Which platform should you choose for your B2B webshop?
Once your B2B company has decided that it needs a webshop, the next natural question is: Which platform should the solution be built on?
There are many different webshop platforms, and they are not necessarily equally suitable for the same types of businesses or requirements. Some solutions are well suited to a simple, standardised webshop, while others offer greater scope for customer-specific pricing, complex product data, integrations and specific workflows.
Many web agencies specialise in one particular e-commerce platform. This can be an advantage when a project is a good fit for that solution. However, it can also mean that the advice is based on the platform the agency works with, rather than on the solution that best suits your business.
At itpilot, we work with several different webshop platforms and have many years of experience in development, integrations and the ongoing development of digital solutions, including B2B webshops.
Start with your needs before choosing a platform
A webshop that works well for one business may be a poor fit for another. This is why the choice of platform should be based on your specific needs rather than on a particular technology.
At itpilot, we start by understanding your business, customers, products, workflows and objectives. This provides a better foundation for assessing which features, integrations and platform options are relevant to you.
During the initial clarification phase, we typically look at:
- Users and needs
Who will use the webshop, and what do they need to be able to do? This may include regular business customers with individual agreements, resellers, purchasers or employees with different levels of access. - The role of the webshop
Should it be a complete ordering solution, a closed customer portal with access to prices and previous orders, or a digital product catalogue with up-to-date product information? - Pricing and product ranges
Customer-specific pricing, discount agreements, volume discounts and individual product ranges place different demands on a webshop than a solution where every customer sees the same products and prices. - Product data
A large number of variants, technical specifications, spare parts, documentation and product dependencies require a solution that can structure and present information clearly. - Systems and integrations
ERP, CRM, PIM, inventory management and financial systems may be crucial if prices, stock levels, customer information and orders need to flow automatically between systems. - Ongoing development
For some businesses, it makes sense to start with the most important features and expand the webshop once the solution is in use and requirements become clearer.
The answers help determine which platforms are relevant and how the solution should be structured from the outset.
B2B webshops often have different requirements from standard webshops
A B2B webshop is often more than a sales channel. It can be a working tool for customers, resellers and employees who need to find products, view agreements and manage orders efficiently.
Relevant features may include:
- Customer login with individual pricing, product ranges and agreements
- Multiple users and different roles within the same customer account
- Reordering, order history, invoices and relevant documents
- Fast ordering by item number or upload of order lines
- Approval workflows and specific permissions
- Search and filtering in large or technical product catalogues
Not every B2B webshop needs every feature. For some businesses, a simple customer portal with login and individual pricing is enough. For others, the webshop is a central part of the sales process and must support more complex workflows.
Some businesses sell to both business customers and consumers. In these cases, B2B and B2C can be combined in one solution, but this requires a well-planned setup. The webshop must be able to handle differences in pricing, product ranges, payment options and checkout flows in a straightforward way for each customer group.
Open source or hosted solution?
When choosing a webshop platform, you also need to decide whether you want an open-source solution or a hosted solution.
At itpilot, we work extensively with open-source solutions such as WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento Open Source because they often provide strong opportunities to tailor the webshop to your company’s workflows, systems and development plans. With an open-source platform, the solution can be developed over time, and it is typically possible to build custom features or integrations where standard functionality is not sufficient.
However, open source does not mean that the solution is free or maintenance-free. While the software licence itself may be free, there will still be costs for development, hosting, modules, operations, security, updates and ongoing development.
Hosted platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce typically bring more of the technical operations together in one solution. This can be an advantage for businesses looking for a more standardised platform, straightforward administration and a faster route to a ready-to-use webshop. At the same time, it is important to clarify how the solution aligns with your needs for integrations, customer-specific functionality, product data and future adaptations.
Which platforms may be relevant?
There is no single webshop platform that suits every B2B business. Some platforms are particularly relevant when the webshop and content need to be closely connected. Others are better suited to larger product catalogues, complex customer setups or extensive integration requirements.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce can be relevant when the webshop needs to be closely integrated with a WordPress website. This is often an advantage for businesses where content, guidance, campaigns, landing pages and the webshop need to function as one cohesive digital solution.
The platform can be used for both B2B and B2C and can be adapted when there is a need for custom functionality, integrations or customer areas. WooCommerce can therefore be a good choice when content and e-commerce need to work closely together, and when the business wants a flexible solution that can be developed over time.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop can be relevant when the webshop is a central sales or ordering channel and there is a need for greater flexibility than a fully standardised setup can provide.
