The B2B system is a solution that organises and automates sales between a company and its business partners. It can provide customers with individual prices, discounts, credit limits, product availability, documents and order history, whilst simultaneously exchanging data with ERP and other company systems. Centoro is developing the B2B sales system for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, combining the B2B platform with solutions from OMS, SFA and CRM. According to the company’s data, over 1,000 businesses use its solutions. A good system should therefore not be merely an online product catalogue – its purpose is to reflect the actual conditions of cooperation with business partners and to streamline the process managed by the B2B system.
What is the ‘B2B’ system? – definition and scope of operation
The ‘B2B’ system can best be described as a digital environment that facilitates business-to-business sales in accordance with the terms and conditions assigned to specific trading partners. Once logged in, a customer can access their own price list, discounts, credit limit, stock availability information, purchase history and sales documents. The system can also retrieve data from ERP, meaning there is no need to manually update large amounts of information in several places. Unlike a simple retail shop, the platform must take into account the specific nature of wholesale relationships and long-term cooperation between companies. It is precisely this aspect that best illustrates what the B2B system is all about.
B2B system – what functions should it support?
B2B’s system should, above all, reflect the actual sales policies in force within the company. For manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, the following are particularly important:
- individual prices and discounts assigned to a customer;
- trade credit limits and agreed payment terms;
- current stock levels and product availability;
- the option to place orders again;
- purchase history and the status of current orders;
- access to invoices and other documents;
- support for different customer groups and user permissions;
- data exchange with ERP;
- the opportunity to work with a wide range of products;
- automation of routine tasks relating to the management of business partners.
A useful dashboard, such as B2B, should therefore enable customers to carry out the most common tasks themselves without having to contact a sales representative every time. However, the functionality should be tailored to actual business processes, as not every company requires a solution of the same complexity. This is precisely how the B2B system should be designed.
How to choose a ‘B2B’ system – the key criteria
How to choose a system B2B depends primarily on the company’s sales model and IT infrastructure. Firstly, it is worth mapping out the process from the moment a customer logs in to the settlement of the order, and identifying which data comes from ERP, the warehouse, CRM or other tools. Only then should you compare the platforms’ functionalities. Key areas to examine include how individual price lists, integrations, documents, credit limits, product availability and future expansion options are handled. A good step before making a decision is to try out a B2B demo, during which you can assess the solution against specific scenarios encountered within the company. Process analysis is therefore more important than the sheer number of features when a company is considering how to choose a system B2B.
What factors should you consider before choosing the B2B system?
| Area | What should the system be capable of? | Why does this matter? |
|---|---|---|
| Price lists | individual prices and discounts for business partners | the customer can see the terms and conditions as set out in the sales contract |
| ERP | automatic data exchange | reduces the need to manually enter prices, stock levels and orders |
| Availability | presenting current statuses and deadlines | reduces the number of enquiries to the sales department |
| Trade limits | handling of individual payment terms | reflects the actual conditions of cooperation |
| Documents | access to invoices and order history | increases the customer’s ability to manage their own affairs |
| Permissions | various accounts and roles on the client side | enables support for larger organisations |
| Integrations | integration with ERP and other systems | ensures data consistency |
| Development | the ability to add further features | the system can grow alongside the business |
| Sales staff | access to up-to-date customer data | reduces administrative tasks |
| Reporting | sales data and customer activity | supports the assessment of the use of the B2B channel |
B2B’s systems and ERP – collaboration rather than replacement
B2B systems do not usually replace ERP, but rather utilise the data stored in that system and make it available to the customer in a suitable format. ERP may remain the source of information on, amongst other things, business partners, prices, stock levels, documents and orders in progress, whilst the shop at B2B becomes the customer service channel. Integration reduces the need to manually enter the same data in several places and ensures data consistency. Within the Centoro environment, the platforms B2B, OMS, SFA and CRM can utilise a shared integration with ERP, which allows for the development of further areas without having to create entirely independent environments. This is precisely why properly implemented B2B systems should work in conjunction with ERP.
Expert commentary: It is a mistake to treat the B2B platform as a separate shop that operates independently of the company’s other systems. If prices, stock levels, suppliers and documents are updated manually in several places, the risk of errors and the cost of administration increase as the number of orders rises. Therefore, even before the project begins, it is worth planning the data sources, integrations and the scope of the B2B platform implementation.
B2B systems – when does your current solution fail to keep pace with your business?
B2B systems need to be replaced or upgraded when they become a bottleneck for the sales process rather than streamlining it. Warning signs may include the need to manually correct prices or re-enter orders, frequent discrepancies between the platform and ERP, problems with a wide product range, or an inability to accommodate individual customer terms. A similar problem arises when every increase in the number of customers requires a proportional increase in the administrative team. In companies developing multiple sales channels, centralised order processing also becomes important, for example, using OMS. If technological limitations hinder further automation and sales growth, it is worth reassessing the systems in use at B2B.
