This blog explains why outdated catalog-based B2B commerce fails and how connected ecosystems unlock 20%+ conversion rates and enterprise scalability.
Why B2B Commerce Still Converts Like Its 2010
B2B buyers now navigate 10+ channels during their purchasing journey, yet most suppliers still operate as if it’s 2010 — pushing PDFs, managing isolated portals, and wondering why conversion rates hover at 2.5%. Meanwhile, companies that have built connected commerce ecosystems report conversion rates exceeding 20%. The difference isn’t incremental improvement. It's an architectural revolution.
Here’s what executives miss: B2B commerce isn’t failing because of poor user experience or inadequate technology. It’s failing because we’re trying to digitize analog thinking. We’ve automated catalogs instead of reimagining commerce.
Why Most B2B Platforms Are Just Digital Catalogs in Disguise
Many B2B enterprises believe they’ve modernized because transactions now happen online. But most platforms are still built on catalog-era models — linear, rigid, and disconnected.
Even with omnichannel capabilities becoming table stakes, the lift has been minimal. Median conversion rates inch up to just 3.73%, compared to 2.90% for traditional setups. It’s an incremental gain that hides a much bigger opportunity gap.
Today’s buyers demand platforms that enable workflows, not just transactions. They expect integration with internal systems, alignment with procurement processes, and seamless collaboration across teams. When platforms can’t support this complexity, buyers either abandon the experience or take it offline.
That’s the real friction: most B2B platforms digitize transactions but not the processes that surround them. And since those processes define enterprise buying today, digital adoption often feels cosmetic.
Why Catalog Thinking Can’t Keep Up Anymore
Traditional B2B commerce was built on a linear funnel: awareness, consideration, purchase, fulfillment. But enterprise buying today is anything but linear - it’s messy, cross-functional, and constantly evolving. Purchasing often involves multiple systems, compliance checks, budget reviews, and procurement integrations. And those aren’t exceptions - they’re the rule.
Catalog-based platforms force this complexity through narrow channels, often requiring offline workarounds. Ecosystems, by contrast, are built to embrace complexity and create value at every touchpoint.
Nearly 46% of IT leaders have already adopted composable commerce architecture, with another 43% planning to follow - a clear signal that monolithic platforms can’t keep up. And the global B2B e-commerce market is projected to climb from $18.7 trillion in 2023 to $57.6 trillion by 2030, fueled by ecosystem-driven models.
Ecosystems shift the focus from transactions to orchestration - embedding commerce into the broader enterprise operating model. This is where ecosystem strategies outpace traditional models.
The New Realities Enterprise Commerce Leaders Can’t Ignore
Enterprise commerce leaders face three urgent truths. The architecture you commit to today will define your competitive position in the digital-first future.
- Incremental improvements won’t close the conversion gap. The difference between 2.5% and 20% conversion rates isn’t about better websites — it requires reinvention. Companies achieving higher benchmarks haven’t just optimized interfaces; they’ve redefined what B2B commerce means.
- Ecosystem commerce isn’t about adding more channels. It’s about creating gravitational pull that brings customers, suppliers, and partners into a shared space of value creation. Amazon Business’s $35 billion scale proves the point: they didn’t just digitize procurement, they built a procurement ecosystem.
- The clock is ticking. Ecosystem-native competitors are moving fast. Those who hesitate risk being permanently outpaced, while those who act now can establish lasting advantage.
The stakes are high — but so is the opportunity. Leaders who respond decisively will shape the next era of B2B commerce.
Why Platform Upgrades Aren’t Enough Anymore
Shifting from catalog-based commerce to connected ecosystems isn’t a technology upgrade - it’s a business model transformation. To succeed, leaders must focus on three dimensions:
- Composable Architecture Adoption AI and automation are powerful, but without the right foundation they’re like engines bolted to a horse-drawn carriage. Ecosystem-ready platforms must be API-first, composable, and designed for continuous integration. This isn’t about choosing the latest platform - it’s about building an architecture that adapts as the ecosystem evolves.
- Value Network Design Traditional platforms optimize for transaction efficiency. Ecosystem platforms optimize for value creation across the entire network. Integrating commerce with ERP and CRM systems can reduce manual order processing by up to 70%, but the real opportunity lies in enabling insights, automation, and collaboration across partners.
- Ecosystem Governance Models Connected ecosystems need new approaches to partner management, data governance, and value distribution. Leaders must decide whether to be orchestrators - aggregating supply and demand - or participants contributing specialized value. Companies that take clear ecosystem positions are already reporting revenue uplifts of nearly 50% from hybrid selling models.
These three dimensions define the difference between digital veneer and digital advantage. They separate companies replicating catalogs online from those reimagining commerce as a connected ecosystem.
What Will Shape B2B Commerce Next
As the industry prepares for NRF 2026, three developments are set to define the next phase of B2B commerce:
- Connected Product Commerce By the end of the decade, billions of connected devices will be transacting autonomously — ordering maintenance, replenishing supplies, and coordinating upgrades without human intervention. Companies that invest in ecosystem-ready foundations now will capture this emerging demand; those clinging to catalogs will be invisible to autonomous buyers.
- Vertical Ecosystem Consolidation Industry-specific marketplaces are scaling quickly, solving for compliance, sustainability, and project complexity in ways broad horizontal platforms can’t. Expect accelerated consolidation as horizontal players seek vertical expertise, while vertical leaders expand outward to secure share.
- Procurement Platform Evolution Procurement platforms are shifting from purchase order management to commerce orchestration engines. Increasingly, B2B transactions will happen directly inside these systems. Suppliers that can integrate seamlessly into procurement workflows will thrive, while others risk being bypassed altogether.
Together, these shifts point to one truth: the future of B2B commerce will be defined not by catalogs or channels, but by ecosystem orchestration at scale.
The Choice B2B Leaders Must Make Now
The conversion problem in B2B commerce isn’t about websites - it’s about mindsets. Catalog thinking, even digitized, can’t deliver the agility or value modern buyers expect. Ecosystems can.
The path forward isn’t incremental. It requires architectural reinvention, network design, and governance models that put orchestration over transactions.
As NRF 2026 approaches, the choice is clear: companies that act now to build ecosystem foundations will lead the next wave of B2B growth. Those who wait will be left behind.
