Magento Accelerating B2B Investment

Posted on the 2nd September 2015

eBay Enterprise-owned Magento has just launched a new B2B programme which will build upon its existing presence in this sector. Magento is a leading ecommerce provider which offers both B2C and B2B services and provides companies with a convenient and quick-to-market means by which to launch an ecommerce website.


According to a survey conducted by Forrester Research, 93 per cent of buyers in the B2B space prefer to make their purchases online by taking advantage of self-serve information first, rather than having to contact vendors via a different route. Today, just 30 per cent of purchasing managers conduct 50 per cent or more of their work online, but analysts expect that this figure will increase to 56 percent by 2017.

The Magento platform is popular with distributors and manufacturers because it is easy for these businesses to offer a convenient consumer-like experience for buyers, while still retaining control over order-flow. Companies can adjust the experience to suit their own specific requirements and the structure of their operation.

A Trusted Solution

Because of the fast time-to-market and the global recognition of Magento, this is a platform that both buyers and sellers know and trust. At present, 30 per cent of Magento’s Enterprise clients use the ecommerce platform for B2B. The platform has a robust set of APIs which can be used to integrate it with other systems in order to collect and feed-in data. The B2B systems offer enhanced organisation; more flexible logistics; the ability to process high volumes of orders; in addition to the support needed for communication with multiple sites and branches. This ensures optimal workflow for the company and the best possible experience for the purchaser.

Setting a New Standard

Forrester Research calls Magento a strong performer, ranking it among the eight most significant ecommerce platform vendors in its most recent report on B2B Commerce Suites. It also considers eBay Enterprise a significant influencer, ranking it as the number one Internet Retailer in the Top 1000 for 2015. This marks the third year in a row in which eBay has topped this list.

Magento is offered in both Community and Enterprise editions. The platform is open source and both smaller retailers and independent developers make use of the Community Edition to run their stores. Both editions are actively maintained and have strong add-on and customisation support. Magento’s decision to target the B2B space in an increasingly focused way will almost certainly be of benefit to both platforms.

Starting Out Right

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