In recent years when everything goes digital, your wholesale business has to be online, too. But in all the variety of choices, it might be hard to decide what software to use. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered so you have more clarity in what is the best eCommerce platform for wholesale.
What is a wholesale eCommerce platform?
Wholesale eCommerce is a B2B model where the products are bought in bulk from one producer and then used internally by a company or sold individually to further buyers. Basically, you are a mediator between manufacturer and retailer helping them to fulfill an online deal.
A wholesale eCommerce platform is a software-based solution facilitating online transactions between 2 parties both of which are businesses. Apart from the obvious benefits of going digital, such online systems are the way to connect geographically distant markets and customers. Wholesale eCommerce platform also helps your business by:
- Automating manual processes
- Reaching new customers
- Providing analytics
- Improving customer service
- Selling via mobile devices
Here are the most vital features of a B2B wholesale eCommerce platform to provide a great customer experience:
- Company account
- Product catalog and listing details
- Search
- Personalization and recommendations
- System for product comparison
- Pricing options
- Payment options
- Ratings and reviews
- Shipping and delivery
- Analytics and reports
- Integrations
- Admin back-office
- Bulk ordering (the core feature of wholesale websites)
Key Features of B2B Platform
Now you know how wholesale eCommerce platforms work. But how to know which one is perfect for your business?
How to choose the best wholesale eCommerce platform
Your perfect software is the one that meets your needs. But to define these needs you should answer the following questions:
Who is your target audience?
There are two kinds of wholesale solutions: one is aimed at large retailers and the other one at end-users. These are two completely different types of buyers and there are different platforms for each of them.
Every buyer type has its own buying process. When you know how your customers prefer to buy then you will know what buying options to offer them whether it is bidding, procurement, or request for proposal. It is also useful to know who participates in this process? Is there someone else besides the procurement manager? If yes, they probably need a company account on your website. You also must know how your target audience prefers to pay: methods, options, currency.
What do your competitors offer?
Search in Google for your products and look who offers them. You must have unique selling points, not just propose all the same products on the same conditions.
Conduct a competitive analysis of the websites from your niche. What are their essential features? What extra features will let you stand out from the competition? Some platforms offer general eCommerce solutions while others focus on wholesale peculiarities.
What is your budget?
It can be a defining factor for your choice. So decide how much you are ready to spend.
What is going on in your back-office?
What business processes do you have and how can you automate them in the back-office? What tools do you use and which do you need to integrate with your eCommerce website? All in all, your back-office might be inefficient and cost you a lot of money.
eCommerce platforms solve a lot of problems including manual data entry, administrative errors, information visibility, etc. But they also offer integrations of third-party software that can automate many processes in your back-office.
What are your technical requirements?
Do you need on-premise deployment or cloud-based deployment? Will you choose open-source code or proprietary source code?
Decide what features your business can’t survive without. And then add a couple of fancy things to become more distinctive.
If your requirements are quite basic, then you can get away with an off-the-shelf solution. But if you are looking for unique and complex functionality and design, then you need to build your eCommerce website from scratch or at least look for a very flexible option.
The most popular wholesale eCommerce platforms (according to Capterra)
According to Capterra, here are the most popular wholesale systems (top 10 most reviewed):
1. BigCommerce is a leading B2B eCommerce software for complex solutions. It is flexible and seamlessly integrates into your system. It is a cloud-based tool that suits both small and big enterprises. ( BigCommerce eCommerce Platform Alternatives )
Key features:
- API
- Bulk ordering
- Categorization
- Data synchronization
- Inventory control
- Marketplace integration
Price: per feature, starts from $29.95 per month.
2. CS-Cart is a professional B2B eCommerce system for enterprises of any size. It offers great built-in editors and many useful tools to provide the best user experience.
Key features:
- Bulk ordering
- Customer accounts
- Inventory control
- Loyalty program
- Multi-channel marketing
- Data security
Price: per feature, Multi-Vendor solution starts from $1450.
3. Maropost Commerce Cloud is a management platform for retail and wholesale which offers well-integrated end-to-end solutions for those who want to expand their business.
Key features:
- Bulk ordering
- Customer accounts
- Communication management
- Data security
- Email Marketing
- Data synchronization
Price: per feature, starts from $79 per month.
4. Pepperi is a B2B eCommerce system for large enterprises. It simplifies selling to help your business grow.
Key features:
- Bulk ordering
- CRM
- Communication management
- Data security
- Kitting
- Reports and analytics
Price: starts from $500 per month.
5. Sana Commerce is a solution for simplifying B2B purchases by offering outstanding functionality.
Key features:
- Back-order management
- Bulk ordering
- Content management
- Kitting
- Inventory management
- Mobile access
Price: per feature, starts from $8,000 per year.
6. Wholesale Suite plugin is the best solution for WooCommerce stores to make them wholesale.
Key features:
- Shipping management
- Channel management
- Reports and analytics
- Order management
- Promotions management
- Inventory management
Price: per feature, starts from $49.50 per year.
7. Now Commerce is especially good for users of QuickBook desktop. It is a simple and affordable solution for wholesale eCommerce. It sets up fast and offers free support.
Key features:
- Customer database
- Marketplace integration
- Backorder management
- Bulk ordering
- Communication management
- Channel management
Price: per feature, starts from $100 per month.
8. Zencommerce is a ready-to-use solution that can be easily customized with third-party apps. It fits start-ups, as well as SMEs and multinational corporations.
Key features:
- Auto-update
- Bulk ordering
- Data import\export
- Landing pages \ web forms
- Loyalty program
- Mobile commerce
Price: per feature, starts from $11.88 per month.
9. AmeriCommerce is good for complex eCommerce solutions. This software is customizable and can handle high-volume online stores.
Key features:
- Abandoned cart saver
- Bulk ordering
- CRM
- Credit card processing
- Data security
- Discount management
Price: per feature, starts from $24.95 per month.
10. CoreCommerce is a customizable hosted eCommerce software that suits small and big businesses. It doesn’t require too much technical expertise to set the software.
Key features:
- Abandoned cart saver
- Bulk ordering
- Inventory management
- Email marketing
- CRM
- Communication management
Price: per feature, starts from $19 per month.
Most of the platforms have a trial period so you can figure out whether it suits your needs or not. This allows you to try several options before making a final decision.
Wrapping up
The growth of your business is connected with customers’ experience and relies on the platform you use. By choosing the right tool you can advance your website. A set of vital characteristics is defined by the target audience and unique selling point. Remember that your perfect platform must meet the needs of your enterprise. There are plenty of options to choose from, and those with the highest reviews are definitely worth trying. So check them out!
Hopefully, this helps. Good luck with your business!