EP109 Top 10 eCommerce Innovations to Transform Your B2B Operations in 2025
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[00:00:00] JOSHUA WARREN: Hi, and welcome to another episode of Commerce Today, the podcast where we dive into the strategies, technologies, and trends shaping e commerce today. 

[00:00:14] I'm your host, Joshua Warren. I am also the CEO of Creatuity, an e commerce agency, and today we're exploring something I'm 

[00:00:20] really passionate about the intersection of cutting edge innovations and B2B e commerce.

[00:00:27] So let's be real. When most people think of e commerce, they think of B2C, you know, those flashy D2C brands, marketing campaigns, fast shipping, uh, and B2B though. It's a little bit different, but still just as important. And there's just a massive shift going on right now in the world of B2B around e commerce.

[00:00:44] I really think some of the most exciting advancements in e commerce are actually going to happen on the B2B side in 2025. And so if you're a business leader, a decision maker, or just someone trying to stay ahead of the curve and help out some B2B brands with e commerce, you really need to know what's going on with some of these [00:01:00] innovations.

[00:01:00] So today, I'm going to very quickly in our 20 minute format, break down the top 10 e commerce innovations you need to be aware of for your B2B operations this year. So everything from AI tools that predict your customer's needs before they even know them to AR that brings products to life in ways we'd only imagine a few years ago.

[00:01:18] And some interesting applications of blockchain to supply chains. But here's the thing I like to keep it very practical, very directly applicable to your role as an e commerce director or marketing director or similar to B2B brand. So I'm actually going to give you real world examples for all 10 of these.

[00:01:35] So these aren't buzzwords. These aren't far future, cool, interesting, but not really applicable things. These are 10 things that other companies have already done that you need to be considering for 2025. So the very first item is extensible automation beyond just basic tasks. So this is a lot more exciting than it sounds on the surface.

[00:01:56] So if you're in the B2B world, even outside of e commerce, you've [00:02:00] probably heard a lot about automation over the past few years. It's been a big help in automating repetitive tasks. But most of the automation we've been seeing, especially with AI has been pretty limited. So it works for very straightforward processes, order confirmations, email follow ups, but when you start looking at more complex, complete workflows like quote to cash, it just doesn't really cut it.

[00:02:22] So that's where extensible automations come in. So this is moving beyond a one size fits all tool. It's a flexible, scalable, approach designed to really evolve with your business. So it's automation that grows with you. So it's like upgrading from a basic assembly line to an entire menu. So one of the best examples of, of this is how companies are using extensible automation to handle quote to cash workflows.

[00:02:46] For those of you who might not be familiar, this process involves everything from creating quotes and negotiating pricing to managing contracts and collecting payments. It's a, a huge part of B2B operations. It's where Sadly, I still sometimes even see fax machines [00:03:00] involved. However, this creates a lot of errors.

[00:03:02] It creates a lot of overhead. It's just not a fun part of the operations, but with extensible automation, businesses are able to integrate tools that handle each part of the workflow and these tools can adapt as the business scales, adding features and functionality. Without requiring a complete overhaul.

[00:03:19] We're going to talk about composable commerce more later, but this is almost like a composable approach to automation. Real world example for you. Fiddle's, a vegan snack company, saw really incredible results by implementing an automated B2B platform with, with this extensible automation. They didn't just streamline their operations.

[00:03:37] They actually freed up time for innovation. It allowed their staff to scale their retailer partnerships by 145 percent because they weren't having to chase down payments. They weren't having to manage contracts. They automated all of that. And that's the power of automation that isn't focused on just one step of one task, it continues to evolve and deliver value.

[00:03:56] So why does this matter for your business? Well, recent studies have [00:04:00] 66 percent of their time on manual processes. I think about that for a second. That's two thirds of their day bogged down on tasks that aren't directly driving revenue. With extensible automation, you're not just saving time. You actually unlock their potential to focus on strategic high impact work.

