10 B2B online store systems in comparison - the store guide

Are you in the B2B business or do you plan to gain a foothold here? Depending on the products you offer, you won't be able to avoid creating an online store for your business customers. If you also have an offer for the B2C sector and already operate an online store there, it is worth considering creating another store just for your B2B buyers. After all, this is a completely different shopping experience than for private customers. Expectations and functions also need to be redefined. Find out exactly what this looks like, which store systems are suitable for your own B2B store, and much more here!

 

Reading time 14 min

 

1. What exactly is a B2B online store anyway?
   1. And what is the difference between a B2B and a B2C store?
2. Ways to create and run a B2B store
   1. Comparison of online store software for B2B business
3. Our conclusion
4. FAQ: All questions and answers about your B2B online store.
   1. Why should you run a B2B store?
   2. What B2B online store software is available?
   3. How can companies make sure their B2B online stores are up to date with the latest trends and technologies?

   4. What types of products or services are best suited for selling through a B2B online store?

 

What is a B2B store?

A B2B store is a business that is exclusively aimed at business people. So, it is not private individuals who make purchases here, but businesses. However, what products are sold is quite different. For example, it may be office supplies, but also materials for further processing. B2B stores are usually operated as online stores and usually display the net price in addition to the gross price. For business purchases, VAT is refunded if a VAT identification number is provided. However, when operating a B2B online store, there are other aspects that need to be considered. You can find out more in the following sections.

 

 

What is the difference between a B2B store and a B2C store?

As mentioned earlier, the biggest difference between B2B and B2C is the target audience. B2B or business-to-business translates to "from company to company". So it's about selling products or services from one company to another. B2C or Business to Consumer means translated "from company to consumer". Here, services and goods are sold to private individuals, such as in retail or the restaurant trade.

There are also business models that offer their products to the private individual as well as to companies. For example, it is common in the tourism industry to offer rooms not only to private vacationers, but also to business travelers who book the hotel room through the company. Some hotels also have meeting rooms that can be used for company conferences or events.

B2B and B2C can also be distinguished from each other in smaller details. For example, in the B2C sector it's often a bit more relaxed in terms of tone, but also in terms of the design of the online store. It's more about emotions and evoking a need for the products in the target group. Of course, business customers also need to be convinced, but on a completely different level. Here it is much more serious and facts are in the foreground. Many B2B businesses have salespeople who take care of customers and also use cold calling to sell goods or services to businesses. A big difference between B2B and B2C can also be found on the legal side. The legislation is much stricter in the field of sales and advertising compared to private individuals. Moreover, terms and conditions between business persons can be contracted individually. For private individuals, there is a statutory right of withdrawal.

 

Ways to create and run a B2B store

If you want to operate a B2B store online, you can use so-called store systems. You can use these to create your store in just a few steps. In the following, we will select many store systems that are suitable for your B2B store. How you then start and complete the creation, you will learn afterwards.

 

 

Comparison of ten B2B online store softwares

Many store systems are primarily focused on sales to private individuals. However, for sales to business persons, additional requirements and settings are necessary. To help you find a store system for your B2B store that can fulfill these aspects, we have selected some suitable store systems. This is how you can find the perfect provider for your online store!

 

 

Shopware

Shopware is a proven store system that primarily enables the creation of B2C online stores. However, there is also a B2B suite that focuses on business processes from the B2B sector.

Shopware Advantages	Shopware disadvantages
Individually configurable functions for B2B business Extensive reporting and analytics Many plugins and extensions that are also interesting for B2B Configurable sales process Performance is well scalable	Some plugins are not free of charge

• Cost: The B2B Suite is included in the Evolve and Beyond packages, price is only available on request
• Setup: Simple
• Programming skills: No extensive knowledge required, for more customization it is
• Security: DSGVO compliant
• For beginners to large corporations: For small and large stores due to individual pricing
• Reports/Analytics: Yes
• Marketing: Various possibilities, also links to social media
• Design: Freely selectable with the help of themes
• Multilingualism: Yes

 

Shopify

Shopify is a Canadian company that offers the creation of online stores based on a SaaS model. According to the company, 1.7 million users use the store system to offer their goods on the Internet. Originally, Shopify mainly offers the possibility to build stores in the B2C sector. However, by now there are already some features that facilitate the creation of stores in the B2B sector.

