A B2B commerce build for an artificial-plants and decor wholesaler, so trade buyers place and repeat orders online with tiered pricing, instead of over email and phone.
// the basics
What is B2B e-commerce?
B2B e-commerce is selling to other businesses online. It matches how commercial buyers actually purchase. Unlike consumer stores with one public price, a B2B platform gives each account its own login. Buyers see their contracted prices and specific terms. They use purchase orders, request quotes, route approvals, and reorder in one click.
For manufacturers and distributors, self-service replaces manual emails and phone calls. Buyers prefer placing orders directly on their own schedule. Your inside sales team avoids manual re-keying. The portal links directly with your ERP, so inventory and ledger records stay in sync.
We design, build, and deploy that system on the right architecture. Then we hand it over for your team to run. You do not pay recurring software rent to an agency. You own the code and the store.
// why B2B is moving online
B2B ecommerce is now the channel buyers prefer
- 17%
year-over-year growth in US B2B ecommerce sales across sites, password-protected portals, and apps in 2023, reaching roughly $2.3 trillion.
Source: Digital Commerce 360 - Ten
channels the average B2B buyer now uses across the buying journey, from researching suppliers to reordering, up from five in 2016.
Source: McKinsey B2B Pulse - One third
of B2B buyers prefer digital self-service at any given stage, alongside a third wanting remote contact and a third wanting in-person. Serving only one of the three loses the other two.
Source: McKinsey B2B Pulse
// the problem
Why most B2B sites stall
Orders by email and phone
Your team re-keys orders from inboxes and voicemails, and buyers wait on a quote instead of placing the order themselves.
Pricing lives in spreadsheets
Account-specific and tiered pricing sits in files, so every quote is manual and mistakes slip through.
No self-service for buyers
Trade buyers expect to log in, see their price, and reorder. Without it, they buy from whoever makes it easy.
// why it pays off
The benefits of B2B ecommerce
Faster, larger reorders
One-click reordering and saved lists from a buyer's history lift order frequency and size.
Hours back for sales
Self-service ordering frees your reps from re-keying orders so they can sell, not type.
Fewer pricing errors
Each account sees its own correct price automatically, so quotes stop going out wrong.
Higher average order value
Volume tiers, suggested reorders, and clear availability nudge bigger orders.
One source of truth
Pricing, stock, and orders read from one record across every channel and your ERP.
DTC and B2B together
Retail and trade on one system, with separate pricing and logins for wholesale buyers.
// what we build
B2B ecommerce features, built in
The features that turn a catalog into a self-service ordering system your buyers trust.
Tiered & contract pricing
Per-account, per-volume, and contract pricing that shows each buyer their price automatically.
Net terms & PO checkout
Net 30/60 terms, credit limits, and purchase-order checkout for approved accounts.
Quote & approval workflows
Request-for-quote, multi-step approvals, and order limits that match how your buyers purchase.
Account hierarchies
Parent and child accounts, buyer roles, and shared order history across a buying organization.
Gated & custom catalogs
Login-gated products and customer-specific catalogs so each account sees only what it should.
Fast reordering
One-click reordering, reorder pads, and saved lists built from a buyer's order history.
ERP, PIM & marketplace sync
One order and inventory layer connecting your ERP, PIM, POS, 3PL, and marketplaces.
Sales-rep tools
Order-on-behalf, account dashboards, and quote tools so your reps sell through the same system.
// ERP & integrations
ERP-integrated B2B commerce
A B2B ecommerce platform only works when pricing, inventory, and orders are the same number in every system. We connect your storefront to your ERP, PIM, POS, 3PL, and marketplaces so the data stays in one place, not spread across imports and spreadsheets. Customer records, contract pricing, credit limits, open invoices, and stock read from the ERP rather than from a copy that drifts.
- ERP sync: NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA and Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage Intacct and X3, Acumatica, Epicor Kinetic and Prophet 21, Infor, QuickBooks Enterprise, and Odoo
- What we sync: customers and account hierarchies, contract and tiered price lists, credit limits and terms, inventory by location, orders, invoices, and shipment status
- EDI and punchout: EDI 850/855/856/810 order and invoice flows, plus cXML and OCI punchout into Coupa, Ariba, Jaggaer, and Oracle procurement
- PIM and product data: Akeneo, Salsify, Plytix
- Marketplaces: Amazon Business, Faire, Angi
- 3PL and WMS: ShipBob, Extensiv, and custom warehouses
- Custom middleware when a direct connector does not exist
// who we build for
B2B ecommerce by industry
The B2B rules differ by industry. Here is how we build for the sectors we know best. If you are a manufacturer or distributor specifically, our e-commerce for manufacturers and distributors page goes deeper on dealer portals, territory rules, configurable products, and parametric part search. Already trading on a platform you have outgrown? See e-commerce replatforming and Magento to Shopify migration.
