B2B online sales
B2B e-commerce is selling goods to companies (wholesale buyers, venues, entrepreneurs) through a website or portal with online ordering: with individual prices, payment terms, repeat orders and documents. It is not a "B2C store with a wholesale price": the buyer here makes decisions by their company's rules.
In plain words
A retail customer chooses and pays by card. A wholesale buyer often knows exactly what they will buy, orders regularly, and wants their own price, deferred payment, an invoice, documents for the accountants and a fast repeat order. The sales manager does not go anywhere: in complex cases they are needed.
In a study of 632 B2B buyers (reported in July 2025), Gartner says 61% prefer a buying experience without a seller's representative. Buyers use online self-service for general information and learning, and value human help where judgment is needed, for example whether a product suits their company. The average buyer takes 3.0 actions in the process, of which 2.3 are with a supplier representative and 1.8 through digital tools. Another 69% see discrepancies between the seller's website and what the managers say (BizTechReports, citing Gartner). This is not a Ukrainian study (the source does not specify the geography), so for your wholesale it shows a direction, not exact shares.
How a B2B store differs
Topic | B2C | B2B |
|---|---|---|
Price | One for everyone, promotions | Price list per client, volume discounts, contract prices |
Payment | Card, cash on delivery | Invoice, bank transfer, deferred payment |
Order | One cart | Repeat order, templates, uploading a list of SKUs |
Buyer | One person | Several roles: who orders, who approves, who pays |
Documents | Receipt | Invoice, delivery note, expense documents, acts |
Access | Open | Often after login, sometimes after a manager's approval |
What a B2B store needs
- A company account with roles: who orders, who approves, who sees invoices.
- Client prices and terms: a personal price list, minimum order, pack multiples, deferred payment and credit limit.
- Quick order: by SKU, from a spreadsheet, repeat a past order.
- Availability and lead times: stock by warehouse and expected dates; see OMS and WMS.
- Documents online: invoices, delivery notes, settlements: needs integration with accounting, see accounting system and ERP.
- A catalog with full data: technical specifications, certificates, packaging; see PIM and product variants.
- Contact with a manager: order on request, chat, an email about the cart. A B2B client values a quick answer on complex questions.
- CRM: client history, repeat purchases; see CRM and LTV.
- API integrations with the warehouse, accounting, delivery; see integrations and API.
Prices: show or hide
Approaches differ. Putting prices behind a login is convenient for individual price lists and for protection against scraping competitors (bots and scraping), but a buyer who does not see even a reference point may go to a competitor. There are no open 2025–2026 studies with a clear answer on which is better. A reasonable compromise: show general "from" prices, open personal ones after login, and check on your own data how many visitors leave the page without a price.
Metrics
Average order value, share of repeat orders, time to first order, receivables and overdue amounts, share of orders placed without a manager. Formulas for the main metrics: AOV, repeat purchases, retention.
Common mistakes
- Carrying over B2C logic: card payment and promo banners for clients who need an invoice and deferred payment.
- Discrepancies between the site and managers on prices and availability: according to Gartner, 69% of buyers notice them (BizTechReports).
- Manually moving orders from the site into the accounting system.
- Removing managers instead of freeing them from routine.
- No quick repeat order.
FAQ
What is B2B e-commerce? Selling goods to companies through a website or portal with personal prices, payment terms, documents and repeat orders.
Do B2B buyers want to buy without a manager? Partly: according to Gartner's 2025 survey, 61% prefer an experience without a representative, but they need human help for complex decisions (BizTechReports).
How is a B2B store different from a B2C one? Personal prices, payment by invoice and deferred payment, user roles, and integration with accounting.
Do I need a separate platform for B2B? It depends on your process. First write a list of requirements (prices, roles, documents, integrations), then check whether the chosen solution covers them; see technical specification.
Related terms
Sources
- BizTechReports (based on Gartner materials), Gartner Sales Survey Finds 61% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Buying Experience, July 17, 2025 — biztechreports.com/news-archive/2025/7/17/gartner-sales-survey-finds-61-of-b2b-buyers-prefer-a-rep-free-buying-experience-g-july-17th-2025
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