The 10 Best Examples of B2B eCommerce Website Development

For merchants to make more sales, they need a website that looks nice, is easy to use, and is well-organized. However, even the most experienced developers run into a number of problems when they try to build B2B eCommerce websites. B2B businesses face more problems than retailers do. These problems include more complicated operations and sales channels, a wider range of product lines, and others. B2B eCommerce website development surely is complicated, which warrants a good guideline with which to approach. 

This article looks at the best ways to build B2B eCommerce websites so that businesses can increase their conversion rates and stay relevant in an economy that is changing quickly, as well as prime examples of successful B2B eCommerce websites. First, let us dive into what a B2B eCommerce website means.

What Is B2B eCommerce Website Development?

To better understand B2B eCommerce websites, we need to compare them to B2C ones. Websites that help businesses sell to other businesses are called “business-to-business” (B2B) websites, while websites that help businesses sell to individual customers are called “business-to-customers” (B2C) websites.

Consumer trends toward more customer engagement and the overall growth of online sales have had an effect on B2B companies. This has blurred the lines between B2B and B2C over the last ten years. Even though this difference used to be big, the lines between B2B and B2C have become less clear over the last ten years.

Recommended reading: What is B2B Ecommerce? All You Need to Know about B2B Ecommerce

Context

Precedence Research stated that the worldwide revenue of B2B eCommerce is projected to achieve nearly USD 45 trillion in 2032. Accordingly, the forecast period 2023-2032 witnesses a CAGR of 18.50%, fueled by a surge in AI/ML adoption. Unsurprisingly, the North American region dominates the market with a share of 39%. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific’s eCommerce market is predicted to expand fastest.

Statista highlighted that key players like Amazon Business do well due to their strong B2C foundation. However, compared with B2C, the sales cycle in B2B eCommerce is much longer and harder for the vendor. Before putting in an order, a B2B buyer will leverage 3-10 online channels to search on offerings.

However, only 36% of B2B buyers have excellent experience on B2B eCommerce websites. This encourages these websites to re-evaluate their UI/UX design and functionalities to enhance user experience, engagement, and retention.

10 Must Haves of eCommerce B2B Website Development

Regardless of which industries your B2B eCommerce website aims to, it needs to give your business clients a personalized shopping experience. To do so, you need to include the features and functions that are most important and valuable to those clients. Some of the things on this list below are common on eCommerce websites for consumers. However, in order to meet the needs of corporate customers, you also need to be flexible with it.

1. Advanced Search Tools

If your search tool isn’t working well, it’ll be hard for customers to find what they’re looking for. Rather than relying on the search features that come with your website, it might be better to invest in a search facility to make your products more visible.

Some search tools will finish your search strings for you, fix common typos, and even show you photos of related products as search suggestions.

2. Business-Centric Payment Options

Companies pay for goods and services in a way that is different from how regular people do it. So, your B2B eCommerce website needs to take into account how business clients buy things. For example, it is common for people to pay for goods and services when they buy them. This is called “cash-and-carry.”

On the other hand, when companies want to make it easier to pay their suppliers, they often choose to open lines of credit with them. The more payment options you give your customers, the more likely it is that you will make a sale. Payment systems like PayPal and Square make it possible for businesses to do business with each other.

3. Clear Navigation

For B2B eCommerce website development, navigation is a very important part. It works like a map or set of directions, sending customers to the places where they can find the best products. The “bounce rate,” which is the number of people who visit a website and then leave after only a few seconds, will go down a lot if the site is easy to navigate and has useful information. Also, if potential customers can’t find the information they need, they might leave your website without making a purchase. Because of this, the number of sales that businesses make will go down.

4. Real-Time Inventory Updates 

Companies make a lot of purchases, and they have strict rules about how much of each thing they can buy. It is recommended that a real-time inventory feature be built into the process of making a B2B eCommerce website. If you have real-time inventory updates, it will be easier for them to make smart purchasing decisions. Also, if your real-time inventory is visible, you won’t sell things that you don’t actually have in stock. Customers are more likely to leave your eCommerce website and business if you don’t send them the right amount of goods when they order them.

5. Mobile Solutions 

We live in a world where phones come first. Your online storefront for B2B sales needs to be mobile-friendly. If you look at it that way, making a mobile app for your online store might even be the best thing for your business. Even if you don’t plan to spend money on a mobile app right now, you must have a website that works well on mobile devices. Everyone uses their phone to get on the internet, and as mobile experiences continue to get better everywhere, mCommerce will only get better.

