B2B webshop platform: choose the best solution for your business

Discover the benefits of a B2B webshop platform – automate sales, improve the customer experience and make your business processes more efficient

19 March 2025 · 13 min read

Is your company ready to take the step into the digital B2B world, or are you considering upgrading your current eCommerce solution?

Choosing the right B2B webshop platform can be decisive for your success in a market that is increasingly moving online.

But how do you choose the best B2B webshop platform in a market full of options? Which features are essential? And how do you make sure the platform can grow with the company?

In this article we look into everything you need to know about B2B webshop platforms in 2025. We will guide you through:

What a B2B webshop platform actually is
The most popular platforms on the market
Important features you should look for
Benefits and challenges of B2B eCommerce platforms
How to choose the right platform for your company

Whether you are new to B2B eCommerce or considering upgrading your current solution, this guide will give you the insights you need to make an informed decision.

What is a B2B webshop platform?

A B2B webshop platform is, put briefly, an eCommerce solution specially designed to handle trade between companies. In other words, not your typical webshop where private consumers buy the latest clothes or electronics, but a platform where companies can trade with each other.

The B2B webshop platform works as a digital meeting place

Where companies can buy and sell products or services from each other – exactly as in an ordinary webshop, just with features adapted to the needs of companies.

These platforms typically support features such as:

Advanced order processing
Customer administration with company-specific prices
Integration with ERP systems
The option of larger orders and volume discounts
Complex payment and credit terms

The market for B2B eCommerce is enormous

In fact considerably larger than the B2C market most of us know from our private shopping. In 2024 the global B2B eCommerce market has an estimated value of no less than $20.4 trillion. Yes, you read that correctly – trillion with a T! This underlines why so many companies are increasingly moving their purchasing and selling to digital platforms.

Popular B2B eCommerce platforms

With the growing B2B eCommerce market comes, naturally, a number of specialised platforms that each offer unique features and benefits. Here are some of the most recognised solutions that can put your company’s digital trade into top gear.

BigCommerce Enterprise

BigCommerce Enterprise stands out as a complete solution with comprehensive tools for companies of all sizes. The platform is distinguished by:

Robust integration with different ERP systems
Seamless connection to social media
Advanced catalogue and pricing features

Think of BigCommerce as the Swiss army knife of the e-commerce world – it has a tool for almost every situation.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus has established itself as the industry’s user-friendly heavyweight. For companies that prioritise fast implementation and simple navigation, the platform offers:

A simple user interface that does not require a PhD in IT
Excellent scalability as your company grows
Plenty of apps and integrations to extend the functionality

It is a bit like driving a Tesla – advanced technology wrapped in a simple user interface.

Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)

For companies with complex needs and a desire for maximum flexibility, Adobe Commerce is a strong contender:

Extremely easy to customise – almost endlessly so
Scalable to even the largest B2B operations
Packed with enterprise-level features

But remember: with great power comes great responsibility (and often a longer implementation time). Adobe Commerce is not for beginners, but for those who really want to build something bespoke.

OroCommerce

In contrast to platforms that were originally designed for B2C and later adapted to B2B, OroCommerce is built specifically with business trade in mind:

Advanced price lists and quote management
Complex organisation handling
Workflow management that matches B2B sales processes

The platform works like a purpose-built racing car designed for the B2B race – perhaps not the best known, but extremely effective for the purpose.

B2B customer portals

In addition to the traditional webshops, B2B customer portals have established themselves as a strategically important tool. These portals extend the trading capability with a 360-degree customer perspective, where your customers can:

Get access to their order history and status
Use self-service for invoicing and payments
Share documents, contracts and product information
Experience personalised interfaces based on their specific relationship with your company

Imagine the difference between a standardised supermarket and an exclusive shop with personal service – your customer portal creates precisely this differentiated experience for your B2B customers.

Important features in a B2B webshop platform

Having gone through the leading platforms on the market, let us take a closer look at the essential features that should be part of any serious B2B webshop solution. These features form the foundation of an effective digital trading platform between companies.

