We get asked a version of the same question a lot. A brand is moving into B2B, or expanding what they already do, and they want to know what their B2B store should look like. What features should be on it. What the best setup is. It's a reasonable question, but it's the wrong place to start, because there isn't one answer. What a good B2B store looks like depends almost entirely on how your buyers actually buy.
Two buyers, opposite needs
Here's something that catches people out: Two B2B brands can sell in completely different ways and both be right.
One buyer might order a thousand products at a time. They know exactly what they want, and they don't want to browse. Making them click through individual product pages would only slow them down. What they need is a big, fast list they can work through quickly to get the order placed and get on with their day.
Another B2B brand's buyers shop much more like consumers. They browse, they respond to the way products are presented, and the job is less about speed and more about giving them a reason to buy, whether that's a pricing incentive or payment terms that suit them.
Same label, opposite needs. A store built beautifully for the first buyer would be a poor experience for the second. That's why "what should my B2B store have on it" can't be answered from a feature list. It has to start with who is on the other side of the screen.
Why so much B2B still sits off-platform
This is also part of why a lot of B2B hasn't moved onto a platform like Shopify yet. Many of these brands have spent years building what is effectively a castle of custom functionality, with deep integrations into all of their other systems. It does exactly what they need, and it's usually running a high revenue operation on a completely bespoke backend.
For a brand in that position, the idea of unpicking all of it is a serious undertaking, and understandably many are in no rush. That's a fair position. But it also means the decision to move is less about whether the platform is capable, and more about whether the effort of migrating is worth the long-term benefit. Often it is, because a cleaner, better supported setup is easier to grow. It's just rarely a small decision.
Start with the buyer, not the build
The practical takeaway is simple. Before anyone talks about features, apps or platforms, the first job is to understand how your buyers place orders, what slows them down today, and what would make their life easier. Get that right and the build follows naturally. Start with the build and you risk creating something impressive that nobody actually wanted.
That discovery work is the part we care most about getting right. If you're thinking about B2B, or trying to work out whether your current setup is holding you back, we're always happy to talk it through.
Chris has over 25 years of experience delivering commercial website builds across both agency and client-side teams. He specialises in performance-driven front-end development, with a strong emphasis on clean, scalable, and maintainable code.
His primary focus is Shopify, where he works extensively on custom theme development, advanced theming using Liquid, Shopify Functions, integrations with third-party systems, and bespoke app development to support complex commerce requirements.
Chris is passionate about writing well-structured, accessible code and creating websites that perform seamlessly across devices.
