What do you need to know about B2B functions in Magento?

Magento (currently Adobe Commerce) is one of the most advanced and versatile e-commerce platforms money can buy. The vast majority of users use it to sell products online to individual customers. But Magento can also be used in B2B relations – when you do business with other retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors. If you are interested in the business side of Magento, this article is right up your street.

Adobe introduced something they call the B2B module in order to tailor this platform to the needs of business users. In general, Adobe’s B2B module gives access to several useful functions and features, especially:

• Advanced account management
• Inventory control
• Bulk order management
• Tailored payment methods and more

You have to know, though, that these features are available only in Adobe Commerce – the fully-fledged, enterprise-grade e-commerce platform. If you operate on Magento Open Source, you won’t be able to use them.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at major B2B features in Adobe Commerce.

Company accounts

When you work with B2B clients, you can create B2B company accounts in your store. This way, you enable companies that are your clients to create multiple sub-accounts with flexible permissions based on roles assigned in their organization. In other words, your one client (e.g., a wholesaler) can have multiple sub-accounts assigned to different employees.

Quick order

B2B clients order products in a bit different way than individual customers. They frequently use the SKU codes and buy more products at once. That’s why, within the B2B module, your clients can benefit from quick orders. They reduce the order process to just a few clicks. Moreover, your clients can send orders with multiple SKUs via the quick order form, making the whole process quicker and more convenient.

Additionally, your clients can use so-called requisition lists. They streamline buying frequently-ordered products. In essence, it’s a list of the necessary products that are automatically added to the shopping cart. So, if your customers every single time order the product X, they can use such a list to automate this process.

Here, it is vital to mention one more feature – purchase orders (POs). It’s an order that’s authorized and issued in advance by the company and can be used as a payment method. In such a scenario, your client can process the payment in their accounting system.

Shared catalogs

They come in handy when one master catalog is not sufficient. For example, you may want to offer some products just to selected clients, or you may want to offer them different prices. In both scenarios, you can create a custom-made shared catalog containing prices/products just for specific companies. Such catalogs can be provided just to members of particular company accounts.

Negotiate prices

Sometimes, you may want your B2B clients to have the possibility to negotiate prices. That’s what the My Quotes feature is for. With it, buyers placing orders on behalf of a specific company can negotiate the prices of the products that they want to order.

Payment and shipping methods

Adobe offers great flexibility when it comes to B2B payment methods – there are over 10 methods to choose from, including PayPal, credit card, COD (cash on delivery), and money transfers.

It’s the same story with shipping. There are over eight shipping methods to choose from, including courier delivery and in-store pickup.

To sum up, Adobe Commerce is an excellent e-commerce platform that’s versatile and works perfectly in many setups, including B2B ones. If you’d like to know more about how you can use Adobe’s platform for B2B purposes, drop us a line and tell us something more about your business and its needs. We’ll do our best to come up with an optimal solution.