B2B E-commerce Trends
What to focus on in 2025 – and what we’ll be talking about in 2026
2025: Maturity, not revolution
The year 2025 didn’t bring a technological breakthrough. It brought something more important: a widespread awareness that B2B e-commerce is no longer an experiment, but an essential channel for sales and customer relationship management. Mature companies are no longer asking whether to implement a platform, but how to design it to support processes and enable scalable growth.
At CREHLER, we observe this shift very clearly. New clients no longer come to us for a “shop” – they are looking for a tool for real transformation: integrated with ERP, ready for multiple sales models (B2B, D2C, marketplace), equipped with automation, flexible rules, catalogs, and user permissions. These needs are precisely what define the trends for 2025.
Key directions in B2B e-commerce for 2025
Platformization and centralization.
Companies are no longer building standalone stores – they’re creating centralized sales systems that support multiple channels, languages, currencies, and cooperation models. Different price lists, locations, and customer types must all operate from a single data source. That’s why enterprise-class systems like Shopware, which support omnichannel selling and complex structure management, are gaining in importance.
Personalization and process automation.
B2B is learning from B2C – not in terms of emotion, but in terms of efficiency. Clients want to see their own prices, their own products, and their own documents. They expect the system to remind them about purchases, suggest order replenishment, and notify them about delivery. Loyalty is built through well-designed processes.
Greater role of UX and customer self-service.
This is no longer just a product table. B2B customers want a panel that functions like a modern app: fast, responsive, and allowing them to manage multiple orders, accounts, and locations. Self-service is no longer a luxury – it’s an expectation and a prerequisite for scalable business.
Integration with internal systems.
2025 is the year companies are massively abandoning data silos. E-commerce must communicate in real-time with ERP, CRM, PIM, and BI systems. Data must flow both ways: statuses, availability, pricing, documents. Flexibility in integration is also becoming more important – that’s why API-first platforms are winning.
Rising importance of subscription models.
Automating repeat purchases, controlling costs, and scaling sales without increasing operational expenses – all of this is pushing more B2B companies to adopt subscription-based models. The technology must support recurring payments, schedules, and flexible order management.
Data as the basis for decisions.
More companies are investing in business intelligence. Real-time dashboards, deviation alerts, and customer behavior prediction – these are not futuristic ideas, they’re requirements for effective management in uncertain times. E-commerce must be a source of operational and sales data, not just a transaction channel.
And what will we be talking about in 2026?
- AI – not hype, but substance.
In 2026, artificial intelligence will be less of a conference buzzword and more of a backend technology. Order prediction, lead scoring, dynamic pricing management, logistics optimization, chatbots integrated with ERP – these will become the standard, not differentiators. - Combining e-commerce with B2B configurators.
Configurable products, CPQ (Configure Price Quote) systems, personalized bundles – companies will increasingly build sales platforms that not only accept orders but allow real-time offer configuration. This will be especially relevant in technical, construction, and equipment industries. - Transforming B2B platforms into relationship management centers.
In 2026, we will no longer be talking about a “B2B online store” – companies will treat their platforms as client operation hubs: with access to contracts, documents, conversation history, and technical support. B2B customer experience will reach a new level, with digitized support as its foundation. - Cross-border expansion as a default.
More and more companies will design their platforms from the start with cross-border sales in mind. Multilingual content, compliance with local regulations, integration with local payment and shipping services – this will become the baseline, not an extension.
CREHLER – we design the e-commerce of the future
At CREHLER, we implement sales systems that not only address today’s needs but are also prepared for tomorrow’s scenarios. We help B2B companies move from a traditional online store to a platform that supports loyalty, automates processes, and enables scalability.
If you want your e-commerce to be ready for 2026 – before it arrives – let’s talk about building a system that’s resilient to change and open to growth.