Manufacturers
Dealer and distributor portals sync live with your ERP. They provide contracted pricing, Net payment terms, and technical spec sheets.
Distributors & wholesalers
Gated wholesale catalogs replace phone and email orders. Buyers see personalized assortments, volume tiers, and minimum quantities.
Industrial & MRO
Parametric search and compatibility finders handle large catalogs. Bulk order pads and approval workflows simplify purchasing.
Food, beverage & CPG
Case and pallet ordering supports lot and expiry rules. Reorder pads and 3PL routing make repeat wholesale purchasing fast.
Apparel, textiles & home
Matrix order pads allow buyers to select multiple sizes and colors. Pre-book workflows and digital line sheets speed up wholesale buys.
Health, beauty & supplements
Wholesale and practitioner portals feature login-gated pricing. Verified accounts can manage subscriptions and volume orders.
// wholesale commerce
Wholesale commerce platforms
Wholesale is B2B with its own rules. A wholesale ecommerce platform has to hold trade-only pricing behind a login, enforce minimums and case quantities, onboard accounts with credit checks, and let a buyer reorder forty SKUs without rebuilding the basket. We build that on Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, or Commerceflo by FactoryJet, wired to the ERP that already holds your price lists.
Gated wholesale catalogs
Trade-only products and price lists sit behind a secure login. Buyers only see their assigned catalog and negotiated rates.
Volume tiers & MOQs
Enforce quantity breaks, case packs, and order minimums directly in the cart. This eliminates checkout and fulfillment errors.
Trade account onboarding
Capture resale certificates and credit references through digital forms. Accounts gain wholesale access upon manual review.
Net terms & credit control
Support Net 30, 60, or 90 terms with limits verified by your ERP. Automatic holds pause orders when credit limits are reached.
Line sheets & pre-book
Run seasonal pre-orders with digital line-sheet-to-cart flows. Multi-variant matrices make bulk ordering fast and simple.
Rep-assisted ordering
Enable sales reps to create quotes and order on behalf of clients. Field reps and buyers work in the same unified system.
// multi-channel commerce
Multi-channel commerce for B2B
Trade buyers do not all order the same way. A national account sends EDI, a procurement team punches out from Coupa, a small independent logs into the portal, and a rep keys an order at a trade show. Multi-channel commerce means every one of those routes writes to the same catalogue, the same pricing rules, and the same inventory pool, so you are not reconciling four order books. If you also sell retail and DTC alongside trade, our omnichannel commerce build covers the store, POS, and marketplace side of that in more depth.
Self-service portal
A 24/7 trade portal where buyers reorder in seconds. Accounts access order history, custom pricing, and open invoices.
EDI
Map EDI 850 purchase orders, 855 confirmations, 856 ASNs, and 810 invoices directly to your central ecommerce order pipeline.
Punchout
Connect via cXML and OCI into Coupa, SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, and Oracle. Procurement teams shop your catalog from within their ERP.
Sales reps
Provide quoting and order-on-behalf tools for your sales reps. Orders follow the same pricing rules and sync to the ERP.
Marketplaces
Feed Amazon Business and vertical B2B marketplaces from one shared inventory pool. Prevent overselling across channels.
Retail & POS
Draw POS, DTC, and wholesale orders from one shared inventory. Maintain accurate stock counts across all channels.
// platforms
B2B ecommerce platform comparison
We are platform-agnostic. Here is how the leading B2B ecommerce platforms compare, so you can see where each fits. For a deeper comparison built from each vendor's own documentation, including OroCommerce, Sana Commerce, SAP Commerce Cloud and commercetools, read our B2B ecommerce platform guide for manufacturers and distributors.
