost opportunities.
2. Customizable
Every business has different needs, what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. The best B2B eCommerce platforms is the one that can adapt to you business and recreate it online.
Features such as custom entities, workflows and hooks make eCommerce platform flexible so they can mold into any business structure.
3. Integration
Integration is a must no matter your business. B2B eCommerce platforms with robust API integrations will help brands create an ecosystem that is efficient and powerful. From ERPs to CRM systems and the entire supply chain.
4. Security
Secure B2B eCommerce platforms means encrypted transactions, thereby meeting industry compliance standards and are PCI compliant. You can also sleep at night knowing that multi-factor authentication and advanced fraud detection are in place, giving extra protection.
5. Mobile-friendly
Mobile commerce will only continue to grow, and as we know, most buyers (now including B2B buyers) expect to communicate with mobile-friendly B2B eCommerce platforms. The ease of browsing catalogs, placing orders, and tracking shipments on a mobile device should be considered when selecting a B2B eCommerce platform
6. Search and Navigation
Because so many businesses have complex catalogs an advanced search and navigation function is key. Advanced, predictive search and recommendations powered by AI also aid buyers in finding what they want quickly and easily.
B2B eCommerce platforms that can integrate advanced AI tools will give you a competitive advantage in this area.
7. Custom Pricing and Bulk Ordering Options
The good news is that your B2B buyers will likely want to place large and complex orders. The great news is that the best B2B eCommerce platforms offer bulk order options and custom pricing. This is ideal for anyone seeking to create to recreate offline b2b sales experiences online,
8. Analytics and Reporting
Without data, you’re working blindly. It, therefore, goes without saying that all the top B2B eCommerce platforms offer analytics and reporting features. This data gives businesses everything they need to know about behaviours, trends and performance. With this knowledge in place, business owners can make informed decisions.
Core dna flexible architecture allows it to supports tricky and multi-level pricing structures. From online quotes to payment agreements as well as multi-site management and multi-brands shopping.
With extensive API integrations, Core dna creates a well-oiled machine ensuring you can operate efficiently.
Core dna is designed for mid-market b2b eCommerce looking for customization and a powerful platform.
Shopify Plus offers more advanced automations, better checkout customization and expanded multichannel selling capabilities.
Shopify plus still potentially needs additional apps to create a powerful ecosystem so factoring in that cost is important.
BigCommerce
Best for: small to mid-market
If BigCommerce is known for its scalability, feature set (which can cater to businesses of all sizes), ability to host a variety of payment gateways and strong SEO capabilities, which boost online visibility.
B2B online store platforms like these offer omnichannel integration for ease of selling across platforms. However, big doesn’t necessarily mean 100% perfect.
For instance, there won’t be any cheers for the steep learning curve needed when understanding the customization and advanced features.
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
Best for: large enterprise
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) is well regarded for its customization and flexibility, which can align with even the most complex of B2Bs.
With many extensions and a support service to boot, the platform is scalable from the smallest business to mega-corporations. But there is at least one drawback. Adobe Commerce often requires resourcing and budgeting to meet high costs.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Best for: large enterprise
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a reputable eCommerce platform that integrates with salesforce CRM integration, efficiently monitoring customer interactions.
With integrated AI and scalability at a global level, it makes it a great option for larger enterprise. Salesforce Commerce Cloud represent a big investment for any company. Consider proper plan and training for a successful implementation.
After taking you through the selection of the best B2B eCommerce platform out there, it's clear that you need to carefully align your business needs to a platform.
WooCommerce
Best for: small business
An open-source eCommerce solution operating on WordPress, WooCommerce is ideal for b2b businesses starting out. As any open-source platform, WooCommerce requires the business to do the setup and works with various plugins and themes to match a business’ function and design needs.
This is not a scalable platform and can't manage high product volumes and transactions. Performance and the use multiple plugins may lead to issues and challenges.
Learn more about all B2B eCommerce platform features
Pricing comparison of B2B eCommerce Platforms
Cost Comparison of B2B eCommerce Platforms
Platform
Pricing Model
Starting Cost
Additional Costs
Best For
Core dna
Subscription-Based
$500–$1,500/month
Custom integrations, advanced features
Medium to large businesses
Shopify Plus
Subscription + Fees
$2,000/month
Transaction fees, app add-ons
Medium to large businesses
Magento (Adobe)
Open-Source + Custom
$15,000–$50,000+
Hosting, development, maintenance
Large businesses
WooCommerce
Freemium + Add-Ons
Free
Themes, plugins, hosting
Small businesses
BigCommerce
Subscription-Based
$29.95–$299.95/month
Custom features, higher-tier plans
SMEs
Salesforce Commerce
Subscription-Based
Custom Pricing
Integration, CRM add-ons
Enterprises
How to choose the Best B2B eCommerce Platform
We recommend following a structured approach that carefully evaluates your business needs, the essential features, and whether it meets your budget. How to choose the best B2B eCommerce platform? Here goes…
1. Assess Your Business Needs
It’s time to review your business goals and ask some key questions. Are you, for example, looking for scalable eCommerce platforms for B2B to support your intended business growth?
