B2B commerce has fundamentally changed. Buyers now expect the same streamlined experience they get from consumer platforms: real-time inventory visibility, self-service ordering capabilities, and transparent order tracking. The data supports this shift. B2B ecommerce is projected to reach $36.16 trillion by 2026, growing at 14.5% annually. Seventy percent of the buying process now happens digitally, with 77% of buyers willing to spend $50,000 or more in a single online transaction.[21][22][23]
Order management sits at the center of this transformation. It is no longer just about processing orders. It is the foundation that determines whether distributors can meet modern buyer expectations while maintaining operational efficiency.
What Order Management Actually Is
Order management encompasses the complete lifecycle from order capture through delivery and potential returns. This includes order verification, inventory allocation, fulfillment coordination, shipping management, invoicing, and returns processing.
An Order Management System (OMS) connects your ecommerce front-end with back-office systems. Your ERP handles finance and broader operations. Your IMS or WMS manages inventory and warehouse execution. An OMS sits between these layers, managing the customer-facing aspects of order processing: capturing orders across channels, applying pricing rules, routing for fulfillment, and providing visibility throughout the lifecycle.
The distinction matters because ERPs excel at financial workflows and compliance, while inventory systems track stock levels. Neither addresses the real-time, customer-centric requirements of modern B2B commerce such as dynamic pricing, multi-channel order capture with consistent data, and customer-specific catalog management.
Core Challenges in B2B Order Management
Multi-channel complexity. Buyers interact through websites, mobile apps, sales representatives, phone orders, and email purchase orders. Each channel needs consistent pricing, real-time inventory visibility, and seamless customer experience. Without proper integration, distributors face order discrepancies, pricing errors, and fragmented experiences that damage customer relationships.
Real-time inventory visibility. For example, Zoey has native integrations with systems like Fishbowl, Finale, SKUVault, and SellerCloud. It can also sync via secure REST API or SFTP. This allows distributors to pull live data from wherever inventory is managed. Managing inventory across multiple distribution centers and locations requires instant synchronization to prevent overselling while maximizing utilization.
Manual approval workflows. Purchase orders often require multiple authorization levels based on order value, customer credit status, or product categories. Credit checks may need manual review. Each manual step introduces potential errors and delays. Research indicates manual order processing achieves 95 to 98 percent accuracy, while automated systems reach 99 percent or higher.[24]
B2B-specific payment terms. Net 30, Net 60, and purchase order processing require workflows that consumer-focused platforms cannot handle. B2B buyers expect credit terms, volume discounts, contract pricing, and approval processes that reflect business relationships rather than simple transactions.
Order status visibility. Buyers expect transparency throughout the order lifecycle. Without automated communication, customer service teams spend significant time responding to status inquiries that self-service systems could handle.
Returns and refunds. B2B returns typically involve credit memos, restocking fees, and quality inspections. These processes require tight integration between order management, accounting, and inventory systems to maintain accuracy across all records. Zoey supports credit memos and refunds.
Tax and regulatory compliance. Operating across multiple jurisdictions introduces complexity in tax calculation, regulatory compliance, and documentation requirements. Manual management of these requirements creates risk and administrative burden. Partnering with industry leaders like Avalara
Essential Metrics for Order Management Performance
Effective measurement focuses on metrics that reflect both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction:
- Days Sales Outstanding (DSO): Industry averages range from 45 to 60 days. Best-in-class distributors achieve 30 to 45 days through automated credit workflows, self-service invoice access, and systematic payment term enforcement.[25]
- Fulfillment time: Traditional distributors average 2 to 5 days. Automated systems with integrated workflows enable same-day processing for in-stock items.[26]
- Order accuracy rate: Manual processes typically achieve 95 to 98 percent accuracy. Digital validation with account-specific business rules drives accuracy above 99 percent.[27]
- Reorder rate: Distributors with effective self-service capabilities see 20 to 30 percent higher reorder rates compared to manual reorder processes.[28]
- Cart and order abandonment rates: B2B abandonment typically ranges from 15 to 25 percent for traditional systems and 5 to 10 percent for optimized platforms.[29]
Zoey provides reporting across orders, customers, accounts receivable, bestsellers, product data, and abandoned carts. These reports allow distributors to track KPIs without needing separate reporting tools, while providing the visibility needed to analyze performance and optimize operations.
Critical Features for Modern Order Management
Modern OMS platforms should deliver these essentials:
- Centralized order capture across ecommerce, mobile, sales reps, phone, and email orders
- Real-time inventory synchronization with IMS and WMS systems
- Partial shipment and backorder handling
- Customer-specific catalogs and pricing for contract pricing, tiers, and discounts
- Automated approval workflows that eliminate bottlenecks and maintain audit trails
- Net terms and purchase order support with credit limits and accounts receivable reporting
- B2B buyer and account management, including Zoey’s integration with Klaviyo for lifecycle communications
Current Platform Landscape
When evaluating platforms for B2B order management, distributors often encounter several options.
SAP Commerce Cloud
Designed for very large enterprises. Pricing is quote-based and usually starts well into six figures annually[35]. It excels at handling global complexity and multi-site operations but requires long implementations and dedicated consulting support. Best suited for corporations already invested in SAP.
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
A powerful, highly customizable platform with extensive B2B functionality. Licensing for the enterprise edition often starts in the tens of thousands per year[33]. Even with the open-source version, real costs come from hosting, integrations, and ongoing developer work[34]. It suits organizations with significant IT resources but is rarely practical for distributors that want faster time to value.
