B2B Ecommerce Challenges in 2025: What Commerce Leaders Need To Know

The expectations of B2B buyers have shifted dramatically. What passed for a functional commerce experience just a few years ago now risks losing customers. Today’s digitally native purchasing teams demand speed, personalization, and seamless transactions. And they’re not afraid to walk.

In fact, 67% of online business buyers have switched suppliers in search of a more consumer-like experience. Old assumptions about buyer loyalty, sales cycles, and “good enough” websites no longer hold true.

The pressure is mounting across the board. B2B ecommerce is undergoing rapid transformation, but the opportunity is massive for organizations ready to adapt:

• The global B2B ecommerce market value in 2024 was $12 trillion. 
• The market size of B2B ecommerce is projected to be $24.3 trillion by 2030.
• Ecommerce has now overtaken in-person sales for B2B transactions.

This article explores the key B2B ecommerce challenges companies are facing in 2025, and how future-ready organizations are solving them with flexible, scalable, and innovative solutions. With the right foundation, businesses can deliver the seamless, intuitive buying experiences their customers now expect.

Challenge 1: Rising buyer expectations for seamless online experiences

Across industries, B2B businesses are under pressure to evolve. Millennials and Gen Z are now 71% of the professionals in procurement roles, bringing with them higher expectations for digital experiences. These buyers grew up with intuitive, mobile-first platforms—from online banking to food delivery—and now expect the same from B2B commerce. They want fast, frictionless digital experiences that include:

• Self-service ordering and account management
• Instant access to product details and pricing
• Mobile-optimized buying journeys

Getting the experience right pays off. Seventy-nine percent of B2B buyers prefer to place repeat orders online, and many are comfortable placing very large orders when the process is easy. In fact, 39% now say they’re willing to spend over $500,000 per order through self-service ecommerce, up from just 28% two years ago.

A streamlined buying experience not only builds loyalty, it also reduces operational complexity. But digital convenience isn’t just about the website. Today’s buyers expect consistency across every channel they use, including text, email, live chat, and social media.

In a recent McKinsey survey, more than half of B2B buyers said they want a true omnichannel experience, where they can research, interact, and purchase across channels without disruption.

How to meet these expectations

Meeting these expectations requires more than a modern front end. It depends on a unified back end, a flexible commerce platform, and an ecosystem of trusted apps and integrations. With the right foundation in place, B2B businesses can launch new channels, streamline operations, and deliver experiences that match consumer standards at scale. Start by enabling self-service (roles/permissions), exposing contract pricing, and auditing mobile pages for speed.

And as expectations rise, cracks in legacy systems become more obvious—leading to the next major challenge: integration complexity and technical debt.

Challenge 2: Integration complexity and technical debt

Staying competitive in B2B commerce isn’t just about what you sell—it’s about how well your systems support growth. For some businesses, the most serious costs are hidden in the technology stack.

Complex, custom-coded, or legacy ecommerce solutions often accumulate technical debt: the bugs, dependencies, and workarounds that pile up over time when a foundation isn’t built to scale. This doesn’t just slow innovation, it drains budgets and frustrates teams. According to McKinsey, technical debt accounts for nearly 40% of IT balance sheets.

Warning signs of technical debt

If your ecommerce solution is too complex, the warning signs are usually clear:

• Simple updates, like adding a product or changing a price, take days or longer.
• Customer data is scattered across systems, making personalization and reporting difficult.
• Teams are forced to manually sync key operations like inventory, ordering, and customer relationship management (CRM).
• Minor issues, such as site slowdowns, syncing delays, or inaccurate orders, snowball into costly outages.
• IT teams are swamped with support tickets, leaving little time for innovation.
• Legacy systems like electronic data interface (EDI) lock teams into rigid workflows and expensive vendor relationships

How Dollar Shave Club migrated off custom builds

Dollar Shave Club learned this lesson as they scaled. While the company found early success on a custom-built ecommerce platform, that architecture became a liability over time. They were spending 40% of their tech budget just on maintenance.

“Sometimes, there's a misconception that building something in-house means it's free in the long run. But developing it diverts resources from other important projects, and maintaining it isn't free either,” said Kyle Iwamoto, VP of ecommerce at Dollar Shave Club.

After migrating to Shopify, Dollar Shave Club’s team was able to:

• Launch new landing pages and campaigns much faster
• Scope out new channels like eBay and Amazon using out-of-the-box functionality
• Reduce time spent maintaining infrastructure and custom code
• Add features quickly using pre-vetted apps from the Shopify App Store

“Leaning on an out-of-the-box solution helps us reduce the amount of time fixing different things that we have manipulated and changed in the code. Another big benefit of this is we’re not accruing a massive tech debt,” Kyle said.

