B2B Ecommerce in Manufacturing: The Past, Present, and Future (And Why it Matters for Your Business)

Ecommerce is not new for manufacturers, but the ways it’s being leveraged is constantly changing. To better understand where ecommerce is moving in manufacturing, it’s important to know how it started. Let’s take a journey through the past, present, and future of manufacturing ecommerce.

Past

Limited online presence

At the advent of ecommerce, many manufacturing businesses had never heard of, let alone established, web stores. Some might have had or quickly created company websites, but that was no guarantee that said sites had buying or selling capabilities.

Emphasis on physical catalogs and order placement

Similarly, most orders and inventory would have been in a physical format or location. This could cause headaches regarding item availability, inventory management, and more.

Reliance on email and phone calls for sales interactions

The majority of manufacturing orders and payments were done in person, over the phone, or via email, placing geographical and logistical limitations on sales opportunities.

Restricted payment options

Given the traditional, onsite or over-the-phone ordering process, the ways customers could pay for their needed items was limited. Even certain credit cards could be rejected, or become a data risk because of many manufacturers’ unencrypted payment collection processes.

Basic search and filtering capabilities

For those that did have web stores, they were often inefficient or built using B2C software that was manipulated into working for B2B purchases. Either way, these sites were more work for staff members with little to no positive results.

Lack of personalization

With many manufacturers offering a basic web store, personalization for customers was unheard of. That meant all of a manufacturer’s customers would be funneled to the same web page, regardless of what product they were ordering, the number of items they needed, or if they were a repeat customer with a routine, standing order. Additionally, pricing was often a one-size-fits all experience, when B2B customers often prefer to negotiate rates that best meet their needs.

Present

Thankfully, many of these early manufacturing ecommerce woes are things of the past. Now solutions—like k-ecommerce—have been designed to help manufacturers achieve B2B ecommerce success—for them, and their customers.

Digital transformation

B2B ecommerce has been a catalyst for growth for many manufacturers, transforming them into digitally powered commerce engines. Gone are the limited web stores of yesteryear, with B2B ecommerce accounting for 16% of all manufacturing sales in 2024. With the continuing change in B2B consumer expectations and experience to better match B2C, the increased importance and presence of ecommerce is only projected to continue for manufacturing organizations.

Tech stack integration

The right B2B ecommerce solution does more than just make ecommerce easier for manufacturers—it seamlessly integrates with these businesses’ existing ERP. Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, SAP—all of these systems are powerful tools for collecting and managing customer, inventory, and product data. However, pairing an ecommerce solution that was designed with the needs of manufacturers in mind with these ERPS works to take ecommerce operations to the next level that modern businesses need to continue to succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Self-service options

Tying into the “Amazonification” of B2B ecommerce is consumers desire for self-service ordering capabilities. More and more manufacturers are leveraging ecommerce tools that offer customer portals, which remember individual buyers’ purchases, commonly searched items, their preferred payment method, and more.

Similar to B2C retailers, B2B manufacturers need to implement an ecommerce solution that provides their buyers with the customer experience they expect

Bulk ordering and reordering

Being able to browse, select, easily add to cart, and place orders eliminates tedious time-consuming steps for manufacturers’ repeat customers. Real-time tracking and customization options also ensure that these large orders arrive fully fulfilled and on time—a major win for manufacturers.

Future

So what’s next on the journey for manufacturing ecommerce?

Increased AI integration

Unsurprisingly given AI’s increasing usage across nearly all aspects of modern life, it’s no shock that manufacturers can expect it to be incorporated into future ecommerce solutions and strategies. AI-driven personalization, from product search to email marketing, is projected to further enhance the customer experience for manufacturers.

Omni-channel integration

Siloed software systems and departments will become a thing of the past. The future of ecommerce in manufacturing will be shaped by omni-channel integration, allowing for better, more accurate, more efficient data flow throughout manufacturing organizations. In turn, this increased efficiency saves staff valuable time and effort, so they can focus on more strategic initiatives like providing customers with the level of service they need.

Marketplaces

B2C’s impact on B2B ecommerce can be seen here too. Future consumers will want a “marketplace” style feel for ordering, making the B2B researching, purchasing, and browsing experience like one’s customers have for their own personal retail shopping experience.

Sustainable and ethical sourcing

Many brands and businesses are choosing to “go green” in response to changing consumer preferences and environmental concerns. 46% of consumers believe that a brand’s sustainability record is an important factor when choosing a business to purchase from. For manufacturers, who often deal with the logistics of delivering inventory, maintaining large storage facilities, and processing costs, this change in consumer mentality isn’t one to be taken lightly.

Data-driven decision making

With the advent of AI and automation into ecommerce solutions, more and more manufacturers will be able to make accurate, data-driven decisions when it comes to maintaining inventory, how to acquire new customers, and what current customers need to stay happy—and making purchases.