Integration with ERP

At the heart of any well-functioning B2B platform we find the integration with the company’s ERP system. This connection ensures:

Seamless data transfer between the systems
Automatic updating of stock levels in real time
Synchronisation of prices and customer information
Fewer manual processes (and therefore fewer errors)

It is precisely this integration that often separates professional B2B solutions from simpler webshops, as it eliminates duplicate work and ensures consistent data across the business.

AI-driven search

At a time when ease of use is essential, search functionality plays a central role. Modern AI-driven search delivers:

Lightning-fast and relevant search results
An improved user experience for your customers
The ability to find products based on descriptions, not only exact names
Fewer abandoned shopping baskets (because customers actually find what they are looking for)

With the often extensive product catalogues in a B2B context, intelligent search becomes even more important than in a B2C context.

Payment solutions

B2B trade requires far more sophisticated payment models than simple credit card transactions. A competitive platform has to support:

Multiple payment methods (credit card, MobilePay, invoicing)
Different payment terms for different customers
Handling of approval processes
Secure processing of payment details

Flexible payment options reduce friction in the buying process and adapt to different customers’ preferences and internal approval procedures.

Personalisation and campaign management

As B2B buyers come to expect the same level of personalisation as in B2C, these features become increasingly important:

Customer-specific prices and product displays
Personal recommendations based on purchase history
The ability to run targeted campaigns for specific customer segments
Custom catalogues for different customer groups

This form of personalisation not only strengthens the user experience, it also supports the complex price structures that often characterise B2B relationships.

Multichannel sales

The modern B2B buyer navigates between different platforms and touchpoints. Your platform therefore has to facilitate:

Sales across different channels (web, mobile, marketplaces)
A consistent customer and product experience regardless of channel
Integrated data across sales channels
The flexibility to add new channels as the market develops

A coherent omnichannel strategy ensures that your customers get the same professional experience, no matter how they choose to interact with your company.

Benefits of B2B eCommerce platforms

Having gone through the most important features, let us look at how these can be translated into concrete business benefits. For companies still operating with manual processes, B2B eCommerce represents a significant opportunity for optimisation.

Increased efficiency – save time and reduce errors

The automation that comes with implementing a B2B webshop transforms workflows and frees up resources:

Order processing runs automatically without manual entry
Customer administration becomes digitalised and systematised
Stock levels are updated in real time across systems
Invoices are generated without human involvement

These efficiency gains not only reduce operating costs, they also minimise the human errors that can occur with manual data processing.

Improved customer service – make your customers happy

Self-service features give your customers freedom and flexibility that traditional sales channels cannot match:

Browse product catalogues 24/7 regardless of time zones or working hours
See their personal prices and discounts without contacting a salesperson
Check order status at any point in the process
Get access to AI-driven support that answers questions instantly

This form of service not only strengthens customer satisfaction, it also frees your sales department from routine tasks so they can focus on more value-creating activities.

Scalability – grow without growing pains

Unlike manual processes, which often break down under pressure, digital platforms offer virtually unlimited scalability:

Handling increasing traffic volumes without system crashes
Adapting to growing product catalogues without loss of performance
Support for an increasing number of user accounts and concurrent sessions
Expansion into new markets without the need for a complete system redesign

This scalability ensures that your technological infrastructure supports growth instead of limiting it.

Data analysis – get insight into your business

In the digital world every interaction leaves traces that can be analysed and turned into valuable insight:

Understand your customers’ buying behaviour and preferences
Identify the most popular products and optimise your range
Adjust your sales strategies based on actual data
Predict trends and plan stock proactively

This data-driven approach replaces gut feeling with concrete insight and provides a solid basis for strategic decisions.

With these benefits in mind, it becomes clear why so many B2B companies are moving their business online. The question is no longer whether, but how and when.

Challenges with B2B eCommerce platforms

Although the benefits of B2B eCommerce are compelling, it would be misleading not to address the challenges that also come with it. A realistic approach to digital transformation requires you to deal with potential obstacles.

