Why is data more complex in B2B ecommerce than B2C?

B2B data involves intricate pricing rules (negotiated, tiered, customer-specific), contract-based product availability, detailed technical specifications, regulatory compliance, and complex customer hierarchies. B2C typically deals with simpler, standardised pricing and product information.

What is a PIM and why is it crucial for B2B?

A Product Information Management (PIM) system centralises and enriches product data from various sources, making it consistent and accurate across all sales channels. For B2B, it's crucial for managing extensive product catalogues, technical attributes, and channel-specific content effectively.

How does ERP integrate with B2B ecommerce?

ERP integration typically handles critical operational data such as inventory levels, customer account details, real-time pricing, order status, and shipping information. It ensures the ecommerce platform reflects accurate backend business logic and processes orders efficiently.

What are the main risks of neglecting data strategy in a B2B ecommerce project?

Key risks include inaccurate product information, incorrect or inconsistent pricing, outdated inventory leading to backorders, increased manual data reconciliation, and hindered ability to roll out new features. These issues can lead to significant operational inefficiencies and customer dissatisfaction.

How much of a typical B2B ecommerce project is dedicated to data efforts?

Based on our experience, 20-40% of the total project effort in complex B2B ecommerce implementations is often dedicated to data mapping, cleansing, transformation, and integration. This proportion reflects the significant work involved in establishing a robust data foundation.

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Issue 043BriefingProduct DataRef 136

Why most B2B ecommerce projects are actually data projects

B2B ecommerce projects often focus on frontend features when the real challenge, and value, lies in integrating and orchestrating complex product, customer, and order data from multiple internal systems.

Heddwyn Coombs· Creative and Digital Director

4 Jan 20265 min readReviewed January 2026

"A B2B ecommerce project is often, at its core, a data project."

Written by

Heddwyn Coombs

Creative and Digital Director

29 years at iWeb

LinkedIn →Speak with Heddwyn about your brief →

Heddwyn co-founded iWeb and leads creative and digital direction across the agency. Adobe Commerce architect since the Magento 1 era, he writes the strategy notes on platform choice, headless, agentic checkout, AI for commerce and the trade-offs leadership teams hit when modern tooling meets operational reality. Opinionated about data structure, design systems and catalogue size, cautious about unnecessary frontend complexity, and focused on work that stays commercially manageable over time.

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