Ecommerce B2B / wholesale capability

Fit snapshot

Overview

B2B / wholesale lets trade buyers purchase at negotiated prices without a separate wholesale spreadsheet.

• Price lists
• Company accounts
• Quantity breaks
• Net terms
• Plan gates

Challenges in b2b

These are the operating problems that usually push teams toward CRM for b2b — not feature wish lists.

• Capability missing or gated

  Without CRM discipline: Teams discover the feature only after buying the wrong plan.

• Capability unused after launch

  Without CRM discipline: Adoption fails and orders drift back to spreadsheets.

• Hidden TCO

  Without CRM discipline: Apps, processing, or hosting blow the starter-tile budget.

• Wrong job cluster

  Without CRM discipline: A sourcing app is forced to act like a storefront — or POS is an afterthought.

How CRM helps with b2b

A CRM only helps when the team keeps owners, history, and next steps current. Here is what “good” looks like for b2b.

• Capability missing or gated

  With CRM discipline: Map must-haves to the qualifying plan before purchase.

• Capability unused after launch

  With CRM discipline: Trial with a real SKU and a sceptic operator.

• Hidden TCO

  With CRM discipline: Model subscription + processing + apps at your GMV.

• Wrong job cluster

  With CRM discipline: Keep clusters on separate decision paths.

What matters for b2b

Evaluate price lists and company accounts on the plan you will buy — often a higher tier.

• 1

  Price lists

  Price lists as a buying lens for this capability.

• 2

  Company accounts

  Company accounts as a buying lens for this capability.

• 3

  Quantity breaks

  Quantity breaks as a buying lens for this capability.

What b2b usually needs

Start with must-haves your team will use weekly. Treat nice-to-haves as later upgrades — not day-one blockers.

A practical b2b workflow

A simple operating loop beats a complex board nobody updates.

1. 1

   Confirm must-have

   Write the weekly outcome this capability must deliver.

2. 2

   Map plan gates

   Check which tier unlocks the workflow.

3. 3

   Trial with a real order

   Run one SKU through catalog, checkout, or import.

4. 4

   Decide inside the cluster

   Compare peers for the same job — not across clusters.

See b2b in action

Official vendor demonstrations help show how different CRM platforms approach the workflows, features and interactions that make up b2b. Absence of a video does not mean a product lacks the capability.

• 

  commercetools

  Where B2B Commerce Meets Bold Innovation: commercetools

  Focus: How commercetools presents the product in an official vendor video.

  Official vendor video

  

  This video is hosted on YouTube

  This content is hosted by YouTube. The player loads only after you allow marketing cookies.

  Allow and playCookie settings

  Where B2B Commerce Meets Bold Innovation: commercetools

  What this shows

  • commercetools product surfaces as shown in the official vendor video
  • UI/workflow layout marketed by the vendor

  What to notice

  • Official vendor demo — treat as UI/workflow evidence, not SoftwareGlimpse scoring.

  What this does not establish

  • pricing
  • comparative superiority
  • security or compliance certification
  • implementation effort or total cost of ownership

  Features visible in this demo

  • B2B / wholesale
  • Online storefront
  • Product catalog

  Particularly relevant to

  • Wholesale B2b →
  • Online Storefront →

  Source: commercetools GmbH · Verified 18 Aug 2026

  Open source ↗↗Read commercetools review
• 

  VTEX

  Demo video: turn your digital store into an online marketplace with VTEX

  Focus: How VTEX presents the product in an official vendor video.

  Official vendor video

  

  This video is hosted on YouTube

  This content is hosted by YouTube. The player loads only after you allow marketing cookies.

  Allow and playCookie settings

  Demo video: turn your digital store into an online marketplace with VTEX

  What this shows

  • VTEX product surfaces as shown in the official vendor video
  • UI/workflow layout marketed by the vendor

  What to notice

  • Official vendor demo — treat as UI/workflow evidence, not SoftwareGlimpse scoring.

  What this does not establish

  • pricing
  • comparative superiority
  • security or compliance certification
  • implementation effort or total cost of ownership

  Features visible in this demo

  • Marketplace & sales channels
  • Online storefront

  Particularly relevant to

  • Online Storefront →
  • Wholesale B2b →

  Source: VTEX · Verified 18 Aug 2026

  Open source ↗↗Read VTEX review

View all capability evidence →

How products approach b2b / wholesale

Evidence-backed workflow comparison using official vendor demos and screenshots — not a ranking or entertainment gallery. Absence of media does not mean a product lacks the capability.