[00:04:16] And I already mentioned composability. That is where I am most excited about extensible automation. You can plug in best in class tools for specific parts of your workflow without being tied down to a rigid system or platform. Need better contract management. You can pull in an AI agent just for that.

[00:04:33] Looking to streamline payment processing? Add a module that connects with the payment processors that your clients want to use. It really gives you control and flexibility without having to buy some huge, overly complex, full scale automation system that tries to do it all at once. That's just the start though.

[00:04:50] So let's move on to the second item. It's already mentioned AI. We're going to talk a little bit more about it with AI powered personalization and predictive [00:05:00] analytics. So on the consumer side of things on B2C, we've been talking about personalization for years and years and years, but a lot of that's been surface level and it hasn't really crossed over into the B2B space.

[00:05:13] In B2B, you might be doing recommended, uh, product recommendations or related product recommendations. Uh, remembering a customer's frequently purchased items, things like that, but we got to move past that in 2025. We're looking at AI systems that truly understand your customer's needs, anticipate their behaviors and deliver personalized experiences to really drive loyalty.

[00:05:35] So what does that look like in the B2B world? one of the things I'm most excited about in 2025 around all of this is predictive analytics. So instead of analytics that react to what your customers do is sort of a lagging indicator, predictive analytics allows you to say one step ahead. So, uh, these systems typically powered by AI come through vast amounts of data and identify patterns that human teams might miss, or just be overwhelmed, [00:06:00] even trying to find amongst all this data.

[00:06:02] Then it makes recommendations or some of the newer systems can even take immediate action based on those insights. So one of my favorite examples comes from a company called The Thinking Traveler. They offer luxury villa rentals. I know that's B2C, but this works just as well in B2B. They actually use predictive analytics to proactively open up chats with potential customers and make, offers that were based on their behavior and on their, the prediction of what the AI thought they wanted, and they saw a 33 percent increase in bookings based on that.

[00:06:36] So B2B buyers today expect the same kind of personalized experiences they get as consumers. They don't want to wade through irrelevant product catalogs or deal with generic marketing. They want solutions tailored to their specific needs. And this is so huge. Think about your industries, your B2B distributors, especially if you're working with tradespeople where they're out in the field, there may be repairing a, an engine on a big rig, or maybe they [00:07:00] are installing a new HVAC system in a building, being able to predict what products and services they might need from you and offer it to them in real time.

[00:07:09] That's going to buy a lot of loyalty and a lot of repeat business. So next up and moving very quickly so that maybe we can get through all 10 of these in our 20 minute format. Uh, the third item blockchain. So I know, uh, first of all, this is not crypto. This is not cryptocurrency. Let's set that aside. But also I know we heard a lot about blockchain a few years ago and it felt like it wasn't really going anywhere.

[00:07:30] Um, but there's been some really interesting developments in blockchain for, um, supply chains. So again, kind of buzzwordy, but really blockchain at its core is about trust and transparency. It's another form of automation, really, but something that's designed from the ground up to provide transparency and trust.

[00:07:49] So if you've ever been involved in managing supply chains, you know that automation, trust, transparency, That's all worth its weight in gold. So how does it work? Blockchain uses a [00:08:00] decentralized ledger to record transactions in a way that's secure, immutable, can't be changed and accessible to everyone involved.

[00:08:07] Think of it like having a single shared source of truth for your entire supply chain. Every transaction, every movement of goods, every handoff is recorded in real time and can't be altered after the fact. So fewer errors. Less fraud, more accountability. So fun example, Heineken actually recently digitized its supply chain operations across 15 countries using blockchain.

[00:08:28] By doing so, they streamlined distribution, improved order management, and created a more transparent process for their partners. It's the kind of innovation that isn't just making their operations smoother, it's building trust with their entire supply chain. also, blockchain isn't just about efficiency, it's also about security.

[00:08:44] If you're dealing with high value goods or regulated industries where authenticity is critical. Blockchain can let you create an unchangeable record of where every item came from, how it was handled, and where it's going next. This is huge in electronics or pharmaceuticals. Let's not forget smart [00:09:00] contracts.

