Best B2B eCommerce Platform – 8 Platforms to Try in 2022

If you are looking to start a B2B business online, then you should have a strong B2B eCommerce platform that will make it easy for you to manage your business.

There are a lot of eCommerce platforms out there with their own strengths and USPs. However, most of these platforms have features that better suit a B2C store than a B2B store.

At this point, you should understand that a B2B business functions very differently from a B2C business. From the target customers to order management, marketing activities to customer support, everything varies.

So here are a few B2B eCommerce platforms that have the right set of features and functionalities to support your B2B business.

Best B2B eCommerce Platform- Features, Pricing, Pros, and Cons

Without further ado, here are the best B2B eCommerce platforms and their detailed comparison.

1. Magento

Best for large-scale enterprises

Pricing starts from $6000 overall

Magento, also called Adobe commerce, is an open-source eCommerce platform that offers a very comprehensive eCommerce solution to businesses.

It allows for complete customization of your online store to reflect your brand elements and values. You can also add a lot of functionality to your site using extensions.

Features:

Magento provides very useful B2B features like multi-brand support, set up of key accounts, accepting quotes from businesses, etc.

Other eCommerce features like order management, inventory management, quick checkout, etc. are also available on the platform.

You can also create requisition lists, shared catalogs, and purchase orders for your business on Magento. It is surely one of the best B2B eCommerce platforms in the market right now.

Design:

Since Magento is an open-source platform, you have the option to customize your eCommerce site as much as you want. You will have access to a large number of website themes, on both Magento and third-party stores.

You can customize the website from page to page and Magento uses the drag-and-drop tool to make the customization easy. In short, you can easily create an eCommerce store that is in league with established brands.

Pricing:

Magento’s subscriptions which support B2B functionality can be quite expensive. Collect all the information before choosing a plan.

Ease of use:

Magento has a lot of potential as a platform, however, you need to have advanced developer knowledge and experience to create your store on Magento and run your business successfully.

For added functionality, though, you can choose from a range of extensions that are quite simple to download and use, even without coding skills.

2. Shift4Shop

Best for eCommerce marketing features

Paid plans start at $379 per month

Shift4Shop has taken over 3D cart which has the best B2B eCommerce features compared to any platform. It is essentially a B2B tool that you can add to your website.

Unlike many open source platforms that are free to download but come with a range of hidden costs, Shift4Shop offers all necessary B2B features bundled up in their subscription plan.

Features:

Shift4Shop allows you to add unlimited products and does not charge any transaction fees either. The basic eCommerce features like shopping cart, payment gateway, logistics, etc. are available.

B2B specific features like FTP access, real-time shipping, inventory tracking, one-page checkout, saved carts, and a lot more are available on Shift4Shop.

There is also a range of apps and extensions that help you expand the functionality of your store.

Design:

Shift4Shop has a good library of free website themes that can be easily applied and edited by sellers with no coding or design skills.

Paid themes can range anywhere from $99 to $199 each. However, Shift4Shop seems to be more of a feature-focused platform rather than a design-focused one.

Pricing:

For the number of essential B2B features offered by the platform, it is completely worth opting for one of their subscription plans.

Ease of use:

The eCommerce functionality of the platform is pretty simple and straightforward. You can manage the day-to-day functions of your business without any roadblocks.

When it comes to site maintenance, you may face some issues as the platform is notoriously known for its constant errors during upgrades. You may have to hire a developer for site management and maintenance.

3. Shopify Plus

Best for a great user experience

Paid plans start at $29 per month

Shopify is one of the most trusted eCommerce platforms that powers a lot of well-known brands like Heinz, Staples, etc.

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s upgraded plan that focuses all of its features on B2B and wholesale businesses.

Features:

Shopify helps you start your online store without any coding skills. You can easily create a simple eCommerce website that reflects your B2B business in under a week or 2.

Some of the B2B functionalities included in the Shopify Plus plan are Personalized products, inventory management, setting pricing thresholds, omnichannel support, etc.

Design:

Shopify has a wide range of themes, both free and paid. These themes are all well-designed and eCommerce-focused. They are also very mobile responsive and load quickly.

Since Shopify is not an open-source platform, that means the customization is limited. However, that is more than made up for with the website themes.

