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How To Improve Your B2B Order Management

15 January 2025

Ecommerce is rapidly becoming the norm for B2B purchases. According to Gartner research, 83% of modern B2B clients prefer to order or pay for items via digital commerce, and an estimated 80% of all B2B transactions will happen online by 2025.

If you’re part of the 71% of B2B businesses that already offer some form of ecommerce capabilities, you’re well-positioned to benefit from this trend. However, just having an online storefront isn’t enough to stay competitive and succeed.

Today’s B2B buyers want more than online access to your products; they also expect a seamless, personalized, and efficient order management experience.

In this guide, you’ll discover how a customer portal can improve your B2B order management. We’ll explain how this tool can lead to quicker, more accurate fulfillment and increase your customer satisfaction and overall business success.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

B2B Order Management 101

B2B order management refers to the process of receiving and processing customer orders in a B2B business setting. It includes all the activities from when a customer places an order to when they receive and pay for it. The key stages of B2B order management are:

  • Order placement
  • Order review and verification
  • Inventory check
  • Order fulfillment
  • Order tracking and updates
  • Invoicing and payment processing
  • Returns and after-sales support

Common Challenges in B2B Order Management

Order management can be complicated for B2B businesses, particularly when they’re still leveraging manual processes and outdated systems. Here are some of the most frequent challenges:

High Risk of Errors

Many B2B companies still depend on manual systems, such as spreadsheets, to manage and process orders. The problem with these manual processes is that they’re highly susceptible to errors at various stages of the ordering process, including order input, invoicing, and fulfillment. Manual errors, such as typos in order amounts or delivery addresses, can have dire consequences, such as delayed shipments, dissatisfied clients, and expensive reworks.

Order Complexity

B2B offerings tend to be highly customized to cater to customers’ specific needs. They may involve specific product configurations, unique pricing agreements, or particular delivery terms and instructions. Managing these complexities manually or with outdated systems can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

Large Order Volumes

B2B orders are typically larger in volume than B2C orders. Processing and fulfilling these higher quantities can complicate inventory management and logistics. Without an effective system in place, teams can easily become overwhelmed.

Disjointed Systems and Data Silos

Many B2B companies use separate systems to manage the ordering process and other business workflows, such as inventory management, customer relationship management, and accounting. This fragmentation can lead to data silos, where information isn’t shared in real time. Silos hinder collaboration and can result in various inaccuracies and delays.

For instance, if your order management processes aren’t integrated with your inventory software, you risk overselling out-of-stock items. Additionally, manual reconciliation between systems wastes time and raises the likelihood of human error.

Benefits of Effective B2B Order Management

Your business can take advantage of these benefits when you transition to a more efficient order management process:

Improved Customer Trust

Well-functioning order management processes ensure accurate order fulfillment and timely delivery, both of which are critical for keeping customers satisfied and happy. Furthermore, features like real-time order tracking keep clients informed on their order status. Such transparency builds trust and reduces the frequency of inquiries.

Greater Operational Efficiency and Order Accuracy

Efficient B2B order management usually includes using an ecommerce platform or integrated tool that automates routine tasks, such as order validation, tracking, and invoicing. This lightens the manual workload for your team, cuts down on operational costs, and frees up resources for more critical tasks. Less manual intervention can also reduce the frequency of errors, resulting in fewer returns, fewer customer disputes, and lower expenses for resolving these issues.

Optimized Inventory and Maximized Sales

Another crucial step is to integrate your online store with your ERP to offer real-time visibility into your business’s inventory levels. This integration helps avoid costly mistakes like overselling (selling items that are out of stock), which can hurt customer trust, and underselling (listing available products as out of stock), which can result in lost sales.

Why You Should Use a Portal To Optimize Order Management

One of the best ways to optimize B2B order management is by using a B2B customer portal. This portal acts as a centralized platform where customers can seamlessly place, track, and manage their orders while also providing backend order management features for your team.

Simplified Order Placement

A self-service portal makes the order placement process straightforward. Customers can easily browse product catalogs, select items, and place orders with just a few clicks. This streamlined approach reduces friction, encourages repeat business, and boosts overall satisfaction.

Customer-Specific Ordering Features

B2B portals enable you to offer customers personalized shopping experiences. For instance, you can showcase personalized product catalogs that are specifically curated based on your buyers’ preferences or shopping habits. Additionally, you can offer them custom pricing or payment terms. These personalized experiences help build stronger relationships with clients.

Order Tracking Features

With a B2B portal, buyers can track their orders from the time they’re placed to when they arrive. Automated notifications keep clients updated at every stage. The outcome? Fewer inquiries and increased trust in your customer service.

Integration With Your ERP

An advanced B2B customer portal integrates with other business tools, including your ERP system. This integration makes sure that inventory data automatically updates across your entire business in real time whenever an order is placed. This prevents issues like stockouts and overselling and ensures that you and your customers are always working with up-to-date stock information.

Simplified Reordering

Repeat purchases are easy with a B2B portal. Features such as order history and “repeat order” buttons enable customers to quickly reorder products without having to start from scratch.

Streamlined Bulk Ordering

In addition, B2B portals simplify the often complex process of bulk ordering. Your customers can easily add large quantities of items to their cart using bulk upload features or by selecting items from preconfigured order templates.

Factors To Consider When Selecting a B2B Customer Portal

There are numerous B2B portal providers out there, but not all are created equal. Here are some important elements to prioritize when comparing potential providers:

  • Features: Make sure the portal has all the features and functionalities you need to optimize order management in your organization. That might include self-service capabilities, personalized product catalogs, and real-time order tracking.
  • Customization: Opt for a portal that can be easily customized to fit your workflows and business model without the need for advanced technical expertise or coding.
  • User-friendliness: A complicated and hard-to-navigate portal can frustrate both your customers and your team. Look for a portal that’s both intuitive and user-friendly.
  • Cost: Consider the portal’s total cost of ownership, including licensing, implementation, staff training (if necessary), and ongoing maintenance. Find an option that strikes a good balance between price and functionality.
  • Customer support: Reliable customer support is essential for resolving any issues that may arise while using the B2B portal. Look for a provider that offers a wide range of support channels (such as live chat, email, and phone) along with helpful resources like training manuals or knowledge bases.
  • Integration with other business tools and systems: Make sure the portal can easily integrate with your current systems. Smooth integration ensures that data flows seamlessly and in real time between different business systems.
  • Security and compliance: B2B transactions involve sensitive data. Focus on providers that offer powerful built-in security features, such as encryption and multi-factor authentication. Choose a portal that also complies with relevant industry standards and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
  • Scalability: As your business grows, the demands on your portal will also increase. As such, it’s vital to select a portal that can handle higher order volumes, a larger customer base, and changing business requirements without sacrificing performance or requiring expensive upgrades.

Final Thoughts: How To Improve Your B2B Order Management

Investing in a B2B portal with modern order management features can provide numerous advantages for your business. These benefits include improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, enhanced operational efficiency, greater order accuracy, and reduced labor costs.

K-ecommerce’s cloud-based B2B solution comes with a powerful, user-friendly B2B portal designed to simplify and streamline the entire order process—from placement to delivery. Features such as ERP integration, personalized catalogs, bulk ordering capabilities, and simplified reordering empower your business to operate more efficiently and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Request a free demo today to see how k-ecommerce can transform your B2B order management.