83% of B2B buyers now prefer ordering or paying through digital commerce, according to a sales survey by Gartner.
It’s clear that if your B2B business doesn’t yet have an eCommerce store, you’re at risk of being left behind. But getting set up to sell B2B online isn’t always easy. Especially if you manage a huge product catalogue.
While an Excel spreadsheet or paper catalogue may suffice when selling products offline through a sales rep, the same approach won’t cut it online.
Managing thousands of products online can quickly become complicated without the right systems in place. And if buyers struggle to find what they need or place an order, they may take their business elsewhere.
Fortunately, all-in-one eCommerce platform Shopify has the answers.
In this article, we’ll explore the challenges of managing a large B2B product catalogue online and explain how Shopify’s B2B tools can help you overcome them.
Why B2B buyers need a different shopping experience
B2B buyers shop differently from retail customers, so their online shopping experience needs to be designed differently too.
Retail shoppers usually have a vague idea of what they’re looking for, but don’t have an exact product in mind. Retail UX is therefore designed to help customers discover products and to create desire.
B2B buyers, on the other hand, usually know exactly what they want – they may even have the part number, specification, or reorder reference at the ready.
They don’t want to spend time browsing. They simply need to locate the product on your website, confirm stock, and place the order as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you have thousands of products to choose from, making that process straightforward can be tricky. Poorly organised products, confusing navigation, inflexible search, and inaccurate pricing can all create inefficiencies, unnecessary friction, and frustration for buyers, potentially driving them away to competitors.
That’s why it’s so important to build your B2B store on the right platform. At Create8, we find that nine times out of ten, Shopify is the best fit for B2B businesses. It’s fast to set up, easy to use, and enables businesses to sell to both B2B and DTC customers from one single store.
Do you need to be on the Shopify Plus plan to sell B2B?
No, you do not need to be on the Shopify Plus plan to sell to B2B.
Earlier this year, Shopify quietly extended its native B2B features to all of its paid plans – including Basic, Advanced, and Grow – allowing businesses of all sizes and at all stages of their journey to access these valuable tools.
While you no longer need Shopify Plus to run a functional wholesale channel, for large enterprise businesses, the Plus plan can unlock further scale, complexity, and customisation options.
What B2B features does Shopify offer?
Shopify offers an impressive suite of B2B tools that, with a little bit of know-how, can be used to create a fast and efficient online buying experience.
If you also sell your products DTC, one of the biggest benefits of choosing Shopify is its blended store option. Blended stores allow businesses to manage both B2B and DTC sales and customers from a single store, simplifying operations while still offering each type of customer a tailored shopping experience.
Shopify’s built-in B2B tools allow businesses on paid Basic, Advanced, and Grow plans to:
Manage customer accounts
- Create company profiles with multiple business locations.
- Give different employees different account permissions.
Set custom prices and ordering rules
- Set fixed wholesale prices for individual products.
- Offer percentage discounts.
- Set minimum order quantities and rules.
- Offer lower prices for larger orders.
- Control which products are available to different buyers.
Make the checkout process easier for B2B buyers
- Let customers buy now and pay later using agreed payment terms.
- Allow customers to add purchase order numbers at checkout.
- Let customers save company payment cards for future purchases.
Make repeat ordering easier
- Allow customers to reorder with ease.
- Offer customers self-service returns.
Connect Shopify with your existing systems
- Automate routine tasks and processes with Shopify Flow.
- Connect Shopify with inventory, accounting, and order management systems.
Shopify Plus: Which B2B features require upgrading?
While Shopify’s native B2B features are all that most businesses need, Shopify Plus offers additional features to help enterprise B2B brands scale further.
Additional B2B features available with Shopify Plus include:
- Individual catalogues and pricing for different customers.
- Take deposits for large orders.
- Manage payments for orders sent in stages.
- Control which customers sales reps can access.
- Customise the checkout experience.
5 common B2B eCommerce mistakes and how to resolve them using Shopify
According to research by Gartner, 76% of B2B buyers say they will avoid doing business with suppliers that provide bad website experiences. And yet at Create8, we see B2B eCommerce stores making the same UX mistakes time and time again.
