Business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce is rapidly becoming one of the most significant segments in the ecommerce industry. According to Statista, the global B2B ecommerce market was valued at $17.9 trillion in 2021 and is projected to grow to over $36.2 trillion by 2026.

As B2B ecommerce grows, more businesses are moving online to provide customers with the shopping experiences they desire. However, with the increasing number of B2B sellers expanding their online presence, there is an equally growing number of ecommerce platforms available. Some platforms offer extensive customization options for those with the technical skills to code, while others provide store maintenance and updates at the cost of flexibility and freedom.

There are platforms, however, that balance freedom and flexibility with the capability to create exceptional user experiences. These platforms are feature-rich, built for growth, and equipped with native tools to meet the needs of both B2B and direct-to-consumer (DTC) shoppers.

In this ebook, we explore the journeys of Designerie, Toolsaver, and Theo Chocolate — three merchants who wanted to grow their online sales but were hindered by their previous ecommerce platforms. We’ll examine why they switched to BigCommerce and how their experiences have significantly improved.

Designerie builds a B2B powerhouse on BigCommerce

In 2016, Brendan McCarthy founded Designerie, initially focusing on the high-end Danish furniture brand, Sika Design. Soon after, the company expanded to become the exclusive U.S. distributor for several premium European furniture brands.

The business started with a strong focus on B2B sales, providing designer furniture to brick-and-mortar stores, retailers, interior designers, the hospitality industry, and architects. They also had a direct-to-consumer (DTC) presence through their Minneapolis showroom. However, as the brand grew, McCarthy noticed their online experience was inadequate. “It became quite cumbersome to have to send customers links to five to ten different brand websites for them to then have to click through and compile a list of the items they wanted us to quote,” McCarthy explained.

To streamline this process, McCarthy opted for Shopify to manage both the DTC and B2B ecommerce operations, but soon encountered several challenges.

A lack of functionality made B2B sales a hassle

With a diverse customer base spanning various industries, McCarthy needed an ecommerce solution that catered to B2B customers placing wholesale orders while segmenting them into distinct pricing groups based on their client pipeline and annual purchasing volume.

Additionally, McCarthy sought a platform that would benefit not only his customers but also his internal team. They required advanced SEO capabilities, detailed product information and categorization, and the flexibility to customize new brand pages.

Why BigCommerce?

Uncovering the limitless potential of advanced native functionality.

“When we learned about BigCommerce, we were immediately swayed to migrate from Shopify,” McCarthy explained. “BigCommerce’s B2B wholesale functionality for customer groups allows us to set customer-specific pricing at a macro level and still offer B2B customers a DTC experience while shopping online.

“The more we compared the two, it was clear that BigCommerce’s B2B wholesale functionality was far superior, and the ease of integration with our back-end systems made it much better overall. You simply don’t find this level of native capabilities on Shopify Plus. My team has found it significantly easier to build pages and create content within the BigCommerce UI compared to other platforms we’ve considered,” he continued.

Designing equally beautiful and functional online stores

What was once a subpar customer experience is now a seamless success. BigCommerce’s advanced native functionality enables Designerie to provide both B2B and B2C customers with an exceptional shopping experience and competitive prices. This has significantly reduced the need for customers to call in and shop over the phone, as well as decreased the back-and-forth email communication for McCarthy’s team.

“We see BigCommerce really being the partner for us as the company grows. The platform gives us a lot of flexibility and as the business evolves, and perhaps different needs change, BigCommerce is able to adapt with us as opposed to us needing to consider re-platforming because something has changed within the business” said Brendan McCarthy, Owner of Designerie.

Ready to transform your business? Download our comprehensive guide now.

• Introduction
• Designerie builds a B2B powerhouse on BigCommerce
  • Tech stack
  • A lack of functionality made B2B sales a hassle
  • Why BigCommerce?
  • Designing equally beautiful and functional online stores
• Toolsaver powers its B2B and DTC experiences with BigCommerce
  • Tech stack
  • A lack of flexibility was holding them back
  • Why BigCommerce?
  • Powering DTC and B2B ecommerce on one platform
• Theo Chocolate moves to BigCommerce for improved functionality for customers and its team
  • Tech stack
  • Built for branding, not ecommerce
  • Why BigCommerce?
  • Creating a unified experience helped both customers and the business
• Is it time to make the switch?

Number of Pages:

• 18 pages

Pricing: 

• Free