[00:09:00] They're essentially self executing agreements written into the blockchain. So you can set up a smart contract that automatically releases payment to a supplier the moment a shipment is confirmed as delivered. No manual follow ups, no disputes, seamless automations. All right, next up, number four, augmented reality.

[00:09:17] Another one we've talked about a lot on the B2C side, but there's some really exciting things happening in B2B e commerce with augmented reality or AR specifically for product visualization. So B2B sales, you're often working with products that are technical, expensive, sometimes really large and not easy to ship around for demos.

[00:09:35] It can be industrial machinery, specialized equipment, very expensive custom components. It's really makes it hard to explain the value of what you're selling. That's where AR comes in. Lets you bring your products to life in a way that brochures, videos, or even live presentations just can't. So imagine you're a manufacturer of industrial cooling systems.

[00:09:53] With AR, you can create an interactive 3d model of your product. That your client can view from every angle, zoom in on, and even [00:10:00] see working in a simulated environment. They can explore how it fits into their existing setup, check out the internal components, visualize technical specs, all without you needing to send a physical unit halfway around the country.

[00:10:11] So one company that has had a lot of success in B2B AR is Al Bahar, a heavy equipment distributor in Kuwait. They integrated AR into their sales process to showcase their products in action, and they are seeing much higher consumer or customer engagement and fewer product returns. Clients know exactly what they're getting.

[00:10:29] It's building confidence and speeding up decision making. AR can also be used for virtual walkthroughs of facilities or equipment setups, allowing clients to see how your solutions work in their specific real world scenarios. It's making it very powerful in industries like construction, manufacturing, or logistics.

[00:10:46] Now you might be thinking, ah, that sounds great, but AR is super expensive to implement. Well, the truth is AR has come a long way in recent years. It's more accessible and affordable than ever, especially when you consider that return on investment, higher close rates, shorter [00:11:00] sales cycles, and reduced returns more than justify the upfront cost.

[00:11:04] Now, remember though, it's not just about the wow factor with AR. The best AR applications are solving specific pain points in your sales process. So that could be helping a customer understand a complex product, reducing the need for physical samples, or cutting down travel expenses for onsite demos. AR should always have a clear business purpose.

[00:11:23] All right. So that was number four, moving on to number five, you're going to hear a lot about AI today, so this is the next one. Hybrid AI human sales integration. So that kind of brings a lot of the things we just talked about together. So this is one of the most exciting ways B2B companies are optimizing their sales processes and creating a better experience for their customers in 2025.

[00:11:45] So for a couple of years now, there's been this idea that AI can just completely replace humans and sales, that AI is coming for our jobs. But the reality is AI, especially modern AI that we have in 2025 works best when it's enhancing what humans do when there [00:12:00] is a human in the loop, but not replacing that human, and that's the magic of this hybrid approach.

[00:12:05] We combine the precision and scalability of AI with the creativity and relationship building skills of human sales teams, and we get the best of both worlds. So let's break that down. First, AI is brilliant at handling repetitive data, heavy tasks, things like analyzing leads, updating CRM systems, analyzing customer data, identify patterns.

[00:12:23] These are areas where AI thrives. For instance, AI can automatically flag when a key account hasn't placed an order in their usual timeframe, or when a prospect is likely ready for an upsell based on their behavior. It's like having a personal assistant for every sales rep that's working 24 seven to ensure nothing ever slips through the cracks.

[00:12:40] 24 But here's where the human side comes in. Sales is very much still relationship based. It's about trust, understanding a client's unique needs, knowing when to push and when to step back. That's where AI still little bit and the human touch takes over. This hybrid model ensures that your team spends less time on mundane tasks and more time doing what they're best at, [00:13:00] building relationships and closing deals.

[00:13:01] Great example of this actually just from a couple of weeks ago comes from Oracle. Oracle has rolled out AI agents. Well, within their sales teams that are designed to assist their salespeople, they're automating routine tasks like updating customer records after meetings or generating detailed reports based on client needs.

