COBOXB2B e-commerce and procurement platforms built around how businesses actually buy.
Wholesale buyers don’t browse and check out like consumers. They reorder, negotiate, route purchases for approval and expect their own prices. We build platforms that handle all of it.
How a B2B e-commerce platform differs from a normal online store
A B2B e-commerce platform has to reflect commercial relationships, not just products and a basket. The same item can carry a different price for every customer, minimum order quantities vary by product, credit terms replace card payments, and a single order may need sign-off from two people before it is placed.
Retail storefront tools are built for anonymous shoppers. When a wholesaler tries to stretch one over these rules, the result is usually a store that sales staff still have to phone orders into. A purpose-built B2B platform removes that gap, so buyers can order themselves at any hour and your team handles exceptions instead of data entry.
Wholesale ordering and customer-specific pricing
Ordering is where B2B buyers spend most of their time, so it has to be fast. We design for quick order entry by SKU, uploading a spreadsheet of lines, pack-size and case-quantity rules, and live stock visibility.
Pricing is handled as data, not workarounds. Rules are held per customer, per customer group or per contract, and applied automatically:
- Price lists and tiered volume discounts per account
- Contract pricing with start and end dates
- Minimum order values and quantity steps
- Tax, currency and unit-of-measure handling
- Credit limits and payment terms shown at checkout
Quotations, purchase approvals and repeat orders
Many B2B purchases start as a request for quotation rather than a basket. The platform lets a buyer request a quote, your team respond with a priced offer, and the buyer accept it online, so the negotiation and the order live in one record rather than in an email thread.
On the buyer side, approval workflows let a company set spending limits per user, route larger orders to a manager and keep an audit trail. Repeat ordering matters just as much: saved lists, reorder-from-history and scheduled standing orders turn a weekly phone call into two clicks.
Procurement integrations with ERP, accounting and shipping
A B2B platform is only as useful as the systems behind it. Orders need to reach your ERP or accounting software without retyping, stock levels need to flow back, and large customers may want to place orders from their own procurement system through punch-out catalogues or EDI-style order feeds.
We plan these connections at the start, because they shape the data model. Our API and business system integrations work covers how syncing is built, monitored and recovered when a connection fails.
How we approach a B2B platform project
We begin with your real ordering rules, not a feature list. That means mapping how customers are priced, who approves what, and which systems own stock, invoices and customers. This is the same groundwork described in our product discovery and requirements planning service, and it is what prevents expensive rework later.
Delivery is then staged. A common first release covers customer accounts, catalogue, pricing and ordering for a pilot group of buyers. Quotations, approvals and deeper integrations follow once real orders are flowing and you can see what buyers actually use.
B2B platform capabilities at a glance
| Capability | What it solves | Typical first-release? |
|---|---|---|
| Customer accounts and roles | Multiple buyers per company with their own permissions | Yes |
| Customer-specific pricing | Correct price for every account without manual checks | Yes |
| Quotations | Negotiated orders handled in one place | Often phase two |
| Purchase approvals | Spending control for larger buyers | Often phase two |
| Repeat orders and saved lists | Faster reordering for regular customers | Yes |
| ERP and accounting sync | No re-keying of orders, invoices or stock | Yes, scoped to essentials |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between B2B and B2C e-commerce?
B2C sells to individuals at one public price with card payment. B2B sells to companies and involves account-based pricing, bulk and repeat orders, quotations, credit terms and internal approvals before an order is placed.
Can the platform show different prices to different customers?
Yes. Prices can be set per customer, per customer group or per contract, including volume tiers and date-limited agreements, and the correct price is applied automatically when the buyer logs in.
Can it connect to our ERP or accounting software?
In most cases, yes. Orders, customers, stock and invoices can be synchronised with common ERP and accounting systems. The exact method depends on what your current system exposes, which we establish during planning.
Do buyers have to pay online?
No. Many B2B platforms support credit terms, purchase orders and invoice payment alongside or instead of online card payment, so the checkout matches how your customers already pay you.
Where should we start if the requirements are still unclear?
Start with discovery. Mapping pricing rules, approvals and integrations first gives you a scoped plan and a realistic first release. You can begin with our Business Blueprint to structure the idea.
Planning a wholesale or procurement platform?
Describe how your customers order today and we’ll map it into a scoped plan.
Plan My B2B Platform