For a long time, B2B ecommerce was considered “digital enough”: the website was live, the catalog was online, a few self-service features were in place – and that was it. In reality, however, things often look very different. Manufacturers and distributors face rising operational costs, an increasing number of manual exceptions, ongoing discussions about inconsistent pricing, growing pressure from marketplaces, and – at the same time – the question of how AI is supposed to help when the fundamentals are still shaky.
At the same time, buyer expectations are evolving far faster than the operational maturity of many organizations. Today’s B2B customers expect speed, transparency, and reliable self-service – at any time, across channels, and without friction. When these expectations are not met, buyers quickly switch providers or turn directly to marketplaces.
A look at the current reality shows why this tension continues to intensify:
60% of B2B companies have a digital presence, yet core processes remain manual.
26–75% of working time is consumed by standard inquiries in many organizations.
Sales teams spend 36% of their time on manual marketplace-related tasks – roughly 1.8 days per week.
89% struggle with data quality, integration, and operational execution when deploying AI.
In short: B2B commerce is digitally visible, but often not operationally scalable – while customer expectations continue to rise.
The B2B Ecommerce Compass 2026 addresses this gap head-on. Not as a trend overview, but as a reality check: Where do B2B organizations really stand today? Which structural forces are shaping the market? And which action areas determine whether companies move from simply being “digital” to becoming truly intelligent and scalable?
We deliberately open this blog series with the foreword of the B2B Ecommerce Compass 2026, written by Andy Hoar, because it frames the real challenge facing B2B commerce today. It explains why B2B commerce is no longer about launching digital channels, but about building integrated systems that can meet rising buyer expectations at scale – and why AI and agentic commerce only create value when those systems are in place.
Foreword
The digital transformation of B2B commerce is no longer a vision; it's a mandate. As distributors and manufacturers navigate an increasingly competitive landscape, the ability to deliver agile, personalized, and data-rich digital experiences has become essential to survival and success.
Today’s B2B buyers expect the same speed and ease they encounter in their consumer lives, but with the sophistication and depth required by complex business purchases. That expectation is forcing a rethinking of the B2B commerce stack from the ground up.
This report on emerging action areas in B2B ecommerce comes at a pivotal time. What’s clear is that transactional websites alone are no longer sufficient. Modern B2B commerce demands a full integration of frictionless front-end experiences with powerful, flexible back-end workflows – ones capable of surfacing real-time product availability, supporting intricate pricing rules, and aligning with enterprise procurement processes.
At the heart of this evolution is the customer: digitally savvy, increasingly self-sufficient, and impatient with delays. Whether it's a contractor placing a $50,000 replenishment order, or a purchasing agent comparing SKUs for a custom project, B2B buyers expect transparency and speed.
They want up-to-date inventory status. They want to know when their order shipped and where it is right now. They want to configure products, track invoices, and initiate returns – without placing a phone call.
But it's not just about the buyer. Sellers too are being re-armed with digital tools that make them more consultative and effective. Great B2B commerce platforms recognize that buyers operate in different modes: sometimes self-serve, sometimes collaborative.
That’s why the best systems support both experiences; open, consumer-like product discovery and login-protected portals rich with buyer-specific pricing, terms, approvals, and order histories. It’s also why these systems must be usable not just by customers but by internal sales and service teams.
Delivering these dual experiences, self-service and salesperson-augmented, is a systems challenge. Real-time data is the linchpin. Without accurate, up-to-the-minute information from your ERP, PIM, CRM, and WMS, you can't present reliable stock status, credit limits, or negotiated discounts.
Without integrated quote and order management, you can’t transition gracefully from digital discovery to a rep-guided conversation. The best B2B digital experiences are not stand-alone websites; they are deeply connected front ends to complex enterprise ecosystems.
Which brings us to operational efficiency. The demands of modern B2B buyers are not just a front-end challenge; they ripple all the way through the organization. Businesses are rearchitecting their processes to reduce handoffs, eliminate redundant workflows, and automate wherever possible.
Embedded AI agents, workflow engines, and event-driven architectures are replacing manual processes with real-time responsiveness. Cycle times are collapsing, errors are falling, and agility is rising.
This kind of change takes courage and vision. It also takes tight coordination between business units, IT, sales, and marketing. But the rewards are compelling. High-performing B2B firms are not just digitizing; they are outpacing their peers with measurable gains in conversion rates, order frequency, and customer satisfaction. They are moving faster, selling smarter, and operating leaner.
This report provides a comprehensive overview of how B2B organizations are making that leap. They’re jumping from traditional, relationship-driven sales models to hybrid, digitally powered ones. This report explores the strategies, technologies, and cultural changes needed to deliver on the promise of modern commerce.
Keep in mind that B2B commerce is not a single system or feature. It is an orchestration of capabilities (people, processes, and platforms) that work together to serve the customer better, faster, and more profitably. Whether your journey is just beginning or well underway, this report offers insight, benchmarks, and inspiration.
Much will need to change to accommodate a world where systems are intelligent, integrated, and agent-ready. The transition will be difficult and require a radical reinvention of the operating model, incentive structures, and alignment of roles. But if you’re reading this report and aspire to deliver world-class B2B buyers’ experiences in the years to come, your journey has already begun.
If there’s one key takeaway from the foreword, it’s this: AI is not an add-on to a web store. AI and agentic commerce depend on stable foundations – reliable data, integrated architectures, clear governance, and an operating model designed for digital execution. That is exactly the framework the B2B Ecommerce Compass 2026 provides.
In the next six parts of this blog series, we’ll walk through the six action areas step by step – practical, execution-focused, and grounded in real-world B2B complexity.
Up next in Part 2: Building the B2B Operating Model – why ownership, incentives, and governance determine scalability.
Want to make your B2B commerce ready for 2026 now?
If so, download the full B2B Ecommerce Compass 2026 for free and use it as the foundation for your commerce and AI roadmap.
