Ultimate Guide to BigCommerce B2B Edition

B2B sales are shifting online. What was once a slow, manual process involving back-and-forth phone calls, endless emails, and in-person meetings is now being swapped for self-service eCommerce purchasing. 

With this, buyers seek the same speed and convenience we’ve come to expect from online purchasing. 

However, the problem is, B2B transactions have unique needs – bulk orders, custom pricing, approval workflows, and detailed product catalogs. 

Standard eCommerce platforms, designed primarily for B2C sales, often fall short of the mark. They struggle with pricing, negotiation, customer service, and the robust permissions systems needed for B2B purchasing.

Bigcommerce’s B2B Edition is changing the game, equipping businesses with an eCommerce platform built to handle the specific requirements of B2B sales while delivering a modern, user-friendly experience. 

In this guide, we’ll explore how BigCommerce B2B Edition addresses common B2B eCommerce challenges, offering powerful tools for both buyers and sellers. 

Let’s dive in.

B2B is merging with B2C, and business buyers are seeking self-service, frictionless purchasing experiences. 

In fact, over 65% of B2B companies now complete their transactions entirely online, and 69% are focusing on eCommerce to drive their future growth. 

Falling behind means missing out on a massive market. In 2023, the B2B eCommerce sector reached $18.8 trillion, nearly five times larger than the B2C market. 

The problem is that delivering a first-class B2B eCommerce experience is not as simple as pushing your products to a standard storefront. You still need to cater to the nuances of B2B trade, such as longer sales cycles, negotiation, high customer service expectations, and large multi-currency transactions. 

It’s a technical problem as well as a strategic one. Business buyers simply won’t trust substandard eCommerce experiences. Conversely, those who do deliver an excellent online purchasing experience stand to grow exponentially as B2B eCommerce grows more important. 

The rise of B2B eCommerce has sparked a new generation of software tools, and one of the leading contenders is BigCommerce’s B2B Edition.

This isn’t just another eCommerce platform retrofitted for business sales. BigCommerce B2B Edition is built from the ground up to handle the unique challenges of B2B. That involves:

• Robust catalog management for even the most complex product lines
• Flexible pricing and custom quoting tools
• Seamless integration with your existing business systems
• Advanced search and filtering to help buyers find exactly what they need
• Mobile-responsive design for on-the-go purchasing

At Madcraft, we’ve seen firsthand how businesses benefit from adopting BigCommerce’s B2B Edition. It delivers the seamless eCommerce experience that B2B buyers expect, allowing businesses to capitalize on the fastest-growing sales channel.

Next, we’ll dig deeper into BigCommerce B2B Edition’s core features and how they combine to offer cutting-edge B2B eCommerce for both buyers and sellers. 

BigCommerce B2B Edition is purpose-built to handle the challenges of B2B transactions, offering an impressive range of tools that simplify operations, enhance customer experiences, and scale alongside your business. 

Open-Source Buyer Portal

The open-source buyer portal gives businesses full control over their customers’ buying experience. 

By accessing the source code, companies can fine-tune the portal to meet specific needs – whether it’s handling large orders, integrating with proprietary systems, or simply adapting to the complexity of B2B workflows. 

This flexibility allows businesses to:

• Customize the purchasing process according to client needs.
• Maintain essential B2B functions without the overhead of rebuilding from scratch.

Localized B2B Experiences

For companies with a global reach, localization is critical to maintaining a seamless user experience. 

BigCommerce B2B Edition supports multiple languages and currencies, ensuring buyers across different regions feel catered to. Whether it’s changing currency formats or integrating local tax rules, businesses can:

• Offer region-specific language and currency support.
• Cater to the specific purchasing habits of different markets.

Customer-Specific Catalogs and Pricing

In B2B, one-size-fits-all doesn’t work. BigCommerce’s customer-specific catalogs and pricing tools let businesses create catalogs and set personalized pricing structures for individual clients or groups. This ensures that:

• Buyers only see products and prices that are relevant to them.
• Each customer receives an experience based on their contract or purchasing history.

Account Credit Management

Managing varying credit terms across multiple buyers can be complex. BigCommerce simplifies this by offering a centralized credit management system. With this, businesses can:

• Set custom credit limits for different buyers.
• Track outstanding balances and payment history in real-time.
• Offer flexible payment terms to support long-term relationships with clients.

Mobile-Friendly Buyer Portal

Having a platform optimized for mobile use is essential for B2B eCommerce, with more buyers opting to purchase on the go. BigCommerce ensures that:

• Buyers can place orders, manage their accounts, and browse products on mobile devices without losing any functionality.
• Mobile responsiveness improves the buying experience, particularly for on-the-go decision-makers.

BigCommerce B2B Edition also includes a set of advanced tools for scaling your business efficiently across regions, product lines, or customer bases.

Multi-Storefront Capability

If your business operates multiple storefronts, BigCommerce offers seamless multi-storefront management. You can:

• Operate numerous storefronts under one centralized backend, reducing complexity.
• Personalize each storefront for different regions, brands, or customer segments without needing separate systems.

