Top 3 Best B2B eCommerce Platforms (2024): In-depth Review

In the latest blog, we’ve pointed out 5 important factors that make the best B2B eCommerce platforms. Now, let's delve into the heart of our exploration: the top 3 best B2B eCommerce platforms that stand out from the competition.

These platforms have been carefully selected based on their exceptional performance across essential criteria. Each B2B eCommerce platform offers unique strengths and capabilities tailored to the diverse needs of B2B businesses, ranging from small enterprises to large corporations.

So, get ready to discover the best of the best in B2B eCommerce. We'll break down each B2B eCommerce platform in simple terms, so you can choose the perfect fit for your business. Let's get started!

1. Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus is an enterprise eCommerce software system for high-growth merchants and brands. It includes all of the standard Shopify features, plus additional resources that are designed to help support merchants with higher revenue and sales.

Integration: 5/5

• Pre-built integrations: Shopify Plus boasts seamless integration with leading ERP and CRM systems like NetSuite, SAP Business One, and Salesforce. This compatibility simplifies data flow between platforms, streamlining back-office operations and enhancing customer interactions.

• Flexible API: In addition to pre-built integrations, this B2B eCommerce platform offers a flexible API that empowers businesses to create custom connections with other business applications. This open architecture enables developers to tailor integrations to specific requirements, leveraging the full potential of Shopify Plus as a centralized hub for your eCommerce ecosystem.
• Robust app store: This B2B eCommerce platform has a vast selection of third-party apps available in its app store. From marketing automation and customer relationship management to accounting and shipping solutions, the app store provides access to a wealth of tools and resources designed to optimize performance, drive growth, and elevate the customer experience.
  If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for your B2B business around the Shopify App Store, FoxKit - All-in-one Sales Boost is the perfect fit! This app offers a set of B2B eCommerce features to enhance user experience like the mega menu, size chart, and variant group images. It also provides powerful features to upsell, cross-sell, and boost sales for your store like volume discounts, product bundles, free shipping goals, lucky wheel, countdown timer, etc.

Customization: 5/5

• Branding and design: With Shopify Plus, businesses have access to a wide array of themes and templates on the Shopify Theme store that can be customized extensively to reflect their brand aesthetic. From adjusting colors and logos to fine-tuning layouts and menus, businesses can create a visually stunning storefront that resonates with their target audience.

• Reporting features: While businesses can access valuable insights into sales performance, customer behavior, and inventory management through Shopify's reporting tools, more complex reports and analytics may require the use of third-party solutions or custom development work. This limitation detracts from Shopify Plus's overall customization score.

B2B eCommerce features for transactions: 5/5

Customer-specific pricing: Merchants have the flexibility to implement customer-specific pricing strategies, including tiered pricing structures, volume discounts, and custom pricing for different customer groups. This enables businesses to offer personalized pricing that reflects their clients’ unique needs and purchasing behaviors, fostering stronger relationships and driving sales growth.

• Minimum order quantities: Being one of the best B2B eCommerce platforms, Shopify Plus supports the setting of minimum order quantities for products, allowing businesses to enforce minimum purchase requirements for wholesale or bulk orders. This can optimize order fulfillment processes, maximize order value, and ensure profitability.
• Complex order management: This B2B eCommerce platform offers comprehensive features for managing complex B2B order workflows, including order approvals, quotations, and custom fields. This enables businesses to streamline order processing, improve order accuracy, and meet the specific requirements of B2B transactions, such as negotiated pricing and contract terms.

• Self-service options: With Shopify Plus, businesses can create dedicated B2B customer portals where clients can access account information, track shipments, and place orders seamlessly. This self-service option empowers consumers to manage their accounts independently, reducing administrative overhead and enhancing the overall customer experience.
• Flexible payment options: This B2B eCommerce platform integrates with a wide range of payment gateways, allowing businesses to offer flexible payment options tailored to the preferences of B2B customers.

User experience: 5/5

• Customer interface: The best B2B eCommerce platforms always provide a user-friendly storefront experience that prioritizes ease of use and accessibility, and so does Shopify Plus. With intuitive search functionalities, quick checkout processes, and seamless access to order history and product information, Shopify Plus ensures a frictionless shopping experience for customers.

• Employee and admin panel: One main reason why Shopify Plus is considered the best B2B eCommerce platform is its user-friendly admin panel, offering clear navigation, robust reporting tools, and efficient order fulfillment workflows. Whether managing orders, customers, or inventory, administrators benefit from a seamless and intuitive interface that simplifies administrative tasks and enhances productivity.

• Mobile responsiveness: With a responsive storefront design that adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes, this B2B eCommerce platform ensures a consistent experience for customers on all devices. Additionally, Shopify provides a dedicated Shopify Mobile app for managing the platform on mobile.