Workflow	commercetools	VTEX
Pipeline UI / demo	Official video▶ Play Where B2B Commerce Meets Bold Innovation: commercetools Open source ↗↗	Official video▶ Play Demo video: turn your digital store into an online marketplace with VTEX Open source ↗↗
Confirm must-have Write the weekly outcome this capability must deliver.	Not shown	Not shown
Map plan gates Check which tier unlocks the workflow.	Not shown	Not shown
Trial with a real order Run one SKU through catalog, checkout, or import.	Not shown	Partial Partially indicated in evidence
Decide inside the cluster Compare peers for the same job — not across clusters.	Not shown	Not shown

• 

  commercetools

  Official video▶ Play

  Where B2B Commerce Meets Bold Innovation: commercetools

  Open source ↗↗

  • Confirm must-haveNot shown
  • Map plan gatesNot shown
  • Trial with a real orderNot shown
  • Decide inside the clusterNot shown

  commercetools emphasizes

  • commercetools product surfaces as shown in the official vendor video
  • UI/workflow layout marketed by the vendor
• 

  VTEX

  Official video▶ Play

  Demo video: turn your digital store into an online marketplace with VTEX

  Open source ↗↗

  • Confirm must-haveNot shown
  • Map plan gatesNot shown
  • Trial with a real orderPartial
  • Decide inside the clusterNot shown

  VTEX emphasizes

  • VTEX product surfaces as shown in the official vendor video
  • UI/workflow layout marketed by the vendor

• Explore product catalog →
• Explore checkout payments →
• Compare commercetools vs VTEX →
• View all capability evidence →

Common scenarios

• Best when

  Primary job buyer

  This capability is central to the weekly commerce ritual.

• Best when

  Adjacent buyer

  Another ecommerce cluster is primary — keep this on a secondary shortlist.

How to evaluate this capability

1. 1

   Confirm this capability is a must-have

   Learn more →
2. 2

   Map it to plan gates and TCO

   Learn more →
3. 3

   Test it with a real order

   Learn more →
4. 4

   Compare researched platforms

   Best ecommerce software →

Read the full CRM buying guide →

CRM software to explore

Catalogue products tagged to related use cases for b2b / wholesale. Inclusion here is not a ranking.

BigCommerce

Ecommerce

Open-SaaS ecommerce platform — Core $39/mo ($29 annual), Growth $105 ($79), Scale $399 ($299); GMV thresholds and open payment provider fees apply on 2026 plans.

Read review

Magento

Ecommerce

Open-source Magento core (free) plus Adobe Commerce enterprise licenses (GMV quote) — deep catalog/B2B with high hosting and agency TCO.

Read review

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Ecommerce

Salesforce B2C Commerce (ex-Demandware) — Growth/Plus/Premium are GMV-percent quote only; enterprise SaaS landscape, not an SMB Shopify substitute.

Read review

Shopware

Ecommerce

Symfony open-source commerce — Community Edition free (Fair Usage ~€1M GMV); Rise from ~$660/mo; Evolve from €2400/mo; Beyond quote.

Read review

commercetools

Ecommerce

Composable enterprise commerce API — quote-only packages + 60-day free trial; contact sales. Shopify keeps the SaaS award.

Read review

VTEX

Ecommerce

Enterprise commerce SaaS — contact-sales get-started only; no invented floors. Shopify keeps the SaaS award.

Read review

FAQ

• Is there one best platform for b2b / wholesale?

  No. Fit depends on your primary ecommerce job (hosted SaaS vs open-source vs omnichannel POS vs dropshipping sourcing), catalog complexity, and which requirements are must-haves. Use the Best ecommerce software shortlist and how-to-choose guide rather than starting from a single ranking.

• How does this relate to CRM capabilities?

  CRM capabilities store relationships and pipeline on customer records. Ecommerce capabilities run storefront, catalog, checkout, and fulfillment — often integrating with ads and email. Buy for the commerce job that is blocking first.