B2B Order Management: Integration, Features & Top Platforms

The B2B e-commerce market is growing faster than ever. Asia is clearly dominating 80% of the global market, and North America is growing at a speed that exceeds 14% market share. Businesses are facing an unprecedented increase in online orders. This is an incredible opportunity, but also an enormous challenge: efficiently navigating the intricacies of B2B orders.

Let’s be honest: B2B order management isn’t the same as B2C—no more one-off items in an online shopping cart. We’re talking big orders, custom-made products, advanced price negotiations, repeat orders, multiple delivery areas, and customized invoicing. Add in the high customer acquisition costs and longer purchasing cycles that call for cutting-edge technologies such as punchouts, RFPs, and EDI.

This is a world where B2B order management is no longer a back-office activity; it’s a strategic imperative. It is the brain of your entire B2B eCommerce business, from the moment an order is placed until it is shipped. And getting it right can make or break your business.

In this article by Omniful, we’ll be providing you with Top B2B Order Management software for businesses as we go through the features to look for in B2B eCommerce order management software and the role of customization in B2B order management. So, let’s start with this blog.

Integrating B2B Order Management Systems with ERP and CRM

With B2B businesses that often use bulk orders, recurring agreements, and complex pricing, storing data across multiple systems separated by boundaries can result in inefficiencies, mistakes, and latency. When you connect B2B order management software with ERP and CRM platforms, data is automatically passed between the systems. A B2B order management software eliminates manual data entry and errors and ensures that everyone from sales to finance has access to the same data.

For example:

• ERP integration automates order data flow into inventory and accounting applications for real-time stock reporting and financial management.

• CRM integration provides sales teams with real-time customer data, such as order history and preferences, so that they can provide personalized customer services.

In the absence of integration, companies suffer from silos, duplicates, and inaccurate customer data, which leads to downtime and poor customer experiences.

By integrating your B2B OMS with ERP and CRM, you get a single point of access to all of your business data. This translates to:

• Enhanced Inventory Visibility: Real-time inventory updates across all systems prevent stockouts, overselling, and costly fulfillment errors. No more surprises when a customer orders something you don't actually have!
• Streamlined Order Tracking: From order placement to delivery, everyone in your organization has access to the same accurate information, enabling proactive communication and faster issue resolution. Say goodbye to frantic searches for order updates with automated B2B order management!
• Improved Customer Management: With a 360-degree overview of your customer base, order history, preferences, and interactions, it’s easier to provide individualized service and build more relationships.
• Increased Efficiency: Automated data transfer eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and frees up your team to focus on strategic tasks.
• Faster Order Processing: Information flows seamlessly between systems, accelerating order fulfillment and improving delivery times.

One of the best platforms for seamless integration is Omniful.ai. Through Omniful.ai’s powerful APIs and built-in connectors, it is easy to integrate your B2B OMS with ERP, CRM, and eCommerce applications. This helps you quickly transfer data, reduce manual work, and gives your organization a single view of your company.

"How Omniful B2B OMS is the best in the market" – later in this article, you will learn more about how Omniful.ai can completely change the way you manage your B2B orders and grow your business.

Best Practices for Integrating B2B Order Management with ERP, CRM, and Other Tools

1. Use API-First Solutions: Select B2B order management solutions that offer advanced API integrations for ERP, CRM, and so on. This ensures instantaneous data exchange and workflow consistency.

2. Automate Data Syncing: Enable data flows between systems to avoid data entry errors and track B2B orders, stock, and customer information in an accurate way.

3. Real-Time Inventory Visibility: Connect with ERP for real-time inventory monitoring while processing orders to avoid stockouts or overstocking and enable seamless B2B eCommerce order management.

4. Streamline Workflows: Automate manual steps such as order entry and billing to accelerate fulfillment and departmental efficiency.

5. Leverage AI-Powered Tools: Using tools such as Omniful.ai, you can automate integration and tedious operations in order to seamlessly track multi-channel orders and inventory in real-time.

Features to Look for in B2B Order Management Software

Okay, so now that we have established the significance of systems integration, let’s discuss the foundation of the business: your B2B order management software. Your efficiency could depend on what software you pick, so it is important to choose wisely.

Consider your B2B OMS as your control center where the entire order process is orchestrated from click to delivery. But B2B order management software aren’t all created equal. You simply don’t want to waste time or growth without the right solution.

So before we get into the top B2B order management systems for businesses, here are the key features you’ll require for your business to thrive:

Automation is Your Best Friend

Your biggest hurdle is the manual process in this high-volume B2B e-commerce business. Find solutions that can automate activities such as:

• Order Entry: Automate data collection from various sources to mitigate manual mistakes and accelerate order fulfillment.

• Workflows: Automate approvals, alerts, and tasks with your own configurable workflows.

• Inventory Updates: Keep stock updates up-to-date on all channels with inventory synchronization in real-time.

• Invoice Generation: Generate and send the invoices to your customers automatically, saving you time and averting manual mistakes and delays.

Real-time Visibility for Crystal-Clear Operations

No more guesswork, only actionable insights on your order management. Your B2B OMS should provide:

• Order Tracking: Provide your employees and customers with real-time B2B order tracking data.

• Inventory Management: Get a complete overview of the stock at all locations and channels.

• Performance Dashboards: Track key metrics like order fulfillment rates, order value, and customer satisfaction with intuitive dashboards.

Seamless Integrations for a Connected Ecosystem

Integration, as we’ve seen, is the key. Your favorite B2B order management software should seamlessly integrate with:

• ERP Systems: Maintain data integrity and provide smooth information flow between your OMS and ERP.

• CRM Systems: Gain a 360-degree view of your customers and personalize interactions.

