That's why you should choose a true B2B commerce solution

In B2C commerce, an end customer buys at the list price, pays immediately, and makes the decision alone. In B2B, almost everything is different: customized prices per customer or customer group, credit lines instead of immediate payment, multi-step approval processes, and orders placed on behalf of multiple cost centers.

A system developed for B2C must be fundamentally redesigned for B2B. This incurs costs not just as a one-time expense, but on an ongoing basis – with every update, every expansion, and every new customer request.

In B2B, prices are rarely public and rarely uniform. Each customer negotiates their own price—depending on volume, framework agreements, industry, and the length of the business relationship. A true B2B e-commerce system natively manages customer-specific price lists, discount tiers, and special terms.

B2C systems can do this – but only with considerable effort. Incorrectly displayed prices in B2B aren’t just an annoyance; they’re a mistake that can jeopardize the business.

A buyer at a large company has budget limits and needs approval from a supervisor for orders over 5,000 euros. Multiple users from the same company share an account with different permissions.

These scenarios are standard in B2B. A true B2B solution natively supports them: user roles, approval workflows, cost center management, and budget management.

In B2B, the online store must communicate with the ERP system – in real time or near real time. Inventory levels, delivery times, customer-specific details, open items: All of this must be synchronized. A true B2B solution comes with proven connectors to common ERP systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or proAlpha.

The alternative – middleware solutions that connect a B2C system to an ERP – works, but it’s complex, error-prone and any system update can make it unstable.

At first glance, many B2C systems seem more affordable. But the total cost of ownership tells a different story. Any B2B feature that isn’t natively available must be developed, tested, and maintained.

Any update to the core system can compromise custom developments. Over a five-year period, a true B2B commerce stack is generally more cost-effective and delivers better results.