Pratik Panwar
14 May 2025
For years, B2B distributors have struggled with slow, rigid e-commerce platforms that just couldn’t keep up. Every new product launch meant weeks of back-and-forth with IT. Updating a payment option or tweaking the checkout process? Prepare for delays, bugs, and a lot of frustration. And when customer expectations started shifting toward the convenience and personalization they’re used to in B2C shopping? Legacy systems fell even further behind.
But things are changing, more distributors are moving toward flexible B2B e-commerce platforms that give them control, speed, and the ability to adapt without relying on developers every step of the way.
Modern B2B buyers want more control, better transparency, and faster turnaround, and they’ll gladly switch to a competitor that delivers. To meet these expectations, businesses need platforms that can pivot, scale, and evolve. Static systems and one-size-fits-all solutions simply can’t keep up.
We’re no longer in a phase where flexible platforms are just “nice to have.” They’ve become the foundation for innovation, customer retention, and long-term profitability. Companies that embrace this shift are finding it easier to launch new services, adapt to market disruptions, and deliver smooth buyer experiences across multiple channels.
This message was told by industry leaders again and again, it is loud and clear: "If your e-commerce infrastructure can’t flex, it will break." And with so many modern tools now available, from headless commerce to API-first ecosystems, there’s never been a better time to rethink how your platform supports your business.
See it in action: Join our upcoming webinar, “Flexible eCommerce Platforms: The Future of B2B Distribution.”
Hear directly from digital leaders who’ve broken away from legacy systems and transformed their customer experience. They’ll walk you through how they modernized without starting from scratch and how it’s impacting revenue, speed, and buyer loyalty.
Let’s continue with our blog.
For years, traditional enterprise systems were the foundation of B2B operations. They helped manage complexity, ensure compliance, and streamline processes. But as customer needs and market conditions have changed, these systems are now holding businesses back instead of helping them move forward.
Today's buyers want quick, personalized, and easy experiences. This shift is pushing businesses to look for more flexible B2B e-commerce solutions that can adapt to change, rather than be limited by old systems.
Let’s break down what’s going wrong:
Legacy systems are often hard-coded with fixed business logic. Want to update pricing rules? Good luck. Need to launch a new product category or roll out region-specific promotions? That might require months of custom development, if it’s even possible.
This rigidity slows innovation to a crawl. In a market where customer behavior and technology trends shift constantly, being stuck with inflexible workflows means your competitors will move faster and capture market share while you’re waiting for IT to catch up.
Today’s B2B buyers expect the same intuitive experience from Amazon or Shopify, clean interfaces, easy navigation, real-time inventory, and personalized recommendations. Legacy platforms? Not so much.
Outdated interfaces, poor mobile responsiveness, and a lack of personalization can leave buyers frustrated. And in B2B, frustration doesn’t just cost a sale, it can cost an entire account.
A study found that 67% of B2B buyers are willing to pay more for a supplier that has better digital capabilities.
Traditional systems often operate in silos, with sales data in one system, customer support logs in another, and product information stored elsewhere. This makes it incredibly difficult to get a clear, 360-degree view of your business or customer.
When your teams can’t access shared data in real time, everything suffers: forecasting becomes guesswork, marketing lacks precision, and sales teams miss upsell opportunities.
While legacy platforms may still “work,” they’re holding back your ability to grow, innovate, and compete. More importantly, they discourage experimentation, the very thing that fuels modern digital transformation.
Staying locked into a rigid system these days is like trying to win a Formula 1 race with a horse-drawn carriage. No matter how experienced your team is, the vehicle you’re driving matters.
The bottom line? If your tech stack can’t support change, it’s not just outdated, it’s actively costing you opportunities.
If legacy systems are the anchors holding B2B companies back, flexible e-commerce platforms are the engines driving modern growth. Designed for agility, speed, and integration, these platforms are built with the real-world needs of distributors in mind, not just flashy features.
But what exactly makes an e-commerce platform flexible? Let’s break it down.
Forget the one-size-fits-all model. Flexible platforms are modular, meaning you can pick and choose the capabilities you need, from product catalog management to pricing engines to payment gateways, and plug them in without disrupting everything else.
Need a custom shipping solution? Plug it in. Want to test out a new AI-powered search tool? Add it to your stack without overhauling the entire site.
Example: A mid-sized distributor switched to a composable commerce model and cut their time-to-launch for new features by 40%. No more waiting months for IT sign-off on every single update.
A flexible platform is built API-first, meaning it’s designed from the ground up to integrate seamlessly with your ERP, CRM, PIM, or any third-party tool. No more isolated systems or costly workarounds.
Whether you're syncing real-time inventory from SAP or updating customer data from Salesforce, APIs make it fast, clean, and reliable.
Growth shouldn’t break your website. A scalable platform can handle traffic spikes, large product catalogs, and thousands of concurrent users, all while keeping performance snappy.