However, due to the variety in mobile display sizes and the more limited space, developing for mobile is not easy. Not to mention that you have to create a consistent interface for different devices (e.g., desktop and mobile) and ensure the mobile version displays full content, with element sizes and call-to-action buttons easily accessible for users. Here’s what we at Designveloper often do to address this case:

• We’ll ask the PO (Product Owner) to check the data for the smallest devices accessed by users. Additionally, the owner should gather data on the most frequently used features by users to trim down unnecessary features for mobile display – adhering to the principle of Simplicity.

• Once the specifications are obtained, we’ll start adapting the design for the smallest mobile version. We’ll retain all the important features on the mobile layout, while hiding unnecessary ones.

• Further, we also pay special attention to how elements (like font size and buttons) will be displayed. For example, the Upload button on mobile can be transformed into a round button that is always displayed by default in the lower right corner. This is where the user’s thumb can easily reach with a single tap. For this reason, you can ensure usability.

Recommended reading: ECommerce Business: Definition, Models of Transactions, and eCommerce Environment

6. Dynamic Pricing

Prices in modern B2B eCommerce can change in response to changes in the market that happen in real time. It speeds up the decision-making process to think about the size of the deal, the type of customer, and the type of goods.

Businesses like Amazon and Airbnb use flexible pricing structures so they can make money and keep their customers happy. McKinsey says that B2B companies use dynamic pricing to understand and predict when to raise prices quickly to take advantage of an opportunity or when to lower prices to keep sales from dropping. This is done by looking at data from the past and comparing it to how the market is right now.

7. Bulk Discount

Harvard Business Review says that after Big Gulp came out, 7-Eleven’s profits went up by 100%. If you are a B2B seller, you can also offer bulk discounts on your site. This will help you get as many new customers as possible while keeping the ones you already have.

8. User Management System

A B2B account doesn’t belong to just one person; it belongs to the whole organization to which it is linked. User roles could be very limited and only include the tasks that they do now. Buying something can take a long time and involve many different people and stages of approval. Because of this, you need access control lists to give or take away different permissions from users. These permissions cover things like managing roles, accounts, orders, price lists, catalogs, inventory, and so on.

9. Lightning Site Speed

Your site needs to be faster so that users can have a better experience. If a website loads faster, people tend to stay on it longer and are more likely to buy something. Because of this, Google now takes into account how fast your site is when deciding where it ranks. The higher your rank, the more clients will be able to find you.

10. Order Tracking

The ability to track an order is helpful for customers. However, it is even more important for businesses that depend on their goods to ship on time. So, for B2B eCommerce website development, you need to make sure that your clients can track orders. In addition to letting your business customers check the status of their orders on their own, you should also send them regular email updates with status reports.

Top 10 Best eCommerce B2B Websites

Many companies that sell to other businesses have built world-class eCommerce sites that are successful at attracting and keeping B2B customers. Here is a list of some of them.

1. Blake Envelopes

Blake Envelopes is thought by many to be one of the best examples of originality and accuracy in B2B eCommerce. It has a very clean and well-made eCommerce site with great functionality, a simple design, and amazing benefits from education and corporate responsibility programs. The site is also pretty easy to use.

There was a lot of variety in the products, but they were all organized and easy to find. The site search was also easy to use. The design has been carefully thought out so that product searches can be done not only by color, range, and style, but also by pack sizes, sorts, opaques, and so on.

FURTHER READING:

1. eCommerce Websites Definition: What To Know About This?

2. How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform for Your Need?

3. eCommerce Website Development: The Definitive Guide

2. Berlin Packaging

Since its start in 1938, Berlin Packaging has been run by the same family. It has grown to become one of the largest packaging companies in the country. When building their eCommerce store, they gave top priority to features like specific item attributes, custom inputs to improve workflows, and custom shipping and handling options for their customers, among many others.

Their finished web store is now a marvel, with features like faceted search and an easy-to-find consultation page. With a simple drop-down menu, businesses can figure out what services work best for them in a matter of minutes, and the “trending” items highlight the company’s successes in many different fields.

3. Global Sources

Global Sources is a B2B eCommerce website that connects global buyers with suppliers, primarily from Asia. Headquartered in Hong Kong, this company facilitates international trade by providing a centralized hub for businesses to find and buy products from global manufacturers and sellers. Their products are diverse, ranging from auto vehicles & accessories and electronic components to industrial supplies and hardware.