Pricing:

Though the subscriptions start at $29 per month, for B2B functionality you have to subscribe to Shopify Plus, which is quote-based pricing.

Ease of use:

The wholesale experience on Shopify is automated, making it easy for you to handle orders, payments, inventory, etc. It has over 20 sales channels integrated into the platform.

Managing your business on Shopify will surely take some time, but it is not impossible to handle. You can always hire staff to outsource some of the activities so that you can invest your time in managing your business alone.

4. BigCommerce

Best for cloud-based B2B platform

Paid plans start at $29 per month

If you are a medium to large enterprise then BigCommerce is the best open SaaS platform with powerful B2B features. The total cost of ownership is pretty low on the platform while keeping it highly flexible for APIs.

You can easily integrate important systems like ERP, CRM, etc. to help you run your B2B business more efficiently.

Features:

BigCommerce is a B2B eCommerce platform that helps you build an online store that is very user-friendly and fast loading. It has great SEO features to help your store rank better.

BigCommerce allows you to create group discounts for your customers, custom price lists, etc. You can easily print shipping labels using the shipping feature and you can also avail of a custom app for your B2B business at an additional cost.

Design:

BigCommerce is one of the open eCommerce platforms that have a range of pre-built themes for those with no design experience. At the same time, it allows complete creative freedom for its more technical users.

You can easily adjust the design elements and apps to make the store look aesthetic and neat. You can also change the elements like color, text, etc. to match your brand.

Pricing:

Similar to Shopify, the pricing plans displayed by BigCommerce are more for B2C businesses. To access the B2B features, you have to subscribe to their enterprise plan.

Ease of use:

BigCommerce uses a lot of complex built-in features, which makes it very hard for first-time users to navigate the platform. There is a steep learning curve involved.

The platform does provide some support through its step-by-step guidance and support teams. Having technical expertise will make things a lot easier.

5. WooCommerce

Best for an existing WordPress site

Pricing depends on themes, extensions, hosting, etc.

WooCommerce is a plugin that is free to download and install with your WordPress website. It adds eCommerce functionality to your regular website.

While the WooCommerce plugin can be used by B2C sellers, for B2B businesses, you have to download the WooCommerce B2B plugin. It is also free of cost and comes with all the B2B functionalities you will ever need.

Features:

WooCommerce B2B has power-packed functions like adding multiple user roles, manual approval of registrations, displaying different prices based on user roles, replacing prices with custom text, and more.

You can display pricing in tiers for wholesale buyers. You can also restrict shipping modes and payment methods based on the user roles.

Design:

Though WordPress has a very extensive library of themes and templates that can be used to build your website on the platform, only a few themes are eCommerce-focused.

However, since WooCommerce is an open source, you can have complete creative freedom to customize your store to make it look unique. You will need to have the necessary coding skills or hire a developer.

Pricing:

WooCommerce B2B is a free plugin but comes with a lot of extra costs and hidden charges in terms of themes, extensions, plugins, hosting, etc.

Ease of use:

WooCommerce is a very easy platform when it comes to running and managing your business. You can also scale your business up and the B2B features are really great.

However, it is hard in terms of customization of your eCommerce site, managing updates, and maintaining the website. If you do not have the required technical skills, you have to hire a developer to handle these tasks.

6. Opencart

Best for low running costs for business

Free to download, but comes with additional costs

Opencart is a free eCommerce software that you can download and integrate into an existing website to add the eCommerce functionality. Being an open source and free software, it can largely reduce the costs of your business.

The B2B functionality can be added through relevant extensions that are available in the Opencart extensions store.

Features:

As mentioned above, for B2B-specific features, you have to download the relevant extensions. There are 2 major extensions available in the Opencart store, Opencart B2B Multi-Vendor Marketplace and Opencart B2B Wholesale Catalogue for Vendor.

You can further filter the extensions based on B2B and you will find a range of extensions for cost proposals, payment gateways, bulk purchases, etc.

Design:

When you install the Opencart platform, you will get a basic store design to get you started. This store design is basic, clean, and mobile-responsive.

However, for a B2B store, you need to create a store that looks unique and professional. In this case, you have the option to download and install themes from external marketplaces like Themeforest.