Security: 4/5

• Data security: Being one of the best B2B eCommerce platforms, Shopify Plus utilizes robust security protocols such as SSL encryption and firewalls to protect customer data transmitted over its platform. By encrypting data in transit and at rest, this B2B eCommerce platform ensures that sensitive information remains secure and protected from unauthorized access or interception.
• Compliance: Shopify Plus complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), demonstrating its commitment to maintaining the security of payment card information. However, it's important to note that compliance with PCI DSS is just one aspect of regulatory compliance. Depending on your specific location and the nature of your business, additional considerations may be required to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or industry-specific requirements.
• Access controls: Shopify B2B eCommerce platform offers granular user permission controls that enable businesses to restrict access to sensitive data and functionalities based on user roles and responsibilities. By defining user permissions at a granular level, businesses can ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive information, reducing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.

Additional points to consider

• Scalability: Shopify Plus can scale to accommodate a growing B2B business in terms of transaction volume and product catalog size. However, complex B2B workflows and features might require additional integrations or development work to bridge the gap.
  Thus, if your B2B business prioritizes scalability for high volume and product variety, and you can address the gaps in B2B eCommerce features through integrations or development, Shopify Plus could be the best B2B eCommerce platform for you.

2. Oracle NetSuite SuiteCommerce

NetSuite SuiteCommerce, developed by Oracle, stands as a premier B2B eCommerce platform tailored to provide personalized and seamless B2B experiences. With its robust features and flexibility, NetSuite SuiteCommerce addresses a diverse range of eCommerce requirements.

Integration: 4/5

• ERP and CRM systems: Since it's part of the Oracle NetSuite, NetSuite Ecommerce integrates seamlessly with NetSuite's ERP and CRM systems. Besides, it also offers a selection of pre-built connectors for popular third-party ERP and CRM systems This simplifies the integration process and ensures compatibility with commonly used business management software.
• Third-party applications: NetSuite offers SuiteCloud, a platform for building custom integrations with various third-party applications, catering to specific B2B needs beyond core functionalities. However, it's important to note that it doesn't offer open APIs, which can limit integration possibilities compared to platforms with more open architectures.

Customization: 4/5

• Branding and design: The B2B eCommerce platform of Oracle offers a good level of customization for the storefront's look and feel using themes and templates. However, compared to other open-source platforms, SuiteCommerce may have some limitations in terms of flexibility and customization options.
• Reporting and analytics: NetSuite excels in reporting and analytics. Leveraging NetSuite's robust data, this B2B eCommerce platform provides comprehensive reports and dashboards tailored to B2B needs, offering valuable insights into customer behavior and sales performance.

B2B eCommerce features for transactions: 5/5

• Customer-specific pricing: SuiteCommerce effectively manages tiered pricing structures, volume discounts, and custom pricing for customer segments. This allows you to offer B2B buyers personalized pricing based on their purchase history, volume, or other criteria.
• Minimum order quantities: You can set minimum order requirements for wholesale or bulk purchases, ensuring your B2B operations cater to larger order volumes.
• Complex order management: SuiteCommerce excels in handling complex B2B order workflows. It offers B2B eCommerce features for order approvals for orders exceeding a certain amount or requiring specific product verification. You can also generate and manage quotations for B2B sales to present custom offers to potential clients.

• Self-service options: This B2B eCommerce platform provides self-service portals that empower B2B customers to manage their accounts independently. From reordering products to tracking shipments and accessing account information, this B2B eCommerce platform offers a seamless and convenient self-service experience that enhances customer satisfaction and reduces administrative overhead.

• Flexible payment options: Being a top-notch B2B eCommerce platform, SuiteCommerce integrates seamlessly with various payment gateways, allowing businesses to offer flexible payment options tailored to the preferences of B2B customers. Whether it's purchase orders, credit accounts, net terms, or online payment methods, SuiteCommerce provides the flexibility to accommodate diverse payment workflows and streamline the checkout process for customers.

User experience: 4/5

• Customer interface: This B2B eCommerce platform offers a user-friendly storefront with intuitive search functionalities, streamlined checkout processes, and easy access to order history and product information.

• Employee and admin panel:The B2B eCommerce platform from NetSuite brand leverages the familiarity of the NetSuite platform, which can be beneficial for existing NetSuite users. However, for new users unfamiliar with NetSuite, the back-end interface might have a steeper learning curve compared to some B2B platforms designed specifically for ease of use.
• Mobile responsiveness: SuiteCommerce offers a mobile-responsive design that allows B2B buyers to access their accounts and place orders from their mobile devices.