4. Xometry

Xometry is a leading on-demand manufacturing platform. This B2B eCommerce website provides its manufacturing clients with custom solutions. They involve CNC machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, urethane casting, injecting molding, etc.

Xometry provides three pricing packages. The first one is Instant Quoting, which enables you to see instant costs and lead time based on your uploaded design file. Second, Xometry can customize high-volume production based on your production files and with the support of their Quality Management & Product Systems. Finally, you can outsource the full product cycle, from new product introduction (NPI) to production.

Whether your choice, Xometry uses advanced tech to streamline the production process. This ensures your business can receive high-quality tailored products (like prototypes or parts) cost-effectively.

5. Mercateo

Mercateo is a B2B eCommerce platform that specializes in online procurement and supply chain.The website was launched in 2000 in Munich, Germany and has served different clients within the European region. It provides a large selection of products across various categories. These products include stationery, computers & accessories, electronics, occupational safety, medical & laboratory supplies, and more.

6. Zoro

Zoro is an online B2B eCommerce platform headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 2011 as a subsidiary of Grainger, a leading supplier of maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products. So no wonder Zoro can offer a convenient and efficient way for businesses to procure the supplies they need. Accordingly, Zoro’s products are diverse, ranging from tools and machining to electrical supplies and adhesives & tapes.

Only with a $50 order, you can get free shipping from Zoro. Another plus of this B2B eCommerce website is that it provides competitive pricing, often with discounts and special promotions. Further, the website is easy to navigate, with advanced search and filtering options. This makes it simpler for you to find the products you want swiftly.

7. Curbell Plastics

Founded in 1942, Curbell Plastics is a leader in plastic materials and products for different industries. It offers a diversity of high-performance plastics depending on industries and use purposes. They include ABS, Acetal, Acrylic, Aluminum Composite Material (ACM), CAB, CE Canvas Phenolic, ECTFE, and more.

Further, this B2B eCommerce website offers different custom fabrication services. They entail fabrication & machining, plastic fabrication processes, custom cutting, plastic part design, and plastic machining guidelines. All helps tailor plastic parts and components that meet specific customer requirements. Curbell Plastics also provide specialized services to save time and money, like plastic application troubleshooting, packaging & kitting, national account management, etc.

8. DHgate

DHgate is one of the China-based online B2C and B2B marketplace. It specializes in providing small and medium-sized businesses with products from Chinese producers. The platform’s product catalog is extensive, including cell phones, electronics, home & garden, lighting, computers & components, and more.

Like other B2B eCommerce websites, DHgate offers competitive pricing to those looking for good deals. It also protects buyers and ensures safe transactions with such services as secure payment options or escrow services. In addition, DHgate implements a supplier verification system to foster trust and reliability. This ensures that sellers on the platform satisfy certain standards and qualifications.

9. MEDI-LINE

If you’re looking for a manufacturer in the medical and pharmaceutical segments, don’t ignore MEDI-LINE. This B2B eCommerce platform offers a variety of single-use medical equipment and products. Some outstanding medical devices manufactured by MEDI-LINE include TVT (Tension-free Vaginal Tape), Fastlab cassette, Cartridges for radiopharmacy, and more. MEDI-LINE can customize such products to align with your business requirements and specific industry standards.

MEDI-LINE also operates its own manufacturing facilitates in the Liege Science Park and maintains a robust distribution network. This ensures they can deliver products and devices timely to business clients across globe.

10. Avery Dennison

Avery Dennison Corporation is a leading producer and distributor of labeling and packaging materials in the world. Since its foundation in 1935, the company has expanded to 50+ countries and served various industries (e.g., automotive, healthcare, and logistics). Further, it provides other services like graphics solutions, reflective solutions, performance polymers, digital ink solutions, etc. With all these offerings, Avery Dennison ensures long-term sustainability, supply chain efficiency, and waste reduction.

Recommended reading: B2B eCommerce Platform and 10 Important Features

Conclusion

With B2B eCommerce site, you need to do more research and use more technology than when making a site for consumer-to-consumer transactions. You must make sure that your business doesn’t overlook the benefits of a modern eCommerce web design in favor of a traditional B2B eCommerce web design. You must think of your business-to-business eCommerce website as a personal reflection of your brand’s image. 

In conclusion, we talked about some of the basic features necessary for B2B eCommerce website development. It’s a good start, but it’s not everything. When setting up a website for B2B eCommerce, it’s a good idea to talk to an app development partner such as Designveloper if you can’t figure out yet which strategy will work best.