How to Identify B2B Commerce Needs

Most agencies think B2B commerce is B2C with quotes and net terms. Developers think B2B is B2C with ERP integration. Both are painfully wrong. And we see this constantly. Agencies pitch beautiful websites. Developers promise perfect APIs. Projects crash and burn. Here's what they miss: 𝟳𝟴% 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲. EDI processes 20 billion transactions yearly. APIs millions more. Punchout catalogs. Email orders. Fax. Per Capital One, the global B2B market hit $32 trillion. In the U.S. alone, B2B is responsible for 86.6% of all ecommerce. By 2028, only 27.5% of B2B digital commerce will happen through sites. This isn't technology failing. It's a misunderstanding of B2B commerce. After nearly 20 years bridging tech and business, I can confidently say this: 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗲. Best projects? Zero code for three months. Conversations. Workflow mapping. Process documentation. → Talk to warehouse managers before developers → Map ERP workflows before wireframes → Document business rules before features → Understand operations before optimization Client told me: "You understood our business better than we did." That's the job. B2B "digital commerce" means:  • Automated RFQ processing  • Customer portals  • Accurate customer-specific pricing  • Real-time inventory APIs  • Digital document exchange  • Bulk order uploads Sometimes the shopping cart is not even needed. B2C optimizes conversion rates. B2B needs operational efficiency. B2C focuses on user journeys. B2B needs system integration. B2C designs beautiful interfaces. B2B needs bulletproof workflows. Different problems. Different expertise. Solution isn't making B2B look like Amazon. It's making business work better. Stop selling websites. Solve workflow problems. Stop pitching platforms. Build partnerships. Stop thinking ecommerce. Think business transformation. That's how you capture $32 trillion. Found this valuable? Hit like 👍 Follow me for more B2B insights. Repost if your network needs this ♻️

B2B customers expect B2C experiences.” You've heard it before. It’s everywhere. And it’s an overused buzzword. The reality? Simply replicating B2C isn’t enough. B2B is fundamentally different. Buyers operate in complex ecosystems, navigating long sales cycles, layered decision-making, and unique operational challenges. It’s time to move the conversation forward and stop parroting the B2C mantra. Successful B2B companies aren’t chasing consumer trends; they’re defining what their customers need and building experiences that fit. Want to drive change? 👉 Get Specific: Buzzwords won’t transform your business. Is it faster reordering? Transparent pricing? Tailored portals for custom configurations? Get clarity around outcomes. 👉 Focus on B2B Realities: For your buyers, “easy” doesn’t mean impulse purchases or one-click checkouts. It’s efficient workflows, tools to navigate approvals, and data-driven insights that eliminate uncertainty. 👉 Listen, Design, Deliver: What does “great” actually look like for your customers? Engage them directly. Then, operationalize it with precision—integrating technology and processes that bring the vision to life. The leaders shaping the future of B2B commerce aren’t settling for clichés. They’re building seamless, intuitive, and purpose-built solutions for the real-world complexities their buyers face. So next time you hear, “B2B customers expect B2C experiences,” ask the real question: What do your customers actually expect from you? Answer that, and you’re already ahead.

B2B Businesses need to understand buyers: 1. Why are they making this purchase? 2. What are they buying to cover this 'why'? 3. How are they buying to access this 'what'? You need to find the answers to the 3 questions. The answers will help you to: - Understand your audience and prospects - Create a pertinent marketing strategy - Adjust your positioning to the market - Build a pertinent set of messages - Plan your tactics and content So here is a guide for each question; 1/ Why they buy Understand the motivation or the problem behind the decision. It's the initial buying trigger that will start the buying decision process. - Is it to fix a problem (pain point)? - Do they expect to access a gain? - Are they starting a project? 2/What they buy To fix their problem or access a 'gain' buyers choose among a broad list of options (services, products, coaching, recruitment...). You need to understand WHAT they are looking to buy. - Are they buying a capability? - Do they need a technical feature? - Are they looking for specific benefits? 3/How they buy (most marketers skip this) Every organization have their buying process. They go through a series of steps and people to complete successfully the buying project. You need to study this process and find patterns. - What is in their buying checklist? - When do they buy, for how long? - Who is in charge (champion)? *** Note: you can't research what you don't define first It's crucial to answer those questions for a specific ideal customer (ICP). If you are targeting everyone, you won't be able to answer those questions correctly. With a broad (and inefficient) targeting you will always find "they want to boost revenue" or "they want to 10x their growth". Because of that, you'll write platitudes in your headlines like "10x your revenue with our product". Do the opposite: Specific ICP → Specific answers → Specific Positioning → Specific Messaging → Attract high business IQ clients → More success *** Follow me Pierre Herubel for daily marketing tips.