Pricing:

Opencart, like any other free software, comes with a lot of additional costs in terms of extensions, themes, plugins, etc.

Ease of use:

If you want to use Opencart without incurring a lot of additional costs, then you need to have the relevant web development skills or hire a developer.

Opencart is a PHP-based platform that can be tough to navigate even for experienced developers.

On a basic storefront level, it is quite simple and straightforward. The interface is clean and responsive across multiple devices.

7. Prestashop

Best for selling internationally

Pricing depends on SSL, hosting, themes, etc.

Prestashop is a free-to-download shopping cart software that can be added to your website. It is an open source, allowing complete creative freedom to the seller.

Though it is a B2C platform primarily, you can add the B2B functionality available in the Prestashop add-ons store.

Features:

Prestashop has all the necessary features for order management, inventory management, POS invoicing, vendor management, catalog management, and more.

With the B2B mode on, you will be able to access more B2 B-specific features like providing company information, creating user profiles, creating user registration, etc.

With Prestashop, you can easily sell online internationally due to its multi-language integration and over 60 payment gateways.

Design:

Prestashop allows you to completely customize your store to every last design detail. You can create a very professional-looking store that in itself looks like a brand.

However, you need to have the necessary developing skills to handle customization on Prestashop. You can import website themes from third-party sellers to make the customization simpler.

Pricing:

Prestashop is free to download but comes with a range of additional costs like paid themes, add-ons, extensions, SSL certificates, etc.

Ease of use:

It is a simple and straightforward task to download and install the Prestashop software. You will have a basic online storefront that can be customized.

You can add all the required functionalities to this store using add-ons that do not need any developing skills either. However, website creation, management, and maintenance require a dedicated developer in your staff.

8. Yo! Kart

Best for amazing one-time pricing plans

Paid plans start at $999 one-time charge

Yo! Kart is software that allows you to build a multi-vendor marketplace like Alibaba, Amazon marketplace, etc. It is best suited for B2B businesses that want to set up their business at a one-time cost and avail access to all the necessary features.

The best part, whichever subscription plan you choose, you also get a lifetime business license. It is self-hosted and the best B2B eCommerce platform for beginners.

Features:

Yo! Kart has all the required eCommerce features like order management, inventory tracking, creating discounts, abandoned cart alerts, real-time shipping, and so much more. You can expand its functionality using plugins and add-ons.

By subscribing to its B2B plan, you will have access to its premium B2B features that include a highly intuitive admin panel, managing pricing requests, catalog management, setting up subscription packages, etc.

Yo! Kart is also a very SEO-friendly system that allows you to create custom URLs, meta tags, meta descriptions, URL rewriting, XML sitemaps creation, and management, etc.

Design:

You can create a very lightweight, neat, and simple website using Yo! Kart is highly customizable. Of course, you need to have the right development and design skills to customize your store.

One thing that can be guaranteed on Yo! Kart is an amazing user interface on the front end that provides users with a great experience on your website.

Pricing:

Unlike all the eCommerce platforms, Yo! Kart does not have a recurring cost or subscription plan. They only charge one time and the features can be availed for a lifetime.

Ease of use:

Yo! Kart is very easy to use when it comes to running your B2B business. It offers multi-vendor support where vendors and admins can easily add products, edit prices and manage orders.

It may seem a little tough to customize your store on the platform, however, Yo! Kart offers a great solution for that too. You can hire one of their designers and developers at just $25/ hour.

Their customer support is also pretty commendable!

Recap: Best Ecommerce Platform for B2B

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Conclusion

Your choice of an eCommerce platform is one of the most important decisions for a B2B business, as your eCommerce website is the face and identity of your business.

It adds credibility to your business and encourages other businesses to trust you.

We have provided you with some of the best B2B eCommerce platforms with a detailed description to help you in this decision.

However, starting a B2B business is very different from a customer-facing business. It takes a lot more effort, time, planning, and marketing.

If you are a newbie entrepreneur who is not up for this challenge, then you can start a simpler B2C business. All you need to do is to find a winning product and the target market.

Dukaan can help you with the rest of the process, from your digital storefront to marketing your business, managing orders to shipping, and accepting payments, you can handle it all under one roof.

The best part, you can create your own store in under a minute and start selling immediately!

Watch this video to learn how: