10 Mistakes to Avoid When Moving B2B and B2C Sales Online
Table of Contents
- Mistake 1: Treating B2B Like B2C
- Mistake 2: Running eCommerce Separate from Your ERP
- Mistake 3: Ignoring Customer-Specific Pricing & Catalogs
- Mistake 4: Overcomplicating the Buying Experience
- Mistake 5: Neglecting Mobile & Modern UX
- Mistake 6: Forgetting About Customer Self-Service
- Mistake 7: Overlooking SEO and Digital Visibility
- Mistake 8: Underestimating Change Management
- Mistake 9: Not Planning for Scalability
- Mistake 10: Treating eCommerce as a One-Time Project
- Final Thoughts On B2B and B2C eCommerce Mistakes
eCommerce is no longer optional for B2B businesses, but rushing into it without a plan can do more harm than good. B2B and B2C eCommerce mistakes including broken pricing rules, disconnected systems and even small missteps can frustrate customers, burden your team, and erode trust. Companies running powerful ERPs like Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage Intacct, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central know that accuracy and efficiency are non-negotiable.
This article breaks down the ten most common mistakes we see businesses make when taking sales online, and how the right ERP-connected approach can prevent them.
Moving sales online is rarely simple. Unlike B2C, where online shopping is largely about speed and convenience, B2B transactions carry layers of complexity. They often involve negotiated contracts, tiered pricing, account-based workflows, bulk orders, and specialized catalogs. And for many businesses, the challenge is even greater because they operate both B2B and B2C channels, each with its own requirements.
The good news is that when your webstore is integrated with your ERP, your system of record, whether Sage or Business Central, powers the entire online experience. That’s how you avoid costly missteps and build a scalable digital channel. In this blog, we’ll explore the 10 most common mistakes companies make when moving B2B sales online (many of which also apply to B2C) and how to sidestep them for long-term success.
Mistake 1: Treating B2B Like B2C
One of the most common mistakes is assuming B2B buyers behave like retail shoppers. While B2C buyers may be motivated by promotions, fast checkouts, and eye-catching product displays, B2B buyers need an entirely different experience.
They expect account-based purchasing, access to negotiated pricing, role-based permissions for their team, and the ability to place bulk or recurring orders. They often need order approvals or integration into procurement workflows. These are requirements you simply won’t find in consumer retail.
That said, many companies also run a hybrid model, selling to both consumers and businesses. In these cases, the challenge is creating one eCommerce platform that can support both audiences without compromise. With an ERP-first webstore built by commercebuild, your site can deliver consumer-style convenience for B2C buyers while still handling the complexities of B2B.
By integrating directly with Sage or Business Central, your online store reflects contract terms, real-time pricing, and ERP data. This ensures that B2B buyers feel understood, while B2C buyers enjoy a familiar, frictionless shopping experience.
Mistake 2: Running eCommerce Separate from Your ERP
Treating your eCommerce site as a standalone tool is one of the fastest ways to introduce errors. When systems aren’t connected, your team is left with duplicate data entry, mismatched inventory, and discrepancies between what customers see online and what’s actually available.
For B2B buyers, this can be devastating. Imagine logging in to place an order only to find that the price is wrong or the product is unavailable. For B2C buyers, the experience is just as damaging. Delayed shipments and inaccurate information are enough to drive them to competitors.
An ERP-first strategy ensures your online store is an extension of your business operations. Whether you’re relying on Sage Intacct for financial clarity, Sage X3 for global supply chain visibility, Sage 300 for operational control, or Business Central for unified data, integration ensures accuracy across channels.
In short, ERP-driven eCommerce gives your customers confidence and saves your team from unnecessary manual work.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Customer-Specific Pricing & Catalogs
For B2B businesses, customer-specific pricing and catalogs are non-negotiable. Buyers often have contracts with carefully negotiated discounts and may only have access to certain products. If your online store doesn’t reflect those agreements, you risk creating confusion, frustration, and even distrust.
Even in B2C, personalization matters. While consumers may not have negotiated contracts, they expect promotions, loyalty discounts, and curated product recommendations. If the site feels generic, adoption drops.
By connecting your store directly to your ERP, you can automatically reflect the correct pricing, catalogs, and product availability for every customer type. For B2B buyers, this ensures their online experience mirrors their offline agreements. For B2C buyers, it creates a sense of personalization that drives loyalty.
Mistake 4: Overcomplicating the Buying Experience
Yes, B2B sales can be complex, but the buying process shouldn’t feel that way for your customers. Too many businesses add unnecessary steps, require confusing navigation, or create approval workflows that are more cumbersome online than offline.
The result? Buyers abandon the site and go back to email or phone orders. That defeats the entire purpose of digital transformation.