| Platform | Best for | B2B features | Catalog size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Plus | DTC + B2B on one clean store | Native B2B: company accounts, price lists, net terms | Small to large |
| Adobe Commerce (Magento) | Deep, complex B2B | Requisition lists, shared catalogs, quotes, company accounts | Large to very large |
| BigCommerce | Mid-market B2B value | Price lists, customer groups, B2B Edition | Mid to large |
| Salesforce Commerce Cloud | Enterprise B2B | B2B Commerce, accounts, contracts at scale | Very large |
| WooCommerce / Commerceflo (ours) | Full control / unified engine | B2B via build; unified catalog and inventory | Small to mid / any |
Net-30 Payment Terms: Modern Portals vs. Manual Invoicing
Compare how automated checkout payment terms accelerate cash collection, eliminate CSR data entry, and enforce credit ceilings in real time.
| Evaluation Factor | Manual Invoicing (Phone/PDF) | Shopify Plus Native B2B | Legacy ERP Portals (SuiteCommerce/PHP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Verification Speed | 24 to 72 hours (Email/PDF audit) | Sub-150ms via Shopify Functions | 3 to 10 seconds (Direct SQL lock) |
| Order Entry Labor per Order | 15 to 25 mins CSR re-keying | 0 mins (Buyer self-serve) | 5 to 10 mins (Session errors) |
| Average Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) | 48 to 60 days | 28 to 34 days (Automated alerts) | 42 to 52 days |
| Cart-Level MOQ & Tier Rules | Manual correction on invoice | Native WASM Functions enforcement | Hardcoded custom PHP plugins |
| Bi-Directional ERP Sync Latency | End-of-day batch entry | Sub-200ms delta webhooks | Nightly CSV database cron |
| Annual Maintenance & License Overhead | $45,000+ in CSR labor costs | Included in Shopify Plus tier | $30,000 to $80,000+ in hosting/DevOps |
Next step
Ordering still living in emails and spreadsheets?
Tell us your catalog size, ERP, and customer pricing rules. We will map how a unified portal replaces manual order entry.
// choosing
How to choose a B2B ecommerce platform
The right B2B ecommerce platform depends on your business, not a leaderboard. We weigh five things with you, then recommend the fit:
- Catalog size and complexity, including variants and channel-specific attributes.
- Pricing rules: tiers, contracts, customer-specific catalogs, and minimums.
- Integrations you need: ERP, PIM, POS, 3PL, and marketplaces.
- Whether you also sell DTC on the same catalog and inventory.
- Budget for the build and the ongoing platform license.
// how we build it
How we build your B2B ecommerce website
The same six steps whether you are moving off spreadsheets and email orders for the first time or replacing a B2B platform you have outgrown.
We map your catalog, account types, and the ERP you already run (NetSuite, SAP, Dynamics 365, Acumatica, or another), so pricing rules and integrations come from your real data, not a template.
We design your account tiers, parent and child company hierarchies, contract and volume pricing, and approval rules, so each buyer logs in and sees only their catalog and their price.
We build the storefront and trade portal on the platform we recommended in scoping: gated catalogs, PO checkout, quote and approval workflows, and one-click reordering.
We connect your ERP, PIM, and 3PL, wire up EDI 850/855/856/810 and cXML or OCI punchout where you need it, then test every order path, from a rep quote to an ERP-synced invoice, before go-live.
We migrate products, customers, orders, and B2B pricing with 301 redirects, run staging QA against real accounts, and cut over on a schedule that protects uptime and your SEO.
We help onboard your first wave of trade accounts, train your team on the admin and pricing rules, and hand over the code and the system. You own it from day one.
// select client work
Wholesale ordering, online
GPSUK · B2B commerce
Trade ordering for a promotional products supplier
FactoryJet built GPSUK’s Commerceflo storefront for UK trade buyers. Account-based pricing and quote-to-order workflows support customers buying against agreed terms. We also provide ongoing SEO and AI search work.
Read the GPSUK case study →Bring one real trade-order workflow to the scoping call
Show us how a customer gets a price, places an order, and receives an invoice today. We can map which steps belong in the storefront, which stay in your ERP, and what needs to be built first.
// who does this
Built for the people placing the orders
A trade portal only works if the buyers and the team behind the counter actually prefer it to the phone.
B2B E-COMMERCE FAQ
Questions B2B brands ask before they build.
Direct, plain English answers to what wholesale distributors, manufacturers, and trade brands ask about B2B ecommerce:
Topics
Can’t find your answer?
Talk to the founderB2B Basics
Which e-commerce development agency is best for brands that sell both DTC and B2B?