• eCommerce Solution: Integrate your online store to automate order fulfillment and inventory updates.

• Shipment and Logistics Services: Facilitate shipping and send you live tracking details.

Customization to Fit Your Unique Needs

Every business is different. Your B2B order management system should be adaptable to:

• Adapt to your workflows: Make the system customizable for your order-processing and fulfillment process.

• Support your business rules: Set custom pricing, discounts, and approval rules as per your needs.

• Support your expansion: Increase the system as your business scales and your requirements change.

Don't Forget the B2B Essentials

Beyond these core features, seek out those specifically targeted to B2B eCommerce:

• Bulk Order Processing: Control bulk orders with features such as bulk discounts and consolidation.

• Customer-Level Custom Pricing: Support for complicated pricing contracts and segmented discounts for various customer segments.

• Recurring orders and subscriptions: Easy management of recurring orders and subscriptions.

• Quote Management: Create and approve quotes automatically for any custom orders.

Giving these features priority, you can choose a B2B order management solution that will help your business operate at full efficiency, satisfy customers, and achieve sustainable growth.

So let’s move on to the exciting part: checking out the best B2B order management platforms in the market!

Top B2B Order Management Platforms for Businesses

Choosing the best B2B order management system is one of the necessary decisions any business has to make to automate work and grow its operations. There are several platforms available, so you need to make sure you understand the features and drawbacks of each platform so that you can select the one that is best for you.

So, let’s check some of the most used B2B order management software and see how they compare in terms of functionality, scale, and pricing:

Omniful.ai: The AI-Powered Powerhouse

Omniful.ai is a relative newcomer, but it’s rapidly becoming one of the best B2B order management platforms. The platform in the cloud harnesses AI to automate, streamline, and deliver intelligent insights.

Features:

• Automated B2B Order Management: Omniful.ai offers robust automation features, from order entry to fulfillment, reducing manual work and errors.
• Real-Time Inventory Management: Provides real-time inventory visibility across multiple locations.
• Reporting: Customizable built-in reports and KPI analytics for decision-making data.
• Seamless Integration: Connects effortlessly with ERP, CRM, and other business tools through APIs.

Scalability: Tailored for businesses of any size, from small-medium businesses to large businesses. Because it’s cloud-based, it enables scalability without compromising on performance.

Pricing: They offer custom prices for the customers according to the requirements of the business. Please contact them to get a custom quote suitable for your business.

BigCommerce: The B2B-Focused eCommerce Powerhouse

BigCommerce is an omnipresent player in the B2B eCommerce industry, which offers an all-in-one platform with strong pre-built capabilities and a large amount of integrations.

• Key Features: Focused B2B features such as customer segmentation, wholesale pricing, quote management, and account management. It also includes checkout optimization, catalog management, and integrations with industry-leading ERP and CRM platforms.

• Scalability: Perfect for small-to-medium-sized companies (SMBs) as well as large-scale businesses, with customizable plans for growth.

• Pricing: Offers pricing plans with different features and functionality, starting from a simple plan for SMBs to enterprise plans for large companies.

Shopify Plus: The Scalable Solution for High-Growth Businesses

Shopify, renowned for its user-friendly interface and extensive app store, offers Shopify Plus— a platform tailored for high-growth businesses and large enterprises with advanced B2B needs.

• Key Features: Includes a wholesale channel for managing B2B customers and orders, customizable storefront and checkout experiences, automated workflows to streamline operations, and access to a wide range of B2B-focused apps.

• Scalability: Designed to handle high order volumes and B2B-specific challenges.

• Pricing: Shopify starts at $29/month on the Basic plan, with the Plus plan starting over $2,300/month. A $1 trial is also available.

Virto Commerce: The Flexible and Open-Source Platform

Virto Commerce is a .NET-based modular API-driven eCommerce solution for B2B companies.

• Key Features: Complete B2B capabilities, including customer catalogs, prices, and offers. It also offers advanced order management and a headless design for easy integration with other systems.

• Scalability: Highly scalable and adaptable to various business models and complexities.

• Pricing: Virto Commerce offers two pricing models. The GMV-based pricing model starts at 0.5% of GMV with 10K SKUs, while the order-based pricing model starts at $2 per order with 10K SKUs.

Final Thoughts

This article has gone over the basics of B2B order management, from its importance in eCommerce, to ERP and CRM integration, what to expect, and a quick look at popular B2B order management platforms such as Omniful, BigCommerce, Shopify Plus, and Virto Commerce.

Now, consider the following scenario: Take a look at your B2B order management system. Can they stay on the move to keep up with today’s changing market? You should adopt the advanced B2B order management solution for scalability and satisfaction. Tools such as Omniful.ai give you automated B2B order processing, seamless B2B OMS, and real-time B2B order management to help you run your business.

If you’re looking to streamline your business operations and future-proof your business, now is the time to explore solutions like Omniful.ai. With its AI-powered capabilities, Omniful makes integration seamless while automating key processes such as B2B order tracking and multi-channel fulfillment. Take action today—optimize your B2B eCommerce order management software, scale your operations, and ensure your business is ready for the future. Contact us today!

FAQs About B2B Order Management

1. What is B2B order management?
   This would involve handling other company orders, that is, receiving, processing orders, filling, and tracking.

2. What key features should I look for in a B2B OMS?
   Automation, real-time visibility, integrations with ERP/CRM, customization options, and B2B-specific functionalities like bulk order processing.

3. What are some popular B2B order management software?
   Several popular B2B order management software applications include: Omniful.ai, Blue Yonder, Oracle NetSuite, SAP Commerce Cloud, and Magento Commerce.