Which platforms are best suited for B2B webshops?

Image

The most important facts in brief

• B2B e-commerce is a strategic lever: automation, increased efficiency and better customer experiences make digital sales channels indispensable in B2B.
• A B2B web store has special requirements: Customer-specific prices, complex product catalogs, role and rights concepts as well as self-service functions are key success factors.
• The choice of platform is individual: whether open source, SaaS or headless - processes, integrations, scaling goals and internal resources are decisive.
• Modern architectures are becoming increasingly important: composable and headless approaches offer more flexibility and future-proofing.
• Integration is often the biggest expense: ERP, PIM, CRM and e-procurement connections are central to a functioning B2B store.
• Costs depend heavily on the scope: In addition to the platform, design, integrations, individual functions as well as operation and further development have a significant impact on the budget.

What is a B2B online store?

A B2B webshop is a digital sales platform that companies use to sell their products or services to other companies. Unlike B2C, it is not aimed at private end consumers, but at business customers such as dealers, resellers or industrial companies. This target group has special requirements: There are often minimum order quantities, individual price structures and prices are usually displayed net.

In order for a B2B web store to reflect real day-to-day business, it needs central functions such as customer-specific prices, complex product catalogs, role and rights management as well as self-service areas for orders, invoices or repeat orders. Such features make it possible to make business processes more efficient and offer customers a professional, intuitive shopping experience.

What are the advantages of a B2B web store?

B2B web stores offer companies numerous advantages for making sales and purchasing more efficient and future-proof. By automating central processes such as orders, requests for quotations or repeat orders, manual effort can be significantly reduced. This reduces operating costs in the long term and relieves the burden on internal teams, particularly in sales and customer service.

Another advantage is access to national and international markets. With a digital online presence, companies can reach new customer groups without having to set up additional sales structures. At the same time, business customers benefit from an improved shopping experience: orders can be placed at any time, prices and conditions can be displayed individually and processes become more transparent.

B2B webshops also provide valuable data about customers, products and purchasing behavior. This data forms the basis for well-founded decisions, continuous optimization and data-driven further development. For management and sales managers in particular, the B2B web store is therefore a key tool for tapping into sales potential and managing sales processes more efficiently.

What B2B e-commerce platforms are there?

The market for B2B e-commerce solutions is diverse and is developing rapidly. Today, companies are faced with the question of which system is best suited to their requirements, processes and growth plans. In order to make an informed decision, it is worth taking a look at the basic platform types and the solutions that have established themselves in the B2B environment.

Overview: Open source vs. SaaS vs. headless

Today, companies have a wide range of B2B e-commerce systems to choose from, which differ primarily in terms of their technical structure and operating model. An important decision is therefore made right at the start: open source, SaaS or headless or composable commerce.

• Open source systems offer a great deal of freedom and enable individual customization, but require technical expertise.
• SaaS solutions score points for their quick implementation, regular updates and low maintenance, but are less flexible when it comes to special requirements.
• Composable and headless architectures combine the best of both worlds: They consist of modular building blocks that are connected to each other via API. This allows systems to be expanded very flexibly and optimally connected to existing IT landscapes.

The choice of model depends heavily on how complex the processes are, how quickly the system needs to grow and what internal resources are available.

Comparison of the most popular B2B platforms

The market for B2B e-commerce platforms has grown considerably. Some solutions have become particularly established - each with their own strengths and areas of application.

• Shopware 6 offers a modern architecture, an intuitive user interface and a B2B suite that covers important functions such as role models and customer-specific prices. For many medium-sized companies, Shopware is a good introduction to professional B2B e-commerce.
• Adobe Commerce (Magento) impresses with its high level of flexibility and wide range of functions. The platform is particularly suitable for companies that have complex requirements or want to operate international stores.
• SAP Commerce Cloud is particularly interesting if SAP is already in use as ERP. The deep integration into existing SAP processes makes the platform a stable option for large companies.
• OroCommerce was developed specifically for the B2B sector and offers numerous functions that are relevant in the industrial and technical environment.
• Commercetools stands for a modern MACH architecture (microservices, API-first, cloud-native, headless). The platform enables maximum flexibility and scalability and is particularly suitable for companies that want to invest in a composable commerce landscape in the long term.

Which B2B platform is the best?

There is no general answer to the question of the "best" B2B e-commerce platform, as every company has different requirements, processes and goals. While some companies need a flexible solution that is highly customizable, others value rapid implementation or seamless integration into existing systems such as ERP or CRM. The decision therefore depends less on the platform itself and more on how well it fits your own framework conditions.