Do you need to find your unicorn amongst the host of features of the best B2B eCommerce platforms? Will they cater to your specific workflow needs? Consider the following:
Will you need to integrate ERP or CRM into the platform?
Do you rely on/want to use security features, and are they critical to your business/industry?
How complex are your requirements? For instance, will any expansion plans involve the need to be multilingual or to handle multi-currencies?
Drilling down into these questions will help you to shortlist and finally choose the best eCommerce platform. If you answered yes to the points above, Core dna, which offers first-class integration and personalization options, is well suited to your B2B.
3. Must have Features vs Nice to have
What are the deal breakers when it comes to features? Create a list of your must-have features, taking into consideration the following:
Do you have bulk ordering and custom pricing requirements?
Is the convenience of a mobile-friendly design a ‘must’?
Do you want to make data-driven decisions with the help of AI analytics?
For more guidance on business-critical questions when choosing from the best commerce platforms for B2B, please see Core dna’s B2B eCommerce selection process.
2.Have a realistic budget
Ask yourself what the business can afford now and what you can invest ( these are two different things). While platforms come with an upfront cost, many have ongoing costs and additional pricing for licenses, hosting and transaction fees.
If your budget is the primary driver of your choice, make sure you have realistic expectations of what features and B2B eCommerce platform you need.
At Core dna we love solving complex challenges. Our B2B eCommerce platform has helped RANDYS Worldwide move their sales operations online and integrate 7 new acquired brands effortlessly.
Challenges:
RANDYS Worldwide is a leader in manufacturing and distributing auto parts.
Most of RANDYS Worldwide business was done on the phone with sales representatives coordinating the right references for the right clients.
This meant a lot of man power was spent on day to day operations instead of focusing on growth potential.
Also as the business grew, RANDYS Started acquiring other brands such as Yukon Gear and Zumbrota. The need for a platform that can help manage all these brands from one central location was mandatory.
Each of the brands that make up RANDYS Worldwide had a unique website and product catalog and customer base.
As you can imagine, managing the sheer volume of platforms was resource-intensive, leading to frustrations, inefficiencies and various inconsistencies.
Solutions Implemented:
RANDYS Worldwide opted to use Core dna’s centralized B2B eCommerce platform. Doing so meant they could manage all seven distinct brands from one platform.
Core dna's multi-site management capabilities and global components allowed RANDYS to create a powerful ecosystem of brands online.
Now RANDYS has one consistent brand experience across all sites. Although managed centrally, each brands has its unique buyers' journeys, products and promotions.
Core dna powers this complex websites and offers flexibility, ease of use and scalability.
Customized websites for each of the seven brands.
Integration with ERP and CRM back-end systems.
Unifying the B2B portal to create smooth customer interactions.
Customers feedback is very positive as they can now manage all their orders and interactions via their personalized portal.
Savings were made because the need for multiple eCommerce systems was removed.
Sales teams are now focused on business development rather than current clients.
Advanced search was implemented and reduced human interaction as customers could find exactly what they needed.
Randy’s Worldwide was able to scale its operations with minimum effort and deliver a structured, consistent and improved experience for customers of all seven brands.
Solutions to Overcome Potential Challenges with your eCommerce Platform
1. Get an Integration-Ready Platform
It’s a no-brainer. An integration-ready platform like Core dna is designed to connect with your existing systems seamlessly. Your data consistency and operational efficiency will be unaffected. Learn more about Core dna and its integrations here.
2. Run an RFP or RFI
Request for proposal and request for Information are great way to gather information about different vendors. It also give you a comment format for all answers to help you evaluate which is the best eCommerce platform for you.
3. Training and Onboarding
A platform is only good as the person using it. If you implement the best platform in the world but your team can't use it then that is a failed project. Make sure you plan proper training for you eCommerce and marketing teams to give them the best possible odds.
4. Plan for the Future in Terms of Scaling and Budget
Consider your needs today but also your goals. Choosing a B2B eCommerce platform with a flexible architecture will ensure it can grow with your business. Whether it is more traffic or new websites, the platform you choose should accommodate these effortlessly.
Conclusion
As b2b and wholesale business transform into digital business, making the right decision when it comes to B2B eCommerce platforms is for the business.
To choose the best B2B eCommerce platform, first assess your business needs. Then, create a detailed RFP. This will help you compare platforms fairly and have a clear sense of all the offerings and features.
One last recommendation from us is do not overlook platform support as it is not only about the software but also the team that will support you using the software.
Have questions? Let our team guide you to the right platform.