Shopify advantages	Shopify disadvantages
Small packages for a low rate for smaller stores are also available More and more B2B features like the definition of customer groups and the matching pricing rules D2C also possible	Support is only in English

• Cost: small packages starting at $29 per month
• Setup: easy and fast
• Programming skills: Not required
• Security: Is given
• For beginners to large corporations: yes, small models up to Shopify Plus for large companies
• Reports/Analytics: Many reports available on user behavior
• Marketing: Yes, social media marketing, email marketing and SEO
• Design: Custom store themes
• Multilingualism: Yes

 

 

 

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Adobe Commerce or formerly Magento is a widely used store system, which also provides B2B functions in the enterprise version.

Adobe Commerce (Magento) Advantages	Adobe Commerce (Magento) disadvantages
Multiple global stores can be managed With Adobe Commerce Pro fast support help Flexible and versatile design options	Complex interface Further development is more difficult and costly due to many design possibilities

• Costs: Prices only on request
• Setup: Difficult and lengthy
• Programming skills: Necessary to set up and manage the store properly
• Security: High security, automated data backups, disaster recovery and data storage
• For beginners to large corporations: Medium-sized companies
• Reports/analytics: Extensive monitoring and alerts
• Marketing: Adobe Marketing Cloud is available
• Design: Various templates available
• Multilingual: Yes

 

 

 

Intershop

The German provider Intershop also has solutions for the B2B sector. Here, large companies and corporations in particular will find what they are looking for, as Intershop meets high B2B business requirements.

Intershop Advantages	Intershop disadvantages
Many functions for the B2B sector such as requests for quotations, direct orders, budget management and framework agreements Large data sets can be used APIs and interfaces to link your applications to Intershop Very powerful, as it is suitable for large companies like Bosch	Difficult to set up, for development the custom built Intershop Studio is used The provider is not cheap Not so user friendly

• Cost: Price on request (about five to six figures license cost per year and scope)
• Setup: Difficult
• Programming skills: Helpful
• Security: High
• For beginners to large corporations: Rather for medium to large companies and organizations
• Reports/Analytics: Analytics of shopping behavior, checkout behavior, product performance, sales performance, customer segments, also using Google Analytics
• Marketing: Many marketing and sales functionalities
• Design: Various design options
• Multilingualism: Internationalization is possible

 

 

 

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

With the B2B Commerce Cloud, Salesforce is also launching a solution for business-to-business transactions.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud advantages	Salesforce Commerce Cloud disadvantages
Automation of some processes is possible thanks to the Process Builder Simple changes can be implemented without programming skills Content can be personalized 360-degree view of customer activities for sales, commerce, and service High user friendliness	The store system is complex, you have to learn the ropes to use all the functions Costs are quite high, which is why Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud is not suitable for small businesses

• Cost: High, on demand
• Setup: setup is quite easy, as there are online tutorials available
• Programming skills: are not essential
• Security: customer data can be easily protected with Salesforce
• For beginners to large corporations: More for larger companies due to cost and complexity
• Reports/Analytics: B2B commerce analytics are available
• Marketing: Purchase recommendations, banner ads and personalization
• Design: Can be personalized
• Multilingual: Many languages can be selected

Spryker

Spryker is an e-commerce system that specializes in large online retail clients. Spryker can be used for B2B and B2C commerce, but also for unified commerce as well as first and third party marketplaces. By the way, with Spryker you can also integrate third-party systems.

Spryker Advantages	Spryker Disadvantages
Over 800 API-based modules and thus a very high degree of customization Access to the partner network with the B2B package Personalized catalogs and prices	For developers, working with Spryker is usually a challenge first Mostly difficult to create a B2B store without a service provider, as it is not a ready-made store system. Individual modules have to be put together to create a store

• Costs: Price on request
• Setup: Difficult without a service provider
• Programming knowledge: helpful to necessary
• Security: Yes
• For beginners to large corporations: Spryker is aimed more at larger companies and corporations
• Reports/Analytics: Yes
• Marketing: Discounts, promotions, recommendations and personalization
• Design: Various themes
• Multilingual: Support for multiple languages

commercetools

Commercetools is a store system for small businesses to large corporations. It is a cloud-based headless commerce platform that can also be used in B2B. The company has been around since 2006.

