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Top 5 B2B eCommerce Solutions for Wholesalers and Manufacturers

25 Aug 2026
Mike Patel
Mike Patel
Top 5 B2B eCommerce Solutions for Wholesalers and Manufacturers

If you sell to other businesses, a B2B eCommerce platform is where those orders happen online. It handles the features wholesale and manufacturing buyers expect, including bulk ordering, customer-specific pricing, and large product catalogs. The right platform depends on factors such as your order volume, existing business systems, and the level of customization you need.

In this guide, we’ll walk through what these platforms do, how to pick the right one for your business, and the five platforms we work with most at ioVista. We’ve built and run B2B stores since 2004, so what you’ll read here comes from real client projects and not a spec sheet.

What is a B2B eCommerce Platform?

A B2B eCommerce platform is software that lets one business sell goods to another business through an online store. It supports capabilities that traditional B2C stores typically don’t require, like prices that change per account, credit terms, minimum order sizes, and approval steps before a large order goes through.

It also talks to the systems running behind your business. It ties into your ERP for stock and pricing, and your CRM for customer records. So your stock counts, prices, and order history stay the same everywhere, instead of drifting out of sync. For a closer look at the features that make this work, see our guide to essential B2B commerce features.

How B2B eCommerce Helps Wholesalers and Manufacturers

Wholesalers and manufacturers both sell in bulk, usually to the same buyers again and again. Moving those purchasing workflows online allows buyers to place orders whenever they need, without relying on phone calls or emails.

For Wholesalers

If you’re a wholesaler, you’re juggling a big catalog and a lot of buyer accounts. A B2B store gives each buyer their own price list, lets them reorder past items in a couple of clicks, and keeps invoices and order status in one spot. That means less typing orders by hand, and fewer mistakes along the way. Our post on proven strategies to increase B2B wholesale eCommerce revenue digs into this.

For Manufacturers

Manufacturers usually sell to a few groups at once, distributors, dealers, and direct buyers. A B2B platform lets you set a different catalog and different prices for each one. Are you selling custom or made-to-order products? Buyers can send a quote request instead of buying off the shelf. Plenty of manufacturers also add a self-service portal, so buyers check stock, place orders, and track shipments on their own. Our guide to eCommerce platforms for B2B customer portals shows how those portals work.

How to Choose a B2B eCommerce Platform

No single platform wins for everyone. The right one depends on what your business actually needs. Run each option past the points below.

Key Points to Check

Build Model

Some platforms are hosted for you. That’s the SaaS model. Others you host and run yourself, which is the open-source route. SaaS means less upkeep on your end. Open source hands you more control, but you’ll need a development team to use it.

B2B Features

Look for account-based pricing, customer groups, quote requests, bulk order forms, and credit terms. Those are the things that let you sell to businesses the way they actually buy.

Integrations

Your platform has to connect to your ERP, CRM, and shipping tools. When the data matches across all of them, your orders and stock stay right. There’s more on this in our post on next-generation B2B eCommerce features.

Cost

Consider the total cost of ownership, including licensing or subscriptions, hosting, development, maintenance, and ongoing support. A cheap starting price can still turn into a big build bill later on. And a high sticker price sometimes needs less work to launch. Be sure to look at the whole number.

Growth

Pick something that can take on more products, orders, and buyers as you grow. Switching platforms down the road costs real time and money, so it’s worth getting right now.

Top 5 B2B eCommerce Solutions for Wholesalers and Manufacturers

These are the five platforms we build on most for B2B clients. The table below gives you a quick overview. Before comparing pricing, keep in mind that these figures are starting points. Hosting, setup, and add-ons all move the final price.

Platform Build Model Best For Starting Price Built-in B2B Tools
Adobe Commerce Hosted or self-hosted Large catalogs and complex pricing Quote-based, licenses are about $22,000/year Yes
Magento Open Source Self-hosted Teams that want full control Free license; hosting and build extra Add-on needed
BigCommerce Hosted (SaaS) Mid-size B2B sellers Starting at $39/month; B2B plan start at $1,500/month Yes
Shopify Plus Hosted (SaaS) B2B and B2C in one store Starting at $2,300/month Yes
WooCommerce Self-hosted (WordPress) Small to mid-size sellers Free plugin; hosting and add-ons extra Add-on needed

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce is built on Magento and made for businesses with large catalogs and detailed pricing rules. Its B2B tools come built in, so for most B2B needs you typically won’t need additional extensions for core B2B functionality.

Best For

Wholesalers and manufacturers with lots of products, lots of buyer groups, and pricing rules that shift from one customer to the next.

Key Features

Company accounts with buyer roles, shared catalogs, custom price lists, quote requests, and bulk order forms. You can also run several stores and languages from a single back-end.

Cost

Adobe doesn’t publish prices. Your quote is based on how much you sell in a year. Industry estimates put the license anywhere between $22,000 to $190,000 a year. Then you add hosting, development, and support, so the real cost often lands at two to three times the license alone.

Points to Consider

You’ll need a development team to set it up and keep it running. And the total cost sits higher than most other options on this list.

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source is the free version of Magento. You host it and build on it yourself. That gives you full control over the code and the store, which works well if you’ve got a development team in place.

