B2B Ecommerce

Key highlights:

• B2B ecommerce site sales reached $2.3 trillion in 2024 and are expected to surpass $3 trillion by 2028.

• Modern buyers want speed, personalization, and self-service across channels and devices.

• Flexible ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce help businesses unify systems, reduce complexity, and scale efficiently.

• Brands like Movora, Snell, and ARCA have streamlined operations and grown faster with B2B Edition.

• Businesses that invest in ecommerce now, not later, are seeing measurable gains in revenue, efficiency, and customer satisfaction — with BigCommerce, B2B merchants achieving a 12.6% CAGR from 2022–2024 (nearly double the broader market) and a 391% ROI according to the 2025 IDC Business Value of B2B Edition study

Today’s business buyers are building carts, requesting quotes, and placing high-value orders — all without picking up the phone.

In 2024, B2B ecommerce site sales surged to $2.3 trillion, growing more than 10% year over year. That number is on track to surpass $3 trillion by 2028, with steady growth expected each year.

The shift is clear: B2B buyers want speed, transparency, and self-serve tools. And businesses that deliver are gaining a competitive edge.

Digital-first brands are simplifying complex processes, scaling faster, and reaching new audiences through modern ecommerce platforms.

Whether you’re just getting started or scaling a mature operation, this article is your roadmap to winning in B2B ecommerce.

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Types of B2B ecommerce

As a B2B business, you’ll likely fall into one of the following categories. Each entity has its own advantages and disadvantages, and some businesses may even fall into several categories at once. 

Let’s explore the most popular types of B2B ecommerce.

Wholesale ecommerce.

Wholesale businesses sell products in bulk to other businesses, often at discounted rates. These transactions usually involve negotiated pricing, large order volumes, and repeat customers.

This model is thriving online as more wholesalers replace spreadsheets and email orders with streamlined buyer portals.

Manufacturers and distributors.

Manufacturers produce goods that are sold to distributors, who then resell to retailers or end users. In many cases, the manufacturer also sells directly to businesses through ecommerce.

Distributors act as intermediaries, managing inventory, fulfillment, and customer relationships. Both roles benefit from ecommerce platforms that can support contract pricing, inventory visibility, and integration with ERP systems.

B2B2C ecommerce.

In the B2B2C model, businesses sell to other businesses that then sell to consumers — often via white-label or co-branded storefronts. This model gives suppliers more control over the customer experience while expanding their market reach.

B2B2C is increasingly popular among manufacturers who want to support their retail partners while retaining visibility into consumer behavior and preferences.

B2B marketplaces.

Online marketplaces bring multiple buyers and sellers together on a single platform. These platforms make it easy for buyers to compare suppliers, manage procurement, and access competitive pricing.

This model is gaining traction fast. As of 2025, 59% of B2B buyers now complete more than a quarter of their purchases on marketplaces — a number that continues to climb as procurement teams seek convenience, transparency, and access to new vendors.

Emerging platforms like Amazon Business, Alibaba, and niche marketplaces across healthcare, construction, and wholesale distribution are shaping the next wave of digital procurement.

Hybrid and evolving models.

Many businesses don’t fit neatly into one category. A single company may operate as a wholesaler, manufacturer, and direct seller, or sell through both their own ecommerce site and third-party marketplaces.

BigCommerce supports this flexibility with Multi-Storefront, headless architecture, and native B2B functionality that adapts to every selling model.

Stages of B2B ecommerce businesses

No matter where you start, most B2B ecommerce journeys follow a similar path. Each stage presents new opportunities and new challenges as businesses grow in digital maturity.

Here’s how that journey typically unfolds.

Selecting a B2B ecommerce platform.

At this stage, businesses are focused on getting online, either launching a first digital channel or replatforming from outdated systems.

The priority is finding a solution that supports core needs like personalized pricing, account management, ERP integration, and scalability.