commercetools advantages	commercetools disadvantages
Cloud solution provides good scalability Integration of third-party marketplaces Personalization of the shopping experience of your customers Partner network for services and integrations	The many personalization options of the B2B store can lead to confusion. Often there are also different options that lead to a similar result, which one is then the best alternative is hard to figure out

• Cost: On request, 60 days free trial
• Setup: Simple, since cloud solution. But changes can also be made in the web interface if necessary
• Programming skills: Not required
• Security: High network and platform security, secured by WPA2 encryption and AES 256-bit keys
• For entry-level to large enterprises: Yes, but mainly medium to large enterprises
• Reports/analytics: activity dashboard and tracking, statistics, real-time data
• Marketing: promotions, discounts, recommendations, personalization, social channels
• Design: various design options to make webshop intuitive.
• Multilingualism: Multiple currencies and multilingual setup.

 

 

 

plentymarkets

Plentymarkets from Plentysystems AG is suitable for various industries and business models, including the B2B sector. In the Basic to Enterprise tariffs, every company will find what it is looking for. Via the B2B store plugin, which can be installed via plentyMarketplace, additional B2B-specific functions can be integrated into the online store.

plentymarkets advantages	plentymarkets disadvantages
Functions such as customer group-dependent discount scales can be integrated Communication is simplified through social share buttons and connection to email marketing systems Connection to various sales platforms possible	German support is chargeable for the cheaper tariffs Relatively complex to set up and requires a lot of resources Cache and other browser problems can arise, as plentymarkets is browser-based

• Costs: 5 different packages, starter package Basic is available from €42/month plus order-dependent fees, the B2B plugin can be used in a subscription model for €290 annually
• Setup: Time consuming
• Programming skills: Not necessary
• Security: A top priority, IDW PS 880 certification of the entire system, data traceable for up to ten years and backup of tax documents
• For beginners to large corporations: For small and large companies. However, setup is costly, so this means a lot of resources for small companies that may not be available
• Reports/Analytics: various plugins can be installed for reports and analytics.
• Marketing: good measures to implement SEO
• Design: Is customizable
• Multilingualism: Multiple languages and currencies

 

 

 

SAP Commerce Cloud

Small, medium and large companies can create their own B2B store with the help of SAP Commerce Cloud. This is because SAP Commerce Cloud for B2B is an integrated, modular and expandable store solution.

SAP Commerce Cloud advantages	SAP Commerce Cloud disadvantages
There is a product content management (PCM/PIM) and a web content management system (SmartEdit). Possibility to build a B2B2C store	Because it is built as a cloud, proper changes to the system can only be requested via an SAP ticket Can so far only be used in the Microsoft Azure Cloud

• Costs: Prices on request, Standard and Professional Edition packages
• Setup: implementation is fast if SAP base systems are already in place
• Programming skills: Not necessary
• Security: Access rights management, backup concept
• For beginners to large corporations: Mainly for large companies
• Reports/Analytics: Dashboards with analytics
• Marketing: Promotions, discounts, product recommendations and personalization
• Design: Personalization of the online store possible
• Multilingualism: Yes, different languages and currencies

OXID eShop

The online store software OXID eShop is a store solution from the German company OXID eSales AG, which is based in Freiburg. They offer different editions, which is suitable for both small and large businesses. The Enterprise Edition is available optimized for the B2C and B2B market.

OXID eShop Advantages	OXID eShop disadvantages
Large number of interfaces Many individualization options Further development easily possible due to the open source code Good usability	Support packages are chargeable Old techniques that reach their limits as soon as new implementations are made Costs for Professional Edition are high

• Costs: Price on request
• Setup: Setup is easy
• Programming skills: Usable without programming knowledge
• Security: Security updates are made regularly
• For beginners to large corporations: For beginners and large enterprises
• Reports/Analytics: Google Analytics can be integrated, for example
• Marketing: Extensions for online marketing tools available, SEO possible
• Design: Various modules and themes are available
• Multilingualism: Internationalization possible

 

 

 

Our conclusion

The choice of store systems for your B2B store is huge. It is difficult to determine which store system is best for you. It all depends on what goals you are pursuing, how much budget you have available and how complex your store should be. Spryker and the Salesforce Commerce Cloud, for example, are more suitable for large companies. The Shopware store system can be the right solution for both small and large companies. If you are not yet sure which store system is the best choice for you and your company to build a B2B store, we can help you. Thanks to years of experience in e-commerce, we know how to build successful online stores and what your company needs.

 

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