Posted 04.03.2025
The world is in a constant state of evolution – rarely is this statement more true than when it comes to ecommerce. Every technological advancement, from small shifts to game-changers such as AI can have an impact on an ecommerce business. New possibilities open up, new standards are enabled, and expectations change. Often becoming higher.
In the B2B world, meeting those expectations is essential. But, of course, to meet expectations you need to know what they are.
No one can see into the future to say how the world will change in 2025. Nor can we tell you exactly what your B2B customers are going to consider ‘essential’ in 12 months time. But we can make educated predictions, informed by the shape of ecommerce now, of the changes that are expected and how your customers are likely to respond.
So, if you want to peer through the fog and get a feel for what the future might look like – and see how you can stay ahead of the curve and keep your customer satisfaction high – read on.
The first thing you need to know about B2B ecommerce this year is that it’s the most effective sales channel available right now, according to consulting firm Mckinsey. Decision-makers are now willing to spend a lot more when making online purchases so there is really no excuse not to get behind ecommerce for B2B companies in 2025.
Another thing worth noting is that many decision-makers come from the millennial generation. This equals a lot of changes across buyer personas and customer expectations. We’ve already seen this generational shift reflected in many trends that appeared in 2024. In 2025, those shifts will increase.
Millennials are the first ‘digital native’ generation. They grew up around technology so they’re more comfortable with it. And they expect to be able to use it without difficulty.
So, let’s explore how that could be reflected in the trends for ecommerce in 2025.
We’re not in the habit of making blanket statements, but if we had to give a summary of how 2025 will look for B2B ecommerce it would be ‘customer-centric’.
While any successful ecommerce business always puts the customer experience front and centre of their strategies, 2025 is likely to prove that B2B customers want access to the same benefits as B2C – just tailored to their needs.
So what is that going to look like on a granular level?
We already discussed the importance of personalisation in the healthcare sector, but in 2025 every sector should embrace this tactic.
This has even begun already. One report showed that 80% of B2B have already committed to increasing their use of personalisation moving forwards.
Hyper-personalisation tailors the messages you send out to potential customers. It helps them feel understood, establishes your expertise and makes your products relevant to them. It’s a great way to increase conversions and not using it is a certain way to miss sales.
With B2B this hyper-personalisation might mean:
Personalisation methods may vary depending on the customer data you have access to or the needs of your customers. However, it is a great way to increase conversions by showing customers products that are already relevant to them. If you haven’t embraced it already, 2025 is the year you have to start.
Social media platforms are known to be a vital part of any B2C marketing strategy. In 2025, more B2B companies are going to realise that socials can change the game for them too.
In 2024, one report by Digital Commerce showed that B2B ecommerce customers use anywhere from 3 to 10 online channels to research and purchase products. A strong, effective social media presence gives your target audience extra ways to research your product. It’s also a new option for product discovery.
Of course, social media marketing for B2B companies is different from B2C. To see success, you need to tailor your content to your audience. Funnel your energy into the most relevant platforms, and test different types of posts to see which resonate most.
Product information, demonstrations, customer testimonials and sector expertise could all play a part. Test, review, refine till your strategy is on point.
The benefits of social proof have been growing for years already, but this year its importance will boom.
Another marketing tactic often thought of as exclusive to B2C, social proof has actually always had the power to drive conversions in B2B marketing. One report showed 86% of businesses considered verified reviews as critical in guiding their software purchases. Another 2024 report showed that many B2B decision-makers consider review content the most important factor when evaluating a product.
Reviews, case studies and product demonstrations should all feature on your Ecommerce site in 2025 if you want to give your customers an online shopping experience that convinces them to convert.
Research in 2024 showed that 45% of B2B companies have already embraced artificial intelligence (AI) and that number is just going to grow this year.
Whether it’s using AI to automate your personalisation or increasing the ease and accuracy of data-driven decisions there are plenty of ways AI can help your business run more smoothly, and, in turn, save you time and money.
Perhaps our actual prediction for 2025 is ‘B2B companies will embrace what B2C companies already know‘ because our final suggestion is that business buyers will demand self-service portals on B2B Ecommerce websites.
Customer expectations have been shifting towards self-service for a long time already.
Perhaps it’s because digital native millennials rely more on their own autonomy than traditional sales methods. Tactics like outreach from the sales team are not effective on this audience – research by Gartner shows that up to 44% of millennials prefer no sales rep interaction at all.
Perhaps it’s because teams need independent buying processes to streamline operations and save time.
Whatever the reason, the push towards ecommerce platforms with self-service purchasing is just going to increase.
Self-service for B2B does require a few extras that B2C doesn’t. Custom pricing is incredibly useful for wholesale customers who buy in bulk and in specific quantities, while multiple payment options, detailed order tracking and fully comprehensive product details all help to build trust and provide a stress-free experience.
Luckily, this is a trend that will benefit ecommerce businesses as well as their customers. Enabling businesses to make their purchases alone takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, but the benefits of implementing more feature-filled ecommerce platforms extend far further.
To get your B2B company ahead in 2025, these are the trends you need to start embracing. But perhaps the easiest to implement is adding a self-service portal to your site.
With our self-service portal customers can take complete control of their purchases. Tailored user permissions let individual staff members place orders through their own buyer portals, so you can set a unique shopping experience for every one. See how our software could simplify the order process and grow your conversions – book a demo now.