Digitally leaders go a step further. They choose platforms that support composable architectures, headless experiences, and omnichannel growth. These capabilities set the foundation for long-term flexibility.

For mid-market businesses looking to move fast, the BigCommerce B2B Accelerator Program offers a structured path to launch. Built in collaboration with expert agencies, the program includes prebuilt templates, integrations, and implementation support to help brands get live quickly, without sacrificing scale.

Integrating supply chain and logistics.

Once a platform is in place, the next step is syncing backend operations.

This includes integrating systems such as ERP, PIM, WMS, and CRM to ensure real-time visibility into inventory, orders, and customer data. Businesses at this stage also begin automating tasks like order routing, shipping rules, and fulfillment workflows.

Digitally advanced leaders use these integrations to deliver a more accurate and responsive buying experience. This reduces errors and delays while freeing up internal teams.

Implementing B2B marketing strategies.

With operations connected, attention shifts to driving demand.

This stage includes launching SEO strategies, content marketing, paid campaigns, and email workflows designed for long sales cycles and complex buyer journeys.

More advanced organizations use AI-driven segmentation and personalization to tailor outreach by industry, account size, or buying behavior. These tactics increase engagement across all channels.

Managing sales and customer relationships.

Ecommerce does not replace B2B sales teams. It enhances them.

At this point, businesses are using digital tools to support customer service, streamline quoting, and provide self-service reordering. Reps can focus on high-value relationships instead of manual tasks.

Digitally mature businesses integrate CRMs, enable shared carts, and offer real-time visibility into order history and fulfillment. This creates a consistent experience across both digital and human touchpoints.

Scaling the business.

In the final stage, the focus shifts from building to expanding.

This may include launching new storefronts, entering new regions, selling on marketplaces, or testing headless experiences. Digitally mature organizations use data and modular systems to adapt quickly without disrupting core operations.

BigCommerce supports this stage with tools like Multi-Storefront, open APIs, and native B2B features that scale alongside your growth.

B2B commerce examples

Whether you sell industrial supplies, fashion and apparel, or food and beverage, B2B ecommerce has room for all kinds of successful brands. Here are a few examples of our own BigCommerce merchants who have used ecommerce to their advantage.

Movora.

Case study: Movora

After acquiring seven brands, Movora was juggling seven disconnected ecommerce platforms. Customers faced inconsistent experiences, and internal teams struggled to scale.

With BigCommerce and partner 5874 Commerce, Movora launched a unified B2B platform using Catalyst and B2B Edition. They rolled out localized headless storefronts across the US, Canada, and EMEA, each tied to regional ERP systems.

The result:

• 100% ecommerce growth in the US within months

• 34% of orders now placed online, up from 27%

• Double-digit YoY growth across all regions

Now, veterinarians get fast, self-serve access to real-time inventory, product data, and past orders. Movora’s transformation earned a 2025 BigCommerce Customer Award, with loyalty programs and eProcurement next on the roadmap.

NuvoH2O.

Case study: NuvoH2O

NuvoH2O, a maker of salt-free water softeners, outgrew its legacy tech stack after expanding into retail and wholesale. The company struggled with siloed systems, manual workflows, and an underperforming ecommerce site.

By pairing BigCommerce with ERP provider Acumatica, NuvoH2O modernized its operations and created a flexible platform to support both direct-to-consumer and B2B sales.

The result:

• 72% of revenue now comes from digital channels, up from 42%

• 60% reduction in software costs

• 2X increase in volume output with no added headcount

With a faster site, seamless ERP integration, and subscription tools for recurring orders, NuvoH2O has doubled online revenue and built a foundation for scalable growth across all channels.

Snell.

Case study: Snell

Snell, a New Zealand-based packaging distributor, needed a modern ecommerce platform that could reflect its new brand identity and handle extreme pricing complexity across 25,000 products and 1,500 customers.

