Your customer has a job to do. It probably involves finding the right product, getting an order approved, and making sure it arrives before something important runs out.
It probably does not involve admiring your homepage animation.
A good B2B buying experience makes it easy for customers to find what they need and place an accurate order. They spend less time chasing answers or working around problems. Your team spends less time correcting orders and retyping information.
This guide is for manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers that want to improve that experience. The recommendations apply across ecommerce platforms. Some improvements require better data or connected systems. Others are as simple as changing a confusing label or fixing a search result. Start by asking a customer to show you how they actually order.
1. Start with the job your buyer needs to finish
Before you build a feature list, watch a few customers place an order. Ask them to use their own account, their own products, and their normal process. A polished demo with three perfectly named products can make almost any website look easy to use. Your customers probably order from a slightly larger catalog.
Include different situations: a first-time buyer, a repeat purchaser, a technical buyer checking compatibility, and someone ordering for multiple locations.
Ask these questions:
- What triggered this purchase, and how urgent is it?
- How do you identify the right item? A part number, a previous order, a specification, or something else?
- Who needs to approve the purchase?
- Which information do you have to leave our website to find?
- When do you call or email us, and what stopped you from finishing online?
Write down each step, who handles it, and where delays occur. Some steps serve a purpose, such as getting approval for a large purchase. Others just add work, such as retyping an order that already exists in a spreadsheet.
Try this: Observe five customers completing one common buying task. Record whether they finish, how long it takes, and where they need help. Use those observations to find problems worth investigating. Five customers will give you a useful starting point, but they will not represent your entire customer base.
2. Offer self-service with an easy route to help
In a March 2026 release, Gartner reported that 67% of surveyed B2B buyers preferred a rep-free experience. Its survey covered 646 buyers and was conducted in August and September 2025.
“sellers must remain helpful while keeping the experience low-friction.”
Alyssa Cruz, Senior Principal Analyst, Gartner Sales Practice, March 9, 2026
The finding suggests buyers value the freedom to handle purchases themselves. They may still want help when a decision gets complicated.
A repeat buyer may want to reorder without a conversation. A new customer choosing a critical component may need an expert. Both should have a clear path.
Give buyers online access to product details, their account pricing, order history, invoices, and delivery updates. Keep that information accurate. Make help easy to find where customers need it, such as a product question link on a product page or a shipping contact beside a freight estimate.
Explain who will respond to a help request and when the customer should expect a reply. Include their cart or quote details with the request so they do not have to repeat everything. Make sure your team can meet the response times you promise.
Your contact form should not feel like dropping a note into the ocean and hoping someone owns a boat.
3. Help buyers find and verify the right product
B2B buyers may need an exact replacement part, a product that meets specific technical requirements, or confirmation that two products work together. Give them ways to answer those questions without browsing every category.
Start with the language customers use. Review search queries and questions from sales and customer service. Test manufacturer part numbers, your own SKUs, common abbreviations, alternate names, and punctuation variations.
On product pages, make the information buyers need to choose confidently easy to find:
- Clear product names, identifiers, and images.
- Specifications with explicit units and consistent formatting.
- Pack sizes, units of measure, minimum quantities, and order increments.
- Compatibility, application guidance, and required accessories where relevant.
- Downloadable technical documents and certifications where needed.
Filters deserve attention too. In its 2024 research on B2B electronic components and machinery, Baymard found that lengthy filter lists could make it difficult for participants to locate the exact specification they needed. Search within long filter lists and sensible ordering helped.
For your own catalog, use that as a prompt to test whether customers can find relevant options quickly. A filter with 180 values is only helpful if someone can locate the one they need.
Try this: Pick ten common product searches and five frequently confused products. Test both discovery and selection. Fix the missing data or failed queries before buying a more impressive search feature.
4. Make pricing and availability believable
Trust gets expensive when a customer has to verify every number by email.
When buyers sign in, show the price that applies to their account. Explain volume discounts, pack pricing, minimum quantities, and whether the price is per item, case, or another unit. If pricing requires a quote, say so and provide a straightforward request process.
A buyer looking at “$48” should not have to guess whether that means one item, one case, or one very optimistic estimate.
Be just as clear about availability. Show whether an item is in stock, whether it can ship to the buyer's location, and when it is expected to arrive. If it is out of stock, provide an expected restock date when you have one. If availability is updated periodically rather than live, say so.
Show shipping costs before the customer commits to an order. If you need more information to calculate the cost, explain what happens next. For freight shipments, label estimates clearly and tell buyers when the final cost will be confirmed.
Try this: Compare the website, a recent quote, and your order system for ten important accounts and twenty popular products. Look for differences in pricing, units of measure, stock information, or which products an account can buy. Give each issue to someone responsible for fixing it.
5. Support the way businesses actually place orders
A buyer may already have a purchase order, a list of SKUs, or a saved order from last month. Asking them to start over one product page at a time adds work without adding much value.
Offer ordering options that fit the way your customers work:
- Quick order: Enter multiple SKUs and quantities together.
- Bulk upload: Import a spreadsheet or supported order file, then review matches and errors.
