Solving the 5 B2B Ecommerce Challenges that Stunt Brand Growth

Today’s B2B customers often rely on suppliers’ ecommerce sites to make purchases. And they’re citing ease and convenience as the key reasons they prefer the online sales channel over offline alternatives.

A key growth driver for B2B businesses, ecommerce now presents an opportunity that’s bigger than ever. In fact, as many as 70% of B2B decision-makers are prepared to spend up to $500,000 on a single ecommerce transaction.

However, just because we’re seeing growing demand from customers and a vast majority of brands offering a B2B ecommerce site, doesn’t mean that all B2B businesses will successfully deliver on ecommerce expectations.

But it’s not for lack of trying.

The Hidden Complexity Behind Today’s Top B2B Ecommerce Challenges

For B2B organizations today, ecommerce is a must-have. It’s a key tool in an increasingly sprawling tech stack, and in the face of an increasingly competitive market.

And although new data from Adobe reveals that most B2B brands (that’s 82%!) are selling online via ecommerce sites, and as many as 93% are happy with their current ecommerce platform, customers are —on the other hand— largely unimpressed with the experiences they’re getting.

When it comes to customer satisfaction levels in B2B ecommerce in 2024:

• 38% feel they typically have a somewhat negative or negative experience
• And another 25% rate their B2B ecommerce experiences as “average”

Here’s a look at some of the top B2B ecommerce challenges contributing to this disconnect today.

1. Complex Sales Cycle With Many Decision-Makers

The B2B buying process is typically complex due to the involvement of many decision-makers and the need for in-depth product research.

Unlike the quick purchases B2C ecommerce customers make, B2B transactions often involve significant investments and careful evaluation, which can be time-consuming. And that’s not all.

B2B customers spend time researching available options before purchasing a product or service. This long buying process poses a challenge for B2B ecommerce stores that want to make quick sales.

Here’s how you address this sales cycle complexity.

Solution: Provide Value and Personalized Customer Support During the Sales Process

B2B customers often rely on product demos as an information source when making purchase decisions. But there are some tried-and-true ways to make sure you can inform, educate, and empower them.

For example, make it a goal to provide personalized customer experiences and comprehensive product presentations to decision-makers throughout the sales process. This way, you can offer value to B2B customers, boost sales, and build long-term relationships.

At k-ecommerce, we offer a rich product catalog that enables you to feature multiple product images. You can also add dynamic content like spec sheets and videos to your product pages. The result? This enables you to showcase your products in style.

2. Data Security and Privacy Threats

Cybersecurity attacks are another major challenge B2B ecommerce companies face.

B2B transactions often involve large sums of money and sensitive information. This makes B2B companies prime targets of cyberattacks. So it’s crucial to implement solid measures to safeguard customer data, payment details, and proprietary business information from cyberattacks.

That said, implementing robust security measures can be challenging. You need to monitor and update your systems constantly to mitigate security risks.

Solution: Use Ecommerce Platforms That Provide a Secure Payment Gateway

Partner with reputable ecommerce platforms offering secure payment gateways that encrypt sensitive data during online transactions. This reduces the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

Ecommerce solutions protect customer data by implementing security measures such as:

• Firewalls and intrusion detection systems to block unauthorized access to the platform’s network or servers.
• Secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption to secure data transmission between your clients and your website.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security beyond passwords to further protect your systems and customer data.

At k-ecommerce, we offer iron-clad security through our in-house security experts and PCI-certified private cloud infrastructure, ensuring you get the highest possible level of data protection.

3. Complex System Integrations

B2B companies often have complex processes and software for customer relationship management (CRM), inventory management, and order processing. As a result, integrating these systems with new ecommerce platforms can be challenging. It requires careful planning and technical expertise to ensure smooth operations.

Moreover, customization and scalability are crucial for B2B ecommerce businesses. Since each customer has unique preferences, you need a flexible ecommerce platform capable of accommodating these diverse needs.

The platform should be scalable enough to handle increased demands as your business grows and attracts more clients.

Unfortunately, most ecommerce platforms can’t effectively address the needs of a rapidly growing B2B business. They’re more suited to retail companies with B2C customers.

Solution: Choose the Right B2B Ecommerce Platform That Offers Customization and Scalability Functionalities

Invest in an ecommerce solution that offers specialized B2B functionalities such as:

• Bulk order management and customer-specific pricing to enhance your company’s efficiency, customer relationships, and overall profitability.
• Seamless integration with your existing ERP, CRM software, and order management system to ensure a smooth workflow.
• Robust order tracking and reporting features to monitor large-scale transactions.

An ecommerce solution like k-ecommerce provides B2B-specific features such as ERP integration and embedded payment gateways to meet your company’s unique needs. We also scale with your business as it grows, accommodating increased demands without compromising performance.

Take Sauces Piquantes as an example. In 2015, the company launched its ecommerce store and shifted its focus from B2C to B2B sales. However, the brand encountered new business challenges that its existing solutions couldn’t address.

Sauces Piquantes shifted to k-ecommerce due to its native integration with Acomba, an invoicing and inventory software. As a result, the brand could seamlessly connect invoicing and inventory with its ecommerce platform without third-party plugins.

Our ecommerce solution provided the brand with:

• Real-time updates on orders, prices, and invoices.
• Bi-directional data integration.
• Quick time to market for their B2B online store.