Security: 5/5

• Data security: NetSuite employs industry-standard security measures like SSL encryption and firewalls to protect sensitive customer data. Additionally, compliance with relevant regulations is likely due to being part of a larger enterprise software suite.
• Compliance: SuiteCommerce adheres to various industry regulations, including PCI DSS and GDPR, depending on your location.
• Access controls: The B2B eCommerce platform offers granular control over user permissions within the NetSuite ecosystem, ensuring only authorized personnel can access sensitive data and functionalities.

Additional points to consider

• Technical expertise: NetSuite might require technical expertise for advanced customization and integration needs than other open-source platforms. This can impact your ongoing operational costs and dependence on external resources.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a B2B eCommerce platform that combines their Enterprise plan with a B2B Edition app. This gives you prominent B2B eCommerce features that streamline operations for both merchants and B2B buyers, boosting sales and satisfaction.

Integration: 5/5

• ERP and CRM systems: BigCommerce offers pre-built integrations with popular ERP and CRM systems like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Acumatica. Additionally, their Open API allows for custom integrations with other business applications.
• Third-party apps: BigCommerce has a well-stocked app marketplace with various third-party applications catering to B2B needs in areas like marketing automation, accounting, and fulfillment.

Customization: 4/5

• Branding and design: This B2B eCommerce platform offers a high degree of customization for the storefront's look and feel. You can use themes and templates and customize them with your branding elements (logos, colors, fonts).

• Reporting and analytics: BigCommerce provides a robust reporting and analytics suite with customizable dashboards and reports. You can track key B2B metrics like customer behavior, order history, and sales performance. However, advanced customization for reports might require additional tools or integrations

B2B eCommerce features for transactions: 4/5

• Customer-specific pricing: BigCommerce allows you to create tiered pricing structures, volume discounts, and custom pricing for different customer segments. This caters to B2B buyers needing personalized pricing based on their purchase history or volume.
• Minimum order quantities: With the B2B eCommerce platform of BigCommerce, you can set minimum order requirements to streamline wholesale or bulk purchases. By establishing minimum order thresholds, you can ensure profitability on transactions.
• Complex order management: While BigCommerce offers basic order management functionalities, it might not be sufficient for complex B2B transactions. Many B2B eCommerce features like order approvals, quotations, and advanced workflows might require additional development or integrations with third-party plugins. This can add complexity and ongoing costs.
• Self-service options: BigCommerce provides self-service capabilities through customer accounts where users can re-order frequently purchased items easily, track shipment status and delivery details, and access account information and past order history.

• Flexible payment options: This B2B eCommerce platform integrates with various payment gateways, allowing you to offer purchase orders, credit accounts (with additional plugins), net terms (with additional plugins), and various online payment options catering to diverse B2B payment preferences.

User experience: 4/5

Customer interface: BigCommerce focuses on ease of navigation and accessibility by providing buyers with intuitive search functionalities, a streamlined checkout process, and convenient access to order history and product information.

• Employee and admin panel: The back-end interface is designed for ease of use with clear navigation and robust reporting tools. However, customization options for the admin panel might be limited compared to Shopify and NetSuite Commerce.
• Mobile responsiveness: Being one of the top 3 best B2B eCommerce platforms, BigComemrce design ensures mobile optimization, allowing B2B buyers to access their accounts and place orders conveniently from their mobile devices. BigCommerce also has a mobile app for B2B admin to manage their stores on the go.

Source: BigCommerce Mobile App

Security: 5/5

• Data security: BigCommerce employs industry-standard security measures like SSL Encryption to protect data transmission between your store and customers' browsers, firewalls to safeguard the platform from unauthorized access and malicious attacks. Besides, BigCommerce undergoes regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security issues
• Compliance: This B2B eCommerce platform adheres to various industry regulations, including PCI DSS and GDPR depending on your location. This ensures compliance with data security best practices.
• Access controls: BigCommerce offers features like two-factor authentication and user permission controls. These features help prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data within your B2B store.

Additional points to consider

• Platform complexity: Managing a BigCommerce store with numerous plugins and integrations can become more complex as your B2B business scales. Evaluate your technical resources and long-term B2B eCommerce needs to determine if BigCommerce's scalability aligns with your growth projections.

In summary

In conclusion, selecting the best B2B eCommerce platforms is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your business's success. Whether you opt for Shopify Plus, Oracle NetSuite Ecommerce, BigCommerce, or another platform altogether, it's essential to prioritize integration, customization, B2B eCommerce features for transactions, user experience, and security.

We hope this guide has provided valuable insights into the best B2B eCommerce platforms and their key B2B eCommerce features. Armed with this knowledge, you're better equipped to navigate the landscape of B2B eCommerce and choose the platform that best suits your business needs.