Ecommerce platforms like Shopify help B2B businesses move off legacy architecture and onto a scalable, flexible platform. Prebuilt integrations, strong security, and built-in maintenance, reduce overhead.

For more complex needs, Shopify’s robust APIs support extensibility, giving teams the power to tailor the experience while offloading infrastructure, maintenance, and support. It’s the best of composable commerce, without the cost and coordination burden that often comes with MACH-based builds.

Addressing technical debt is just one piece of the puzzle. Even with the right systems in place, B2B relationships are inherently complex—and still demand personalization at scale.

Challenge 3: Personalizing complex B2B relationships at scale 

B2B ecommerce is fundamentally more complex than most direct-to-consumer businesses. Deals often involve contracts, custom pricing, unique catalogs, and multiple stakeholders across departments or locations. Despite this complexity, B2B buyers still expect the same seamless, personalized experience they enjoy in their consumer lives.

And that expectation is growing. According to research, 60% of B2B buyers say their supplier’s ecommerce experience is “very important” to their overall relationship. In fact, 74% of B2B buyers globally—and 91% in the US—say they would switch suppliers for a better online experience. In 2025, personalization won’t just help win new business—it will be essential to retaining existing accounts. 

Barriers to personalization

Delivering at this level is difficult, especially with outdated ecommerce platforms. Common barriers include:

• Legacy systems that can’t support complex customer hierarchies, making it difficult to manage multiple users, departments, or locations 
• Disjointed data across CRMs, enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs), and ecommerce platforms, preventing a unified view of the buyer
• Outdated technology that can’t adapt in real time to buyer behavior, roles, or purchasing stage

These challenges don’t just frustrate IT teams—they directly impact customer satisfaction and revenue.

Allied Medical’s shift to a customer-first wholesale experience

Allied Medical, a supplier of assistive technology for healthcare providers, experienced this firsthand. Despite strong business growth, their legacy ecommerce setup made it difficult for physiotherapists, pharmacies, and home healthcare providers. Buyers struggled to place orders, access previous purchases, or navigate the catalog. Even logging in was a challenge.

“We had to manually add all B2B accounts and contacts, which caused errors and created inefficiencies. Clients were often forgetting passwords or shared logins, which created frustration and additional work for our customer care team,” says Tania Barthorpe, marketing manager at Allied Medical.

After migrating to Shopify, Allied Medical modernized their wholesale experience. Customer-specific catalogs, volume pricing, invoice history, and reordering are now built-in. Different roles within a company can access the account at the appropriate level, whether they're a healthcare professional, procurement manager, or admin.

“Shopify has allowed us to introduce features that greatly improved the experience of our wholesale customers, such as better search functionality, access to unique offers, and the ability to access history from different user accounts within the same company. This consolidated view allows for a faster repurchasing process,” said Katie Noble, managing director at Allied Medical.

Shopify gives B2B businesses the ability to scale personalization without heavy development work. Using flexible segmentation tools, dynamic storefront content, and out-of-the-box integrations, companies can tailor pricing, catalogs, and workflows based on buyer role, purchase history, or contract terms.

Built-in B2B features, plus a rich app ecosystem, make it easy to launch personalized storefronts and campaigns while keeping systems in sync. Integrations with ERPs, CRMs, and procurement platforms ensure a consistent experience from first interaction to reordering.

The result: faster launches, stronger customer relationships, and a digital buying experience that feels tailored to each account—no matter how complex the relationship.

Challenge 4: Scaling performance under pressure

Customer expectations for speed and reliability have never been higher. A recent Forrester report found that 72% of ecommerce and technology leaders say tolerance for disrupted digital experiences (think lag or slow page load time) is at an all-time low.

And the stakes keep rising. 65% of respondents said slow performance affects their business just as much as full site downtime—meaning if your site is too slow, it may as well be offline completely.

With 75% of B2B customers now purchasing online, website performance can’t be treated as an IT issue—it’s a core business priority. Speed and reliability directly impact revenue. When asked about their preferred sales channels, B2B buyers ranked ecommerce first, ahead of marketplaces, in-person sales, telesales, and mobile apps.

This expectation spans every context. Whether in a warehouse, clinic, office, or out in the field, buyers expect consistent performance across devices. Field sales teams using tablets or phones rely on fast access to inventory, account history, and pricing. Any delay risks lost revenue.

