Despite businesses turning to B2B eCommerce platforms to increase profitability and expand omnichannel strategies, choosing the wrong one can lead to costly inefficiencies. From manual order entry to disconnected systems and missed sales opportunities, the tools you select can make or break your eCommerce strategy.
The right platform, however, can unify your sales channels, automate workflows, and give your customers a seamless self-service buying experience. Today’s B2B buyers expect the convenience of the digital-first, B2C-influenced shopping experience, paired with the negotiated, personalized relationships of business-to-business transactions.
According to Gartner, 75% of buyers want to place orders without having to go through a sales rep.
Despite their importance in a strong omnichannel strategy, navigating the world of B2B eCommerce platforms requires the technical prowess to discern between platforms built to solve B2B workflows and B2C tools being misrepresented as robust solutions.
This guide is designed for suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers who want to cut through the noise and find a solution built for real B2B needs.
A B2B eCommerce platform is an online catalog built specifically for business-to-business transactions. Unlike many B2C-focused tools adapted for wholesale, platforms like OrderEase are purpose-built to handle complex order flows and intake while integrating directly with ERP systems.
At its core, a B2B eCommerce platform serves as a private, digital storefront where your buyers can browse catalogs, see accurate pricing, and place orders directly.
Here's an example of a customer's view of a branded B2B site using the OrderEase portal:
The “customers” in B2B eCommerce are typically organizations.
Examples include:
The right B2B eCommerce software doesn’t just manage order intake; it unifies sales operations. Beyond basic functionality like catalog management, it should deliver the control needed to manage complex B2B relationships at scale.
B2C platforms are designed for “one price fits all.” In B2B, pricing is customer specific and changes based on purchases quantities and negotiated contracts.
Your platform should allow you to:
In B2B, your catalog isn’t just a product list. It should reflect negotiated relationships. Your B2B buyers expect to log in and see exactly what applies to them, with the right pricing and relevant products.
A strong B2B eCommerce platform should let you:
Integration with your ERP is a non-negotiable; it ensures that everything in your B2B catalog is accurate. OrderEase, for example, integrates ERPs with all channels. This means that your ERP/inventory is directly connected to your eCommerce sales.
This means you can have:
Automation should be built into your B2B eCommerce platform to replace the manual steps that slow teams down. Instead of having to respond to orders via email or phone, a B2B eCommerce platform empowers customers to place their own orders, automating wholesale buying experiences.
Your B2B eCommerce platform should align with both your operational goals and the needs of your customers. The right platform will give you a single, integrated portal to manage every order.
Implementing a modern B2B commerce platform can fundamentally change your omnichannel growth strategy.
The right platform provides an operational backbone that connects your channels, customers, and ERP into one unified workflow without your team having to get involved.
Here are the top benefits operational leaders find in using B2B eCommerce platforms:
In traditional B2B operations, margins are lost to time spent on low-value, manual tasks like rekeying orders from emails into ERP systems and processing payments through disconnected systems.
A B2B commerce platform automates these steps. Orders placed, whether on an eCommerce website or B2B portal, flow directly into your ERP.
In platforms like OrderEase, this automation extends to EDI transactions, marketplace sales, and even rep orders.
Many B2B companies still operate with data in silos across departments and channels, making decisions based on partial or outdated information.
A modern B2B eCommerce platform syncs data from across all sales channels with your back-end systems (ERP/accounting), for one source of truth.
Example: By seeing that a specific product is close to selling out, a business can adjust inventory and reduce stockouts.
B2B buyers expect the same level of digital convenience they get from consumer shopping with the added complexity of bulk ordering and terms. A robust B2B commerce platform delivers this by giving customers self-service access to personalized catalogs, contract-specific pricing, real-time stock levels, and easy reordering tools.
This shift from manual, rep-driven order placement to a customer-controlled digital experience not only speeds up transactions but also empowers buyers to interact with your brand on their own terms.
While in-person calls are still valuable for deepening partner relationships, B2B eCommerce allows much of the buying process to happen on the buyer’s schedule.
This doesn’t completely replace in-person selling; it means sales calls can focus on growth opportunities instead of order taking.
Growth often exposes the limits of using B2C systems in B2B operations. Without the right B2B eCommerce strategy, every new channel or product means adding more overhead, manual processes, and risk.
An eCommerce platform that’s purpose-built for B2B allows you to grow without adding in workarounds just to manage your catalog and pricing. When you have a fully integrated order ecosystem, adding a new channel comes with a preconfigured flow that delivers ROI instantly.
Even the most feature-rich B2B eCommerce platform can fail to deliver if you overlook the bigger picture of cost and implementation timelines.
