B2B Is Not B2C With a Purchase Order Field

Most e-commerce platforms were built for consumers. They bolt on B2B features as afterthoughts — a "request a quote" button here, a "company account" field there. Real B2B commerce requires fundamentally different architecture:

  • Company accounts with multiple buyers — Not individual user accounts. A company has buyers, approvers, and admins with different permissions.
  • Customer-specific pricing — Every buyer sees their negotiated prices. Not MSRP with a discount code.
  • Purchase order support — Institutional buyers do not use credit cards. They issue POs that flow through approval workflows.
  • Procurement integration — Punchout catalogs, EDI, and cXML connections to systems like SAP Ariba and Coupa.
  • Reorder and quick-order — B2B buyers reorder the same products weekly. One-click reorder and CSV upload are essential.

Why BigCommerce B2B Edition

After evaluating every major B2B platform, we standardized on BigCommerce B2B Edition for mid-market companies. Here is why:

  • Native B2B features — Company accounts, price lists, quote management, and purchase orders built into the platform, not plugins.
  • Open API — Full REST and GraphQL APIs for custom integrations. No proprietary lock-in.
  • Headless capability — Use BigCommerce as the commerce engine with any frontend. We pair it with Umbraco for content-rich B2B sites.
  • Total cost of ownership — Lower than Magento (no hosting management), more capable than Shopify Plus for B2B.

Who This Is For

Fowara's B2B commerce solutions are built for distributors, manufacturers, and specialty suppliers doing $1M-$100M in revenue who sell to institutions, businesses, or government agencies. If your buyers use procurement systems, issue purchase orders, or need customer-specific pricing — this is for you.

Published Pricing

ServicePriceWhat's Included
B2B Store Build$15,000 - $40,000BigCommerce B2B Edition setup, theme, company accounts, price lists, 1 ERP integration
Ongoing Support$5,000/monthFeature development, bug fixes, integration maintenance, performance optimization

Frequently Asked Questions

Why BigCommerce B2B Edition instead of Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus was designed for high-volume B2C. Its B2B features are relatively new and limited. BigCommerce B2B Edition has native company accounts, price lists, purchase order support, and quote management built in — not bolted on. For mid-market B2B, BigCommerce is the stronger platform.
Do you support purchase orders and net terms?
Yes. We configure BigCommerce B2B Edition with full PO support including approval workflows, net-30/60/90 terms, and integration with your ERP for invoicing. Institutional buyers can submit POs directly through the storefront.
Can you set up customer-specific pricing?
Yes. BigCommerce B2B Edition supports price lists that assign different prices to different company accounts. We have implemented stores with 20,000+ unique price records across multiple buyer groups with automatic sync from ERP.
What B2B features come out of the box?
BigCommerce B2B Edition includes: company accounts with roles and permissions, price lists, quote management, purchase order support, quick order pad, shared shopping lists, and a buyer portal. We customize and extend these based on your requirements.
How long does a B2B store build take?
A standard B2B store build on BigCommerce takes 8-12 weeks including design, development, data migration, integration setup, and go-live. Complex builds with multiple integrations and custom functionality take 12-16 weeks.

Ready to Build a B2B Store That Works Like Your Buyers Expect?

Tell us about your buyers, your catalog, and your current pain points. We will scope a B2B commerce solution that fits your business — not a generic template.

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B2B Commerce Fundamentals

Free course on building B2B e-commerce for institutional buyers.

3 lessons · Free · No registration required

1

What Makes B2B Different

Company accounts, purchase orders, customer-specific pricing, approval workflows, and procurement integration — features B2C platforms lack.

2

Choosing a B2B Platform

BigCommerce B2B Edition, Shopify Plus, and nopCommerce lead the market. Evaluate on pricing complexity, PO support, and buyer requirements.

3

Building for Institutional Buyers

Universities, hospitals, and government labs buy through procurement systems. Your store needs punchout, net terms, and org accounts.

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