B2B Commerce Platforms

Overview

B2B commerce platforms are the technology layer that enables wholesale distributors and manufacturers to sell through digital channels. These SaaS and enterprise software companies provide the infrastructure for online ordering, customer-specific pricing, ERP integration, and multi-channel commerce — replacing traditional phone/fax-driven ordering workflows.

Market Size

The global e-commerce platform market is projected to grow from $9.1 billion (2025) to $16.5 billion by 2030, driven by manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors replatforming to serve digital-first buyers. By 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions are expected to occur through digital channels.

Enterprise Platforms

Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud

• Company: Salesforce (USA)
• Type: Enterprise SaaS (CRM-native commerce)
• Revenue: Part of Salesforce's $34B+ annual revenue
• Key Strengths: Native CRM integration, customer-specific catalogs and pricing, self-service buyer portal, large cart support, approval workflows, AI-powered personalization (Einstein)
• Best For: Large enterprises already in the Salesforce ecosystem
• Considerations: Expensive licensing, complex setup requiring expert implementation
• Scale: Powers 13,000+ e-commerce stores globally

SAP Commerce Cloud

• Company: SAP SE (Germany)
• Type: Enterprise PaaS/SaaS
• Key Strengths: Real-time ERP pricing sync, contract management, inventory synchronization, deep SAP ERP integration, B2B accelerator storefront
• Best For: Large distributors and manufacturers already on SAP ERP
• Considerations: Lengthy and expensive implementation, requires dedicated SAP development team

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

• Company: Adobe Inc. (USA)
• Type: Open-source + Cloud (PaaS)
• Key Strengths: Highly customizable, shared catalogs, negotiable quotes, requisition lists, company credit, large developer ecosystem, multi-store and multi-language support
• Best For: Mid-to-large enterprises with both B2B and B2C channels
• Considerations: High development costs, performance optimization needed, longer time-to-market vs SaaS
• Notable Implementation: Bidfood Direct (UK) built on Magento

commercetools

• Company: commercetools (Germany/USA)
• Type: MACH-based headless commerce (SaaS)
• Key Strengths: API-first/headless architecture, custom pricing tiers, approval workflows, quote management, account hierarchies, microservices-based
• Best For: Enterprises adopting composable/MACH architecture
• Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing based on GMV and API calls

Mid-Market Platforms

BigCommerce B2B Edition

• Company: BigCommerce (USA, publicly traded)
• Type: SaaS
• Key Strengths: Quote management, purchase orders, company accounts with buyer roles, API-first headless architecture, low total cost of ownership
• Best For: SMB and mid-market wholesalers and manufacturers
• Pricing: Starting ~$2,000–$2,500/month for B2B Edition
• Notable: Strong balance of built-in B2B features with SaaS simplicity

Shopify Plus (B2B)

• Company: Shopify (Canada, publicly traded)
• Type: SaaS
• Key Strengths: Unified B2B + DTC on one platform, company profiles, wholesale pricing, customer-specific catalogs, massive app ecosystem
• Best For: DTC brands expanding into wholesale, or hybrid B2B/B2C businesses
• Considerations: Quoting, approval workflows, and payment terms require third-party apps; closed ecosystem limits integration flexibility
• Pricing: Starting ~$2,300/month

Sana Commerce

• Company: Sana Commerce (Netherlands)
• Type: SaaS (ERP-integrated)
• Key Strengths: Native SAP and Dynamics 365 integration, real-time ERP data (pricing, stock, customer terms), rapid deployment, reliable data accuracy
• Best For: Wholesale distributors and manufacturers on SAP or Dynamics 365
• Differentiator: ERP-first approach — the e-commerce storefront is directly powered by ERP data, eliminating sync issues

Specialist / Open-Source Platforms

OroCommerce

• Company: Oro Inc. (USA)
• Type: Open-source B2B commerce
• Key Strengths: B2B-first architecture (not retrofitted from B2C), built-in CRM (OroCRM), complex pricing engines, multi-organization support, workflow automation, RFQ/quoting built-in
• Best For: Mid-to-large distributors and manufacturers with complex sales models
• Differentiator: Only major platform built exclusively for B2B from the ground up
• Founded by: Former Magento co-founders

Intershop

• Company: Intershop Communications (Germany)
• Type: Enterprise B2B commerce (Cloud/On-premise)
• Key Strengths: Product information management, customer-specific catalogs and pricing, headless commerce, strong in European wholesale market
• Best For: Large distributors and industrial suppliers with complex product catalogs

Elastic Path

• Company: Elastic Path (Canada/USA)
• Type: Composable commerce (SaaS)
• Key Strengths: Composable/MACH architecture, subscription management, dynamic promotions, quote workflows, AI-powered product chatbot (launched 2025)
• Best For: Enterprises building custom commerce experiences with best-of-breed components
• Pricing: Usage and GMV-based, multiyear contracts

NuORDER by Lightspeed

• Company: Lightspeed Commerce (Canada)
• Type: SaaS (industry-specific)
• Key Strengths: Purpose-built for wholesale fashion, footwear, accessories, and lifestyle brands; virtual showrooms, line sheet management
• Best For: Fashion and lifestyle wholesale brands
• Pricing: Starting ~$600/month

Platform Comparison

Key Trends

• Composable / MACH architecture: Headless, API-first platforms replacing monolithic solutions — 42% of brands use or plan composable architectures
• AI-powered personalization: Predictive reordering, smart recommendations, conversational commerce — driving ~15% revenue uplift on average
• ERP-first commerce: Growing demand for platforms natively integrated with SAP, Dynamics, and Oracle ERP
• Marketplace expansion: Distributors opening their commerce platforms to third-party suppliers
• Self-service everything: Buyers managing accounts, invoices, returns, and claims without contacting sales reps
• Real-time inventory: Live stock visibility across multiple warehouses and distribution centers