Top 6 B2B Ecommerce Platforms for 2020

"2B OR NOT 2B?"

Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce is reaching new heights and there is no end in sight. The recent evolution and growth of B2B eCommerce is grabbing the attention of buyers, sellers and investors all over the world. To have a deep look into relevant B2B statistics and 2020 market share analysis, check out the article HERE.

If you are a forward-thinking entrepreneur and realize the huge potential B2B eCommerce represents, perhaps the first vital question you'll need to ask is,

"Which eCommerce platform should I use to host my new site?"

First of all, it is essential to understand what differentiate B2B platforms from other types of platforms and how eCommerce platforms should be equipped for B2B success.

Today, we will walk you through what features a B2B platform should have and explore what top popular platforms are out there to help you switch over to selling wholesale online or as we call it B2B eCommerce.

The expectations of customer experience in a B2B environment have grown over the past decade. More B2B buyers require a simple eCommerce experience that mimics the model of traditional business-to-business relationship.

The nature of B2B eCommerce (and B2B commerce in general) is such that you'll typically forge more long-term business relationships with your customers than you would running a B2C store.

Because of this, it's in your best interest to give each of your long-term customers the individualized attention they deserve. You can do this in a couple different ways.

Your first step will be to segment your B2B customers based on a few important characteristics.

We have covered how different B2B eCommerce is from traditional online selling. While a lot of the process seems like it should be similar, there are touch points throughout where the right technology makes all the difference. Let's take a look how you can get all the mentioned B2B features rolled out on your site with the modern eCommerce technology.

CS-Cart B2B&B2C solution deserved the top position on our list for a great combination of rich functionality, user-friendliness and affordable price.

CS-Cart is a professional B2B eCommerce platform to build online stores for manufacturers and wholesale companies. CS-Cart B2B eCommerce platform requires no experience as a developer or designer to get up and running - it is easy to understand and operate. The admin panel is full of features but it's well-organized so that you could easily navigate and operate the store.

The company delivers some of the most compelling open source eCommerce software for running an online store, with powerful SEO and conversion tools, built-in store management, extensions and themes.

Features:

• User groups with different privileges and prices
  
• 45 product parameters
  
• Powerful SEO tools
  
• Unlimited number of storefronts via a single administration panel
  
• Inventory management in several warehouses
  
• Personal manager information block
  
• Fast order creation in the admin panel
  
• Easy re-ordering
  
• Add products to cart in bulk
  
• Automatic invoice generation
  
• 50+ Payment Systems
  
• Real-Time Shipping Rates
  

If you're looking to establish a marketplace (not just one online storefront), then CS-Cart B2B and B2C could be the best for your B2B eCommerce solutions. This software gives you the tools to team up with other sellers to sell products via your website.

3dCart is another option for those in search of the best B2B eCommerce platform. If you need help turning visitors into customers as quickly as possible, 3dcart has you covered, with plenty of customizable themes, a mobile-friendly interface, numerous integrations, and controlled visibility. You also get access to amazing features like customer segmentation.


Customer segmentation within your B2B eCommerce platform means that you can divide your customers based on product information, or how much they buy. This means that you can sell things like webinars and premium content to certain customers. You can even hide your bulk pricing from other customers, so that you can always get the best income from your clients.


Other B2B features included with 3dcart include one-click reorder, excellent for subscription and membership purchases, and pricing customization.

Features:

• Pricing customization options
  
• One-click re-order and subscriptions
  
• Comprehensive back-end product information control
  
• Segmentation for customers
  
• Open-source extensibility
  
• Volume bulk ordering
  
• Product quantity discounts (automated)
  
• Flexible tax management
  
• Accounting integrations
  
• SEO friendly back-end
  
• 200+ built-in features
  
• Multiple payment processors
  
• Countless free themes
  

Shopify Plus is already a popular B2B cloud-based tool. Shopify Plus comes with access to a wholesale eCommerce channel that you can add to your website within a couple of clicks. What's more, the extensible nature of Shopify means that you can basically tap into any feature you could want, from new payment options, to order quantity tracking.

You don't need to be a web developer or skilled coder to set-up your B2B eCommerce platform, as Shopify offers tons of free and premium themes, along with editing tools, so you can choose a theme and design it to best reflect your brand.

Features:

• Launching multiple websites from the same back-end
  
• 24/7 store performance
  
• Dedicated storefronts
  
• 20 sales channels available from your dashboard
  
• Advanced custom pricing
  
• Integration with Avalara for taxation
  
• Powerful platform for up to 8000 orders a minute
  
• One step checkout options
  
• Thousands of apps
  
• SSL certificate built-in
  
• Wholesale selling available
  
• Dropshipping via apps like Orbelo
  

On top of that, Shopify Plus also has extensive apps and partners ecosystem, consisting of a variety of apps, technology providers and agencies. This reduces the need for external integration and further customization.

If price is an important factor to consider, then keep in mind that The platform fee is calculated based on your monthly sales volume. The figure ranges from 0.15% to 0.25%, depending on whether you are using Shopify Payments as the payment gateway.

BigCommerce is another incredible tool for eCommerce sales in the B2B landscape. Whether you're a small business or a larger company, BigCommerce will provide you with a comprehensive set of tools designed to get you up and running fast. You can access your audience for ERP support, and you can integrate your platform with various leading tools too.

BigCommerce is one of the more powerful eCommerce business store builders on the market, offering support for those who want to access beautiful websites, with social media integrations and high-level checkouts. You can access things like PCI DSS support, so you know that you're protecting the crucial information that you collect from customers. What's more, organizing your product catalog and inventory is easy too.

One particularly compelling feature of BigCommerce is the fact that it comes with access to quote builders – ideal for SaaS companies and service brands. There's also quick re-ordering available too.

Features:

• Easy subscriptions and re-orders
  
• Advanced shipping options
  
• Per-unit cost
  
• Automatically applied volume discounts
  
• B2B specific payment services
  
• Backend ERP system and CRM integrations
  
• Discounted and custom prices
  
• Segmentation for audiences
  
• Responsive and stylish website design
  
• Quote builder options
  

QuickBooks Commerce, formerly known as TradeGecko, is a powerful cloud based inventory and order management tool for modern online businesses.

Combining manufacturing, sales channels, locations, and currencies so that every product, order, and customer can be managed in one place.

QuickBooks Commerce also includes detailed reports, customer insights and forecasts to track and predict business performance. In addition, the mobile app shows a quick glance at business data and makes it easy to create and manage orders, monitor inventory, and contact customers and suppliers.

eWorldTrade is a b2b platform with over 500,000 members from 200+ different countries. The platform provides easy access to suppliers, manufacturers, and exporters all around the world.

Their core goal is to make international trade easy and convenient for businesses of all sizes. To do so, eWorldTrade offers a wide range of services and products that can help you grow your business internationally. These services include, for example, a team of experts who are ready to help you every step of the way: from finding the right supplier to shipping your products.

With their easy-to-use platform, you can find the suppliers and manufacturers you need, when you need them. eWorldTrade has all the tools to help you scale your business globally.

Whatever reason you have to jump onto the B2B eCommerce bandwagon, when deciding which B2B eCommerce platform you should use, ask yourself which features matter most to you. The business leader in search of an eCommerce platform with plenty of back-end support will need something much different to someone who needs a platform that's as flexible and scalable as possible. Rather than predicting, or trusting a popular name alone, you should consider using the features we have highlighted in this article. Narrow down your choices based on the given aspects and ultimately you will have the right mix working perfectly for you.