B2B Ecommerce
B2B ecommerce is businesses buying from businesses online, with account pricing, bulk orders, and terms built in.
What B2B ecommerce is
B2B ecommerce is businesses buying from businesses online: wholesale reorders, distributor portals, and procurement purchases running through storefronts and catalogs instead of phone calls and faxed POs.
Why B2B ecommerce matters
Business buyers live as consumers the rest of the day and expect the same self-service: search, stock visibility, their prices, order history, reorder in two clicks. Suppliers who offer it take share from those still requiring a sales call for a restock.
What makes B2B storefronts different
- Account-specific pricing and negotiated catalogs
- Bulk ordering: case packs, quick order forms, saved lists
- Net terms and invoice payment at checkout
- Approval workflows and multiple buyers per account
Frequently asked questions
How is B2B checkout different from B2C?
The cart might be a quote, the payment might be net terms against a credit limit, and the buyer might need a manager’s approval. The flow bends around how companies purchase.
Can one store serve B2C and B2B?
Commonly: gated wholesale pricing on the same catalog, or a separate portal for trade accounts. The split follows how different the pricing and buying process are.
Related terms
Wholesale · Net Terms · EDI · Volume Discount