Look for an agency that runs both channels on one system instead of bolting a wholesale portal onto a separate site. FactoryJet builds one storefront with a public retail side and a gated trade-account side, sharing the same catalog and inventory, so a brand selling direct to shoppers and to wholesale accounts does not have to maintain two systems or two sources of truth.
What is B2B ecommerce?
B2B ecommerce is selling to other businesses online, with the rules trade buyers expect: account-specific pricing, net terms, approvals, and fast reordering. We build the storefront and the system underneath it so your buyers self-serve instead of ordering by email and phone.
What is the difference between B2B and DTC ecommerce?
A DTC site sells to consumers at one price. A B2B site adds logins for trade accounts, tiered or contract pricing, net terms, quotes and approvals, account hierarchies, and gated catalogs. We can run both on one unified system.
What are some examples of B2B ecommerce?
A manufacturer letting distributors place and reorder online; a wholesaler giving each trade account its own price list and net terms; a brand running a DTC store and a gated B2B portal on the same catalog; a distributor with quote-and-approve workflows for large orders. We build all of these.
How do you scope and price B2B ecommerce projects?
We scope each engagement on integration depth, catalog complexity, and custom trade workflows. We send a fixed milestone proposal before any work starts, ensuring total cost transparency without hourly billing surprises.
Who else builds B2B ecommerce platforms?
Specialist B2B platform vendors such as OroCommerce and Virto Commerce sell software built for distribution. Large generalist agencies take on B2B builds alongside DTC work. We build on Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, or our own Commerceflo and focus on the ERP-integrated end of B2B.
What are the benefits of B2B ecommerce?
Self-service ordering your buyers prefer, fewer manual errors, faster reorders, larger average orders, and hours back for your sales team. One system replaces the email-and-phone process that slows everyone down.
How big is the B2B ecommerce market?
US B2B ecommerce sales across sites, password-protected portals, and apps reached roughly $2.3 trillion in 2023, growing 17% year over year, according to Digital Commerce 360.
Can DTC and B2B run on one site with different pricing?
Yes. We build one storefront that serves retail shoppers and gives trade buyers their own login with tiered or contract pricing, net terms, and reordering, on one catalog and one inventory.
Platforms
What is the best B2B ecommerce platform?
There is no single best one; it depends on your catalog size, B2B rules, and budget. Shopify Plus suits a clean DTC-plus-B2B model on one store, Adobe Commerce (Magento) suits deep native B2B and very large catalogs, BigCommerce offers strong mid-market B2B value, and our own Commerceflo fits when a unified multi-channel engine is the goal.
How do I choose a B2B ecommerce platform?
Match the platform to five things: your catalog size and complexity, your pricing rules (tiers, contracts, customer-specific catalogs), the integrations you need (ERP, PIM, POS, marketplaces), whether you also sell DTC, and your budget.
Shopify Plus vs Adobe Commerce vs BigCommerce for B2B?
Shopify Plus for speed, a clean admin, and DTC + B2B on one store. Adobe Commerce for deep native B2B (company accounts, shared catalogs, requisition lists) and very large catalogs. BigCommerce for strong B2B features at mid-market value.
Is there an open-source B2B ecommerce platform?
Yes. Adobe Commerce (Magento Open Source) and WooCommerce are open-source options we build B2B on. They offer full control and no platform fees, in exchange for hosting and maintenance you own.
Can you build a wholesale ecommerce platform?
Yes. A wholesale ecommerce platform is a B2B store built for trade buyers: gated catalogs, per-account price lists, minimum order quantities, volume tiers, net terms, and fast reordering. We build it on the platform that fits and connect it to your ERP.
Features
What B2B ecommerce features can you build?
Tiered and contract pricing, quote and approval workflows, account hierarchies, net terms, purchase-order checkout, gated catalogs, customer-specific catalogs, fast reordering, sales-rep order-on-behalf, and ERP integration.
Can you integrate our ERP, PIM, POS, and marketplaces?
Yes. We connect your ERP, PIM, POS, 3PL, and marketplaces into one order and inventory layer so pricing, stock, and orders stay in sync instead of living in separate systems.
Can you build a dealer or distributor portal?
Yes. We build dealer, distributor, and wholesale portals with per-account pricing, order history, reordering, quote requests, and net terms, integrated with your ERP.
Can my sales reps place orders for accounts?
Yes. We build order-on-behalf tools, account dashboards, and quoting so your reps work in the same system your buyers do, with full visibility of pricing and history.
Wholesale & Multi-Channel
What is a wholesale ecommerce platform?