The platform is purpose-built for e-commerce and offers strong opportunities to work with product variants, customer accounts, different pricing structures, B2B and B2C sales, multiple markets and integrations with other systems. As an open-source solution, PrestaShop can also be adapted with custom modules and functionality when the business has needs that cannot be met by a standard setup.
It can be a strong solution for businesses that want a webshop that can develop alongside the business and support more than basic online sales.
Magento and Adobe Commerce
Magento and Adobe Commerce can be relevant for larger or more complex e-commerce solutions.
This may, for example, apply to businesses with extensive product catalogues, many customer groups, multiple languages and markets, complex pricing structures or significant integration requirements. The solution can be relevant when the webshop needs to handle a wide range of processes and be developed as a central part of the company’s digital business.
However, the choice should always be assessed against the specific scope of the project. A more comprehensive platform does not automatically create more value if the company’s needs can be met more simply and effectively in another way.
Shopify
Shopify can be relevant for businesses that want a more standardised platform, straightforward administration and a relatively fast route to a finished webshop.
As a hosted solution, Shopify brings several core functions together in one platform, which can be a good fit for businesses with more straightforward webshop requirements. Before choosing the platform, however, it is still important to clarify requirements for B2B functionality, customer-specific pricing, product data, integrations and future adaptations.
This applies regardless of platform. The more the webshop needs to support the company’s specific workflows, the more important it is to assess its capabilities and limitations thoroughly before making the final choice.
When the webshop needs to work with other systems
Some businesses can manage with a simple webshop and only a few integrations. For others, the webshop needs to work with ERP, PIM, inventory management, CRM, pricing and order processing.
The right integrations can, for example, make it possible to:
- Retrieve prices and customer agreements from the ERP system
- Update stock levels automatically
- Transfer orders to order processing and financial systems
- Use customer data consistently across systems
- Maintain product information in one place
This can reduce manual work and minimise the risk of errors, but the need always depends on the individual business and its workflows.
For some businesses, a few relevant integrations are the right solution. For others, a more integrated approach to product data and systems can create a better overview and make information easier to maintain over time.
Operations, security and ongoing development
A webshop is not finished when it goes live. It needs ongoing maintenance to continue operating reliably, remain secure to use and adapt as needs change.
This is particularly relevant for open-source solutions. The platform, modules and integrations must be kept up to date to address known vulnerabilities and ensure that the different parts of the solution continue to work together. Updates should be planned and tested, as changes in one area can affect other parts of the webshop.
Operations and maintenance should therefore be considered as early as the platform selection stage. This includes updates, backups, access control, monitoring, data management and clear processes whenever changes are made to the solution.
The business should be prepared for the fact that a webshop requires ongoing attention, either internally or in collaboration with a technical partner. This provides a stronger foundation for a solution that can operate securely and reliably over time.
The right choice depends on the overall solution
The choice of platform is important, but it should always be assessed in relation to your business, customer needs, pricing and product ranges, product data, integrations, and plans for operations and ongoing development.
The best webshop platform is therefore not necessarily the best-known or least expensive solution right now. It is the solution that best supports your workflows, customers and business, and that can develop as your needs evolve.
Get help choosing a platform for your B2B webshop
The choice of webshop platform affects both the initial solution and the opportunities to develop it over time. It is therefore an advantage to choose a partner who can assess your needs across platforms, integrations, product data and operations.
At itpilot, we work with several different webshop platforms, including WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento/Adobe Commerce and Shopify. We have experience in developing B2B webshops, integrating them with your company’s other systems and tailoring the solution to specific workflows, customer groups and business requirements..
We can support you all the way from the initial clarification and choice of platform to development, integrations, hosting, security and ongoing development. This gives you one technical partner who understands both the solution and the systems it needs to work with.
When a webshop handles customer data, pricing, orders and integrations with core business systems, operations and security are also important parts of the decision. itpilot has both an ISAE 3402 assurance reportand an ISAE 3000 assurance report. These document our processes and controls relating to development and operations, as well as GDPR, data processing and information security, respectively.
Contact us for a no-obligation conversation about which solution is the best fit for your business and how your B2B webshop can create value for both customers and employees. Call us on 87 25 07 87 or complete the contact form.
