B2B ecommerce is the online sale of products or services from one business to another through a digital commerce workflow. Unlike a typical consumer checkout, the transaction may require negotiated prices, buyer roles, purchase orders, credit terms, tax documentation and multi-step approval.
What capabilities distinguish B2B ecommerce?
- Company accounts with multiple users and permissions
- Customer-specific catalogs, prices and terms
- Quotations, bulk ordering and reorder lists
- Purchase-order and account-credit workflows
- Tax-exemption and business documentation
- ERP, inventory, fulfillment and payment integration
How does the buying process work?
A buyer identifies products, requests or accepts commercial terms, obtains internal approval and places the order using an authorized payment method or account. The seller validates availability and credit, fulfills the order, invoices the correct entity and reconciles payment.
B2B vs. B2C ecommerce
B2C ecommerce usually serves an individual consumer at a public price with immediate checkout. B2B ecommerce serves an organization and often includes negotiated terms, repeat procurement, higher quantities and accountable buyer permissions.
What should be measured?
Track conversion by account, quote-to-order rate, approval delays, reorder behavior, order value, realized margin, fulfillment performance and payment collection. Traffic alone does not show whether the channel supports profitable business buying.
