B2B ecommerce is a $4.2 trillion market in the United States, accounting for 14% of business-to-business sales nationwide. These numbers are expected to rise as buyers become more comfortable on digital platforms and these platforms mature. For both digitally native companies and those expanding from brick-and-mortar into ecommerce, the growing market speaks to the need for solutions that can keep pace.
In practice, this means building scalable B2B ecommerce solutions that can handle daily transaction values and manage sudden sales upticks, all while providing a seamless experience for users. But this is often easier said than done. Here’s a look at some of the key architectures and frameworks organizations need to meet burgeoning buyer expectations.
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The B2B Trifecta: Integration, Transactions, and Growth
Three components are critical for B2B systems to streamline purchases, deliver consistent performance, and keep companies coming back.
Integration: Ecommerce solutions don’t exist in a vacuum. Instead, they need to work seamlessly with other tools, including customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and emerging technologies such as generative AI interfaces that provide natural language processing (NLP) to enhance the user experience. Even the best ecommerce platform won’t benefit B2B sales if it can’t capture and share data across multiple sources. For example, using GenAI and CRM tools, companies can create evolving customer profiles that leverage historical data to recommend future purchases.
Transactions: Here, both volume and complexity play a role. Consider a large B2B partner that orders thousands of products with differing specifications in a single order. If platforms can’t handle both the number of transactions and individual order requirements, orders are either delayed as businesses work out the details or arrive incomplete and potentially inaccurate.
Growth: As the B2B market expands, companies must be prepared to handle rising demand without sacrificing speed or accuracy. This demand may be both local and global, in turn necessitating systems that can handle complex logistics and custom requirements without sacrificing performance or accuracy.
Overlaying all three of these requirements is compliance. Consider a B2B ecommerce company processing an overseas order. Compliance starts with transactions. Customer data must be securely collected, stored, and processed. Depending on where companies operate, local regulations may apply. For example, businesses in California are subject to CCPA, while those in the EU must satisfy GDPR requirements. B2B businesses must consider customs regulations, both when goods leave their country of origin and when they arrive at their destination. This becomes even more complicated if components are produced in one country, assembled in another, and then shipped to customers.
For companies to drive revenue and improve customer retention, they need B2B ecommerce platforms that consistently deliver this operational trifecta.
Four Components of Effective B2B Ecommerce Environments
It’s one thing to understand the requirements of effective B2B ecommerce environments; it’s another to deliver them in practice. Four components are critical:
1. Microservices Architecture
Historically, ecommerce platforms used large-scale applications that provided multiple business functions. While this allowed companies to process transactions and compile customer data, it also created a problem: interdependency.
Because systems were monolithic, any disruptions affected all systems simultaneously. In addition, functions were fixed rather than portable. For example, an inventory management tool could only be used in conjunction with its larger software suite, and could not be updated or managed independently, creating challenges in both complexity and consistency.
Microservices offer a different approach. Using containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or OpenShift, key functions can be separated into independent microservices that do not depend on a larger system to function.
This approach offers multiple benefits for businesses. First, services are portable; they can be easily moved to and integrated with other environments. Next, they are fault tolerant. If one service goes down, it does not affect others because they are not interdependent. Finally, these services are easier to deploy, manage, and update than traditional applications since they are smaller and simpler than their monolithic counterparts.
2. API-first Design
Application programming interfaces (APIs) facilitate the interaction of microservices architecture. They also enable connections between traditional tools and microservices to help streamline B2B operations.
The key to successful API deployment is taking an API-first approach. This means building an API layer before deploying ecommerce functionality. Think of it like building a house. If the framing, drywalling, and external components of the house are installed before the electrical wiring, adding these necessary connections becomes both difficult and time-consuming. If wiring and outlets are installed as soon as possible, the entire process is simplified.
This is the key to successful API-first design. By considering connections first, companies can layer on ecommerce functionality and create future-proof platforms capable of expanding as required.
3. Headless Commerce
Headless ecommerce separates front-end and back-end functions, in turn promoting greater flexibility.
Front-end facing services are those seen by customers. They include websites, mobile applications, and ecommerce storefronts. These services are supported by back-end architecture that handles order processing, inventory management, and IT support.
In a traditional framework, these functions are connected. This means that any changes made to the back end immediately affect the front-end experience. As a result, any updates or improvements to back-end processes required companies to take their ecommerce sites offline until changes were implemented, tested, and approved.
By taking a headless approach, B2B ecommerce companies can get the best of both worlds: A consistent buyer experience coupled with the ability to update and improve back-end functions as required.
4. Robust Data Management
Data management supports all other functions. A robust management approach ensures that data is protected while remaining accessible and allows the application of data analytics at scale to pinpoint both individual customer preferences and large-scale market trends.
Effective management starts with storage. In many cases, secure cloud services are the preferred choice for B2B ecommerce data storage. This is because public and private clouds enable companies to store and access large data volumes without sacrificing security. In addition, cloud platforms are often more cost-effective than their on-site counterparts.
Along with storage, ecommerce companies need data functionality. Data insight and analysis can make all the difference in keeping customers satisfied and ensuring that B2B buyers come back. Solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central empower companies to create custom pricing, develop unique product catalogs, and offer personalized, buyer-specific discounts.
Building Scalable B2B Ecommerce Systems
Scalable B2B systems help companies meet the changing demands of business ecommerce buyers. Creating a scalable approach requires a methodical approach to building, testing, and integrating systems to ensure maximum flexibility and performance.
Author bio
Stephanie Burke is a seasoned B2B tech marketer and the Marketing Director at k-ecommerce, a B2B online commerce and payment solution. She has extensive expertise in the ecommerce space and specializes in developing strategic marketing plans, building high-performing teams, and aligning them under a unified vision. Burke believes that while marketing tactics may not be unique, the right words and visuals can set a brand apart, empower sales teams, and shape a lasting reputation.
