B2B e-commerce sells to other businesses: distributors, resellers, manufacturers, public bodies. It follows different rules from selling to consumers. Prices vary by customer, orders repeat, payment arrives at 30 days and several people approve the same purchase.
For an SME or a mid-sized company, the question comes up quickly: should you sell on a B2B marketplace, open your own B2B e-commerce site, or combine the two?
What changes in B2B e-commerce
- Prices and catalogues by customer. A wholesaler does not see the same rates or the same products as a new account.
- Recurring purchases. Restocking and quickly reordering a previous basket matter more than discovering products.
- Payment terms. Deferred payment, authorised credit, monthly invoicing, deposits.
- Several buyers per account. One buyer orders, a manager approves, accounting receives the invoice.
- Quotes. Large volumes or made-to-measure products go through a price request before the order.
The four B2B online selling models
- Direct sales. You sell to your professional end customers from your own site, with your prices and your relationship.
- The distributor portal. Your resellers order on a dedicated space, with their rates and terms. It is the most common model for a manufacturer.
- The B2B marketplace. You publish your catalogue on a marketplace that brings supply and demand together.
- Automated replenishment. Orders trigger themselves from stock levels or a subscription, without customer action.
These models can be combined. A manufacturer can offer a portal to its distributors, direct sales to its key accounts and a marketplace listing to reach new markets.
B2B marketplace or your own site: how to choose
A B2B marketplace gives access to an audience of buyers who are already there. Your own site gives you control of the customer relationship and the margin. The choice depends on your stage and your product.
| Criterion | B2B marketplace | Your own B2B e-commerce site |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Fast, a few weeks | Longer, depending on the catalogue and integrations |
| Audience | Buyers already on the platform | To be built (SEO, ads, sales reps) |
| Margin | Commission on every sale | No commission, platform and acquisition costs |
| Customer relationship | The platform controls part of the relationship | You own the data and the journey |
| Prices and terms | Rules set by the platform | Fully free: prices by customer, deferred payment |
| Brand image | Shared with other sellers | Entirely yours |
Many companies start on a B2B marketplace to test demand, then build their own site to retain their best customers. The two complement each other when the product catalogue stays single and feeds both channels.
The features of a B2B e-commerce platform
Whether you choose an off-the-shelf solution or a custom build, check these features before committing:
- customer accounts with several users and different rights;
- prices by customer or group, volume discounts;
- quick ordering from a list of references or a previous basket;
- online quotes and an internal approval workflow at the customer’s end;
- deferred payment, credit limit, automatic invoicing;
- connection to your ERP or management software for stock, prices and orders;
- rich product pages (technical specifications, documents, compatibilities).
The project’s success often depends on the ERP connection. A platform that does not exchange data with your stock and invoicing forces your teams to re-enter everything, and the online channel does not deliver on its promises.
The catalogue and product data
In B2B, the quality of the product page weighs more than in B2C: the buyer compares technical references, checks compatibilities and downloads documents before ordering. An incomplete page loses a sale or creates a return.
- a single reference per product, reused across all your channels;
- structured specifications (dimensions, materials, standards) rather than free text;
- downloadable documents: data sheet, certificate, user guide;
- descriptions translated with care for each market;
- a single product repository feeding the site, the marketplaces and the ERP.
When the catalogue grows or rolls out across several countries, a product information management (PIM) tool becomes useful to keep this base clean.
Payment, credit and customer risk
Deferred payment is part of B2B habits, and it creates risk. Define a clear policy from the start: account opening after company checks, credit limit per customer, payment terms, automatic reminders. Your platform must apply these rules without manual intervention.
For sales abroad, add the question of credit insurance and local payment methods. Buyers in some markets prefer bank transfer or payment at order.
Selling B2B abroad
B2B e-commerce opens markets without a physical presence, provided you handle a few topics at the design stage:
- Languages and currencies. An Italian or Thai buyer expects a catalogue in their language and prices in their currency.
- Taxation. Intra-EU VAT, customs duties and incoterms change the final price.
- Logistics. Lead times, carriers, returns: the real cost of a delivery varies from one country to another.
- Local partners. A partner on the ground makes negotiation, after-sales service and understanding local practices easier.
This is where our presence in Lyon, Casablanca, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City serves our clients: local experts validate the market before the investment. Discover our support in international expansion and in e-commerce and marketplaces.
Getting found: SEO for a B2B site
Professional buyers search for specific products, suppliers and comparisons. A B2B site gains visibility with:
- category pages that answer searches by use (the product type and the sector, for example);
- rich, indexable product pages, with no login wall for the descriptive part;
- in-depth content that answers purchasing questions: guides, comparisons, use cases;
- a version per language and per country, with the tags that tell Google which version to show.
Reserve the price catalogue and ordering for the logged-in area, and keep open access to whatever attracts new customers.
The indicators to track
- the number of active customer accounts, not only created ones;
- average basket and order frequency;
- the share of orders placed without a sales rep’s involvement;
- average payment delay and unpaid rate;
- the cost of acquiring a new customer by channel.
The third indicator measures the gain of an online channel: your sales reps’ time freed up for the most important accounts.
Where to start
- Clarify the scope. Which customers, which products, which countries for the first phase?
- Prepare the catalogue. Clean references, complete descriptions, prices by segment. It is the longest workstream.
- Choose the channel. B2B marketplace to test, own site for the long term, or both with a shared catalogue.
- Connect the tools. ERP, CRM, invoicing, carriers.
- Launch on a limited scope, measure, then expand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between B2B and B2C e-commerce?
B2B sells to businesses: negotiated prices by customer, recurring orders, deferred payment, several decision-makers per purchase. B2C sells to consumers with a shorter journey and public prices.
Do you have to choose between a B2B marketplace and your own site?
No. Many companies use a marketplace to gain visibility and their own site to retain customers and protect their margin.
How long does it take to launch a B2B e-commerce platform?
A few weeks for a marketplace presence. Several months for your own site connected to the ERP, depending on catalogue size and the integrations required.
Can you sell abroad from launch?
Yes, if the platform already handles languages, currencies and taxation. Start with one or two countries where you already have contacts, then expand.
Let’s talk about your project
Thinking of selling online to other businesses, in France or abroad? Contact us for a first 30-minute conversation, or start with assessing your digital maturity.