[00:13:19] They're actually hyper personalizing their sales collateral down to each individual opportunity, and this frees up sales reps from these time consuming admin tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic conversations and problem solving. It's really a great example of how AI and humans can work hand in hand.

[00:13:37] Another area where this hybrid approach shines is an automated pricing configuration. So in B2B sales, pricing can get really complicated. Custom quotes, bulk discounts, special terms, repeat clients, and AI tools can analyze market conditions, competitor pricing, inventory levels. Even the sentiment that it experiences from your customer in phone calls, emails, zoom calls, And can [00:14:00] really help you come up with the best automated pricing and discount configuration for each deal.

[00:14:05] This entire hybrid approach is really useful for navigating long sales cycles, which are so common in B2B predictive analytics powered by AI can identify the best times to reach out, which leads are most likely to convert. Or just help you remember where you last were on a deal. If it kind of goes dark for a couple of months and then pops back up.

[00:14:24] However, integrating AI into your sales process, isn't as simple as flipping a switch. You're going to need the right tools, a solid data strategy and a culture that's open to change. This is something that I've been helping a few companies look at recently, and it's super interesting. And for companies that get it right, the payoff is huge.

[00:14:41] You don't just improve. Efficiency, you create a sales team that's more focused, more effective, and better equipped to deliver value to your clients. All right. So moving on to number six, we talked a little bit about pricing just now. This one is all about the dynamic real time pricing [00:15:00] systems. So pricing, not the most exciting, glamorous topic, but this is a huge innovation in 2025.

[00:15:06] So what exactly is dynamic pricing? At its core, it's really just using algorithms to adjust your prices based on real time factors, such as market demand, competitor pricing, and inventory levels. It's not about necessarily charging more when demand is high. It's about finding the perfect price point that maximizes revenue while staying competitive and keeping your customers happy.

[00:15:27] Unlike B2C where pricing is often static or straightforward, B2B pricing tends to be much more complex. You have bulk discounts, long term contracts, variable order sizes. It's a lot to manage, but these AI based dynamic pricing systems can analyze all of those variables and optimize them automatically in real time, saving time and increasing your profitability.

[00:15:49] So another real world example, there was a case study very recently that showed that businesses implementing dynamic pricing with volume discounts. Saw a 55 percent increase in revenue. That's [00:16:00] huge. In this case study, it was a system that is able to adjust prices in real time based on factors like inventory levels and customer order history, ensuring every deal is as profitable as possible while still delivering value to the customer.

[00:16:12] And I'll have links to that and all the other examples in the show notes. Now here's where things get interesting. These systems aren't just reactive, they're predictive. They can forecast demand and make pricing adjustments before issues like overstock or stockouts occur. So if a system predicts a surge in demand for a particular product, it can raise prices slightly to balance demand and protect margins, or offer a discount to move excess inventory before it becomes a problem.

[00:16:38] Another benefit of dynamic pricing is its ability to align with your supply chain. Let's say your shipping costs suddenly increase due to, well, Good recent example of port strike. A dynamic pricing system can immediately factor that into your pricing strategy, ensuring your margins stay intact. And that's the kind of agility that our businesses need in today's unpredictable market.

[00:16:57] Now dynamic pricing isn't the simplest [00:17:00] thing to implement. You have to have like so much of this clean, accurate data. If your system is pulling from outdated or incomplete information, the pricing recommendations aren't going to be that great. You also need to strike a balance between automation and control.

[00:17:12] It can be tempting to let the algorithms handle everything, but having human oversight ensures the pricing strategy aligns with your broader business goals. Finally, communication is key. If your customers aren't used to your prices changing often, you'll need to educate them on the value they're getting, whether that's better deals during low demand periods or more consistent availability of high demand products.

[00:17:33] Alright, so item number seven, advanced payment solutions. Alright, so payments are never that exciting, and they're often challenging. Invoices, cross border transactions, managing cash flow, not a lot of fun. But in 2025, I'm seeing advanced payment solutions and fintech innovations that really are turning these processes into a competitive advantage.