Zoey
Purpose built for distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Zoey combines ecommerce, order management, and CRM capabilities in a single solution. It includes customer-specific pricing, net terms, approval workflows, and account management out of the box without requiring apps or custom builds. Zoey integrates directly with NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Avalara, ShipStation, Shopify D2C, and inventory systems like Fishbowl, Finale, SKUVault, and SellerCloud. Pricing starts at $600 per month and scales to enterprise-level options. Most customers are operational in weeks rather than months, which allows for faster ROI compared to platforms that require heavy customization.
Shopify & Shopify Plus
A popular ecommerce platform built for D2C that lacks native B2B functionality. Its B2B features such as customer-specific pricing, Net Terms, and approval workflows require third-party apps and workarounds. Shopify Plus pricing starts around $2,300 per month, but costs often rise significantly once apps, transaction fees, and custom development are factored in. It works best for simpler catalogs, but complexity grows quickly for wholesale needs. That said, Shopify’s strength is its extensive app ecosystem, allowing it to integrate with B2B-focused platforms like Zoey to handle wholesale operations.
BigCommerce
Offers more built-in B2B functionality than Shopify, including customer groups and price lists. Pricing is generally lower than enterprise peers, but advanced workflows and ERP or IMS integrations typically require custom development or middleware. This adds ongoing technical costs to what may seem like an affordable base subscription.
Evolution of Order Management Technology
Several trends are shaping the OMS landscape:
- Increased automation in routing, predictive inventory management, and exception handling
- Self-service expectations that now represent the baseline for B2B
- Subscription and recurring orders for predictable revenue and customer convenience
- Mobile enablement for field sales so reps can create and manage orders in real time
- Integrated system architecture with real-time bidirectional sync between OMS, ERP, and IMS
- Global compliance automation with tax and regulatory management across jurisdictions
Evaluating Order Management Solutions
When selecting a system, consider:
- B2B workflow depth: Net terms, approvals, catalogs, and pricing complexity
- Integration capabilities: direct ERP and IMS integrations
- Multi-channel consistency: ecommerce, reps, phone, and email
- Reporting and analytics: customizable dashboards and KPI tracking
- Implementation timeline and complexity: traditional enterprise systems may require 6 to 18 months; Zoey typically deploys in weeks
- Vendor partnership approach: onboarding, support, and understanding of distributor operations
Real-World Results
Results from businesses selling B2B with Zoey:
- Real Avid: 95 percent digital adoption, same-day processing, near-zero errors
- Milkhouse Candle Company: 70 percent sales growth, 43 percent faster order processing, 37 percent increase in self-service
- Chewbarka: 50 percent online growth, SKUs reduced 50 percent, fewer errors
- Ceramo Company: ERP integration with 35 percent of sales online and 5 to 10 percent annual growth
These implementations show consistent ROI in 12 to 24 months, with ongoing gains in efficiency, satisfaction, and growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between OMS and ERP?
ERP systems manage finance, HR, and operations. OMS platforms focus on order workflows, integrations, and customer-facing order management.
What are the must-have OMS features in 2026?
Multi-channel capture, real-time inventory sync, customer-specific pricing, automated approvals, net terms, and account management.
Does Zoey replace inventory management systems?
No. Zoey integrates with third party systems, like Fishbowl, Finale, SKUVault, and SellerCloud to act as the sales engine while IMS and WMS platforms manage inventory. Pull live product counts from any system or spreadsheet you use to track inventory.
How long does OMS implementation take?
Enterprise platforms like SAP or Magento often require 6 to 18 months. Zoey typically deploys in weeks through out-of-the-box functionality.
Making the Decision
Order management has become strategic infrastructure rather than operational tooling. Distributors who adopt modern systems position themselves to capture digital-first revenue while maintaining operational efficiency.
The choice between systems that require heavy customization and those with out-of-the-box B2B capabilities significantly impacts cost, speed, and scalability.
The opportunity is still wide open, but the window narrows as competitors modernize. Distributors who act decisively will thrive in the evolving B2B landscape, while those who delay risk falling behind.
Note: Zoey is a B2B-focused platform that combines ecommerce, order management, and CRM capabilities specifically designed for distributors and wholesalers. It provides native integrations with systems like Fishbowl, Finale, SKUVault, NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, ShipStation, and Avalara. Pricing starts at $600 per month and scales to enterprise-level options. The platform offers out-of-the-box B2B functionality with implementation timelines measured in weeks. Learn more at zoey.com/pricing
References
[21] Grand View Research, B2B E-Commerce Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report 2024-2030
[22] Gartner, Future of Sales 2025: Predictions for B2B Sales Organizations
[23] McKinsey & Company, The changing face of B2B sales
[24] Aberdeen Group, Order Management Excellence: Best Practices for Order Processing
[25] Forrester Research, B2B Payment Automation Trends 2025
[26] Supply Chain Management Review, Order Fulfillment Benchmarks 2025
[27] American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), Order Accuracy in Distribution
[28] Digital Commerce 360, B2B Customer Experience and Retention Study 2025
[29] Baymard Institute, B2B Checkout and Cart Abandonment Research
[30] Shopify, Shopify Plus Pricing
[31] Ontap Group, Shopify Plus Pricing Explained
[32] Aureate Labs, Shopify Plus Pricing Breakdown
[33] Vaimo, Adobe Commerce Cloud vs SAP Commerce Cloud
[34] BetterCommerce, Magento Pricing Breakdown
[35] SelectHub, Magento vs SAP Commerce Cloud