A wholesale ecommerce platform is a B2B store built for trade buyers rather than consumers. It holds wholesale pricing behind a login, enforces minimum order quantities and case or pallet units, gives each account its own catalogue and price list, offers net terms and on-account checkout, and makes reordering forty SKUs a one-click job.
What is the best B2B wholesale platform?
It depends on catalogue size and trade complexity. Shopify Plus handles most wholesale operations cleanly and runs DTC on the same store. Adobe Commerce fits very large catalogues and deep native B2B. BigCommerce sits well in the mid-market.
Can you build a B2B ecommerce site for manufacturers?
Yes. Manufacturer builds usually mean dealer and distributor portals: per-account pricing, spec sheets and technical attributes, configurable or made-to-order products, warranty registration, and reordering, all synced to the ERP that holds your part master.
Can you build B2B ecommerce for distributors?
Yes. Distributor builds centre on large attribute-heavy catalogues, parametric and compatibility search, customer-specific assortments, contract pricing, bulk order pads, and tight inventory accuracy across multiple warehouses.
What is multi-channel commerce for B2B?
Multi-channel commerce means every route an order can arrive by writes to one system. A self-service portal, EDI from national accounts, punchout from procurement platforms, rep-written orders, marketplaces, and retail or POS all share the same catalogue, pricing rules, and inventory pool.
Do you support EDI and punchout?
Yes. We implement EDI 850 purchase orders, 855 acknowledgements, 856 advance ship notices, and 810 invoices, and cXML or OCI punchout so buyers inside Coupa, Ariba, Jaggaer, or Oracle procurement can shop your catalogue and return an approved requisition.
ERP & Integrations
Which ERPs do you integrate with?
NetSuite, SAP S/4HANA and Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage Intacct and X3, Acumatica, Epicor Kinetic and Prophet 21, Infor, QuickBooks Enterprise, and Odoo.
What data actually syncs between the store and the ERP?
Customers and account hierarchies, contract and tiered price lists, credit limits and payment terms, inventory by location, orders, invoices, and shipment status.
Can you connect NetSuite or SAP to Shopify Plus?
Yes, both are common builds. NetSuite to Shopify Plus typically syncs items, customers, price levels, inventory, and sales orders. SAP Business One and S/4HANA work the same way through their APIs.
How do you handle credit limits and net terms against the ERP?
The store reads the account credit limit and open balance from the ERP at checkout. If the account is within limit and current, on-account checkout with net terms is offered. If it is over limit or past due, we hold the order for approval.
Working Together
Can you migrate our existing B2B store without losing SEO?
Yes. We handle replatforming and data migration, including products, customers, orders, and B2B pricing, with 301 redirects and a cutover plan that protects your rankings and uptime.
How long does a B2B ecommerce build take?
Most B2B builds and migrations run from a few weeks to a few months, depending on catalog complexity, custom pricing rules, and ERP integration. You get a phased timeline with milestones after scoping.
Do you work with US B2B brands?
Yes, most of the brands we work with are US-based, across DTC and B2B, with a decade-plus of commerce builds. You own and operate everything we build.
What do you need from us before the build starts?
Your current catalog or ERP export, a list of account types and pricing rules such as tiers, contracts, and net terms, and one real example of how a buyer orders today. That is enough for us to scope accounts, pricing, and integrations before writing a proposal.
Who owns the code and the platform after launch?
You do. We hand over the full codebase, admin access, and platform ownership at launch. There is no agency subscription or software rent; you run the store and pay only your own platform and hosting costs.
What happens after our B2B ecommerce site launches?
We support the cutover period, fix anything that surfaces under real order volume, and train your team on the admin, pricing rules, and ERP sync. After that you can run it yourself or keep us on for ongoing support and new features.
How is building a B2B ecommerce site different from a normal ecommerce build, process-wise?
A DTC build mostly needs product pages, cart, and checkout. A B2B build adds account hierarchies, per-account pricing logic, quote and approval workflows, and ERP or EDI integration, so more of the work happens in mapping data and business rules before any storefront design starts.
Give your trade buyers a store worth logging into.
Tell us how your buyers order today. We will map your pricing, accounts, and ERP into one B2B ecommerce platform and send a fixed proposal before any work starts.
Related: e-commerce development, Adobe Commerce / Magento, BigCommerce, agentic commerce, omnichannel commerce, and our ecommerce platform comparison.
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