B2B
Trade between businesses. Large orders, credit terms, approval processes. Global volume is 5x that of B2C.
In practice
B2B: 3-7 decision-makers, a sales cycle of 2-6 months. But deal size is 10-100x that of B2C.
Common misconception
'B2B is just phone and email.' 73% of B2B buyers prefer self-service online (Gartner 2023).
How to fix it
Not growing? (1) a customer portal for every account, (2) Net 30 terms, (3) quick ordering via CSV, (4) tiered price lists.
Example
A bag manufacturer: 45 B2B customers, each order requiring a 20-minute call. A B2B portal moved 31 to self-service, saving 15 customer-service hours/week and increasing orders by 22%.
Priority
Build a B2B portal once you have 10+ B2B customers. Shopify Plus offers native B2B.
Related terms
Keep learning. Metrics that touch the same area:
- SKU – Stock Keeping UnitOperationsA unique identifier for each product variation. The basis for precise inventory management.
- Inventory ManagementOperationsTracking, ordering, and maintaining inventory. Too much means cash tied up. Too little means stockouts.
- StockoutOperationsA product unavailable for shipping. Immediate lost sales plus damaged trust.
- DropshippingOperationsSelling without holding inventory — a supplier ships directly to the customer. Low margin (5-20%), no quality control.
- FulfillmentOperationsThe entire process from receiving an order to delivery: pick, pack, label, ship.
- Lead TimeOperationsThe time from ordering with a supplier to receiving inventory. Critical for calculating the reorder point.
Jimmy tracks your B2B, automatically
WhatsApp alerts when something important changes. No dashboards, no hassle.