Whether you’re expanding to new regions or adding new product lines, a flexible platform adjusts with you. No downtime. No drama.
Buyers today expect a digital experience that feels tailor-made. Flexible platforms allow for dynamic UX, adapting layouts, content, pricing, and recommendations based on the user’s behavior, location, or purchase history.
This isn’t about flashy design, it’s about making it easier for buyers to find what they need, complete orders faster, and return for more.
A 2023 study by McKinsey found that personalized B2B experiences can drive up to 20% higher customer satisfaction.
And what do satisfied customers do? They definitely return.
A flexible e-commerce platform isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a business enabler. It motivates your team to respond faster to market shifts, test and roll out new strategies without fear, and most importantly, deliver an experience that keeps customers coming back.
Why does having a flexible e-commerce platform actually matter?
For distributors, every delay in launching a new product, fixing a system issue, or responding to customer needs can cost you business. A flexible platform helps you avoid those slowdowns. It doesn’t promise magic, it just makes everyday work easier, faster, and more efficient. And when you’re not stuck fighting your tech, you can focus on selling, serving, and growing.
Here’s how flexibility turns into real results:
With older platforms, even small updates, like adding a new product category or updating your checkout page, can involve long email chains, tech tickets, and unexpected bugs.
Flexible platforms are built differently. Their modular setup lets you make updates in parts, not the whole system. Want to launch a new customer portal just for contractors or dealers? You can do that without needing to rebuild your entire site or wait for IT to clear their schedule.
What Was the Challenge?
De Klok Dranken, a well-known beverage distributor under the Grolsch umbrella, realized their B2B customers weren’t getting the online experience they expected. Their existing system made placing orders online complicated, and it didn’t do much to support strong customer relationships. They needed something more modern, more user-friendly, and far more scalable.
What Did They Do?
To fix the problem, De Klok Dranken made a big move: they switched from their older SAP-based system to a more flexible and modern solution, Virto Commerce. With the help of Innovadis BV, they built a brand-new digital self-service portal where customers could easily place orders without needing to call or email. The entire transition took just a few weeks.
What Changed After the Upgrade?
This shift to a scalable and flexible e-commerce platform didn’t just improve how De Klok Dranken operated,it gave them the digital tools they needed to keep growing and adapting in a fast-changing market.
Your ERP, CRM, and product database aren’t going anywhere, and they shouldn’t have to. The problem is that older e-commerce platforms often don’t connect smoothly with them. That leads to double entry, mismatched pricing, and frustrated teams.
A flexible platform connects to these systems more easily, usually through built-in APIs or connectors. That means fewer workarounds, fewer spreadsheets, and more accurate data where it’s needed.
We have talked about this company in our previous blog as well. When HEINEKEN wanted to create a digital wholesale portal for their B2B customers, they didn’t want to rip and replace their existing backend systems. Instead, they chose Virto Commerce because it could seamlessly connect with their ERP and internal systems.
The result?
This kind of flexibility is a game-changer for distributors. It means less time firefighting tech issues, and more time scaling what’s already working.
B2B buyers don’t want anything fancy, they just want it to work. That means clear pricing, smart search, fast ordering, and helpful account info. But what one customer wants may be different from what another.
Flexible platforms let you customize the experience based on who’s shopping. That could mean showing different catalogs to different buyers, letting long-time customers place bulk orders quickly, or highlighting relevant accessories based on past purchases.
Bosch Thermotechnik, a global supplier of heating and cooling solutions, needed an e-commerce setup that could serve different types of B2B customers, from distributors and installers to service partners. Instead of overhauling everything, Bosch turned to Virto Commerce.
With Virto, they created customized user experiences for each customer group:
All of this was built on top of their existing systems, thanks to Virto’s composable and API-first design. This resulted in a better experience for everyone involved and zero disruption to core business operations.
If you’re a distributor trying to modernize your eCommerce experience, you’re not alone, but the process doesn’t have to feel like ripping up the floorboards. The trick? Start with a solid strategy and a clear understanding of your business needs, not just the latest shiny tool.
Here’s a simple way to help you move forward confidently:
Before buying anything new, assess what you already have.
Many distributors realize that their legacy systems were built for a different era, one in which customer expectations didn’t evolve as fast as they do today.
Look for flexibility first, you don’t want to be boxed in again.
A future-ready eCommerce platform should:
Don’t chase features, chase fit. Your business is unique. The right platform should work with the way you operate, not force you into someone else’s mold.
New technology alone doesn’t drive change; people do.
This is where strong internal alignment comes in:
Change is a process, not a switch. But with the right culture in place, it becomes manageable, and even exciting.
The B2B e-commerce world is moving fast, and the companies that win aren’t necessarily the biggest, but the most adaptable. A flexible e-commerce platform is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s what helps you keep up with changing customer needs, stay ahead of competitors, and scale without constant rework.
If your current setup feels more like a roadblock than a launchpad, it might be time for a rethink.
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