[00:17:56] So one big shift that I'm seeing is the rise of digital wallets and [00:18:00] real time payment systems. There are so many ways now to pay via wire transfer, ACH, credit card, debit card. There's great fintechs like RAMP that can help you automate your entire, um, accounts payable processes. I mean, it's just incredible what some of these fintechs are doing.

[00:18:16] And really it all focuses around helping you automate more and helping you manage your cashflow better. Obviously one of the. Basics that you can implement and that hopefully all of you have implemented is automated invoicing, invoicing systems. And there's actually now AI based automated invoicing systems.

[00:18:35] They can even measure how long it's taking your customers to pay and see if there's any outliers or any, any particular accounts you should be concerned about. They can even find discrepancies in payments, flag overdue invoices for follow up. Buddy Pet Foods, for example, fully automated their invoice, invoicing process through APIs, their B2B e commerce platform.

[00:18:55] They actually increased the revenue that was actually collected. By 68 [00:19:00] percent year over year. It's a lot of unpaid invoices that were flying below the radar. There's also cryptocurrency. Not to get political, hopefully not getting too political. I know some people say that 2025 is the year of crypto.

[00:19:14] Kind of reminds me of how every year was going to be the year of Linux on the desktop. I don't think this is necessarily going to be the year of crypto, but it is something to keep your eye on. Something that is a real game changer though. Is embedded finance. And this is where payment solutions are integrated directly into both your e commerce platform and your ERP system.

[00:19:33] So instead of having multiple tools for invoicing, payment processing, cashflow, tracking, everything happens in one seamless ecosystem. So platforms like Stripe or Audion allow for end to end payment solutions that especially if you take a composable approach, you can embed directly in those systems and really simplify.

[00:19:52] All right, so item number eight, enhanced B2B customer portals. Now, customer portal doesn't sound like a super [00:20:00] exciting, flashy innovation, but it is such a critical part of the B2B buying experience. In 2025, a well designed customer portal isn't just a nice to have, it's a powerful way to drive loyalty, efficiency, and satisfaction.

[00:20:12] So B2B Customer Portal is about giving your clients control. It should be their one stop shop for managing orders, tracking shipments, accessing account information, and even handling customer support. Instead of relying on emails, phone calls, or waiting for a sales rep to get back to them, your clients have everything they need when they need it 24 7.

[00:20:30] Why does that matter? Well, B2B buyers now expect the same level of convenience they get in B2C e commerce purchases. Think about how easy it is to reorder something on Amazon or check the status of a delivery from Amazon in real time. You have to bring that same level of simplicity to your B2B customers.

[00:20:46] A good example of this comes from Royal Brass and Hose. They developed a self service portal that let their customer do everything from placing orders to managing accounts without ever picking up the phone. And they generated significant online revenue increases and [00:21:00] improved customer satisfaction because it allowed their buyers to manage their needs on their own terms.

[00:21:05] Customer portal though, isn't just about convenience. If you go back to one of the earlier items, we talked a lot about personalization and the best portals tie into those personalization tools. And they offer tailored dashboards that adapt to each specific buyer's needs. But not all portals are created equal.

[00:21:21] A clunky, outdated portal can do more harm than good. To get it right, you need to focus on three key areas. Ease of integration, ease of use, integration, and support. The portal should be intuitive enough for clients to navigate without training, seamlessly connected to your backing systems, and supported by a responsive team that can step in when needed.

[00:21:40] So how do you know if your existing portal is up to par? A good rule of thumb is to think like your customer. Is it saving them time, making their lives easier? The answer isn't a resounding yes. It's time to reevaluate. So real quickly, item number nine is VR and AR, virtual reality and augmented reality for training and support.

