B2B Ecommerce Website Development: A Guide

Over the next two years, B2B leaders expect more than half their revenue to come from digital channels. To make that happen, they’ll need to make it easier than ever for business buyers to purchase and reorder online. How will leaders do it? B2B ecommerce website development.

Business buyers deserve the same sophisticated digital shopping experiences as consumers. Nobody should have to jump through hoops, talk extensively with a sales team, or navigate complex purchasing orders to buy what they need. With the right B2B ecommerce website development strategy, you can create an intuitive website and ordering portal that drives return business.

Many B2B buyers are shaped by their personal online shopping habits, and they have come to expect the same ‌seamless digital transactions in their professional purchasing. Just as they wouldn't think twice about ordering from their smartphone at midnight, they now expect a convenient, seemingly effortless experience when making a B2B purchase. This shift has changed B2B ecommerce websites from a nice-to-have into a critical business imperative.

Although B2B ecommerce initially grew at a slower pace than B2C ecommerce, more than one-third of B2B buyers now complete their entire sales journey online . Business buyers now use digital channels to discover new suppliers, evaluate product options, and place orders. What does this mean for your business? Without a B2B ecommerce website, you may fail to capture the growing number of buyers who prefer a digital self-service experience.

If you’re serious about growing revenue, you shouldn’t rely wholly on in-person sales or third-party B2B platforms. Having your own online store lets you control how you connect with customers and nurture their loyalty over time.

One of the main benefits of B2B ecommerce is convenience, so features that enable a smoother experience can be significant competitive differentiators. The key features to prioritize in B2B ecommerce website development include:

• Site search: An excellent site search functionality helps your customers find the exact product they're looking for. This is especially critical for B2B buyers that might be searching for complex, technical products.
• Strong SEO: Your ecommerce website needs to be optimized for SEO so potential customers can find your products through search engines. Understanding keyword optimization is the foundation of search-friendly site design.
• A fast, responsive site: About 70% of online users say page load speed influences their purchasing decisions. Slow sites hinder sales because your B2B buyers are busy. Every second impacts their bottom line and business efficiency. So, optimize your site for speed.
• Seamless payments: B2B payments often require more infrastructure than B2C, as they're typically for large amounts and are processed through various channels. It's essential to offer diverse payment systems to meet buyers’ demands.
• Dynamic pricing: The discounts and promotions traditionally available when ordering through a sales rep are equally valuable in the digital world. Your site should be capable of offering buyers discounts for bulk purchases, deals for regular reorders, and other common B2B promotions.
• Omnichannel shopping: B2B customers use an average of 10 channels in their buying journeys before making their final purchase. Streamline omnichannel experiences by integrating customer data from various sources, such as in-person meetings, remote sales calls, and online browsing.
• Data analytics: You need to measure to know what's working. Ensure you can collect and analyze data on key ecommerce metrics such as conversions, clickthrough rates, and time on page.
• Order and invoice recall: Access to purchase history is essential, especially for B2B buyers. You should provide a straightforward way for customers to review their complete order records, including past invoices and transaction details.

Great features matter little if your online store is difficult to navigate. Poor website design can lead to a high bounce rate, so make sure your site adheres to the following best practices:

• Responsive design: Your site should be usable on any device or screen. Focus on offering the same navigation experience on desktop, tablet, or mobile, and make switching from one to the other easy and accessible.
• Easy navigation: Users should know exactly how to navigate your site without thinking twice. Consult UX experts or work with an ecommerce platform provider that offers website design templates.
• Simple reordering: Reward your repeat customers for their loyalty with convenience. A simple, prominent button for reordering can reduce the number of steps and make shopping effortless.
• Compelling product pages: Engaging product page design isn't just for end consumers. Accurate and informative product descriptions, appealing images, and meaningful content can help engage your target audience while educating them about what they're buying.

A great B2B ecommerce website is like an iceberg: There's so much more to it than meets the eye. Beneath the surface is an extensive network of backend systems and apps that keep the site running and guarantee a smooth customer experience.

This typically includes systems for customer relationship management (CRM), inventory management, and enterprise resource planning (ERP). Organizations new to B2B ecommerce often integrate their website with the fewest apps necessary to launch it. While a quick launch is tempting, comprehensive system integration from day one sets your B2B ecommerce platform up for sustainable growth.

A fully integrated B2B website ensures your site draws from accurate data and a single source of truth. It also makes life easier for your customers by reducing the risk of mix-ups with their orders.

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First things first: It’s crucial to have a solid plan before you get started with your B2B ecommerce website development. Here are some best practices for developing a plan of action that works for you.

• Start with your business goals. Figure out what you want to achieve with your B2B ecommerce website so you can align your approach with desired business outcomes.
• Determine your most needed features. Once you know your business goals, you can decide which features will help you accomplish them. Would your customers benefit from bulk purchasing or prefer to purchase in custom quantities? Do buyers want automated reordering or personalized recommendations for new products? Questions like these can provide some clarity.
• Assess which current systems need integration. Your apps and data must communicate with your new B2B ecommerce platform for optimal performance. Work across the organization to identify all the systems used to manage product data and track inventory.
• Prepare data and upgrade systems. If you have a large tech, you’re bound to encounter some technical debt or the need for future maintenance and adjustments. Create a plan for tackling that debt by updating systems or cleaning data as needed.
• Choose a B2B ecommerce platform. Once you've developed all the necessary plans, it's time to select a platform on which to build your B2B ecommerce website. The best ecommerce platform ideally supports all the features you prioritize and allows for a relatively quick build and integration into your tech stack.

The B2B ecommerce market is expanding and changing. Some of the key trends defining it today include:

• Larger online orders: B2B buyers have become more comfortable completing their purchases entirely online, even for large or complex orders. Did you know that the rate of online orders exceeding $500,000 has grown faster than any other category in the past two years?
• Artificial intelligence (AI): Commerce teams in most industries are experimenting with AI, and B2B ecommerce is no exception. In fact, nearly half (48%) of commerce leaders say they’re experimenting with AI and 29% have fully implemented it. As AI continues to improve operational efficiency and productivity, this will become a major differentiator for strategic leaders.
• Machine-to-machine commerce: While many businesses monitor supply levels with machines, some use them for resupply orders. About one-third of all B2B ecommerce could be completely machine-to-machine, with no human intervention by 2030.
• Personalized shopping: Personalization is already ubiquitous in B2C ecommerce, and it's gaining more ground in B2B ecommerce. Automated recommendations in searches or on product pages can help buyers find what they're looking for faster and ultimately increase sales.

Developing a B2B ecommerce site with features that drive business goals is no longer a “nice-to-have” when it comes to B2B sales — it's essential. Buyers expect to complete their purchases in a fully online, self-service fashion. The right platform can help you achieve significant revenue growth and customer satisfaction. Salesforce Commerce Cloud gives you a unified platform that makes it easy to bring your team, customers, and data together. Go beyond launching your B2B ecommerce website and scale your business with seamless integration that grows with you.