- Reorder: Start from a previous order or saved list.
- Quote to order: Review an approved quote and continue without rebuilding it.
- Purchase order support: Capture the purchase order number and let buyers attach the PO document when needed.
Build in a clear review step. Show unmatched items, invalid quantities, unavailable products, and changed pricing before submission. Keep valid lines intact so one problem does not force the buyer to redo everything.
Make order status clear at every step. Saving a cart, requesting approval, asking for a quote, and placing an order are different actions. Tell the buyer which action they have completed and what happens next.
Example: A distributor receives a 40-line PO. A useful digital workflow captures the order, flags three uncertain product matches, and lets the buyer or seller resolve them. This reduces retyping while keeping someone in control of the final review. Automatic mistakes are still mistakes, just faster.
6. Make accounts and checkout fit the business
One customer company may have several buyers, delivery locations, and approval requirements. An account built around a single login and a saved payment card may not give that company enough flexibility.
Find out what your customers need to manage purchases: access for multiple employees, delivery location selection, buyer permissions, spending limits, approvals, or payment terms. Support the requirements that matter to them and use clear labels for each option.
Keep the checkout review clear. Confirm the account, ship-to address, quantities, pricing, shipping arrangements, payment method, and PO reference before the customer commits.
Digital Commerce 360's October 2025 reporting highlighted research from Hokodo, the B2B Ecommerce Association, and Greenwood Consulting, covering 300 buyers. In that study, 78% considered payment terms essential when selecting suppliers. Ask your own buyers which payment options they need. A credit card alone may not fit their purchasing process.
Let eligible customers use their approved payment terms online. For other customers, explain how to apply and what the approval process involves. A disabled payment option with no explanation is a remarkably efficient way to generate a support ticket.
Give buyers more than one way to pay
Meet buyers where their purchasing process already is. Some use a company credit card. Others pay invoices through accounts payable or need an electronic bank payment. Find out which methods your customers use before deciding what belongs in checkout.
- Credit cards: A convenient option for many purchases, but not the only one.
- ACH and bank transfer: Useful options for companies that pay directly from a business bank account. Make payment instructions, confirmation, and order release timing clear.
- Approved credit terms: Let eligible buyers place an order and pay the invoice by the agreed due date.
- Deferred payment or installments: For some purchases, a third-party service may let approved buyers pay later or spread payments over time, including monthly installments where offered.
Paying an invoice in 30 days and splitting a purchase into several monthly payments are different arrangements. Explain the schedule, any fees, and the approval requirements before the buyer commits. The label “buy now, pay later” can cover different products, so be specific.
Third-party services can also help manage credit checks, invoicing, reminders, and collections. Examples worth researching include:
- Resolve: Net terms, credit approval, and accounts receivable management, with buyer payment options including ACH, cards, wire, and check.
- Balance: B2B payment processing with ACH, cards, and wire, plus net terms, financing, and installment or partial-payment capabilities.
- Billie: B2B pay-later and installment options in supported markets. Its payment-partner integrations serve selected European markets, so check coverage for your buyers.
These are examples to evaluate, rather than a ranking or a recommendation for every business. Compare supported countries, buyer eligibility, fees, seller payout timing, responsibility for unpaid invoices, and how refunds work. Confirm that the service fits your ecommerce platform and accounting process.
A longer payment menu is not the goal. Give customers the options they need and make each one work reliably. Checkout should not require a workaround involving three emails and someone named Dave.
7. Offer shipping choices that fit the buyer
Some customers want you to handle delivery. Others have negotiated carrier rates or a logistics team that handles transportation. Make those choices available when your operation can support them.
- Ship using your rates: Offer your UPS, FedEx, or freight options, with clear costs and delivery estimates.
- Use the customer's carrier account: Let approved buyers request shipment on their own FedEx or UPS account. Capture the account and service details, confirm authorization, and pass them to your shipping team.
- Customer-arranged carrier pickup: Let buyers arrange for their carrier to collect an order from your warehouse. Explain how to coordinate pickup, when the order will be ready, and which documents are required.
- Local pickup or will call: If available, provide pickup hours, location instructions, and a ready-for-pickup notification.
- Special delivery requirements: Capture needs such as a liftgate, delivery appointment, or limited-access location when relevant to your products.
FedEx and UPS document recipient and third-party billing options. Whether you can offer them smoothly online depends on your shipping software, account setup, and fulfillment process.
For customer-arranged pickup, “no delivery charge” does not mean “no logistics to sort out.” Confirm any handling or packaging fees, pickup requirements, and who coordinates the carrier. Keep those details with the order so your warehouse team can act on them.
Try this: Review recent orders that needed shipping changes after checkout. If the same request appears repeatedly, consider making it a clear option in the buying process.
8. Keep context when buyers switch channels
A customer may research online, ask a sales rep about an alternative, and return later to place the order. Keep their selected products, quote details, and earlier conversations available as they move between your website and sales team.
McKinsey's 2024 B2B Pulse research, based on nearly 4,000 decision makers across 13 countries, found that buyers used an average of ten interaction channels. It also found that preferences were split roughly into thirds across in-person, remote, and digital self-service interactions.
