Magento B2B Capabilities Launched at Imagine

Traditionally the majority of eCommerce solutions upgrades are centered on B2C businesses. This has left B2B businesses stuck using outdated and less innovative platforms to conduct their eCommerce. However, this has changed in the past few years. Although B2C eCommerce is still being updated at a more rapid pace, the progress on B2B platforms is notably improving. 

Jason Woosley, SVP of Product and Technology at Magento Commerce, spoke with Retail Tech about the new Magento Commerce B2B platform capabilities launched at Imagine 2017.

According to Jason Woosley, 70% of Magento's customers utilize B2B eCommerce as a part of their business. Considering that Magento has over twice the customer base of their competitors, they have a great understanding of B2B business.  

Magento improvements 

Magento recently released a Facebook integration and will connect to other social networks as well.

This enables B2B businesses to utilize their social media reach within their Magento operated site. It also seamlessly provides Magento merchants with the ability to launch eCommerce on social channels. Woosley stated that Facebook Ads are becoming a more viable option for digital marketing. The eCommerce offers on social channels are available with a Magento 2.2 extension.  

Enterprise is now the Digital Commerce Cloud (DCC).

There are more options for assistance and service improvements on DCC rather than Community. Woosley said they debated which additions to Magento would be offered as extensions to 2.2 and which would be included in the core functionalities of DCC. 

B2B-Specific Updates:  

1. The ability to allow for a flexible catalogue: different price points per negotiation. This gives the merchants flexibility in pricing.
2. Request quotes functionality: simplifies the order process. 
3. Ability to quickly re-order for repeat customers. Easily able to change the quantity and negotiate the price on each order.  
4. Increased support for large cart sizes: carts are generally larger in B2B than B2C eCommerce. This function limits difficulties associated with cart size.  
5. Ability to order from a CSV or a spreadsheet. 
6. Investigated omnichannel and multi-warehouse problems 

The new changes to Magento's Community and Enterprise (DCC) systems can lead to confusion if you are not aware of how to implement them. Contact one of our Magento Certified team members to learn more!