Not Just a Website. The Truth About B2B eCommerce

Not Just a Website. The Truth About B2B eCommerce.

6 minute read

/B2B eCommerce Platform for Manufacturers and Distributors

B2B eCommerce is more than just a website; it's about flexibility and meeting the unique needs of each and every business you sell to. That might involve an account portal to help your sales team manage and place orders, a customer portal for researching, paying, and/or reconciling invoices, or even a reporting portal that pulls (and formats) data directly from the ERP for analysis.

A truly effective B2B eCommerce platform must not only offer 1) the unique functionality that manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers need, but it should 2) automatically enrich ERP data and 3) distribute it to the necessary channels—whether as a digital catalog, punchout catalog, real-time data feed, or even a spreadsheet that’s attached to an email. It’s about supporting every way B2Bs "do" eCommerce—seamlessly and efficiently.

Built to Provide the eCommerce Functionality B2Bs Need

There is a fundamental difference between an eCommerce platform that was built from the ground up for B2B and one that has its roots firmly planted in the B2C world and is now trying to expand into B2B.

For example, most B2C eCommerce platforms struggle to support the concept of multiple users per customer (or account). In the world of B2C one customer is just that - one customer. In B2B, the customer is a business that has multiple users (all usually with different levels of permissions).

Another limitation is an inability to support every possible iteration of negotiated customer pricing. Want to offer volume discounts based on how full a pallet or container is? Or set different prices by warehouse location? Or offer shipping discounts based on the quantity purchased? In those cases, you will struggle with complex workarounds. A true B2B eCommerce platform can support all the above, and more, including:

  • A product configurator (for build-to-order, engineer-to-order products, kits, and bundles) that pulls the component data and configuration rules out of your ERP. So there’s no need to manually replicate anything in the eCommerce platform, and then replicate again when components and configuration rules change.
  • Complex customer pricing models by pulling (and enriching) data directly from the ERP to deliver custom, negotiated pricing (to each customer), adapt to promotional variables, and support a wide range of pricing strategies—all in real-time.
  • ERP-integrated shipping and checkout for real-time, accurate shipping estimates —no callbacks—while supporting flexible payment options (like credit card, ACH, short pay, or net terms). Additionally you should be able to tailor the checkout process for each customer with custom questions, order splitting, and shipping dates that can be synced with current or expected product availability
  • Secure, ERP-integrated account portals with payment and automated reconciliation capabilities to shorten the order-to-cash cycle. Your customers can access account balances, track orders, make electronic payments, and reconcile invoices in real-time.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Deep ERP Integration and Enrichment

Delivering the specific eCommerce functionality that B2B companies need requires deep integration with the ERP system, pulling, aggregating, and updating data—no matter how customized the ERP may be. But eCommerce requires more than just raw ERP data. On its own, this data can be difficult for customers to understand if they try to view it directly on an eCommerce website or catalog.

ERP descriptive text vs rich marketing description
Caption: ERP description vs. rich marketing description

Therefore, for a better experience, ERP data should be enriched with additional data points pulled from a CMS, CRM, and other third-party systems. By freeing backend data from platform limitations, B2Bs can configure a flexible, scalable eCommerce solution that mirrors how they operate. Additionally, full eCommerce/ERP synchronization ensures data entered or updated in either system is automatically shared and refreshed in real-time.

More Than a Website—Data Distribution

Establishing and growing your B2B eCommerce channel means accommodating the varied relationships that interact with your business and the diverse processes that influence it. It’s not just about logging in, selecting products, and paying with a credit card; it’s about involving sales teams, manufacturing reps, master distributors, wholesalers, and others in the supply chain and sales channel. To capture more business, you need to provide everyone with the right information, in their preferred format, and make the process seamless.

Therefore data distribution is a much overlooked and forgotten aspect of B2B eCommerce.

Your platform should pull custom data directly from your enriched ERP repository, transform it, and deliver it to where it’s needed. This includes populating digital or punchout catalogs, updating B2C/D2C sites, or providing data on-demand through custom APIs. Nomad’s proprietary DataPort tool streamlines this, enabling B2Bs and their partners to collaborate more efficiently and sell with greater ease.

Best B2B eCommerce Platform For You

Nomad is built specifically for B2B eCommerce, offering deep ERP integration, enriched data distribution, and support for every unique way B2Bs "do" eCommerce. Its flexibility and robust feature set make it the platform you need to establish and grow your eCommerce channel. Ready to see if Nomad is the right fit for your business? Schedule a 15-minute discovery call, and we’ll help you explore how Nomad can meet your unique needs.

Request a 15 minute demo geared to your use case.