9 B2B eCommerce Challenges & How To Address Them

Updated October 11, 2023

Key Takeaways

• B2B eCommerce challenges can be difficult to overcome, but not impossible.
• Streamlining processes—like order management and payment systems—is one of the most common challenges of B2B eCommerce.
• Improving data accuracy and security ensures trust between parties, reducing disputes and errors and improving customer relationships.
• One of the biggest challenges of B2B is creating a personalized user experience that leads to customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Adapting to evolving technologies and market trends keeps businesses competitive and relevant, but it's also a primary challenge for B2B companies.
• Addressing B2B eCommerce challenges—such as international shipping costs—paves the way for scalability and global expansion.

Get the Most Out of Your B2B eCommerce Platform

Stay Ahead of the Competition by Overcoming B2B eCommerce Challenges

Due to industry and technological changes, business-to-business eCommerce, or B2B eCommerce, has grown to surpass business-to-customer, or B2C eCommerce. In the United States, sales involving B2B eCommerce totaled more than 780 billion while B2C eCommerce came to just 304.9 billion. This growth has created considerable challenges for the industry. Keep reading for information about the top nine challenges that B2B eCommerce companies face and the best ways to address them.

1. Bulk Deal Pricing

Most B2B eCommerce companies base their pricing structure on volume. This challenges processing systems. To resolve the issue, IT managers can work with content management software companies to set up a system that permits volume discounts when B2B companies order a specified amount of a product. Solutions like Clarity eCommerce, come with multiple pricing models built in, which allow you to offer customer-specific pricing (also called multi-tiered pricing), or customized pricing tiers for your B2B clients that order often or in bulk.

Other custom features, such as "auto-applied discounts" are helpful. Clarity eCommerce allows you to define custom auto-applied discounts. Things like "free shipping when your shopping cart totals $100," or "get a free X after purchasing Y number of items." There are many customizable options within our eCommerce platform that help drive increased business-to-business eCommerce sales.

2. Maintaining Client Relationships

A unique challenge that B2B eCommerce companies face is the need to stay on top of and consider the health of each client's account. If an existing account is delinquent or inactive, then the company must have a follow-up strategy in place for the good of its own business. An IT team can resolve this by integrating customer relationship management (CRM) software with the company's eCommerce business platform—such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) option—ensuring better customer relationships.

This software is necessary since it manages client interactions and overall communications. With system integration, B2B companies are able to speed up their service, which has the added benefit of reducing overhead. integration between the two systems streamlines a company's inner processes and makes it easier for associates to do their jobs.

 

3. Customizable Shopping Cart

When a B2B eCommerce company is derived from a parent company that offers several product lines or different brands, then the eCommerce side will need a platform that supports customized shopping carts. Since many companies are large in scale, they may offer hundreds of different product lines as well as thousands of items from various manufacturers. Letting the customer self-serve makes the entire process easier on sales teams.

In addition, B2B buyers need to locate products easily to compare prices and features. Enhanced search capabilities along with a multi-store eCommerce platform resolve the challenge of managing multiple product lines and different brands. It also allows a company to sell its product or service globally since the software can be formatted for different currencies and foreign languages.

4. Shipping Solutions

It is imperative that orders reach B2B buyers on time. To handle this challenge, IT managers may integrate shipping software into a company's existing platform. This streamlines processing while making sure that B2B buyers are receiving accurate totals and delivery information. Tailor-made software includes setting up a platform to oversee a company's order management system. It even deals with every element of the order fulfillment process.

Platform setups from companies like Clarity offer systems that calculate shipping amounts and taxes for foreign countries. This type of technology also provides personalized experiences for B2B buyers based on their shopping locales, and may even reduce shipping costs.

5. Sale Completion Times

Google reports that B2B buyers complete 12 searches on average before they settle on a company. To make a decision, B2B buyers review product features, specifications, and benefits. They also assess pricing structures and consider how a particular product fits in with their services, existing merchandise, or equipment. To place an order, most purchasers need multiple quotes to satisfy their internal approval process.

The completion times of sales are often lengthy for B2B eCommerce transactions compared to B2C sales because when it comes to business, most of them require several decision-makers to complete the process. Upgrading to CRM eCommerce software not only makes processing large transactions easier, but also lets a B2B eCommerce company track prospective and current accounts in the same system to make sure everything is in order.

 

6. Large Quantity Transactions

Some orders may come to just $20 or $40 while others reach amounts that total in the thousands as major corporations have the funds to make large purchases. In addition, many of today's businesses place large purchase orders online because it's convenient and saves time. In the business world, time is always money.

To handle this challenge and deliver for your business clients, B2B eCommerce companies should consider working with a B2B eCommerce development company to develop technology that is able to manage big orders while presenting a professional website display that makes clients feel confident that they'll receive their order on time. Companies also need technology that automates and streamlines their systems to permit easy interactions with their customers.

7. Creating a User-Friendly Experience

Along with providing a self-service option for customers, a B2B eCommerce company may need to set up a self-service system for its vendors. Some clients prefer to set up automatic purchase orders to restock inventory while others run into the occasional emergency that requires an overnight shipment. A vendor may need to readjust a delivery date or shipment amount through a self-service system.

B2B eCommerce companies should also consider setting up flexible payment methods that allow companies to place large orders that they pay for later. Flexible payment options make a company more competitive. Overall, it's vital to streamline the B2B buying process in order to make sure clients are happy.

8. Establishing Advanced Logic

Most B2B eCommerce companies need to set up advanced logic for their particular product or service. With this in place, companies can offer exclusive discounts on certain products. They can also do this based on product category as well as for different shipping options. The technology can include discounts that are limited to a time window. It also allows the company to offer special discounts to especially loyal clients.

 

9. Different Fulfillment Areas

Large B2B eCommerce companies may have different fulfillment locations to satisfy product orders. Business software solutions feature fulfillment technologies that can be integrated with a company's other systems. integration lets companies automate and simplify freight shipping as well as process customized shipping requests.

Clarity Can Help

What is B2B eCommerce? It's the ultimate opportunity for your business. Clarity's B2B eCommerce Development team helps B2B eCommerce companies resolve many of the challenges that are unique to their business. By working with B2B eCommerce solutions that offer a variety of services, you'll have access to the kind of system customization that you need for your company to operate effectively.

Our employees have the educational background and experience to tailor your eCommerce platform according to your needs. We'll make sure the B2B buying process is as efficient as possible. At Clarity, we offer free quotes along with consultations. Let us develop the best platform for your company.