With BigCommerce and agency partner Terabyte, Snell launched a fully integrated B2B experience connected to Microsoft Dynamics 365. The team also engineered a pricing engine capable of processing over 3 million price changes per hour.

The result:

• 30 million+ pricing permutations handled with ease

• 25,000+ catalog products

• 1,500+ B2B customers

Buyers now get a faster, self-serve experience with custom catalogs, approval workflows, and punchout integrations, all while Snell’s internal teams move faster and operate more efficiently.

Marshall Wolf Automation.

Case study: Marshall Wolf Automation

Marshall Wolf Automation, a women-owned distributor of industrial automation products, outgrew its legacy Magento setup. Slow updates, platform complexity, and rising costs made it hard to keep up with B2B buyer expectations.

By switching to BigCommerce B2B Edition, the team eliminated manual quoting and pricing work, integrated with NetSuite via Celigo, and empowered customers through the Buyer Portal.

The result:

• 25–30% of developer time reclaimed from platform maintenance

• Hundreds of hours saved annually

• Faster quoting and fewer service calls

Today, customers can self-serve online while sales reps focus on building stronger relationships. With more agility and less overhead, the business is growing smarter — not just bigger.

Asset Recovery Company of America Supply.

Case study: ARCA Supply

ARCA Supply, a B2B distributor of surplus electrical equipment, outgrew its custom-built ecommerce platform. Costly development cycles and lack of control slowed growth and buried the team in manual processes.

After migrating to BigCommerce, ARCA quickly integrated with Sellercloud, rolled out a self-serve B2B portal, and eliminated the need for custom development or a full-time platform manager.

The result:

• 75% reduction in platform development costs

• 2x year-over-year growth acceleration

• 20+ hours saved weekly by automating manual tasks

Today, ARCA runs leaner and faster, with a B2B site that supports scale, simplifies ordering, and gives their team more time to focus on customers — not maintenance.

Advantages of using a B2B ecommerce platform

A modern B2B ecommerce platform does more than take orders online. It becomes the engine that powers your entire sales operation — streamlining workflows, improving customer experience, and helping your business scale smarter.

Here are six key benefits of using the right platform.

Integration with existing systems.

Your ecommerce platform should connect seamlessly with the systems that run your business. That includes ERP, PIM, CRM, and OMS tools that manage inventory, pricing, customer data, and fulfillment.

The best B2B platforms offer API-first architecture, prebuilt integrations, and flexibility to support complex tech stacks without custom rebuilds. BigCommerce integrates with leading ERPs like NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics, making it easier to unify operations and deliver real-time data across teams.

Customization and personalization.

B2B buyers expect tailored experiences. That means custom catalogs, pricing by customer or contract, and account-specific content and workflows.

A strong ecommerce platform gives you control over every part of the buying journey. From headless flexibility to CPQ, quoting, and role-based permissions, BigCommerce helps businesses design experiences that match exactly how their customers buy.

Enhanced customer experience.

B2B buyers want the same ease and convenience they get as consumers — fast load times, easy navigation, and mobile-optimized checkout.

Platforms like BigCommerce offer rich content tools, dynamic product discovery, and features like shared carts and approval workflows. These capabilities reduce friction, increase order accuracy, and help buyers find what they need faster.

Advanced analytics and reporting.

Data drives better decisions. B2B platforms with built-in analytics make it easier to track order patterns, customer behavior, product performance, and sales trends.

BigCommerce gives teams access to real-time reporting and integrates with BI tools for deeper analysis. Whether you're measuring average order value or identifying churn risks, strong analytics help you act faster and smarter.

Scalability for business growth.

As your business grows, your platform should grow with you. That means supporting new regions, channels, storefronts, and buyer types — all from a single backend.

BigCommerce offers Multi-Storefront, composable architecture, and MACH certification to enable fast global expansion and tailored buyer experiences. 

For businesses going headless, Catalyst provides a high-performance, pre-integrated storefront framework that accelerates time to market and reduces development overhead, making it easier to scale without starting from scratch.

