How does a B2B platform work? Features that attract customers

Are you planning to implement a B2B platform for your business and wondering how a B2B platform works to guarantee customer satisfaction and higher sales? Or maybe you're facing a B2B platform migration and are looking for a more scalable solution?

Check out the following list and learn about B2B platform functionalities that help outpace market competition.

Innovative Features of a B2B Platform

When a customer enters your B2B platform, their goal is simple: quickly familiarize themselves with the offer, compare prices with competitors, and then conveniently place an order. How does a B2B platform work to make this process as smooth as possible? Efficiently, intuitively, and conveniently.

Everything depends on functionalities that flexibly adapt the platform to the customer's needs, not the other way around. Particularly, non-standard features that make shopping easier can become a distinctive and valuable competitive advantage.

Here are the key functionalities you can implement on your B2B platform to ensure your customer receives what they need at every step—from browsing the offer to adding products to the cart and even utilizing an advanced pricing system.

Functional Product Search

Product search is one of the basic solutions in e-commerce, including on B2B platforms. Customers prefer to use a search box instead of browsing categories, such as typing a product name. However, a good system should be open to all solutions.

In basic form, a simple search might not be enough for customers who value convenience and solutions that save time. Hence, B2B platforms increasingly rely on  search engines that deliver accurate results and provide flexible options for comparing offers.

Search functionalities that help customers shop more efficiently include:

• Full-text search: Customers can search for products by name, model, part of a description, features, tags, or SKU number. Filtering and sorting: Customers can narrow down search results by availability, margin, or brand.
   
• Suggestions and spelling corrections: Useful when customers use the platform on mobile devices, this function increases result accuracy by offering suggestions.
   
• Offer view options: Options like grid, tile, or detailed list views allow users to adjust to their needs at various stages of the purchase journey.
   
• Comparison tools: Customers can compare crucial factors like price, technical parameters, and brand.

Flexible Shopping Cart

Once a customer browses the offer, it's time to add products to the cart. On a B2B platform, this should be as simple as putting groceries into a cart. Convenience and flexibility are key to shortening the time it takes to place and edit an order.

Some useful shopping cart functionalities include:

• Multiple carts: Customers can create multiple carts, categorized by different criteria like projects or budgets.
   
• Easy cart editing: Customers should be able to switch between carts, edit, or divide a cart into smaller parts.
   
• Order from a CSV file: For larger orders, customers can upload a CSV file with product codes (EAN/SKU) and quantities.
   
• Reorder option: A returning customer can reorder the same items, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

Advanced Pricing Systems

In B2B, pricing often depends on margins, market specifics, discounts, purchase frequency, or cart value. Ensuring that your platform reflects advanced pricing models is essential. Key functions include:

• Detailed pricing policies (e.g., price levels, thresholds, individual pricing for contractors),
• Real-time credit balance verification,
• Defined actions if the balance is exceeded, such as redirecting to immediate payment.

Sales Representative Panel

A sales representative panel helps manage customer relationships and create personalized offers. Main features include:

• Custom offers with flexible price changes, margin adjustments, and discounts,
• Bulk product list edits,
• Cart review and purchasing advice from a representative,
• Offer status tracking.

Conclusion

A well-designed B2B platform increases customer convenience, leading to more transactions. Top solutions include an advanced search engine, a flexible shopping cart with multiple cart creation, and advanced pricing with individual credit limits.

Also popular is a sales representative panel for personalizing offers and tracking statuses.