[00:21:59] [00:22:00] So again, B2B products often aren't simple. They're not just a widget you buy and plug up. It often integrates in with something else, or it's a huge piece of industrial machinery. Can have some sort of logistics complexity. There's often a steep learning curve involved. So I have seen some amazing things that are happening on the Apple vision pro and on other VR headsets where large B2B companies have invested in.

[00:22:25] A VR training environment where you can use VR to actually learn how to use service and support their products. One example of this is actually Bosch. They've used VR to create a, what they basically position as a loyalty portal. But what it really does is train their customers and partners across 25 different countries on exactly how to use their products.

[00:22:47] It's a streamlining training, but also it's improved customer retention by giving them hands on experience in a virtual setting. So AR is also super interesting for training. So imagine a [00:23:00] technician standing in front of a piece of equipment with AR. They can use their smartphone or AR glasses to see step by step instructions.

[00:23:07] Real time diagnostics overlaid on the equipment that they're working on, or even live support from one of your remote experts. It's like having a, a living technical manual that comes to life right in front of them. So this isn't just theory. This isn't a nice to have. This is actually things that I've seen large B2B brands implementing now to reduce downtime, cut training costs, and improve the accuracy of repairs.

[00:23:30] Finally, number 10, composable e commerce solutions. So this is definitely a big one for 2025. If you're not familiar with this concept yet, it's time to pay attention because composability is changing the way businesses think about their tech stacks. So what is a composable ecommerce solution? At its core, it's about modularity and flexibility.

[00:23:50] Instead of being locked into a one size fits all platform, you can pick and choose the best tools for your specific needs and combine them into a seamless custom solution. Think of it like building with Legos, you [00:24:00] assemble the pieces you need and you can swap out or upgrade those pieces as your business evolves.

[00:24:04] It's a big deal for B2B because traditional ecommerce platforms are often rigid. They're designed to do a lot of things pretty well, but they're not always great at handling unique complexities of B2B. With a composable approach, you're no longer stuck trying to make a monolithic platform fit your business, you're building a system that fits you perfectly.

[00:24:22] So Lavasa, in the Netherlands actually, they adopted a composable commerce strategy to serve both their B2B and B2C customers on the same platform. They integrated best in class tools for everything from inventory, management, to customer experience. And they've created a unified solution that's scalable, efficient, tailored to their specific needs, driving more revenue and costing less.

[00:24:41] It's really amazing. Definitely check out the case study in the links. So that's about it. We covered a lot today through these 10 items from extensible automation to composable e commerce and everything in between. Um, these are innovations that aren't just buzzwords. They're the tools that are really reshaping B2B operations and can give you an [00:25:00] edge in 2025.

[00:25:02] Big takeaway, the businesses that thrive this year will be the ones that embrace flexibility, scalability, and customer centric solutions. Whether you're streamlining workflows with automation, using AI to anticipate customer needs, or creating immersive product experiences with AR, the key is taking action.

[00:25:17] Innovation isn't something that just happens, something you need to choose to invest in, plan for, and implement. Now some of this may feel overwhelming, you might be wondering how to even get started, or which of these trends is the right fit for your business and your budget. Pick one. Start small, do a test.

[00:25:33] You don't have to overhaul your entire business overnight. Begin with a pain point that's causing the most friction for your team or your customers. Look for an innovation that can address it. Build from there. And remember, you don't have to do it alone. If you're not sure where to start or how to make these ideas work for your business, I'd love to help.

[00:25:49] Remember I offer those free 30 minute e commerce problem solving sessions. You can find me on LinkedIn as Joshua Warren with a creativity gold background behind my headshot. Reach out to me, there's actually a link [00:26:00] to schedule one of those 30 minute sessions completely free. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you have subscribed to Commerce Today and you have followed me on LinkedIn.

[00:26:08] I would love to hear from you and I want to continue sharing my insights with you. If there's a topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode or if you've got a question about anything we discussed today, Please reach out to me on LinkedIn or drop me a message, uh, through the Commerce Today website.

[00:26:22] I would absolutely love to hear from you. That's it for this week. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time on Commerce Today. 

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