Online B2B sales has different requirements than B2C. The buyer knows product SKUs, has negotiated prices, buys wholesale, needs invoices with deferred payment terms and wants to place orders quickly – without going through the entire purchase flow every time. Magento 2 Commerce has dedicated B2B features that cheaper platforms simply do not have.
B2B features in Magento 2
Company accounts with multiple users and roles – buyer, approver, account administrator. Each has different permissions. Catalogues and prices per customer or per segment – different customers see different prices without logging into separate accounts. Quick ordering by SKU or from a CSV file – a wholesaler does not want to browse categories. Shopping lists that can be saved and reused. Order approval workflows – an order above a certain amount must be approved by a manager before being sent.
Quoting: the buyer can negotiate the order price through the store interface, the seller responds with a counter-offer. Trade credit: the buyer can place orders with deferred payment within an approved credit limit.
When these features make sense
For distributors serving hundreds of companies with individual commercial terms. For manufacturers selling through a dealer network. For companies where purchases require an internal approval process. For industries where the client-supplier relationship is long-term and established (construction materials, industrial chemicals, industrial parts).
Adobe Commerce vs Open Source for B2B
Most advanced B2B features described above are only available in Adobe Commerce (paid licence). Magento Open Source can be extended with B2B features through third-party modules, but that is additional cost and risk. For a B2B project it is always worth evaluating whether the Adobe Commerce licence cost is justified by the scope of requirements.
If any of the signals described sound familiar, it is worth analysing before the problem grows. I offer a free initial consultation – write to biuro@tews.pl or visit tews.pl.
