Executive Summary
Choosing a new B2B eCommerce platform is a high-stakes decision for Managing Directors seeking operational efficiency, scalability, and better customer experience. This guide is a practical resource to help you evaluate platforms based on how your business actually works.
Key takeaways:
- Recognise the signs that your current platform is holding you back, from inefficient workflows to frustrated customers.
- Map your business processes before evaluating technology to ensure you choose a platform that fits, rather than one that simply looks impressive.
- Prioritise operational challenges, not just features, so you can eliminate inefficiencies that drain time and margin.
- Involve key stakeholders across departments early to ensure the platform meets broad internal needs and drives adoption.
- Evaluate platforms using real-world scenarios, not generic demos, to reveal if they can truly support your specific workflows.
- Think long-term and choose a platform that will evolve with your business, not constrain it.
This guide equips you with a strategic approach to platform evaluation so your next move delivers value not just on launch day, but for years to come.
Introduction: Why Platform Choice Matters More Than Ever
Selecting the right B2B eCommerce platform is one of the most critical decisions a Managing Director can make in today’s digital-first economy. This isn't just an IT decision – it shapes how your business operates, serves customers, and scales efficiently.
The wrong platform can stifle growth, drain resources, and frustrate both teams and customers. The right one, however, can simplify operations, empower your staff, and turn digital into a true competitive advantage.
Signs Your Current Platform Is Holding You Back
Before diving into evaluation, it’s important to recognise when your existing setup is a constraint rather than a catalyst.
- Operational inefficiencies: Are your teams building workarounds just to get basic orders through? Are integrations fragile and updates a risk?
- Poor customer experience: If buyers are still calling to place orders, your site may lack essential B2B capabilities like quick reordering or mobile optimisation.
- Internal friction: Marketing can’t launch campaigns without IT. Sales lacks insight into order history. Your tech team spends more time maintaining than improving.
According to Digital Commerce 360, nearly 60% of B2B executives cite "integration issues" as a leading barrier to eCommerce success (2023).
Map How Your Business Actually Works
Before you even look at vendors, document how your business sells.
- Start with one high-value order. Track it from initial enquiry to fulfilment.
- Who initiates the order? How is it priced? Are there approvals? What systems are involved?
Use this real-world journey to surface hidden complexity. Are there exceptions for key accounts? Does your sales team intervene often? Are there different flows for credit terms or subscriptions?
This step helps you benchmark any platform against your business, not the other way around.
Define Your Strategic Priorities, Not Just Features
Platform evaluation shouldn’t be about ticking boxes. Instead, focus on the specific problems you need to solve:
- "Buyers can’t find products" might indicate poor taxonomy or a weak filtering system.
- "Reps manually quote everything" suggests you need flexible pricing rules and approvals.
- "Marketing is blocked by devs" may mean the CMS isn’t user-friendly or powerful enough.
Prioritise what’s costing you time, money, and customer goodwill. Forrester found that 38% of B2B firms reported their platform lacked the functionality to support strategic goals (2022).
Align Internal Stakeholders Early
One of the biggest reasons re-platforming projects fail is internal misalignment. Even if IT leads the implementation, it impacts every department:
- Sales needs quoting tools and pricing visibility.
- Marketing needs segmentation and campaign autonomy.
- Customer service needs access to accounts and history.
Engage these teams early during evaluation. Ask what “success” looks like for them six months post-launch. You’ll build consensus and avoid expensive surprises later.
Evaluate Platforms for Fit, Not Flash
Product demos often focus on flashy features, not real fit. Instead, bring scenario-based scripts:
- Multi-site buyer scenario: "Can a purchasing manager order for multiple locations, each with different terms and pricing?"
- ERP sync scenario: "We update specs and prices daily. How does your platform handle that without manual uploads?"
- Marketing workflow: "Can our team build and launch a personalised campaign without developer input?"
This approach reveals whether a platform truly supports how your business operates. Invite stakeholders to ask their own workflow-specific questions during demos.
Look for Long-Term Strategic Alignment
Choose a platform that grows with you. Ask:
- Does it support complex B2B models like contract pricing, account hierarchies, or approval workflows?
- Is the platform API-friendly for future integration?
- Will non-technical staff be able to use it independently?
Case in point: A mid-size UK cleaning and hygiene supplier switched from WooCommerce to Apparatus and saw a 30% increase in online orders in the first 3 months.
Summary: Principles of a Good Decision
- Start with your reality: Map actual sales processes, not assumptions.
- Prioritise outcomes over features: Focus on what’s blocking growth.
- Involve the right people: Don’t build in isolation.
- Test for fit, not functionality: Use real scenarios to evaluate.
- Think long-term: Pick a platform that can evolve with your business.
Choosing the right B2B eCommerce platform is an investment in operational excellence. Approach it as you would any strategic decision: grounded in evidence, shaped by your business, and guided by long-term thinking.