Digital Insights: B2B Commerce – Why SMEs need to invest now

The B2B market is changing rapidly. Business customers today expect the same speed, transparency, and user-friendliness that they have long been accustomed to as private customers in online retail. For SMEs in the B2B segment, this means investing in digital sales channels now — or risk losing market share in the future.

But getting there is challenging. Long-term planning, technological complexity and often a lack of e-commerce experience make a clear strategy and a smart choice of systems essential. This shows why a technology-agnostic approach is crucial.

Why SMEs need to act now

Requirements are increasing:

• Customers expect self-service portals, transparent processes and flexible ordering options.
• The competition is focusing on digital sales solutions that are faster, more efficient and more scalable.
• Globalization is increasing the pressure on speed, service quality and adaptability.

In B2B, a classic online store is no longer enough. The aim is to create a digital platform that intelligently supports complex B2B processes and grows with the company in the long term.

Complex initial situation: heterogeneous system landscapes

An additional challenge for SMEs is the often highly fragmented IT landscape. Existing ERP systems, PIM systems, CRM solutions or individual in-house developments need to be integrated — often having grown historically over the years and very heterogeneous in terms of technology.
A successful B2B commerce approach must not replace these existing systems, but rather connect and orchestrate them intelligently. This is precisely why flexible architectures, headless approaches and API-first strategies are so important today. The foundation for sustainable growth can only be laid with a clean integration strategy.

B2B-specific requirements: More than “just” an online shop

B2B commerce is fundamentally different from traditional B2C:

• Quick orders: Buyers don't want to browse, they want to order products quickly by article number or upload.
• Customized prices: Pricing is often contractually regulated and must be adapted to customer groups or individual accounts.
• Live prices and stock availability: Current prices, discounts, and stock levels must be available in real time.
• Multi-client capability: retailers regularly serve several brands, subsidiaries or international markets via one system.
• Approval and release workflows: Order processes must be able to be checked and approved internally.
• Complex product hierarchies and configurations: Products are typically consultation-intensive or customizable.

These requirements must be taken into account from the outset — both when selecting the system and when planning the architecture.

Why an agnostic approach is essential

B2B is almost always about long-term investments. Decisions made today influence digital competitiveness for the next five to ten years.

An agnostic consulting approach ensures that:

• Independent advice is given: System selection is based on individual requirements, not preconceived solution favorites.
• Well-founded decisions are made: Systematically collected requirements, target definitions and budget frameworks form the basis for decision-making.
• Flexibility is maintained: Modular architectures make it easier to add new requirements or replace technologies at a later date.

This approach is the only way to avoid expensive system changes or inflexible structures later on, especially for SMEs, which often rely on stable, long-term partnerships and predictability.

Lack of e-commerce experience? The right partners lead the way

Many SMEs have not yet gained much operational experience in e-commerce. It is therefore crucial to find partners who can provide system-independent and holistic advice, guide you through the project in a structured manner and build a bridge between business, technology, and user expectations.

A good partner supports its customers not only technically, but also strategically - from the definition of requirements to selection and implementation through to continuous further development.

Data-driven growth: setting the right course right from the start

B2B commerce projects are not one-off projects. They are constantly evolving. Therefore, a reliable database should be ensured right from the start:

• Clean web and data analytics setup: makes it possible to precisely evaluate customer behavior, conversion rates and usage patterns.
• Data-driven decisions: ensure that further developments are not based on gut feeling but on measurable success indicators.

This allows the online store to be optimized step by step and scaled in a targeted manner — with significantly greater efficiency and market proximity.

Clear business goals instead of feature overload

A common mistake in B2B commerce projects: Trying to implement everything at once. Instead, companies should

• define clear business values (e.g. acquiring new customers, increasing the digital self-service rate, improving margins)
• and strictly align the first platform version (MVP) with these goals.

No unnecessary gold plating, no over-engineering — but focused, measurable development of real business success.

Conclusion

Entering B2B commerce is an enormous opportunity for SMEs. Those who rely on independent, agnostic advice, start with clear goals, work in a data-driven manner and address the specific requirements of the B2B market will lay the foundations for sustainable digital success.
Now is the time to take a strategic and structured approach to digitalization in sales - before the competition does.