B2B COMMERCE

12 Things You Must Know When

Choosing a B2B eCommerce Platform.
Include these essential questions in your next eCommerce RFP.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 2

Choosing an eCommerce platform

is an important business decision.
49 percent of B2B businesses expect their overwhelm reviewers with too much
eCommerce platform to both increase information. And an eCommerce RFP
revenues and improve customer satisfaction.1 developed for B2C use cases may not tell
To make sure they choose the right platform, you if a platform you’re considering includes
This eBook outlines
many B2B companies get bids from vendors all the B2B functionality you need. 12 important questions
through an RFP (request for proposal) You can potentially spend hundreds you should include in your
process. An RFP is usually a very detailed, of hours reviewing data and still not be sure.
standardized vendor questionnaire. The idea
next B2B eCommerce RFP.
Fortunately, you can get better
is to get an apples-to-apples comparison of
results by asking better and more
features and functionality that really matter
B2B-focused questions.
to business success.

But RFPs can take weeks or even months

for vendors to complete, and they can

1 A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Magento, March 2018. Base: 320 IT, eCommerce, sales, and line-of-business (LOB)
decision makers at firms in the US, APAC, and EMEA.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 3

HELPFUL HINTS FOR A SHORTER, SANER RFP PROCESS

The average B2B software RFP process can take weeks or months to complete. While RFPs
can help ensure you’re choosing the right product, they can also spiral out of control. Receiving
highly detailed RFPs from five or more vendors often means information overload.

A phased approach to your RFP process can help you make

a great decision in less time.
Research + RFI + RFP
Upfront research using objective sources like market analyst reports can help narrow the field
early on. Once you have selected a handful of potential matches, you can send them a short
RFI (request for information). Based on the RFI responses, you can choose two or three finalists
to receive the complete RFP.

Ask your solution partner

If you work with an eCommerce solution partner you trust, you may be able to streamline the
RFP process even further. Ask your solution partner to recommend two or three eCommerce
platforms they think are a good fit with your business model. Then send your RFP only to
those vendors.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 4

RFP question #1 Is your platform

in the cloud?
Most businesses are in the cloud, no matter how big they are. In fact, 83

83
percent of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020.2 You will
probably need to migrate to the cloud sometime soon, if you’re not there %
already. What does that mean for your next eCommerce platform? You
will want one that combines cloud-native software with managed
cloud services.
of enterprise
workloads will be in
the cloud by 2020.2

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• In general, answers should be “yes.” compliance information, performance • They should provide details on technical
• Vendors should describe their cloud data, and other relevant metrics. and account support available to help
platform infrastructure and services, • They should identify the locations of companies get their sites up
including hosting, content delivery, major data centers. and running.
auto-scaling, and monitoring. • They should cover tools for managing
• They should include uptime SLAs, PCI your cloud deployment.

2
Louis Columbus, “83% Of Enterprise Workloads Will Be In The Cloud By 2020,” Forbes, January 2018.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 5

RFP question #2 Can your platform

be easily customized?
Most B2B organizations want to design their own experience and offer Most B2B
special options for large accounts. And almost all B2B companies will need
to tweak their business model over time as they expand into new regions organizations
and markets or acquire new businesses. This means it’s important to choose want to design their
a flexible eCommerce platform that can evolve with your business.
own experience and
offer special options
for large accounts.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Customization is possible through can be previewed and rolled back, and • They should explain if different parts
no-code configuration options, but it how product data is stored. of the system can be used separately.
will almost always require at least • They should also provide information For example, some platforms allow a
some code. about the platform’s developer “headless” configuration in which
• Ideally, your platform’s code should be community and how active it is, as packaged eCommerce workflows are
fully accessible to your developers. well as how frequently the base code connected to a custom CMS.