For large B2B companies, scaling performance requires more than a fast front end. The platform must support enterprise infrastructure and flexibility, including:

• Handling unplanned traffic spikes during high-demand events
• Delivering consistent performance across global markets
• Managing multi-currency and multi-language complexity without custom builds
• Meeting international data and compliance requirements out of the box

How Tony’s Chocolonely scaled global ecommerce without downtime

Tony’s Chocolonely, a fair-trade chocolate supplier, faced these challenges as they expanded into DTC, B2B, and reseller channels across multiple markets. As demand surged, their custom platform buckled under pressure, and the total cost of ownership (TCO) soared.

“We were spending more on maintenance and bug fixing than on new features for customers,” said Chiel Versteeg, platform lead at Tony’s Chocolonely.

After migrating to Shopify, the company implemented unified commerce across six global markets. Their new site is 2.5x faster, supports both B2B and DTC, and includes a custom wrapper personalization tool connected via Shopify’s APIs.

They also launched a “ChocoPortal” for B2B buyers, enabling ladder pricing, volume discounts, and personalized pricing based on segment or order size. 

“In terms of international expansion…We basically have our template now. There will always be local nuances, but Shopify makes it easy for us to adapt,” said Chiel.

Shopify provides the high-performance infrastructure B2B companies need to scale—without sacrificing reliability, global reach, or personalization. For enterprise teams, it simplifies complexity and accelerates execution in even the most demanding environments.

Scaling reliably is only part of the challenge. B2B organizations also need to safeguard every transaction.

Challenge 5: Meeting enterprise-grade security and compliance demands

For high-volume B2B transactions, security is non-negotiable. But meeting today’s standards is more complex than ever, especially as buyer expectations push businesses to adopt more advanced features, integrations, and digital experiences.

Modern B2B organizations must strike a difficult balance: protect sensitive data, meet evolving compliance standards, and still deliver a seamless, high-performing ecommerce experience. The stakes are high—80% of B2B decision makers say they’ll switch suppliers if performance guarantees, such as refunds for missed service level agreements (SLAs), aren’t met.

Key standards for B2B commerce

Enterprise-grade commerce often requires meeting a wide range of security and compliance standards, including:

• PCI compliance for high-volume credit card transactions
• Data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA, along with retention policies
• Enterprise certifications such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001
• Secure API integrations, especially when connecting to ERPs and CRMs
• Industry-specific standards, including HIPAA for healthcare-related businesses
• Audit trail functionality for logging quotes, approvals, and transactions
• Cross-border compliance, including tax, duties, and export control laws

Managing these requirements in-house can quickly become overwhelming. The right platform can reduce that burden significantly.

How Shopify supports compliance

Shopify offers built-in enterprise-grade security, including PCI compliance by default, robust data-protection practices, and global infrastructure designed to support regulatory needs across markets. Its extensive app ecosystem includes compliance-focused tools that help companies meet vertical-specific or regional requirements—without the need to build everything from scratch.

By shifting core security and compliance responsibilities to a trusted platform, IT teams can spend less time patching vulnerabilities or managing audits, giving them more time delivering features that improve the customer experience and drive growth.

Challenge 6: Managing the true cost of B2B ecommerce platforms

B2B buyers expect seamless, omnichannel experiences—but without the right platform, the cost of delivering them can quickly erode margins.

Hidden costs of legacy platforms

When ecommerce systems aren’t purpose-built for scale and agility, operational costs spiral. Here’s how:

• Ongoing maintenance costs: Custom-built platforms require continuous development just to stay functional. Solutions like BigCommerce or commercetools often shift much of the build and upkeep to internal teams.
• Costly feature rollouts: Adding new functionality or integrating with ERP, CRM, or third-party tools typically requires developer time, vendor fees, and long implementation timelines.
• Security and compliance overhead: Meeting B2B security standards can demand dedicated IT resources.
• Training and support: Complex platforms require expensive onboarding and troubleshooting. Some providers offer minimal support post-implementation, pushing more burden onto internal teams.
• Licensing and transaction fees: High usage fees stack up when platforms lack robust out-of-the-box features or ecosystem support.
• Third-party integrations and middleware: Advanced functionality often requires layering in outside tools. These add both vendor costs and internal complexity to build, maintain, and troubleshoot.

To keep costs under control, the first step is understanding the total cost of ownership. This includes not just platform fees, but the opportunity cost of diverting tech resources away from strategic work toward maintenance.

If you’re considering a rebuild or migration, a build-vs.-buy framework can help clarify the true cost of each approach: 

• Custom builds offer flexibility, but come with high ongoing ownership costs. 
• A “build and buy” model (like Shopify) delivers a unified, secure infrastructure, while still allowing customization with APIs, apps, and even headless front ends.