Best For

Businesses that want a hand in every part of the store and have the budget to build custom features.

Key Features

You get a base store with product, cart, and checkout tools. B2B features like customer-group pricing come later, added through extensions or custom code.

Cost

The software itself is free to download. What you pay for is hosting, development, extensions, and upkeep. In practice, a live store often runs about $30,000 to $60,000 a year.

Points to Consider

There’s no license fee, but hosting, development, and upkeep are on you. And the B2B tools that come built into Adobe Commerce? In Magento Open Source, these capabilities must be added through extensions or custom development.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is hosted, which means servers, updates, and security are all handled for you. Its B2B Edition brings in tools for wholesalers and manufacturers without a full custom build.

Best For

Mid-size sellers who want B2B features and low server upkeep.

Key Features

Price lists, customer groups, quote management, and buyer accounts. It hooks into your ERP and other systems through built-in tools and apps. Back in 2022, BigCommerce added Bundle B2B to widen these features. Our full guide to BigCommerce for B2B eCommerce has all the details.

Cost

Public plans start at about $39 a month, then step up to $105 to $399. The B2B tools live on the top plan, which is quote-based and starts near $1,500 a month. One thing to note: BigCommerce renamed its plans in June 2026, so you’ll still spot the old names floating around in some guides.

Points to Consider

You’re working inside the platform’s rules, so there’s a limit to how deep custom changes can go. And your plan cost climbs as your sales volume grows.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus is the hosted plan built for larger stores. It now comes with B2B tools, so you can run wholesale and retail from the same store.

Best For

Brands that sell to both businesses and consumers and want to manage it all in one system.

Key Features

Company profiles, catalogs and prices set per buyer, payment terms, and a big app store when you need more. Setup tends to be quicker than most self-hosted options.

Cost

Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 a month on a three-year term, or $2,500 a month on a one-year term. Once you clear about $1 million in monthly sales, the fee switches to a percentage of what you sell. Apps and setup sit on top of that.

Points to Consider

Some B2B needs still call for apps. And like other SaaS plans, you’re working within the platform’s structure.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store. The core plugin is free. It’s a good fit for small and mid-size wholesalers already working in WordPress.

Best For

Smaller sellers who want a low starting cost and control over their content and store.

Key Features

Product, cart, and checkout tools, all inside WordPress. Wholesale pricing, customer groups, and bulk orders come through extensions.

Cost

The core plugin is free. What you pay for is hosting, a theme, and extensions. The wholesale and B2B extensions come with one-time or yearly fees. For a small store, this usually works out to the lowest total on the list.

Points to Consider

You host and maintain the site yourself. Big catalogs and heavy order volumes need the right hosting and setup to keep things running well.

B2B eCommerce Trends You Need to Know

B2B eCommerce platforms continue to evolve. Two shifts matter most for wholesalers and manufacturers right now.

First, more platforms lean on AI to sort catalogs, suggest reorders, and answer buyer questions. Our post on AI and ML in B2B walks through how that works.

Second, businesses keep moving more of the process online, from the first order all the way to payment. Our guide to the key drivers of digital transformation in B2B eCommerce lays out the changes worth planning for.

Why Work with ioVista

ioVista has been building and running eCommerce stores since 2004. We’re a certified partner of Adobe Commerce (Magento), BigCommerce, and Shopify, and we work with WooCommerce too.

We start by learning how your business actually sells, then point you to the platform that best fits your needs. From there, we handle setup, ERP and CRM integration, and support once you’re live. If you sell to wholesalers or manufacturers and want your orders online, our team can help. Contact ioVista to discuss your requirements and find the platform that’s the best fit for your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best B2B eCommerce platform for wholesalers?

There isn’t one. Adobe Commerce and BigCommerce fit wholesalers with large catalogs and lots of buyer accounts. WooCommerce works better for smaller wholesalers watching their budget. It comes down to your order volume, your systems, and how much you want to build.

How much does a B2B eCommerce platform cost?

It depends on the platform and the build. SaaS platforms charge a monthly fee that grows with your sales, from around $39 a month on entry plans up to $2,300 a month for Shopify Plus. Open-source platforms skip the license fee, but hosting, development, and upkeep often add up to $30,000 or more a year. Adobe Commerce is quote-based, with licensing fees starting near $22,000 a year. Add setup and integration on top to see the full picture.

What is the difference between B2B and B2C eCommerce?

B2B eCommerce sells to other businesses. B2C sells to individual shoppers. B2B stores deal with bulk orders, account-based pricing, credit terms, and buyer approval steps. B2C stores are built around single-item sales at one set price.

Can one platform handle both B2B and B2C sales?

Yes. Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, and Adobe Commerce all let you run B2B and B2C from one store. You set separate catalogs and prices for each type of buyer, and manage every order in the same system.

Do manufacturers need a custom B2B eCommerce platform?

Not always. Plenty of manufacturers do fine on standard platforms with B2B tools added on. A custom build earns its keep when you’ve got made-to-order products, complicated pricing, or systems that need deep integration. Start with your process, then decide based on what works best with your business.

Mike Patel
Mike Patel linkedin

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.

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