• Answers should cover available is updated.

programming languages, how changes
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 6

RFP question #3 Can your platform

support customer-specific products
and pricing?
B2B companies don’t just have one product catalog. Instead, they create B2B companies
different versions of the catalog for different customers. And these versions
often include custom pricing. If this applies to you, the ability to support don’t just have one
custom catalogs and pricing should be a top requirement for your next product catalog.
eCommerce platform.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Answers should generally be “yes.” • They should explain how much • They should explain how the solution
• They should explain how to set up customization is possible both with and integrates with ERP systems to enable
custom catalogs and unique pricing and without code. custom catalogs and pricing online.
how these are reflected in the • They should explain how to efficiently
site experience. manage and make updates to multiple
custom catalogs.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 7

RFP question #4 Does your platform

support personalization for different roles,
like “buyer” and “procurement manager”?
B2B sales today involve more people than ever. And these people have B2B sales today
different interests. For example, buyers may want product information
while procurement may care about pricing. To help you sell to larger groups involve more
of stakeholders, your eCommerce platform should support personalized people than ever.
content. It should also give different permissions to different user types.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• In general, answers should be “yes.” • They should describe options for
• They should explain how the platform configuring different buyer roles and
supports personalization, including native permissions to control who can submit
functionality and extensions. quote requests, place orders, or access
specific account information.
• They should explain how user
profiles work and how they
support personalization.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 8

RFP question #5 Does your platform

support multichannel sales and
order management?
B2B businesses are reaching customers through more channels. You can sell B2B businesses
in store, online, through distributors, and across multiple countries. You can
also become part of Amazon Business and other emerging marketplaces. are reaching
To make this work, your eCommerce platform must have a full range of customers through
multichannel order management capabilities.
more channels.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Answers should describe multichannel • If you have outlets, warehouses, or • For each key feature, they should explain
capabilities such as inventory tracking, other physical locations, they should how much customization is possible and
intelligent fulfillment, and support for explain how the solution can help better how other customers may be using it.
marketplaces like Amazon Business. integrate online and offline experiences
• They should also highlight cross-border by allowing buyers to purchase online
options like support for local languages, and pick up in store, or ship online orders
payments, taxes, and shipping providers. from stores for faster fulfillment.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 9

RFP question #6 How does your platform

make it easier for customers to buy?
One of the main reasons B2B customers like eCommerce is that it can The easier
be easier than traditional commerce. And the easier it is to buy, the more
customers tend to do it. That’s why your eCommerce platform should it is to buy, the
support a wide range of fast and flexible buying options. more customers
tend to do it.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Answers should describe features that make it easier for customers to buy.

• At a minimum, they should cover:

- Online price quotes
- F ast ordering—where customers can enter or upload a list of SKUs
- Requisition lists
- E asy reordering from past orders
- The ability for sales reps to create orders for their customers
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 10

RFP question #7 Does your platform provide

self-service account management tools?
B2B customers want visibility into their accounts, and they want it now. B2B customers
Before eCommerce, they used to call an account manager or call center
for day-to-day tasks and status updates. But now they’d rather log in to their want visibility into
account portal and get instant access to the information and services their accounts,
they need.
and they want
As long as you have an eCommerce platform with self-service account
management tools, this is good news for your business. Your account reps
it now.
will field fewer support calls and spend more time on strategic sales.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Answers should describe available self- • At a minimum, account management - Purchase reporting, including
service management tools your buyers functionality should include: purchases made on credit
can use to manage their accounts. - Managing buyers, including assigning - Historical reports for all buyers
• They should explain how account roles and permissions and transactions
dashboards can be customized - Managing shipping addresses
for multiple requirements, such as
- Tracking shipping status
showing orders across channels,
scheduling deliveries, looking up - Quote and order tracking
warranty information, paying - Activity reports sorted by
invoices, etc. individual buyer
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 11

RFP question #8 How can I speed up

content updates?
B2B companies are reliant on content to support the entire customer In short, the
journey. New content is necessary to launch new products, make seasonal
changes to products and messaging, and highlight special promotions. faster you can
It’s also how you can respond to market changes and emerging customer publish new
concerns. And it’s essential to any SEO strategy. In short, the faster you can
publish new content, the faster your business can move.
content, the faster
Your eCommerce platform should make content updates as simple as
your business
possible, even for non-technical teams. can move.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

Complete answers will cover: • Support for images, videos, documents, • Staging capabilities that make it
• Low-code and no-code page promotional banners, etc. easy to schedule and manage
development options that allow non- • How quickly new content can content updates
technical users to add content to your be deployed • Preview capabilities that allow
site, including visual WYSIWYG tools producers to review and test
that allow users to drag and drop text, content updates before they
images, videos, and more in flexible go live
page layouts
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 12