Carrier proves the return on investment (ROI) of a unified ecommerce platform

Carrier, a global manufacturer of HVAC solutions, faced this exact issue. With customers in over 180 countries, their old provider cost $1 million annually and required 9–12 months to launch new ecommerce sites. It was slowing growth and driving up costs significantly.

After migrating to Shopify, Carrier created a modern ecommerce experience on a fully unified back end. They now launch storefronts and test experiences 90% faster—and at just 10% of the cost of their previous platform.

A lower total cost of ownership is a key reason why more enterprise B2B companies are moving to Shopify. In fact, a recent study found that Shopify’s TCO is on average 33% better than its competitors such as BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento), and WooCommerce.

Reducing costs is critical, but forward-looking companies are also rethinking their overall strategy.

How leading brands are solving B2B ecommerce challenges

Solving today’s B2B ecommerce challenges starts with choosing the right platform. The wrong solution can hold businesses back; the right one sets them up for long-term success. Leading brands across industries are following a modern approach built on five strategies:

Embracing composable commerce, but not the complexity

The most successful B2B companies are embracing composability, but they’re doing it strategically. They start with a unified back end built on reliable global infrastructure. From there, they extend functionality with out-of-the-box features and pre-integrated apps. This reduces reliance on custom development and speeds time to market.

Relying on API extensibility for flexibility

Flexibility is just as important. Even with strong native features, enterprise B2B companies sometimes need to connect legacy systems, niche tools, or unique buyer experiences. That’s why modern leaders prioritize platforms with robust APIs that allow for extensibility, while offloading security, performance, and maintenance support to the provider.

Iterating over time

Digital transformations rarely happen all at once. Businesses often start by solving immediate pain points, like improving order flows or reducing development overhead. Then, they scale strategically, layering in automation, personalization, or new channels as their needs evolve.

Tapping into a rich ecosystem and experienced support

Strong ecosystems also matter. Because B2B buyers need to shift quickly, leading brands choose platforms with vast app ecosystems and proven partner networks, making it easier to scale, extend functionality, and adapt to change.

Planning for change and growth

Smart execution is as critical as the technology itself. Forward-looking brands invest in upfront planning, from phased migrations to KPI-tracking and change management. With composable platforms like Shopify, teams can launch fast, while still preparing for long-term success.

When these strategies come together on the right platform, the results speak for themselves. Here’s how a few leading B2B businesses powered by Shopify are driving measurable impact:

Snyder Performance Engineering, a manufacturer of aftermarket automotive parts, was bogged down by manual B2B orders and disconnected systems. After migrating to Shopify, they launched customer-specific pricing, streamlined product publishing, and enabled payment terms. The result:

• 25% reduction in back-office admin time
• 40% increase in average customer spend

Hommey, a homewares and décor brand, started DTC but needed a platform that could scale globally with B2B growth. They rebuilt their storefront, added workflow automations, and unified their sales into Shopify’s B2B suite. The result:

• 254% year-over-year revenue growth
• 75,000 new unique customers

Angelus Brand, a maker of shoe care and customization products, had evolved from brick-and-mortar to ecommerce and B2B, but ended up with fragmented systems. After a structured migration to Shopify, they now run on a unified platform that connects manufacturing, retail, and ecommerce. The result:

• 10x growth in global sales over five years
• 2–3x increase in profit margins by expanding from wholesale to include DTC

Building resilient B2B commerce for 2025 and beyond

B2B commerce is shifting fast. In 2025, success won’t just depend on products or pricing, but on delivering fast, reliable, and personalized digital experiences at scale. We’ve explored the key challenges:

• Rising buyer expectations
• Technical debt and platform complexity
• The need for personalization across accounts
• Performance, security, and compliance demands
• The pressure to reduce total cost of ownership
  

Leading businesses are responding by modernizing their approach. They’re adopting composable commerce, investing in scalable platforms, and prioritizing agility over technical overhead.

Looking ahead, buyer journeys will only become faster, more self-directed, and more digital. Platform choice is now a strategic decision—one that can unlock growth, speed, and long-term resilience.

Now’s the time to evaluate your current ecommerce solution:

• Can your teams launch quickly and scale globally?
• Are you spending more time maintaining systems than improving them?
• Is your platform helping you grow? Or holding you back?
  

Resilient B2B commerce starts with the right foundation. If you’re evaluating platforms to overcome B2B ecommerce challenges, Shopify can partner with your business to unify DTC and B2B operations, scale globally, and future-proof for what’s next.