At Edistera, we have had the good fortune to gain knowledge from numerous implementations of B2B eCommerce platforms. Talking with businesses that come to us after their initial effort at a B2B eCommerce platform with a different vendor didn't work out, yields some of our strongest insights.
The following are the top 5 mistakes we hear from businesses that have implemented B2B eCommerce systems in the past but wish they had done things differently.
The most frequent issue we observe in early B2B eCommerce platform deployments is poor buyer acceptance, which is nearly always caused by a buyer experience that is not user-friendly, subpar on mobile devices, and generally falls short of buyers' expectations in 2025.
It is quite easy to identify a poor user experience because you simply do not see your customers putting online orders if you have this issue.
The solution: Ensure that the buyer experience offered by your B2B eCommerce platform vendor is one that your customers can not only understand but also find enjoyable. Contemporary B2B eCommerce platforms need to be user-friendly, mobile-friendly, and tailored to B2B selling processes.
Modern distributors and manufacturers understand that it's critical to provide B2B buyers with options when they place purchases, which includes both web and mobile options.
They demand cross-platform functionality, so if your backend and mobile app aren't integrated, they can't begin a purchase on one device and complete it on another.
Furthermore, pricing and promotion information could not be consistent between the two systems, confusing customers and adding to the workload for your sales reps.
The solution: Make sure your mobile app and backend are fully integrated, or even better, that they are a part of the same B2B eCommerce platform. In this manner, all of the order data will be combined into a single backend, and product and pricing data will correspond.
Complex selling regulations, such as customer-specific pricing, purchase minimums, incentives, and more, can be implemented by B2B companies. After selecting a vendor for their B2B eCommerce platform, many businesses discover later that the complexity they need, cannot be accommodated.
At this point, their only choices are to either manually amend orders after they have been placed or forego their selling rules in favour of a simpler strategy, which negates the benefit of an automated and effective B2B eCommerce platform.
The solution: To make sure your vendor can meet your objectives, spend some time outlining any intricate selling regulations before investing in a B2B eCommerce platform. You shouldn't have to settle because top B2B eCommerce vendors can handle complex selling scenarios.
Your implementation will undoubtedly suffer if you attempt to deploy your B2B eCommerce platform without the assistance of your sales representatives.
Sales representatives that perceive B2B eCommerce as a danger frequently discourage customers to place orders online, which makes it hard to assess the effectiveness of your new software and, more crucially, prevents you from getting the most out of online ordering.
The solution: Commission your sales representatives on all B2B orders, even those placed online, to make sure they are evangelists for your B2B eCommerce platform. Make sure they are able to teach your customers how to utilise your business-to-business eCommerce platform and even provide incentives to encourage more of your customers to place online orders.
Almost invariably, businesses who hire a third-party agency or their "website guy" to create a unique B2B eCommerce website are let down. Since selling B2B requires much more than a straightforward transactional website that can not be managed by a consultant without B2B selling experience, these projects frequently never really get off the ground.
Additionally, initiatives that do eventually launch may out to be far more costly, complicated, and challenging to update than anticipated.
The solution: Today, you can purchase a robust B2B eCommerce platform off-the-shelf, and reputable vendors will permit minor adjustments and modifications to satisfy your company's needs. In the long run, finding a solution with this perfect combination will be far more cost-effective and get you up and running faster.
Learn from the mistakes made by others. There is no justification for your business to lose out on chances and revenue due to a subpar B2B eCommerce platform. Don't settle for a mediocre solution; instead, take your time assessing B2B eCommerce vendors and observe their systems in operation.
Edistera assists distributors and manufacturers in creating B2B eCommerce platforms correctly the first time (or, if you have already encountered these pitfalls, the second time). To get started with B2B eCommerce, schedule a 10-minute consultation with one of our experts right now.