Headless Commerce with MACH Architecture

BigCommerce B2B Edition is designed for flexibility. With MACH architecture (Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless), businesses can:

• Separate the front-end from the back-end, allowing for custom development and integration with existing tools.
• Scale easily by integrating with new technology without disrupting the core business systems.

Catalyst Framework for Customization

Catalyst is designed for businesses that need flexibility and scalability. With this framework, companies can:

• Ensure faster page load speeds and better performance.
• Customize their storefront to align with unique business needs.
• Add new features and scale without compromising performance or user experience.

Sales Rep Masquerade

B2B transactions often require a hands-on approach. The sales rep masquerade feature allows sales teams to:

• Log in as customers, manage their accounts, and place orders on their behalf.
• Provide personalized support for high-value or complex transactions, helping buyers complete their purchases without unnecessary friction.

Shared Shopping Lists and Reordering

BigCommerce allows companies to collaborate internally by offering shared shopping lists. Multiple users can:

• Create and manage shopping lists for departments or teams.
• Reorder past purchases quickly, ensuring efficient inventory management.

BigCommerce B2B Edition simplifies payment and invoicing processes with a comprehensive suite of tools.

Payment Method Visibility Control

Businesses can control which payment options are available to different customer accounts. This ensures that:

• Buyers only see payment methods suited to their terms (e.g., purchase orders, credit cards).
• Companies can better manage B2B sales and minimize errors during transactions.

Invoice Portal

Managing invoices doesn’t have to be a hassle. With BigCommerce’s centralized invoice portal, buyers can:

• View, track, and pay invoices directly through the portal.
• Speed up payment processing and reduce manual errors with streamlined transactions.

Seller Quoting and Discounting

B2B sales often involve dynamic pricing and negotiations. BigCommerce provides built-in quoting tools that allow businesses to:

• Offer custom quotes based on buyer needs and sales cycles.
• Apply tailored discounts for specific clients, streamlining negotiations.

Global Expansion Features

For businesses looking to scale internationally, BigCommerce provides essential tools to help:

• Support multilingual storefronts.
• Offer location-based shipping options and real-time currency conversion, ensuring a smooth customer experience across borders.

BigCommerce B2B Edition supports both sides of the B2B relationship – buyers and sellers. 

The platform offers dedicated portals for each, allowing both parties to manage transactions, communications, and processes more efficiently. Here’s a breakdown of what each does:

Buyer Side Portal

The Buyer Side Portal is a self-service platform where B2B customers can manage their orders and streamline their purchasing process. It’s designed to empower buyers by giving them control over every stage of their procurement journey.

• Order Management: Buyers can place, track, and manage their orders in real time. This ensures full visibility, from the moment an order is placed to its delivery, reducing the chance of delays or errors.
• Quote Requests: The portal allows buyers to submit and track quote requests directly. This speeds up negotiations by keeping all communications within one place, avoiding the back-and-forth of emails.
• Shopping Lists: Buyers can create, save, and share multiple shopping lists, which is particularly useful for companies placing regular or bulk orders. These lists can be reused or adjusted over time, simplifying reordering.
• Address Book: The address book feature simplifies the management of multiple shipping and billing addresses. It supports businesses that need to ship to various departments or locations, reducing errors and improving logistics.

Seller Side Portal

The Seller Side Portal provides merchants with a powerful set of tools to manage B2B operations. It’s built to streamline everything from customer management to order processing, making it easier for sellers to handle complex transactions.

• Company Management: Sellers can manage customer accounts in detail, adjusting credit limits, permissions, and purchase settings. This level of control ensures that each client gets an experience suited to their specific needs.
• Quote Management: Sellers can review, modify, and approve customer quotes directly within the portal. This enables quicker responses and more flexibility in pricing, helping close deals faster.
• Order Processing: The UI centralizes everything from order placement to shipping and invoicing. Sellers can automate parts of the process to save time, ensuring faster fulfillment and a more seamless experience for their clients.
• Super Admin Controls: The portal provides full control over user roles and permissions. This allows administrators to assign tasks to specific team members and control access levels, reducing the risk of errors and improving team coordination.
• Multi-Storefront Oversight: Sellers can manage multiple B2B storefronts from a single dashboard. This feature is essential for businesses that operate in multiple regions or serve different customer segments, allowing them to scale easily while maintaining operational control.

B2B eCommerce is evolving rapidly, and businesses that don’t adapt risk falling behind. 

On the flip side, those who adapt now put themselves in an outstanding position to capitalize on the influx of B2B sales made online. 

As buyers continue to demand smoother, more personalized digital experiences, platforms like BigCommerce B2B Edition are helping companies meet those expectations while simplifying complex B2B operations. 

However, choosing the right platform is just the beginning. To truly leverage BigCommerce’s power, you need expertise in B2B eCommerce strategy and implementation. That’s where Madcraft comes in.

We’ve helped numerous businesses transform their B2B operations with BigCommerce. 

Ready to see how we can do the same for you? Contact Madcraft today for a free consultation. Let’s turn your B2B eCommerce challenges into opportunities for growth.