B2B vs B2C
On a B2C (business-to-consumer) webshop, everyone sees the same price, pays by card and gets the goods by courier. In B2B (business-to-business), every customer has its own prices, discounts, payment terms and credit limit, and payment usually goes through a customer account on credit.
| Criterion | B2C webshop | B2B portal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The same for everyone | Varies by dealer |
| Payment | Card, immediately | Customer account, on credit terms |
| In | Open to everyone | Registered dealers only |
| Order quantity | A few units | Cases, pallets, bulk |
| Connections | Shipping, payments | Stock, accounts, accounting software |
Fewer businesses sell electronically than you might think. In 2024, 23.6% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees made e-sales, according to Eurostat. The share grows with size: 21.4% of small enterprises, 31.7% of medium-sized ones and 48.5% of large ones.
Electronic orders brought in 19.5% of EU enterprises’ turnover in 2024. Most of it did not come from websites but from EDI: orders that flow straight from the buyer’s system into the seller’s.
The parts of a B2B ordering system
A sample screen that runs by itself
The diagram below follows a dealer’s order through a B2B system.
The dealer logs in to the portal. With their own account they see only their own prices and balance.
They pick the products. Stock, their own price and the case quantity are on screen.
They place the order. The credit limit is checked automatically; orders over the limit wait for approval.
The warehouse prepares it. A pick list appears in the warehouse; if an item is short, the dealer is notified.
Shipping and invoice. The delivery note and invoice go to the accounting software, and the dealer’s balance is updated.
Example: the dealer enters the order instead of phoning it in, so wrong prices and stock errors are caught at the start.
How to set up a B2B ordering system
Connecting to your accounting software
The most important connection in a B2B ordering system is your accounting software. That’s where dealer balances live and invoices are issued. Once it’s connected, dealers see their up-to-date balance in the portal, approved orders become invoices and nothing is entered twice.
| Item | Cases | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicone sealant 280 ml | 12 × 24 | €4.65 | €1,339.20 |
| Expanding foam | 6 × 12 | €11.80 | €849.60 |
| Masking tape | 10 × 36 | €2.14 | €770.40 |
Example: an order placed by the dealer with their own price list; it reaches the accounting software with the same amounts.
How to get dealers using the system
To get a rough idea of what taking orders by phone and WhatsApp costs you, enter your own numbers:
Calculation: 22 working days a month. Time = orders × minutes × 22; error cost = orders × 22 × error rate × cost per error. Include wrong prices, missing items and returned shipments in the cost per error.