RFP question #9 Does your platform integrate

with CMS, CRM, ERP, PIM, and other systems?
Your eCommerce platform should not operate in a vacuum. It needs to
communicate with existing CMS, CRM, ERP, PIM, and other systems for WHEN CONSIDERING
data synchronization and business intelligence reporting. According to RESPONSES TO
a recent Forrester report, “easily integrated with other existing business THIS QUESTION,
systems” is the fourth most popular criterion for choosing a B2B REMEMBER:
eCommerce system.3 In general, answers should
cover how companies typically
For your RFP, make a list of the existing platforms you may need to
integrate with each key system
communicate with your eCommerce platform, and include them in and should include:
your question.
• Systems architecture,
specifically how it’s designed
to connect with other
systems and data sources
• Relevant APIs and what kinds
of documentation, tutorials,
and developer support are
available
According to a recent Forrester report, “easily • Existing off-the-shelf

integrated with other existing business systems” is connectors

the fourth most popular criterion for choosing a

B2B eCommerce system.3
3 A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of magento, March 2018. Base: 320 IT, eCommerce, sales, and
line-of-business (LOB) decision makers at firms in the US, APAC, and EMEA.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 13

RFP question #10 How does your

platform handle mobile commerce?
Mobile is no longer optional. It’s increasingly important for B2B sales as
more and more professionals do business on their mobile phones. Buyers WHEN CONSIDERING
increasingly research and want to buy using their phone. And sellers want to RESPONSES TO
use tablets and phones to configure products and place orders while they’re THIS QUESTION,
at customer sites. REMEMBER:
Today, most businesses use responsive web design or native apps for their • Answers should explain
how the platform supports
mobile experience. Both can pose challenges. Responsive web pages can’t
responsive web design,
access native smartphone functions like push notifications. And native apps native apps, and Progressive
must be downloaded and require periodic updates. Progressive Web Apps Web Apps.
(PWAs), which are responsive pages that act like apps, represent a new • They should also
approach to mobile that promises the best of both. recommend a “best possible
approach” for different
mobile use cases.

Today, most businesses use responsive web design

or native apps for their mobile experience. Both can
pose challenges.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 14

RFP question #11 Is there an

extensive network of solution partners
who understand your platform?
In general, the more solution partners that work with your platform, The more solution
the better. Engaging a solution partner is especially important if your
IT organization is limited and doesn’t have experience with partners that work
eCommerce deployments. with your platform,
the better.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS

QUESTION, REMEMBER:
• Answers should call out the overall number of solution
partners and where they are located.
• They should also highlight solution partners that could
be a good match for your team based on their location,
industry expertise, and understanding of your core
business systems. Ideally, they should include details on
relevant training and certifications.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 15

RFP question #12 Does your platform

come with business intelligence
capabilities, like easy-to-use analytics
and reporting tools?
Business intelligence reporting can be a big competitive advantage. It can Business intelligence
help you understand customer buying patterns, identify most and least
profitable accounts, and uncover missed opportunities. Your eCommerce reporting can be
platform should come with business intelligence reporting built in. a big competitive
advantage.

WHEN CONSIDERING RESPONSES TO THIS QUESTION, REMEMBER:

• Answers should generally - Ability to consolidate data from your - Personalized KPIs for
be “yes.” eCommerce site and other business sales reps
systems to get a holistic view of your - The ability to quickly see
• They should cover key features, business and deeper insights sales data by customer account,
such as:
- Support for sales metrics, including lifetime customer value
- A centralized dashboard such as revenues, orders, - Identify top-selling brands
- An easy-to-use report generator plus AOV, quote-to-order conversion and products
a library of pre-built reports rates, etc.
B2B COMMERCE | 12 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT ECOMMERCE RFP 16

ABOUT MAGENTO experiences. Magento is the #1 provider

to the Internet Retailer Top 1000, the B2B
Magento, an Adobe company, is a
300, and the Top 500 Guides for Europe
leading provider of cloud commerce
and Latin America. Magento is supported
innovation to merchants and brands
by a vast global network of solution and
across B2C and B2B industries and was
technology partners, a highly active
recently named a leader in the 2018
global developer community, and the
Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital
largest eCommerce marketplace for
Commerce. In addition to its flagship
extensions, all available for download
digital commerce platform, Magento
on the Magento Marketplace.
boasts a strong portfolio of cloud-
based omnichannel solutions that www.magento.com
empower merchants to successfully
integrate digital and physical shopping

© Magento, March 2019