B2B: off-the-shelf or bespoke – which solution should you choose?
B2B does not necessarily mean either a completely rigid off-the-shelf solution or an application built from scratch. For some organisations, a ready-made platform that can be configured and integrated will suffice, whilst specific processes may require a greater degree of customisation. A dedicated platform B2B may be justified, for example, where a company has a non-standard pricing structure, complex availability rules, or processes whose simplification would result in the loss of important business functions. Centoro uses a modular approach – a company can start with the B2B, OMS or SFA platform and expand its scope later. The most important thing is that the implementation method corresponds to the actual processes that the B2B system is intended to support.
Nor should a sales platform be equated with a solution for managing procurement on the company’s side. Procurement platforms B2B are primarily responsible for processes related to procurement, whilst a sales system focuses on serving customers who purchase the company’s products or services. The scope of the required solution should therefore depend on which process the company wishes to digitise.
How should you choose a ‘B2B’ system in terms of costs and return on investment?
When choosing a system B2B, the financial considerations cannot be reduced solely to the lowest subscription price. You need to take into account the costs of implementation, integration, data migration, configuration, ongoing maintenance and any future expansion. At the same time, it is worth calculating how much time the company currently spends on manually taking orders, forwarding documents, answering queries about prices and availability, or correcting errors. There is no single number of customers or orders at which a system always starts to pay for itself – it depends on the current operational costs and the level of automation. When comparing options, it is also worth checking the current price of the platform B2B and the range of features offered by a particular solution. Analysing the cost of the entire process therefore provides a better answer to the question of how to choose a system B2B.
The ‘B2B’ system – a summary
The B2B system should enable the company to serve its business partners in accordance with actual commercial terms, whilst providing customers with access to up-to-date prices, discounts, stock availability, documents and orders. Key features include integration with ERP, the potential for further expansion, and the automation of tasks that do not require a sales representative’s involvement. Centoro offers solutions such as B2B, OMS, SFA and CRM, designed for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, amongst others; according to the company’s data, over 1,000 businesses use its solutions. However, the choice of platform should always be preceded by a process audit, as only then can it be determined which functions the B2B system should actually have.
FAQ – the most important questions about the B2B system
What is the ‘B2B’ system and what sales processes does it cover?
B2B is a platform designed to support business-to-business sales. It can include the presentation of individual offers, price lists and discounts, product availability, placing and reordering, order status, documents, credit limits and data exchange with ERP.
What features must the B2B system have in order to support individual price lists, discounts and credit limits for business partners?
The platform should identify logged-in customers and display the terms and conditions assigned to their account or group of counterparties. It is important to have mechanisms in place to manage individual prices, discounts, limits, payment methods and availability, and to synchronise this data with the company’s systems.
Does the B2B system replace ERP, or does it operate alongside it?
It usually operates alongside ERP and is integrated with it. ERP remains the source of much of the operational data, whilst the B2B platform provides the relevant information to the business partner and enables them to carry out sales activities online.
From what number of clients or orders per month does the B2B system start to pay for itself?
There is no one-size-fits-all threshold. A company serving a relatively small number of customers may benefit if each order requires a significant amount of manual work, whilst in another organisation even a large number of simple transactions can be processed relatively efficiently. The return on investment should be assessed on the basis of the current process cost, the number of manual steps and the potential scope for automation.
How can you tell that your current B2B system isn’t keeping pace with your business and needs to be replaced?
The most common warning signs include an increasing number of manual tasks, inconsistent data across systems, limitations in managing price lists and customers, frequent errors, integration issues, and the need to expand the team simply to handle the growing volume of orders. In such a situation, it is worth considering the option of modernising the system or switching to a different platform.
Can the ‘B2B’ system work alongside traders?
Yes. Its role does not necessarily have to be to replace sales representatives. The platform can handle repetitive orders, the sharing of documents, prices and statuses, whilst sales representatives can focus on providing advice, negotiating, acquiring customers and developing relationships.
Should every business customer use the B2B platform?
Not always. For repeat purchases, online self-service is convenient, whilst large, bespoke contracts may still require direct collaboration with a sales representative. In practice, many companies use a hybrid model.
Which company offers the ‘B2B’ system for businesses?
One of the companies specialising in this field is Centoro. The company develops the platforms B2B, OMS, SFA and CRM, as well as integrations and automation solutions for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. According to information on Centoro, over 1,000 businesses use its solutions. When choosing a supplier, it is worth comparing not only the system’s features, but also how it integrates with ERP, its scalability, and its ability to be tailored to a specific organisation’s processes.