Complexity of setup

B2B relationships are often far more complicated than B2C, and that is reflected in the platform:

Implementation typically requires specialised technical expertise
Integration with existing legacy systems can be challenging
Adapting complex product structures, price lists and discount systems takes time

As mentioned in our review of platforms such as Adobe Commerce, considerable complexity comes with the flexibility that B2B trade requires. Underestimating this complexity is one of the most frequent causes of delayed or failed implementation projects.

Security

With larger transaction values and sensitive company data, the risk profile rises significantly:

Protecting sensitive customer data and price agreements is business critical
Securing transactions requires robust and up-to-date security measures
Compliance with different data protection laws varies across markets

Where a security breach in a B2C context can be problematic, in a B2B context it can threaten the entire basis of the business, particularly if competitively sensitive price agreements or strategic customer information are compromised.

Customer adoption

The technical implementation is only half the challenge – the other half is about people:

The transition from traditional sales methods to digital trade requires cultural change
Many B2B customers have built long-standing relationships with salespeople
Even intuitive systems require getting used to and training

As we saw in the section on choosing a platform, ease of use is decisive – but even the most user-friendly platform will meet resistance if the change is not handled proactively through education, support and gradual implementation.

These challenges do not mean that you should avoid digital transformation, but rather that you should go into the process with your eyes open and a well-considered strategy for handling them.

How do you choose the right B2B eCommerce platform?

With both benefits and challenges in mind, let us round off with a methodical approach to selecting the platform that best matches your company’s unique needs. This process requires both a strategic overview and an eye for detail.

Identify your business needs

The foundation for any successful platform choice is a clear understanding of the business requirements:

Ask yourself:

Which features are absolutely necessary for our day-to-day operations?
Which problems does the platform have to solve for us?
Which processes do we want to automate?

As we saw in the review of platforms such as OroCommerce and BigCommerce, each solution has its strengths and weaknesses. Your job is to match these with your specific needs rather than being seduced by features you will not actually need.

Assess scalability

A platform that fits today but holds back growth tomorrow is a poor investment:

Consider the following:

Can the platform handle a larger number of products and customers in the future?
How does it handle peak loads?
Are there limits on transaction volume?

Particularly for growth companies this aspect is critical, as the cost of changing platform again in a few years’ time can exceed the savings from choosing a less scalable solution now.

Check integration options

As highlighted in the section on important features, integration with existing systems is often decisive for success:

Investigate whether the platform can easily be integrated with:

Your ERP system
PIM system
CRM
Logistics and shipping systems
Payment solutions

A platform with extensive integration capabilities ensures that your B2B webshop becomes an integrated part of the business rather than an isolated silo.

B2B integrations: how to optimise your business with PIM, WMS, ERP and eCommerce

Consider ease of use

Following on from the challenge of customer adoption, ease of use becomes a competitive parameter:

Look for:

Intuitive navigation
A clear administration page
Easy product creation
Good filtering options for customers
Mobile-friendly design

As we saw with Shopify Plus, user-friendly interfaces can make the difference between a platform that is actively used and one that remains underused.

Analyse costs

The financial consideration should be nuanced and cover both short-term and long-term perspectives:

The start-up price (licence, implementation, data migration)
Ongoing costs (subscription, operations, support)
Hidden costs (updates, customisations, training)
ROI – when does the system pay for itself?

A thorough cost-benefit analysis that takes into account both direct costs and the value of the efficiency gains the platform makes possible provides the best basis for the decision.

By systematically working your way through these considerations and relating them to the specific platforms we have reviewed, you can make a qualified choice that supports both your current needs and your future ambitions for your B2B business.

The right platform is the key to your B2B success

Choosing the right B2B webshop platform is not a decision to be taken lightly. As we have seen throughout this article, there are numerous factors to consider – from functionality and integrations to scalability and user experience.

The leading platforms such as BigCommerce Enterprise, Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce and OroCommerce each offer their own unique benefits, but the decisive thing is to match the platform’s strengths with your company’s specific needs and challenges.

It is important to remember that a successful implementation of a B2B eCommerce platform is not only about technology, but also about people and processes. Even the most advanced platform requires a well-considered implementation strategy that takes into account customer adoption, employee training and so on.

If you are in doubt about where to start, get in touch with us.