2025 is officially in full swing and everyone’s yelling their predictions for the coming year at anyone who will listen. It would be rude for us not to get involved, really. So, here are 6 (of the twelve!) B2B commerce predictions lifted from our brand new ebook.
Hang on, we’re seeing something on our crystal ball. Could it be? Yes, it’s a vision of you in about 5 minutes, feeling a lot more confident about what to expect from the next 12 months…
1. Seller-assisted e-commerce will take a massive leap forward in B2B
“My prediction for 2025 is that seller-assisted e-commerce is going to take a massive leap forward in B2B,” says Aaron Sheehan, Director of Product Marketing at OroCommerce. “Deals and workflows that were previously considered too complex for a buyer portal will finally start to be digitised.”
“E-commerce has often been seen as a totally self-service channel in B2B. But often, B2B transactions are quite complex and time-consuming, with multiple parties required for approvals and negotiations. Whether it’s personalised pricing, unique offers, complex delivery details or something else entirely, there are many moving parts that make B2B e-commerce transactions much more complex than you or I ordering a pair of socks from an online retailer. And this makes self-service difficult, which is one of the main reasons why e-commerce adoption has always been fairly low in B2B.”
2. There will be a significant shift towards self-service capabilities in B2B commerce
That’s according to Sania Kudaibergen, Chief Commercial Officer at Hokodo, who predicts changing buyer expectations, an urgent need to fix operational inefficiencies and significant technological advancements will all contribute to the acceleration of this trend in 2025.
“According to a recent B2B Pulse Survey by McKinsey, 73% of buyers are comfortable spending $50,000 on a single transaction in a fully self-serve environment, while 20% would have no issue spending $1m in this scenario,” says Sania. “These are no small sums of money to part with, highlighting how rapidly self-service portals are gaining trust and traction in B2B.”
3. E-commerce platform functionality will level up, empowering merchants to use existing technologies and processes to enable wholesale e-commerce
“The B2B e-commerce landscape is poised for a transformative shift in 2025 as platform functionality evolves to meet the growing needs of brands and manufacturers,” explains Chris Mattingly, CEO and Co-founder of B2B e-commerce platform SparkLayer. “We’re on the brink of a new era where technology will enable businesses to unify their operations and bring previously offline activities into a centralised, online environment. This evolution of e-commerce platforms represents not only a technical upgrade but a fundamental shift in how trade between businesses is conducted.”
4. There will be a convergence of online and offline payments in B2B commerce
In his prediction for 2025, Hokodo Co-founder and President Richard Thornton writes about the need for streamlined, digital payment solutions in traditional offline sales channels.
“In recent years, we’ve seen rapid growth in payment solutions like digital trade credit and B2B buy now, pay later (BNPL) which streamline credit experiences for online buyers,” Richard explains. “However, as more B2B merchants recognise the need to cater to both online and offline buyers, or hybrid buyers who engage with multiple sales channels, there is a need to extend these digital credit solutions beyond the online platform to provide a unified experience across all purchasing channels.”
5. Direct-to-consumer brands will explore B2B e-commerce as a viable additional sales channel
As the Founder of eComm Live, Kevin Traynor has a vast network of e-commerce sellers at his fingertips from whom to draw educated predictions.
“Many of the brand owners and founders in our community in Ireland, who currently export products globally, are turning to B2B as D2C grows more competitive,” Kevin explains in the ebook. “Rising customer acquisition costs and pressures around manufacturing and logistics in D2C are prompting these businesses to consider the advantages of B2B, including reduced customer acquisition costs and the ability to sell in bulk, which avoids the individual transactions and returns typical of D2C. Although B2B generally comes with lower margins, I believe the potential to drive revenue through large orders is a key pull for many established D2C brands.”
6. Cash-rich businesses are poised to gain a significant competitive edge over their less solvent competitors
“I predict that cash will be king in 2025, with cash-rich businesses poised to gain a significant competitive edge over their less solvent competitors,” asserts Hokodo Co-founder and CEO Louis Carbonnier in our new ebook. “A challenging backdrop of global instability, geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds will create a turbulent economic environment, amplifying the significance of liquidity within B2B commerce. Over the next year, I envision a bifurcation in the market, where companies with strong cash reserves consolidate market share and laggards struggle to keep up.”
Louis’ advice for B2B merchants?
“Businesses with cash reserves should prioritise leveraging their liquidity to strengthen customer relationships, enrol buyers in trade account programmes and maximise share of wallet. For those facing liquidity challenges, my advice is to prioritise solutions that can help you to unlock cash flow and thus remain competitive. By preparing for liquidity crunches now, you can defend your market position and avoid being outflanked by rivals with stronger financial backing.”
Download the ebook to find out more about our B2B commerce predictions for 2025.
