What each one is
A standard online store is built for strangers. Anyone can browse, everyone sees the same prices, and the visit ends at a checkout where a card is charged. It is designed to persuade and to convert.
A B2B portal is built for customers you already have an agreement with. A buyer signs in to a company account, sees the products and prices in their contract, orders against credit terms and can look up every past order and invoice. It is designed to make routine buying quick and correct.
The two at a glance
| Standard online store | B2B portal | |
|---|---|---|
| Who buys | Any visitor | Approved accounts that sign in |
| Prices | One public price list, with promotions | Contract prices, volume breaks and customer-specific catalogs |
| Accounts | One person, one login | A company with several buyers, roles and delivery addresses |
| How people order | Browse, add to cart, check out | Reorder from history, upload a list or enter part numbers quickly |
| Payment | Card or wallet at checkout | On account with credit terms, by invoice, sometimes by card |
| Approval | None | Spending limits, and orders routed to a manager |
| After the order | Confirmation and tracking | Order status, invoices, statements and documents on one account page |
| Connection to your systems | Stock and orders, often through an app | Prices, credit, stock and orders in step with the ERP |
When each one fits
A standard store fits when
- Business customers pay the same prices as everyone else
- Orders are small and paid at checkout
- One person at each customer does the buying
- You are testing whether trade customers will order online at all
- Your catalog is short and simple
A B2B portal fits when
- Prices differ by customer, contract or volume
- Customers buy on credit and pay against invoices
- Several people order for one company, with limits and approvals
- Most orders repeat earlier ones
- Orders, stock and credit must agree with your ERP
The features that define a portal
Not every B2B site needs all of these. A site without any of them is a store with a login.
- Customer-specific pricing. Each account sees its agreed prices, without a salesperson quoting them again.
- Fast reordering. Past orders, saved lists and entry by part number, because buyers know what they want.
- Company accounts. Buyers, approvers and administrators under one customer, each with the right permissions.
- Credit and terms. The order checks the account's limit and terms as your own staff would.
- Self-service documents. Invoices, statements, delivery notes and certificates, downloaded without a phone call.
- Quotes. A buyer asks for a price on a large or unusual order, and sales answers inside the same system.
Starting small
A portal does not have to arrive complete. The first version can be an account page where customers see their prices, reorder and download invoices. That alone removes a large share of the calls and emails a sales office handles.
Hosted store platforms have also added business features, such as company accounts and price lists, which may be enough for a first step. Our comparison of Shopify and custom ecommerce covers where those features stop. When prices and credit live in an ERP, the connection to it decides more than the storefront does.
A worked example
A stationery supplier and an electrical wholesaler
Both companies are invented. Both sell to other businesses.
- The stationery supplierSells office supplies to small firms at published prices. Orders are small, paid by card, and placed by whoever runs the office.
- Its decisionA standard online store with a business registration option for tax invoices. Its customers buy the way consumers do.
- The electrical wholesalerServes 600 contractors, each with negotiated prices and a credit limit. Site managers order daily, and head offices approve anything large.
- Its decisionA B2B portal connected to the ERP. Prices, credit and stock come from the system the sales desk already uses.
Both sell business to business. Only one of them sells on agreements, and agreements are what a portal exists to serve.
A checklist to decide
Tick what is true. The first three favor a standard store. The last five favor a portal.
Store or portal
0 of 8 checkedWhat to do next
Ask your sales office which requests they handle most often. If the answers are prices, stock, order status and copies of invoices, a portal would take those off their desks. Our B2B ecommerce development page explains how we build one.
To talk through your own case, tell us how your customers order today.
Common questions
Can a standard store platform handle B2B selling?
Up to a point. Several platforms now offer company accounts, price lists and payment terms, sometimes limited by plan. They work well when the number of price lists is small and orders are simple. They strain when every customer has its own contract, when credit must be checked against an ERP in real time, or when orders pass through approvals.
Do business buyers want to order online?
For routine purchases, many prefer it, because reordering known items from an account page is quicker than calling or emailing. Complex, high-value or first-time purchases still tend to involve a person. A good portal handles the routine orders well and makes it easy to ask for a quote or a call when the purchase is not routine.
Does a B2B portal need to connect to our ERP?
If prices, stock or credit limits are kept in the ERP, yes, or the portal will show figures that differ from your invoices. The connection can be modest at first, for example prices and stock refreshed on a schedule and orders passed through. Our comparison of real-time sync and scheduled data sync helps you decide how current each figure must be.
Can one site serve consumers and trade customers?
Yes. The usual design shows public prices to visitors and switches to account prices, terms and ordering tools once a trade customer signs in. It keeps one catalog and one set of product content. It makes sense when the two groups buy the same products. When ranges, pack sizes and service differ sharply, two sites on one backend can be clearer.