Developing a B2B website is a complex multi-step process. Let's analyze the most important steps and the elements to consider when launching such a solution for a wholesale business.

B2B website development: steps

The steps in developing a B2B e-commerce website that require special attention are as follows:

  • Form a team of developers or find a company providing B2B website development services. This step is probably one of the most important for the client. Hiring an inexperienced team leads to unreasonably high costs and lack of the desired result. You should pay attention to the portfolio of relevant cases when selecting a team.
  • Writing and discussing the technical requirements specification. At this stage, you need to choose a business model and monetization principles of the site, define its purpose and target audience. In addition, it is important to choose the right content management system and technology for development.
  • Identify user groups and develop models of their behavior. You need to think about the basic functions of a b2b website for the site owner's managers, as well as for suppliers and customers.
  • Develop the navigation and design elements of the project. At this stage, it would be necessary to involve managers in the discussion and pay attention to the recommendations of UI/UX experts.
  • Develop an MVP. The MVP is the first result of b2b e-commerce site development, and it is a working solution with a minimal number of features. At this stage, you can post a few products in the catalog, test the procurement features with key customers, and gather their feedback on the site.
  • Populate the site with content. This step involves uploading a full assortment of products to the catalog with photos, descriptions and specifications. You can supplement the catalog with pricing, reviews, marketing materials.
  • Identify problems, solve them and launch a b2b site.

At every stage of developing a b2b e-commerce site, it's important to keep in mind that you can't consider absolutely everything before you start. Even a well-designed site will require improvements, new features and options for suppliers and buyers later on. This is a normal process. Therefore, at the stage of hiring a team of developers, it is useful to discuss future support and maintenance. You can read more about what to consider in the process of developing a B2B website on the AGORA blog.