What works is a streamlined, intuitive experience that reflects your ERP data without overwhelming the buyer. A B2B customer should be able to reorder from history, access account pricing, and complete checkout in just a few clicks. A B2C buyer should be able to browse quickly, add items to a cart, and enjoy a consumer-style checkout flow.
Both audiences want convenience. ERP-first integration helps you balance the complexity behind the scenes with the simplicity buyers need up front.
Mistake 5: Neglecting Mobile & Modern UX
Modern buyers don’t always shop from a desktop. B2B buyers might check inventory while on a job site, reorder from a warehouse floor, or approve a purchase on their phone while traveling. Similarly, B2C buyers often browse and purchase from mobile devices.
If your eCommerce platform isn’t designed for mobile, you’re creating unnecessary friction. Outdated, desktop-only interfaces frustrate users and hurt adoption. Customers expect clean, responsive designs that adapt seamlessly across devices.
A modern user experience isn’t just about design, it’s about removing barriers. When both B2B and B2C customers can interact with your store anytime, anywhere, you build stronger engagement and increase online sales.
Mistake 6: Forgetting About Customer Self-Service
One of the greatest advantages of eCommerce is customer self-service. For B2B buyers, this means being able to log in to view invoices, track shipments, check account balances, and reorder without involving a sales rep. For B2C buyers, it’s about tracking orders, managing returns, and viewing loyalty points.
Without robust self-service, you miss the efficiency gains digital channels should provide. Instead, your sales and service teams get bogged down answering repetitive questions, slowing them down and frustrating customers.
With ERP-first integration, self-service becomes automatic. Customers can see their real-time data including orders, invoices, stock levels, directly from your Sage or Business Central system. That transparency not only improves satisfaction but also reduces the burden on your internal teams.
Mistake 7: Overlooking SEO and Digital Visibility
Building a webstore is not the same as driving traffic to it. Many businesses assume customers will automatically find and use the site, but without investment in SEO and discoverability, adoption lags.
For B2B, SEO ensures your existing customers can easily find your store and that new prospects researching online come across your products and services. For B2C, SEO is even more critical since visibility directly impacts retail-style traffic and conversions.
Strong product descriptions, optimized metadata, and clear content strategies help your site get discovered. Whether you’re serving businesses or consumers, ignoring SEO leaves you invisible in a digital-first world.
Mistake 8: Underestimating Change Management
Technology is only one part of the equation. Moving online also requires a cultural shift, for employees, sales reps, and customers. Without training and communication, even the best eCommerce platform can struggle.
Sales teams may worry that online channels will replace their roles, while customers may be hesitant to change long-standing habits. The reality is that eCommerce is meant to empower both groups: sales reps can focus on building relationships while customers gain the convenience of self-service.
By prioritizing change management, educating employees, onboarding customers, and continually reinforcing the benefits, you encourage adoption and ensure your investment delivers value.
Mistake 9: Not Planning for Scalability
Short-term fixes can create long-term headaches. Many businesses launch with basic platforms that meet immediate needs but fall short as the company grows. Adding new markets, expanding product lines, or rolling out additional ERP features often exposes the limits of these solutions.
Re-platforming later is costly and disruptive. Instead, plan for scalability from the start. commercebuild’s ERP-first eCommerce webstores are designed to grow with you. Whether you’re expanding internationally with Sage X3, adding new warehouses in Sage 300, scaling financial visibility in Sage Intacct, or leveraging Business Central’s connected ecosystem, your online store should evolve alongside your ERP.
Mistake 10: Treating eCommerce as a One-Time Project
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes businesses make is treating eCommerce like a “launch it and leave it” initiative. But customer expectations evolve, technology advances, and ERPs update. If your store remains static, it will quickly feel outdated and irrelevant.
Instead, treat eCommerce as a living project. Just as you regularly update your ERP, you should continue refining your online store. Gather feedback, monitor analytics, and invest in features that make the experience even better over time.
For B2B, this might mean adding advanced approval workflows or new integrations. For B2C, it could mean enhancing personalization or improving checkout. Either way, continuous improvement ensures your store remains a valuable asset for the long haul.
Final Thoughts On B2B and B2C eCommerce Mistakes
Moving sales online can transform your business, but only if you avoid the pitfalls that cause so many projects to stall. By recognizing that B2B and B2C have different needs, integrating tightly with your ERP, delivering customer-specific pricing, enabling self-service, planning for scalability, and treating your store as an evolving project, you can create a digital channel that supports both sides of your business.
At commercebuild, we specialize in helping businesses running Sage X3, Sage 300, Sage Intacct, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central succeed online. Our ERP-first eCommerce platform supports B2B and B2C, ensuring your webstore reflects the complexity of your operations while delivering the simplicity your customers demand.
If you’re ready to build a smarter, scalable eCommerce strategy that avoids these 10 mistakes, contact commercebuild today. We’ll show you how to transform your ERP data into a powerful, customer-ready online experience, whether you sell to businesses, consumers, or both.
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