Better inventory management.

Inventory is one of the most critical touchpoints in B2B ecommerce. Your platform should provide visibility into stock levels, manage backorders, and support multiple warehouses or fulfillment models.

BigCommerce connects with leading inventory and order management systems, and tools like Feedonomics help syndicate product data across channels, ensuring accurate, real-time availability no matter where your buyers shop.

Why choose BigCommerce B2B Edition

For B2B companies selling online, complexity comes with the territory — from account hierarchies and contract pricing to custom catalogs and quoting.

BigCommerce B2B Edition is built to simplify all of it.

Designed for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers, B2B Edition combines powerful native features with the flexibility to adapt to your business. Everything comes built in, ready to launch, and backed by an evolving B2B product roadmap.

Key capabilities include:

• Shared carts and shopping lists: Make team-based purchasing easier with collaborative cart-building and saved lists across users.

• Quote management: Let buyers request, track, and accept quotes online — no back-and-forth emails required.

• Multi-user account hierarchies: Assign roles, set budgets, and manage approvals across departments or locations, all from one buyer portal.

• Support for CPQ and complex product configurations: Use BigCommerce’s open architecture to power build-to-order workflows with fast, flexible integrations.

• ERP-ready integrations: Sync pricing, inventory, and order data with NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and other systems in real time.

BigCommerce B2B Edition doesn’t just simplify operations — it drives measurable growth. 

From 2022 to 2024, US B2B merchants using BigCommerce achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6%, nearly double the broader B2B market’s 6.7%. That’s a 5.9-point performance advantage, translating into significant revenue gains over time and proof of how BigCommerce helps merchants outperform their peers.

The results speak for themselves. According to the 2025 IDC Business Value of B2B Edition study, companies using BigCommerce B2B Edition achieved:

• 391% three-year return on investment

• 7-month payback period

• $393,446 in average annual benefits

• 24% increase in sales team productivity

• 82% improvement in platform stability

Whether you are serving long-term contract customers or expanding into new channels, B2B Edition gives you the tools to streamline operations, empower buyers, and grow with confidence.

7 B2B ecommerce marketing strategies

Today’s B2B buyers do their research online, expect personalized content, and often make purchase decisions before ever talking to sales. That means your marketing strategy needs to meet them where they are, with tactics built for modern, digital-first journeys.

Here are seven proven strategies to help your B2B ecommerce business grow in 2025.

Effective email marketing campaigns.

Email remains one of the highest-performing channels in B2B.

Use marketing automation to segment your audience by industry, role, or behavior. Trigger campaigns based on actions like cart abandonment, repeat purchases, or contract renewal windows. Follow up after purchase to request reviews, promote complementary products, or build long-term loyalty.

Platforms like Klaviyo integrate with BigCommerce to deliver personalized experiences at scale.

Leveraging SEO. 

Search is still a powerful source of inbound traffic and lead generation. In B2B, the focus should be on relevance and intent.

Create detailed product pages, industry-specific landing pages, and content that answers key buyer questions. Use schema markup, optimize for mobile, and ensure your site structure supports clear navigation and indexing.

BigCommerce helps teams manage SEO with built-in tools, customizable URLs, and clean code for better performance.

Social media strategies.

B2B buyers are active on social platforms, especially LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram for product education.

Use these channels to share expert insights, customer stories, and product demonstrations. Behind-the-scenes content and team spotlights can help build brand trust and authenticity.

Encourage sales reps to engage with and share content to extend your reach and build credibility.

Utilizing paid advertising.

Paid ads can accelerate growth when paired with strong content and SEO.

Google Search and LinkedIn are effective for reaching high-intent buyers and targeting specific accounts. Retargeting campaigns bring back visitors who browsed but did not convert. 

Test creative variations and landing page content to find what resonates with each segment.

Conversion rate optimization.

Increasing traffic is only part of the equation. You also need to convert it.