Think beyond the subscription fee for additional costs, including:
To estimate your potential return, use:
ROI (%) = ((Annual Benefits – Annual Costs) ÷ Annual Costs) × 100
Annual Benefits can include:
Annual Costs should factor in:
Example:
If your B2B eCommerce platform saves $150,000 annually in labor and error reduction, adds $100,000 in new sales, and costs $80,000 per year in total, your ROI is:
ROI = (($250,000 – $80,000) ÷ $80,000) × 100 = 212.5%
What it is: A B2B Order Management System that unifies all your order channels (marketplaces, eCommerce sites, portals, and sales reps), into one automated workflow. It provides a branded portal to digitize sales with independent retailers while automating channels, big box store sales and more with your back-end systems. Orders from wherever and whenever flow in one unified ecosystem
Why it shines: True multichannel integration, standardized order data, and direct ERP syncing mean fewer errors, less manual work, and one source of truth across sales.
Pros:
Cons:
What it is: The enterprise-grade version of Shopify, offering a scalable platform to both consumers and businesses. With Shopify Plus, B2B features can be added through native tools, custom APIs, or apps from its massive ecosystem.
Why it shines: Shopify Plus is ideal for brands that need to blend DTC and B2B sales in a single platform.
Pros:
Cons:
What it is: Recently rebranded from BigCommerce (August 2025), Commerce brings together BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift into a unified AI-driven commerce brand. The B2B Edition includes buyer portals, company accounts, quoting, invoice portals, multi-storefront, and ERP integrations.
Why it shines: Excellent blend of native B2B features and open APIs for businesses that want customization.
Pros:
Cons:
What it is: A WordPress-based eCommerce platform extended with B2B plugins for wholesale capabilities.
Pros:
Cons:
What it is: A mobile-first platform designed for B2B field sales enablement with digital catalogs and mobile order-taking.
Pros:
Cons:
|
Platform |
Best For |
Integration |
Scalability |
Customization |
Key Watchout |
|
OrderEase |
Suppliers, distributors & manufacturers |
★★★★★ |
★★★★★ |
★★★★☆ |
Requires ERP connection for full value |
|
Shopify Plus |
Blending DTC & B2B sales |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★★☆ |
★★★☆☆ |
Limited native B2B features |
|
Commerce (formerly BigCommerce) |
Mid-to-enterprise B2B brands |
★★★★☆ |
★★★★☆ |
★★★★☆ |
Pricing not transparent |
|
WooCommerce B2B |
SMBs on WordPress |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★★☆ |
Needs regular plugin/security upkeep |
|
Pepperi |
Field sales–driven businesses |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★☆☆ |
★★★☆☆ |
Not a full storefront |
The short answer is no; a well-implemented B2B eCommerce platform makes your sales team more valuable. It takes away the entry-level tasks so they can focus on negotiating contracts and building trust. Those are things technology can’t replace.
B2B eCommerce automates tasks like:
The shift is from order-taking to opportunity-making. Instead of spending time with back-and-forth emails, your team can spend time having the conversations that move the relationship forward.
In practice, this means faster order processing and a sales team that’s laser-focused on growth.
B2B eCommerce doesn’t eliminate your sales team; it turns their day-to-day into a more impactful growth-driving role.
Even when you have a fully automated digital catalog, some customers want to stick to what they know and order through their trusted sales rep.
B2B sales teams thrive when their tools remove friction instead of creating it. A B2B platform where the sales rep app uses the same dashboard as the customer portal keeps everyone working from the same source of truth.
With this setup, sales reps can:
Choosing the right B2B eCommerce platform can be complicated, especially with so many options and technical considerations.
B2B platforms are designed for business transactions that involve higher order values, more complex pricing, and longer buying cycles. B2C platforms prioritize quick, one-time purchases, while B2B platforms focus on long-term account relationships.
Integration is critical. A strong B2B eCommerce platform integrates directly with ERP, marketplaces, and EDI portals. Platforms like OrderEase use an ERP-first approach so commerce operations work off a single source of truth.
Yes. Shopify Plus can work for B2B eCommerce, but consider adding extra budget for third-party apps and custom development to make things like B2B pricing tiers work properly.
“Better” depends on your business requirements. Shopify excels in user experience and ability to launch your storefront quickly, but if you need deep ERP integration, multi-channel wholesale, or advanced catalog management, platforms like OrderEase, Adobe Commerce, or OroCommerce may be more suitable.
Pricing varies from a few hundred dollars a month to six-figure enterprise implementations.
Costs depend on:
Selecting the ideal B2B eCommerce platform is an investment in how your business will serve customers and grow over the coming years.
Look for a platform that integrates seamlessly with your core systems, automates time-consuming tasks, and can scale as sales expand. In the end, the best B2B eCommerce platform will feel less like another tool and more like an extension of your business.