Introduction

B2B shops, i.e. online shops for business customers, often differ significantly in their structure and functionality from B2C catalogues aimed at end consumers.

These differences arise from the specific needs of business customers, who typically buy in larger quantities, require individual prices and terms, and have complex procurement processes.

In the B2B space, two types of online shops can broadly be distinguished:

On the one hand, there are shops that, similar to the B2C space, are heavily focused on the product catalogue. These systems often exist in parallel to a classic website that primarily serves to convey information. The shops present the products based on the data of the ERP system, often with limited information depth. Navigation is mainly via the menu structure; extended product information is secondary. The focus is clearly on procurement. Examples are wholesalers or shops for spare parts.

In the second scenario, the shop is an integral part of the company presentation. Product catalogue, company information, general service information and other content are connected in one system – at least from the user's perspective, not necessarily technically. Examples are industrial companies or specialised dealers/manufacturers whose competence lies in comprehensive advice, the exclusive provision of products and the associated services.

The structure of these shops is often inspired by classic paper catalogues. Information on product groups and categories is presented prominently, while the purchasable products themselves are presented in a rather technical way and play a secondary role within this framing information. Navigation on the upper levels is via general product descriptions; only at deeper levels (e.g. on the third level) do you reach the actual products. There, the user is often presented with product lists with columns showing the technical, differentiating features. The decision at this level, i.e. between the purchasable products, is therefore based purely on technical features, comparable to selecting the shoe size in B2C retail.

Your goal when building the shop for organisations must be to find the right balance between efficiency and marketing and to meet your customers and prospects at the different stages of their customer journey in B2B e-commerce according to their needs.