Test and refine your product pages, navigation, and checkout to reduce friction. Offer flexible payment methods, highlight trust indicators, and make reordering simple. Even small adjustments can lead to measurable improvements in conversion rates.

Use tools like Hotjar, Google Analytics, or built-in BigCommerce reporting to guide decisions based on user behavior.

Building B2B ecommerce partnerships.

Strategic partnerships can unlock new markets and deepen your brand presence.

Look for opportunities to co-market with complementary brands, trade groups, or resellers. Collaborate on webinars, share educational content, or explore listing your products on partner storefronts.

BigCommerce makes it easier to manage partnerships with capabilities like Multi-Storefront, customer groups, and product feed management.

Using AI to personalize and optimize.

Artificial intelligence is no longer experimental in B2B. It is now a practical tool for improving marketing efficiency and buyer engagement.

Use AI to segment audiences, recommend products, score leads, and personalize messaging at scale. Predictive analytics can help you forecast demand and surface the right content or products at the right time. AI can also assist with dynamic pricing, inventory forecasting, and campaign performance analysis.

BigCommerce is leading AI innovation with Model Context Protocol (MCP) — a new standard that helps ecommerce sites deliver more contextually aware, model-ready experiences. 

With MCP, AI systems can better understand your product catalog, customer behavior, and business model to drive more intelligent decisions across channels.

B2B commerce misconceptions

The way B2B buyers purchase has changed, but outdated assumptions still hold some businesses back. If you are rethinking your ecommerce strategy, it is important to separate myth from reality.

Here are five common misconceptions that no longer reflect how modern B2B commerce works.

B2B customers don’t want to order online.

They do, and increasingly, they expect to.

Today’s B2B buyers prefer the ease of self-service. Many want the option to browse products, view custom pricing, and place orders on their own schedule, especially outside of traditional business hours.

BigCommerce customers like Movora and Marshall Wolf Automation have seen this shift firsthand. As younger buyers move into procurement roles, ecommerce becomes the preferred channel rather than the exception.

Personal relationships don't matter online.

They still matter, but ecommerce helps strengthen them.

Digital tools reduce the manual work that pulls sales teams away from building meaningful relationships. Sales reps can focus on strategic conversations while customers manage reorders, quotes, and account details online.

Modern platforms also support personalized experiences that make buyers feel seen, even without direct contact.

It's too late to start now.

The best time to invest in B2B ecommerce was yesterday. The second best time is now.

Whether you are moving off a legacy system or launching your first digital channel, modern platforms make it easier than ever to start. BigCommerce customers like ARCA Supply built scalable sites in days, without a full development team.

Digitally mature businesses are already seeing results, but there is still plenty of opportunity for others to catch up and grow.

Digital channels can't support large orders.

They can, and they do.

B2B ecommerce platforms are built to handle high-volume transactions and complex workflows. From shared carts and purchase orders to approval flows and negotiated pricing, the right platform supports how your buyers already operate.

With a flexible system in place, large orders can be processed faster, more accurately, and with less back-and-forth.

Ecommerce requires price transparency.

Not always. Transparency does not have to mean public pricing.

B2B platforms like BigCommerce let you control visibility at every level. You can set custom pricing by account, limit catalog access to approved users, and require login for product views or quotes.

This gives you the ability to protect sensitive pricing while still offering a seamless digital buying experience.

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The final word

B2B ecommerce is no longer a future goal. It is today’s competitive advantage.

Whether you are managing high-volume orders, supporting complex pricing, or reaching new markets, the right ecommerce platform gives you the tools to grow with confidence.

BigCommerce helps businesses simplify operations, deliver better buying experiences, and adapt quickly to whatever comes next. From powerful B2B features to flexible integrations and expert support, it is built for the realities of modern B2B.

If you are ready to future-proof your business, now is the time to take the next step. Request a demo.

FAQs about B2B ecommerce