B2B eCommerce Network & Resource B2B eCommerce Association

To keep prospects engaged, be honest and upfront about your pricing. Nearly 8 in 10 buyers (79%) and almost 9 in 10 enterprise buyers (89%) know what they want before their research begins. B2B buyers are taking matters into their own hands with over half (52%) consulting their prior experience, while 74% say it heavily influences their choices. Stand out from the crowd by showing you understand their challenges and offering your solution ahead of your competitors. Nearly a third of buyers expect vendors to go the extra mile by delivering more personalised experiences, such as tailored demos, relevant content, and a clear ROI.

That’s why B2B companies should take a page out of the B2C playbook to create simpler, more transparent buying processes. And, according to Google/IPSOS research (via the Association of National Advertisers), 74% of marketers believe that virtual events are just as effective at delivering ROI as in-person ones. Digital-only or hybrid conferences enable marketers to reach a broader audience and create more accessible content. Free trials and on-demand demos allow prospects to skip the introductory sales call and explore a product on their own time.

Compelling stories can help create an emotional connection and demonstrate that you understand your customers’ unique needs and pain points. Similarly, I’ve found that buyers now expect to implement enterprise solutions relatively soon after purchase, instead of weeks later or longer. While one-click purchases may be aspirational for enterprises, ensuring your website is easy to navigate and free of bugs is critical. B2b buying experience Many buyers today expect a seamless e-commerce shopping experience in all areas of their lives — including enterprise purchases.

Once B2B buyers have identified a problem they need to solve, the next stage in the process is to explore a solution. The first stage in the B2B buying process is when the initiator recognizes a problem. It’s always going to be different, depending on the company and industry you’re in.” They can hop between stages, reverse when they need extra time to make decisions, and skip over certain steps to revisit later. The vast majority of B2B buying decisions can be broken down into six stages—though buyers don’t necessarily follow the path in a linear fashion. The B2B buying process is the decision-making exercise buyers go through when purchasing from another company.

More than four out of five B2B buyers include at least four stakeholders when making technology purchasing decisions

These marketplaces simplify B2B purchases by offering wide product selection, competitive pricing, and centralized procurement. B2B buyers are typically professionals making large, recurring B2B purchases on behalf of their organizations. BigCommerce provides enterprise-grade protections and works with threat intelligence partners to help reduce risk while maintaining a high-quality user experience. To protect your online store, look for platforms that offer PCI compliance, data encryption, role-based access controls, and regular security updates. Platforms like BigCommerce are designed to meet the specific needs of B2B brands and simplify complex business processes across channels. Core features include custom catalogs, quote workflows, flexible payment options like B2B payment terms or credit cards, ERP integration, and support for multi-user accounts.

Act faster on business insights

Omnibound transforms real buyer language, objections, and decision triggers into structured, AI-aligned content built for AI search citation, visibility, and conversion across every format and buying stage. Track the real AI search prompts your buyers type into AI engines, not estimated keywords. Omnibound captures every buyer and market signal in one place, giving AI complete context on your customers, your company, and your competitive landscape. Most AI search visibility tools guess prompts from keywords and open-source data. Apollo tracks every touchpoint from first contact to closed deal—quantifying time saved, pipeline added, and win rate lift.

What is the B2B buying journey?

Therefore, aim to engage buyers early with valuable insights and resources long before the first conversation happens. To win their attention, your messaging needs to be sharp, relevant, and deliver value fast. Before reaching out to a vendor, most review an average of 11 pieces of content, with 72% starting their search online. They want simpler shopping, helpful sales support, and accurate, real-time delivery information. A lack of information on products, stock, delivery times, and prices.

• Remind buyers of the items they purchased, and encourage them to invite colleagues to the company profile.
• The best B2B platforms offer API-first architecture, prebuilt integrations, and flexibility to support complex tech stacks without custom rebuilds.
• Keeping track of every interaction can help you better understand stakeholder relationships.
• According to a TCO study commissioned from a leading independent consulting firm, Salesforce Commerce Cloud carries the highest premium among major enterprise platforms, with TCO roughly 35% higher than Shopify.

They sell to other businesses through an online “ChocoPortal,” where buyers can manage tiered B2B pricing, view flexible pricing options, and apply volume discounts. The brand was founded by Dutch TV journalist Teun van de Keuken after he learned of illegal labor in the chocolate supply chain and decided to launch his own confectionery brand. You’ll see brilliant use cases for customer account features, educational content, product discovery, detailed product descriptions, and custom storefronts—all to help get your creative mind turning as you look to the future. If selling to other businesses is on your ecommerce roadmap, you might be at the stage where examples of B2B stores can be a much-needed source of inspiration. As Wingrove explained, it’s more about “where your company is in its phase of growth and how much money can you afford to go and spend and experiment on ABM.”

How Do SDRs and AEs Deliver Better Sales Experiences?

I’ve encountered prospects who already had a shortlist of vendors, conducted deep technical research and even tested competitor solutions before our first conversation. B2B technology purchases often involve 6 to 10 stakeholders, ranging from IT and finance to operations and executive leadership. Helping you understand and manage geopolitical risks that influence trade and expansion. These types of programs help customers learn new skills while driving engagement for your brand.

What happens at each stage

To make a lasting impression, you need to meet buyers early online with valuable, relevant content that answers questions and builds trust long before a sales call. On average, Millennial B2B decision-makers make purchasing decisions 41% faster than their Baby Boomer counterparts. If your messaging doesn’t align, you risk missing key opportunities. With buyer habits, priorities, and expectations continually evolving, staying ahead means understanding the latest trends that shape their decision-making. And often, they've skipped the first few micro-stages of the buyer journey altogether. Can we trust this company to follow through?

With in-person meetings and tradeshows on hiatus, many B2B marketers quickly learned to create user-friendly digital experiences that removed barriers and sped up sales cycles. With highly technical solutions, a multitude of decision-makers and large budgets at stake, the B2B buying experience has historically been complex. Strong relationships post-purchase influence a buyer’s likelihood of making repeat orders—and therefore, generating consistent revenue for your company. “I’ve found that when I’m working with a vendor who understands my needs, it makes it much easier for me to make a decision about whether or not the product is right for my company.” Learn how to balance AI chatbot efficiency with the high-touch needs of enterprise sales to engage VIP prospects without losing the human touch.

With 224M+ verified contacts, AI-powered sequences, and integrated deal management, teams reduce tool complexity while accelerating results. Specify firmographics (company size, revenue, industry), technographics (tech stack), and behavioral signals (hiring, funding, expansion). Enterprise sales solutions must support this integrated approach. 86% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process. Apollo delivers real-time deal intelligence and automated lead qualification so you can forecast with confidence.

For 44% of B2B professionals, LinkedIn is their top social channel for industry insights and networking. Implementing SEO can be the perfect growth accelerator, as organic search sees 37% faster growth in marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) than relying solely on paid ads. This emphasises how solution-oriented content is key to guiding buyers and helping them narrow down their options. With Google dominating 84.9% of the market share, it’s clear that being visible and easy to find online is a game-changer if you’re looking to grab buyers’ attention early.

They host a specialist program for the latter, created exclusively for industry professionals such as interior designers and architects. Business buyers often know exactly what SKUs they need and value speed, reliability, and bulk volume features. Plus, as a result of the B2B portal pulling inventory, order, and customer data from the same unified commerce platform that powers its DTC storefront, Tony’s has experienced double-digit revenue growth across four key markets.