If you want to launch a wholesale business, you’ll need to create a website. And it all starts with an easy-to-use platform where you can build your e-commerce website. With a single click, you may access a variety of platforms. However, going to the search bar without any specific concept or criteria for the solution you need will be exhausting.
If you’re looking for e-commerce platforms but are getting trapped in a sea of information on the Internet, you’re not alone. Many aspiring B2B wholesalers experience similar challenges before launching their first e-commerce shop.
This post is for individuals who don’t have time to sift through hundreds of online pages searching for a suitable platform. You’ll discover what features to look for when picking a platform, as well as a top list to put what you’ve learned into practice right immediately.
What is Wholesale E-commerce?
Wholesale e-commerce is a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce approach in which you sell your products in bulk at a given discount to other businesses rather than selling them individually to consumers.
You serve as an intermediary between the producer and the distributor or retailer in the supply chain.
What Are the Most Important Features of Wholesale E-commerce?
To be an ideal option for wholesale businesses, e-commerce platforms should have unique characteristics. Fortunately, as e-commerce evolves and becomes more popular, these platforms are becoming easier to use. Wholesalers and retailers want consumer-focused firms to have the same usability and accessibility. When looking for an effective wholesale platform, keep the following in mind:
1. Simple Navigation and Design
You need a platform that is seamless and comprehensive, not one that is complicated and slow. When your consumers come to your B2B website, they anticipate the same thing. Simplicity is essential.
Don’t get too caught up in the features and overlook the platform’s layout. It should be straightforward and straightforward to use. Customers will have difficulty navigating your website and finding the things they want if this is not done.
2. Make Mobile Access Possible
Modern shops are catching up quickly with mobile technologies since it provides them with several opportunities. According to experts, mobile e-commerce will account for 53.9 per cent of all e-commerce purchases by 2021.
In recent years, mobile adoption in e-commerce has been an enormous success. And the trend isn’t going to change anytime soon. As a result, every e-retailer should choose a platform that has mobile-friendly features.
3. Third-party Integration With a Flexible Backend
You’ll consider third-party modules, tools, or platform integrations as you start optimizing your website and improving it with more functionalities that the platform doesn’t contain. One of the most effective ways to enhance personalization in the customer journey and sales process is through integration.
For example, to generate individualized communication with your customers, you can integrate email marketing into your website. You will earn more loyal consumers by sending individualized, target-focused messages.
4. Flexible Payment Options
Remember that you’re running a B2B wholesale company with business people as customers. Their purchases will be distinct from those made by B2C or a smaller group of customers. They buy in bulk; therefore, the volume of money spent is significant, needing the use of an easy, safe, and quick payment option to make their lives easier.
B2B buyers prefer to pay with credit cards, and the demand for extended payment terms is growing. Your buyers’ favourable payment methods are undoubtedly not the same. As a result, you’ll need various payment options that allow your customers to achieve their business objectives.
5. Flexible Pricing Options
When it comes to selecting the ideal platform, the price may be the last factor to consider. Choosing the perfect fit for your wholesale business depends on your budget, but you will have more options that can flexibly match your needs. Typically, e-commerce wholesale platforms will provide various plans, each with its own set of costs and features.
Six Best Wholesale E-commerce Platforms
1. Daalder
Daalder is a Laravel-based solution for enterprise e-commerce merchants. It is a headless e-commerce solution that grants you control over your site’s look and feel. With headless e-commerce, companies have complete control over the front end and can implement design changes faster. Changing anything on the front end is more accessible and doesn’t require complex code rewrites. In other words, you don’t need a developer each time you want to write new code.
The most significant advantage of having a headless e-commerce platform is its flexibility to improve user experience. When designing their e-commerce platforms, many businesses will place user experience at the bottom of the list of considerations.
This is a huge mistake.
You may be unaware, but the user experience is central to e-commerce success. Nowadays, customers want a rich, smooth experience while shopping online. If your e-commerce site fails on the UX front, sales will suffer.
Daalder ranks as one of the best options for wholesale e-commerce. Here are some of its features:
- Powerful search box – Elasticsearch
- Multiple payment gateways – No transaction fees
- Multinational selling – Sell across borders
- Exceptional performance – Faster-loading pages
- Compatible with third-party apps – Easy integration
2. 3DCart
3DCart is an e-commerce platform that puts the user first. 3DCart is a viable option for small and medium-sized B2B firms, with a robust yet straightforward interface in optimisation.
3DCart offers a variety of optimisation presets to ensure mobile-friendly and steady performance. The style of 3DCart’s theme shop is broad, making it suited for a wide range of e-commerce businesses.
3DCart also allows direct access to adjust the website’s HTML and CSS files if you wish to make more changes to the appearance.
3. Shopify
Shopify is currently the most popular e-commerce platform on the planet. This is because Shopify is both simple and effective. Whether you’re a small business owner or a mid-sized company manager, Shopify is a good commerce solution for you.
Shopify also has many plugins that add a lot of valuable features to the sales process. Additionally, this platform enables you to sell your products more effectively through email systems, Google Smart Shopping, and even Facebook ads.
4. PrestaShop
PrestaShop has a sizeable user base, although it’s not as popular as Magento or WordPress. PrestaShop is an effective e-commerce solution since it is an open-source platform with several flexible customisation options.
PrestaShop comes with various simple store modification options presented in a clean, concise, and user-friendly interface. In addition, the PrestaShop platform’s payment system is highly versatile, offering a wide range of payment methods.
It’s also worth noting that PrestaShop is cost-effective. This platform, aimed at small B2B firms, is entirely free and simple to use. The add on marketplace system is also sufficiently diverse to fulfil the wants of customers.
5. Magento Commerce
Magento is a premier open-source B2B e-commerce platform for any business, with remarkable capabilities and scalability. Magento Commerce is the premium alternative to Magento Open-source that uses Magento 2’s intuitive built-in features to help you grow your business in the current e-commerce marketplace. Magento’s ease of use allows you to create a website with a good design and customisable content layouts without knowing any coding.
Magento Commerce has more features than the free Magento Opensource, such as enhanced marketing options, customer incentive programs, and targeted promotions. Magento Order Management allows large wholesale enterprises with various items, brands, stores, and warehouses to leverage their potential and provide seamless cross-channel experiences.
6. Netsuite SuiteCommerce
SuiteCommerce by Netsuite is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that focuses on optimisation and multi-channel selling. It’s appropriate for firms that sell both in physical stores and online. Store owners may use a simple POS system to integrate data from offline stores with an e-commerce website to better manage inventory, orders, marketing, sales, customer support, and more.
It’s quick and straightforward to tweak and optimize product content across several platforms. This functionality allows you to efficiently manage product information for a large number of wholesale products. Netsuite SuiteCommerce gives everything you need to thrive, including experienced specialists, high-quality services, and an extensive partner ecosystem.
How Do You Choose the Right B2B Platform for Your Wholesale Company?
Here are some questions to ask to help you find the best B2B wholesale platform:
- What are your company’s needs?
- Is the platform flexible enough to grow with your company?
- Is the platform equipped with the necessary features?
- How can you get help if you have an issue with the platform?
- How is your financial situation? Is the platform cost-effective for you?
- Is the platform a positive experience for you and your customers?
- Is it adaptable when it comes to third-party integrations?
- Is it safe to use?
Consider these points carefully, and you’ll be able to figure out what the finest e-commerce platform for wholesale should look like. You’ll be able to pick an excellent platform for your business from the list above.
Note that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. That said, when deciding which platform you should use, consider what features matter the most to your business. Also, look beyond here and now and consider what platforms can accommodate your growth and expansion plans.
