B2B buyers are evolving - and fast. They expect frictionless digital experiences, instant access to information, and personalised journeys that reflect the complexity of their businesses. In fact, 74% of B2B buyers research at least half of their work purchases online (Forrester), and they expect the same speed, ease, and personalisation they get as consumers.
But many B2B organisations are stuck.
They’ve invested heavily in Ecommerce platforms, but adoption is low. Sales teams are reluctant to use them. And customers still pick up the phone to place orders.
So what’s going wrong?
We spoke to Tim McMillan, Director of Ecommerce at Candyspace, who’s helped brands like Cyncly, Computacenter, Rolls-Royce, Mazda and many more to successfully scale their digital commerce strategies. Here, he breaks down the 5 most common ecommerce mistakes - and how to fix them.
Mistake 1: Thinking Ecommerce is a silver bullet
“You don’t need a platform. You need a business outcome.”
Too many companies launch an Ecommerce platform without a clear reason why. They assume “digital transformation” is a checkbox, or that online ordering will magically reduce costs.
But without clear objectives, whether it’s improving customer retention, increasing average order value, or freeing up your sales team - you risk creating an expensive catalogue that nobody uses. This isn’t just theory, according to Mckinsey over half of B2B buyers (54%) report they’ll switch suppliers if digital experiences don’t meet expectations, and that figure spikes to 65% among digital-native buyers
Fix it: Define your business goals before you build. Then align your ecommerce experience around outcomes, not outputs.
Mistake 2: Underestimating internal resistance
“We’ve seen sales teams actively avoid Ecommerce because they feel threatened.”
Your platform isn’t just a tool for customers, it’s a change to how your team sells. And without buy-in, they’ll block adoption.
Tim worked with brands where sales teams quietly discouraged customers from using Ecommerce, fearing it would make their roles redundant. In reality, it’s the opposite: done well, Ecommerce frees up reps to focus on value-added relationships. According to Gartner, 60% of B2B sellers say their biggest challenge is adapting to new digital tools, not external competition.
Fix it: Involve sales teams early. Show them how Ecommerce supports their work with better data, clearer insights, and time-saving automation.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the human touch
“Digital doesn’t mean impersonal. But B2B often forgets this.”
B2B platforms often ignore the nuanced needs of different buyers. Instead of reflecting the bespoke pricing, order history, or approval flows that happen offline, they deliver a one-size-fits-none experience.
The result? Customers revert to emails, PDFs, and phone calls, undoing your digital investment. Gartner reports 80% of B2B buyers expect a personalised experience, similar to B2C standards.
Fix it: Prioritise personalisation. That means:
- Showing personalised pricing and catalogues
- Surfacing previous orders and reordering options
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Providing self-service tools like invoices and delivery tracking
Tim puts it simply: “Your ecommerce should feel like the continuation of your customer relationship - not a replacement for it.”
Mistake 4: Treating post-sale as an afterthought
“Most platforms stop at the point of order. But the journey is just beginning.”
In B2B, the post-sale experience is critical: reordering, invoice management, support requests, and delivery visibility are where long-term loyalty is built.
Yet many ecommerce platforms treat these as “nice to haves” - or don’t include them at all.
Fix it: Integrate ecommerce into the entire customer lifecycle, from discovery to delivery. Use data to power recommendations, automate support, and streamline operations.
Mistake 5: Waiting for a ‘Perfect’ platform before starting
“If you wait until your data is perfect, you’ll never go live.”
Data is the lifeblood of a great ecommerce experience but many companies stall their progress waiting to clean it all first.
Tim’s advice? Start small. Learn fast. Iterate.
You don’t need to launch every SKU or customer segment at once. Focus on your core accounts, gather feedback, and refine.
Fix it: Adopt a product mindset. Think of your ecommerce experience as a living product - not a one-and-done launch.
What winning B2B brands are doing differently
The best B2B Ecommerce leaders are shifting their mindset:
- From platforms to outcomes
- From transactions to relationships
- From fear to enablement
They’re not building channels in isolation, they’re building experiences their customers and teams actually want to use.
As Tim puts it:
“Ecommerce should be a source of customer intimacy. Not just efficiency.”
🎥 Want to go deeper?
Catch the full CX Conversations with Tim McMillan on our YouTube channel:
- 👉 Watch: Why B2B ecommerce is failing (and how to fix it)
- 👉 Watch: Personalisation in B2B ecommerce – where to start