For IT and digital managers, the main question is how well the platform can be integrated into existing system landscapes and operated in the long term.
Important criteria include the size of the company, the complexity of the product and price structures and the need for interfaces to other systems. Internal IT expertise and the long-term digital strategy also play a role. Companies that want to grow strongly or serve several markets are more likely to benefit from scalable, modular architectures. On the other hand, companies with clear processes and manageable requirements can get off to a quick start with a less complex solution. A well-structured requirements analysis helps to select the right system and avoid costly mistakes.

What should companies think about before selecting a B2B e-commerce platform?

To make the selection process easier, the following checklist will help you to clarify the most important questions before deciding on a B2B platform. It will help you to set priorities and recognize early on which system fits your own strategy and infrastructure.

1. Business goals & digital strategy
   • What goals are to be achieved with the B2B web store?
   • How important is long-term scalability?
   • What role does e-commerce play in the company as a whole?
2. Complexity of the product & price range
   • Are there many variants or technical product data?
   • Are customer-specific prices, discounts or quotation processes necessary?
   • Do you work with minimum order quantities or individual conditions?
3. Integration into existing systems
   • Which systems need to be connected (ERP, CRM, PIM, e-procurement)?
   • Is real-time data required for prices, stock levels or orders?
   • How modern and stable is the existing IT infrastructure?
4. Flexibility & scaling requirements
   • Should the system be modular and expandable (headless / composable)?
   • How high is the expected growth?
   • Are there international requirements?
5. User-friendliness & customer experience
   • How intuitive should the store be?
   • Do customers need self-service areas or special role rights?
   • Is mobile use important?
6. Internal resources & technical expertise
   • Is there IT staff available for operation and further development?
   • Should an external partner provide long-term support?
   • How much internal commitment is realistic?
7. Security, data protection & compliance
   • What security requirements exist?
   • Do industry-specific requirements have to be met?
   • What hosting or certification requirements are there?
8. Budget framework & running costs
   • What budget is available for the launch?
   • What monthly costs are acceptable?
   • Is there room for future expansion?

What does a B2B store cost?

The costs for a B2B web store are made up of several factors that can vary greatly depending on the requirements. The license model of the chosen platform plays an important role, as the monthly or annual fees differ significantly between open source, SaaS or enterprise systems.

A central cost item already arises in the conception phase. Here, requirements must be analyzed, user groups defined and processes structured.

Based on this, design and user experience have a significant impact on the budget. Unlike in B2C, it is less about visual effects and more about clear information architecture, efficient user guidance and functional interfaces for different user roles. Dashboards, product configurators or special ordering processes require a close link between concept, UX and technical implementation.

The biggest cost factor in many projects is integration into existing systems, such as ERP, PIM or CRM solutions. It ensures that data such as prices, stock levels or customer data are automated and synchronized in real time. Equally important are individual functions that map typical B2B processes - such as role and rights concepts, approval processes or automated ordering logic. In addition, there are ongoing expenses for hosting, cloud infrastructure, support and further development, which ensure that the store remains stable, secure and expandable in the long term.

Excursus: Which e-procurement systems are available?

E-procurement systems are software solutions that digitize, automate and make the purchasing of goods and services more efficient. They help companies to simplify ordering processes, speed up approvals and reduce procurement costs. Transparent processes and standardized workflows create a purchasing system that not only saves time, but also reduces errors and improves traceability.

The best-known solutions include SAP Ariba, Coupa, Jaggaer and Mercateo Unite. These systems enable companies to manage suppliers centrally, control budgets and process orders digitally. For manufacturers, retailers or large companies, connecting to such e-procurement platforms is often an important step in providing professional purchasing teams with a seamless and efficient ordering experience.

Punchout interfaces are often used to integrate a B2B web store into these procurement processes - for example via OCI or cXML. They enable customers to jump directly from their e-procurement system to the store, select products and then return the order to the internal system. This creates a consistent user journey and ensures that the B2B store is optimally embedded in existing purchasing structures.

Conclusion: Development of B2B e-commerce: trends & requirements

Business customers today expect a user experience that they are familiar with from B2C: fast, intuitive and transparent. At the same time, the requirements for sustainability and traceability along the entire supply chain are increasing. Companies must therefore not only work efficiently, but also show how responsibly they operate.

From a technological perspective, composable and headless architectures are becoming increasingly popular. They enable companies to flexibly design their e-commerce landscape and replace or expand individual components as required. This makes it much easier to adapt digital systems to new business models, markets or integrations. Supplemented by automation, data analysis and modern AI technologies, an infrastructure is created that accelerates processes and at the same time creates space for innovation.

If you are currently working on the introduction or further development of a B2B web store, we will be happy to support you - from strategic conception and system selection to technical implementation and integration into existing systems.