B2B buying has never been harder. And that's becoming a huge problem for businesses trying to grow. Today's B2B buyers face: More choice More information More stakeholders More risk More uncertainty In fact, up to 60% of B2B buying journeys end in no decision at all. Not because buyers are running out of options or simply don't have options. But it comes down to the fact that the choices being put in front of them do not answer the question "why choose me?" Inevitably, this is due to weak positioning. And that can be caused by a lack of understanding of customer needs and decisioning. Many businesses still try to understand customers at the most superficial level. Their: Age Job title Company size Industry Location Useful? Mm, sure. Sufficient? Not even close. To understand why people buy, you need to understand how their decisions are made. I think about buyer decisioning in 4 parts: ➡️ WHO ↳ The identifiable person. Demographics Firmographics Job titles Company size This tells you who you're talking to. But not what drives them. ➡️ WHAT ↳ The actions they take. Do they: Compare? Switch? Subscribe? Renew? Stock up? Browse endlessly without deciding? Behaviour reveals intent. ➡️ HOW ↳ The path they take. What triggers action? What creates friction? Which channels shape perception? Which touchpoints influence decisions? This is where buying journeys start becoming clearer. But the deepest layer is always: ➡️ WHY ↳ The motivation beneath the decision. Beliefs Values Needs Trade-offs Tensions Habits Context Identity This is where positioning gets really interesting. Because it's actually not often that people choose the "objectively best option". Instead, they choose the option that feels most relevant to their situation. Or the one with "least risk". Meaning the businesses that see the most success here are the ones that best understand the entire process of how buyers make decisions. Because when you understand buyer decisioning, you can reduce uncertainty. And businesses that reduce uncertainty become easier to choose. ♻️ Repost to help your network unlock their growth potential. 💡 Follow Paul Evans for actionable business and positioning advice. 🔔 Don't forget to turn on post notifications to stay up to date.

In B2B sales, data is everything! To really win, you need a complete picture of your customer. A solid sales platform shouldn’t just process orders—it should give you actionable insights to make smarter moves. When you're looking at B2B commerce platforms, here are a few must-have features to keep an eye on: 1. Insights to prioritize customers showing signs of disengagement or unusual behavior patterns. 2. Understanding customer preferences to provide tailored product recommendations for better assortment planning. 3. Tools to predict customer demand and uncover cross-sell and upsell opportunities. These kinds of insights help sales teams focus on the right opportunities and personalize their approach. For example, imagine getting an alert when a customer who always orders in October hasn’t placed an order by mid-November—perfect timing for a quick follow-up. Even better? Combine this with website activity data. If you know a customer is spending a lot of time on your site or leaving items in their cart, it’s a strong signal they’re ready to buy. That’s your cue to reach out! When you pull all these insights together, your team stops just reacting to sales and starts being proactive, building stronger, more strategic customer relationships. One of my favorite tasks nowadays is to analyze data and calculate the additional revenue WizCommerce’s AI tools are generating for our customers. What data insights do you think are most important for driving success in B2B sales? Would love to hear your thoughts! #WizCommerce #B2BCommerce #SalesReps #B2BSales #SalesData #CustomerBehavior