B2B portal or online store: the choice depends on what your business customer needs to do. A store with B2B features may be enough when the customer selects products and places an order. Exchanging documents, tracking contracted services and approving requests require a place for that collaboration. Both parts can belong to the same system.
Before asking for development quotes, check what your existing website can handle. A separate portal makes sense when the required features would be difficult to maintain reliably within the store, or when work with partners follows its own process.
What changes in the customer's daily work?
Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.
| Task | Store with B2B features | Portal for working with partners |
|---|---|---|
| Purchasing goods | The main steps are browsing the catalogue, choosing quantities and placing an order. | Can include ordering or connect to an existing store. |
| Agreed customer terms | Check the price lists, pack sizes and payment terms supported by the platform. | Rules follow the agreed scope and connect to the relevant data source. |
| Documents and requests | Simple document downloads may be enough. | Submitting, revising and reviewing documents, with access to their history, may be the user's main task. |
| Several users from one company | Check access for each location and which actions users can take. | Plan access by company, role and the cases assigned to each user. |
| Presenting the offer publicly | A catalogue can also help attract new customers. | The working area usually requires a login; public pages can explain what the portal provides. |
A store can support more complex business sales too. Shopify B2B, for example, supports companies with several locations and ordering contacts. Check the features of the chosen plan: assigning a catalogue directly to a company or location requires Plus. Basic, Grow and Advanced support up to three active catalogues in total across all B2B markets, using the new Shopify Markets.
When should you consider extending the existing store first?
If customers already order through the website but need agreed pricing or an easier way to repeat a purchase, check the platform's options first. An extension can retain the existing catalogue and order processing. Include staff tasks in the assessment: what changes in the admin area, and who checks an order before dispatch?
Ask to see your actual process. A customer with two locations should see the correct offer for each, and a price change should appear where agreed. Check the full process with a test order, including the prices shown and processing in the admin area. For the public sales pages, see what online store development includes.
When does collaboration need a portal without a shopping cart?
A portal becomes useful when customers need to follow their case: what has been submitted, what is awaiting a response and who needs to provide more information. Document statuses and access permissions matter here. Ordering may be secondary or absent altogether.
In our Certiwa ISO documentation portal case study, the client follows outstanding tasks and documents under review. The consultant's view separates the items awaiting their attention. The public demo uses fictional data and does not accept real documents. The user's task here is to submit a document and receive feedback.
Livsmedelsstädarna includes internal cleaning checks and a separate customer portal for viewing permitted records and working with the service provider. Internal report submission and the customer's review have distinct roles in the process. The screens in our case study use demonstration data.
A hypothetical example: a distributor with sales and servicing
Imagine an equipment distributor selling spare parts through its website. Service partners also submit equipment photos and request approval for repairs. This is a hypothetical example.
For purchasing parts, the company could extend its existing store with partner price lists. Repairs need a case containing the serial number, documents and the person responsible. If the platform supports this process at a reasonable maintenance cost, both parts can stay together. If staff have to copy data manually between unconnected extensions, a separate service portal is worth assessing.
Product and customer records would then need to be connected. Before development, decide where the current price is held and where the service record belongs. An API integration also needs a procedure for failed transfers, so a service request does not get lost between systems.
What should you check before choosing a solution?
- Choose one routine order and one request that needs more information. Write down who starts each and who completes it.
- Mark the steps the existing store already supports, those that need configuration and those that need development.
- Define the data each partner company may see. Check a user who has access to only one location too.
- Ask for a demonstration of the whole process, including a price change, a missing document and the removal of a user's access.
- Compare quotes for the same scope, including integrations, training and maintenance. Separate essential features from later additions.
Access permissions should follow the signed-in user's company and responsibilities. Microsoft's Power Pages documentation, for example, describes record access through a contact or business account and associates permissions with roles. For your portal, ask for a check that a user from one company cannot download another company's document.
What affects the cost more than the name of the solution?
An estimate covers the business rules and data preparation, as well as connections to existing software. A simple document portal can involve less work than a store with complex price lists. Ask for an estimate based on the tasks you have described, with an explanation of any separate charges.
If sales depend on stock levels, include connecting the store to inventory and business software in the scope. Agree when stock is reserved and what the customer sees if availability has not been updated.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a B2B solution
Does a B2B store have to accept online payments?
No. An order can go through review and processing under the customer's agreed terms. Make it clear what submitting an order means and when delivery is confirmed.
Can a portal be added later?
Yes, if the existing system supports the required data exchange. Before the first phase, check customer identifiers, access to data and integration options. This avoids having to match the same companies manually across two sets of records later.
Should the public catalogue be hidden behind a login?
That depends on how you sell. Products and services can be presented publicly, while agreed prices and business documents remain available to approved partners. Decide which information a new customer should see before contacting you.
For a broader view of the tasks involved, read how a B2B portal combines ordering and collaboration. If you already have a specific process in mind, send a short description without confidential information through our free project estimate form. We will assess whether extending the store is sufficient or whether to plan a B2B portal.