“there is no single-channel customer.”
McKinsey, Five fundamental truths: How B2B winners keep growing, September 12, 2024
Our takeaway: help customers move between the channels they use without losing information or starting over. You do not need to launch ten channels because a survey average said so.
Allow a sales rep to work from the buyer's cart or quote when appropriate. Preserve account pricing and agreed terms. Make notes and order references available to authorized staff so customers do not have to explain the same issue repeatedly.
Start with one handoff, such as a website quote request passed to sales. Check what the buyer submits and what the sales rep receives. Fix any missing information or unnecessary retyping.
9. Make the second order easier than the first
The buying experience continues after checkout. Buyers need to know what was accepted, what will ship, what is delayed, and where to find the paperwork.
Provide order confirmations, accessible order history, shipment information, and invoices where available. Be explicit about partial shipments and backorders. If an order needs review before acceptance, make that status clear.
For repeat purchasing, let customers reuse previous selections while reviewing current prices and availability. Flag discontinued items and offer appropriate alternatives for review rather than quietly swapping products.
Ask customer service which questions arrive most often after an order. Those questions are a practical roadmap for account improvements.
10. Measure completed work, not just website activity
Traffic is useful. It does not tell you whether someone successfully ordered the correct case of product for the correct location.
Choose a small set of measures tied to buying tasks:
- Task completion: Can buyers find a product, request a quote, or reorder successfully?
- Time to complete: How long do common tasks take?
- Search friction: Which queries return no useful result?
- Order accuracy: How often do submitted orders need correction?
- Manual effort: How much staff time goes into processing a typical order?
- Repeat use: Do eligible customers return to the digital workflow?
Use the same definition each time you track a measure, and compare similar customers and orders. Requesting a quote for custom equipment will naturally take longer than reordering supplies.
Record how the process performs before you change it. Afterward, check whether customers finish faster, make fewer errors, or need less help. You can celebrate a prettier button. Just give the working order process its own celebration too.
11. Choose a platform that supports your buying process
The right platform makes these improvements possible. The wrong fit can turn a routine customer request into a permanent workaround.
Before selecting or replacing a platform, write down your essential buying workflows. Include account pricing, product data, purchase orders, approvals, payment choices, shipping arrangements, and connections to your ERP or order system.
For each requirement, ask:
- Is it included in the platform, available through an extension, or dependent on custom development?
- Does it work on the plan or edition we intend to use?
- Can we customize checkout enough to support our payment and shipping requirements?
- Will the necessary customer, product, and order data move between systems reliably?
- Who will maintain the integrations and custom features as the platform changes?
Ask vendors or implementation partners to demonstrate your actual scenarios. Test a buyer with account pricing who uploads a PO, needs approval, pays on terms, and uses their own carrier account. Then test a straightforward reorder using your shipping rates.
A feature marked “supported” may still need an extra subscription, a particular plan, or substantial development. Understand the work and ongoing cost before you commit.
Evaluate flexibility alongside reliability and the effort required to run the site. The most customizable platform is not automatically the best fit if your team cannot maintain it. Choose a platform that handles your important workflows and gives you room to grow.
A practical 30-day improvement plan
You do not need to solve every workflow this month. Start with one that happens often and creates enough frustration to matter.
- Week 1: Observe. Watch customers complete common tasks. Review search queries, support questions, and recent order corrections.
- Week 2: Prioritize. Pick three problems based on customer impact, frequency, and implementation effort. Decide who is responsible for fixing each problem.
- Week 3: Improve. Fix the highest-value issue and test it with a small group. Involve sales, customer service, and operations if the change affects their work.
- Week 4: Check. Compare task completion, time spent, errors, and customer feedback with your earlier results. Keep what works and choose the next improvement.
A strong first project might be correcting account pricing for a pilot group, improving search for your top SKUs, or making repeat orders easier. Choose the problem that your customers can already describe without a slide deck.
Better B2B buying experiences start with understanding what customers need to get done. Make the process easier and give them information they can trust. A modest improvement that saves a buyer ten minutes every week can matter more than a feature nobody asked for.
Need a hand identifying the right starting point? Explore B2B commerce consulting or talk with B2B Commerce Tools about the workflows slowing your customers down.
Sources and further reading
The survey findings below cover different populations and buying contexts. They provide direction, not a forecast of your own customers' behavior. The implementation examples and 30-day plan in this guide are our recommendations.
- Gartner: Gartner Sales Survey Finds 67% of B2B Buyers Prefer a Rep-Free Experience, March 9, 2026.
- McKinsey: Five fundamental truths: How B2B winners keep growing, September 12, 2024.
- Baymard Institute: B2B Electronics: Always Allow Users to Search Long Lists of Filter Options, April 23, 2024.
- Digital Commerce 360: Omnichannel B2B buyers want their digital voices heard, October 6, 2025.
- Resolve: Net terms, provider product information.
- Balance: B2B payments, provider product information.
- Billie: Payments for business buyers and Billie with Adyen, product and market coverage information.
- FedEx: Account management.
- UPS: Bill-to information and codes.