With buyers that value fast and efficient buying experiences, these mistakes can quickly lead to frustration and lost sales. And as B2B order values are typically much higher than in retail, losing a single account can have significant long-term financial consequences.
For B2B stores managing large product catalogues online, a smooth user experience is therefore essential to staying competitive.
Below, we’ve highlighted five of the most common mistakes we see B2B businesses make when managing large product catalogues online, and how Shopify can help resolve them.
Mistake 1: Search functionality that doesn’t cater to the way B2B buyers search
Most search bars are built for natural language searches and index products based on the product title field. While this approach works well for retail buyers, it doesn’t usually cut it for B2B buyers who search using more specific and technical keywords.
The solution: B2B stores need search functionality that indexes across SKU codes, internal part numbers, technical specifications and more – not just the product title.
- Use Shopify’s Search & Discovery app to configure and extend your store’s search indexing.
- Consider third-party search apps like Searchanise and SearchPie to offer buyers more advanced search options.
Mistake 2: Limited product filtering options
Effective product filtering is particularly important for large businesses with extensive B2B catalogues, where buyers often need to find products that meet very specific requirements. While retail stores often allow shoppers to filter products by attributes like colour, size, and price, B2B buyers may need more technical filtering options, like material grade, thread pitch, load rating, or certification standard.
The solution: Technical attributes can be set up as product metafields on Shopify and then made available as filters using the Shopify Search & Discovery app.
Mistake 3: Online pricing that doesn’t reflect customer agreements
If a sales rep has agreed a price with a buyer, that’s the price they should ideally see when they log into your website to place an order. If your website doesn’t reflect individually negotiated prices, it can create confusion, inefficiencies, and frustration for buyers.
The solution: With Shopify Plus, businesses can assign specific catalogues to individual business customers to make sure that each customer sees their agreed prices when they log in. The platform also allows merchants to set volume-based discounts, minimising friction by making it easier for buyers to place orders online independently, without the need to first contact your sales team to confirm pricing.
Mistake 4: Structuring online product catalogue around internal systems
When structuring your product catalogue online, don’t fall into the trap of simply copying the structure of your internal inventory system. Organising products by supplier or warehouse location may make sense to your internal team, but it won’t help buyers find what they’re looking for.
The solution: Your online catalogue should be structured around how customers search for and purchase your products. First, use Shopify’s free Search & Discovery app to customise your store’s filters and search functionality. Then, organise products into customised collections, based on how your customers prefer to shop, whether that’s by product type, application, or material. For very large trade catalogues, Shopify can save you time by automatically grouping products based on their attributes.
Mistake 5: Making it difficult to place a repeat order
A huge proportion of B2B orders are repeat orders, and yet according to the National Association of Wholesale, only 33% of buyers say that they can reorder easily, with the rest having to restart from scratch each time. In an industry where recurring orders are common, this is a huge source of frustration for buyers. Stores that can get this right will greatly improve the user experience and potentially gain a competitive edge.
The solution: With Shopify B2B, buyers can quickly reorder products that they’ve purchased before from their order history. This makes repeat purchases faster and more convenient and, in turn, encourages repeat purchases.
Build a successful B2B Shopify store with Create8
At Create8, we help B2B businesses to build intuitive, high-performing B2B eCommerce stores tailored to their needs.
Whether you’re considering migrating your B2B store to Shopify, need help organising your existing product catalogue, or creating a better buying experience for your customers – we’re here to help. As a Shopify partner, we have the know-how to help you get more from the platform.
Contact us today by calling 0161 820 9689 or emailing hello@create8.co.uk.
Shopify B2B FAQs
Can B2B and DTC run from the same Shopify store?
Yes. Shopify allows businesses to manage both B2B and DTC sales through a single store, known as a blended store.
Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?
No. Shopify’s native B2B features are now available on all paid plans – including Basic, Grow, and Advanced. Shopify Plus offers additional B2B features for enterprise businesses.
How many B2B catalogues can I have on Shopify?
On Shopify’s Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, you can assign up to three active catalogues. Shopify Plus allows you to create unlimited catalogues to assign to individual businesses.
Can I import an existing B2B product catalogue into Shopify?
Yes. You can import products to Shopify in bulk using CSV files or transfer product information from existing systems using third-party apps.
