B2B E-Commerce – More Than Just a Sales Channel

Digitalisation Isn’t Just About Selling – It’s About Simplifying

When people hear “e-commerce” in a B2B context, they often imagine a traditional web shop. A storefront, where things are bought and shipped. That’s part of it – but far from the whole story.

Modern B2B e-commerce is a powerful tool for digitalising internal workflows, improving customer service, and making business more efficient across the board.

A Hub for Business – Not Just a Checkout Button

An e-commerce platform can support much more than sales:

• Streamline recurring order flows

• Let customers download documents themselves

• Show personalised pricing and product assortments

• Share updates and promotions in a controlled, traceable way

• Provide self-service for common support needs

It becomes a central tool – for customers, partners, and internal teams.

It’s Not Just Convenient – It Drives Business Results

Digitalisation through e-commerce leads to real outcomes:

• Up to 40% lower customer support costs (Bain & Company)

• Up to 20% more sales from automated order flows (McKinsey)

• Shorter lead times, fewer mistakes

• More efficient admin around quotes, invoicing and inventory

• Smarter decisions with better customer data

Especially in businesses with large volumes and recurring orders, the payoff can be fast.

Common Misconceptions – and Why They Cost You

“We don’t sell online” is a response we hear often. But that’s missing the point.

B2B e-commerce isn’t just about online transactions. It’s about offering better service, increasing transparency, and removing bottlenecks that eat up time and resources.

Delaying this shift means risking competitive disadvantage.

How to Get Started – Without Overhauling Everything

Digitalisation doesn’t have to mean a full-scale transformation.

Start by:

• Identifying repetitive manual tasks

• Mapping customer touchpoints that could become self-service

• Launching a focused first use case – like an internal reseller portal

• Expanding over time with ERP, CRM, or PIM integrations

Start where the impact is obvious – not where it’s most complex.

How Flatmate Helps You Build the Right E-Commerce Foundation

We help B2B companies create platforms that reduce friction and scale with growth.

• Internal ordering portals

• Self-service hubs for support and documents

• Automated processes for frequent transactions

• Interfaces that support both teams and customers

Always built around your business goals – not just the tech.

To Sum Up: Make E-Commerce the Engine, Not Just the Checkout

E-commerce can do far more than sell products. It can drive your digital transformation – one workflow at a time.

Start small. Build smart. And let the results scale with you.