As B2B online orders become more frequent and complex, having top-notch order management software is not just a good idea for your business — it is a necessity.

Order management software does more than just handle traditional B2B orders, which have long lead times and predetermined fulfillment processes. It also helps you accept and manage short-lead-time orders that feel more like B2C purchases — a demand that is growing in the B2B space. (According to Gartner, 50% of B2B customers say that expectations for delivery speed and options have increased in the past 12 months.)

In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know about B2B order management software. You will learn how it can help your business, the key features to look for, and three leading platforms to consider. 

Let’s get into it!

5 reasons why your business needs a B2B order management system

Implementing B2B order management software is one of the best moves your business can make — and there are five key reasons why. 

It streamlines your sales channels

Managing multiple sales channels can be challenging, especially if your business relies on manual processes to integrate orders. It is all too easy for orders to be duplicated or forgotten, creating headaches for you and your customers.

But with a digital order management platform, all your order data is in one place, helping you avoid costly mix-ups and missed orders. For example, if a customer orders online and then through a sales rep, your team can view both orders together and catch any issues early.

It reduces order processing time

In a traditional sales process, sales reps typically need to transcribe phone calls and exchange emails with customers to confirm order details. This back-and-forth alone can prolong order processing time, and if a sales rep is on vacation or out sick, it can hold up a sale even longer.

A B2B customer order management system can help your organization sidestep delays. Within the platform, customers can quickly place orders on their own — no need to wait to talk to a sales rep.

It helps you scale

Without an order management system, the only way to scale up your business is to hire more sales reps — which is costly and time-consuming. 

Order management software enables you to handle more orders without putting more work on your sales team. This means that instead of spending time processing orders and reorders, your sales force can focus their energy on what they do best: acquiring new customers.

It makes managing inventory easier

A B2B order manager system can also help you avoid running out of inventory (and the panic that comes with it). 

The software shows you how much of any product you have in stock and automatically updates stock levels after each new order. You can even set alerts when stock levels drop below a certain threshold.

With this increased visibility, you can proactively restock key products so they are always available for your customers. 

It gives your customers a better experience

Gartner reports that 75% of B2B customers prefer sales processes that do not require talking to sales reps. By adopting a digital ordering system, you are not just improving your business’s fulfillment process — you are also aligning with your customers’ preferences. 

In addition, B2B supply chain management software can provide a better end-to-end experience for your customers. It makes it easier for them to place orders and use various payment methods during checkout. Plus, the software offers more end-user visibility, allowing customers to track their orders and initiate returns.

What to consider before choosing B2B order management software

Before beelining to the first B2B software for order management you see, it is essential to consider how a platform will work for your business. Here is what to keep in mind before buying. 

Integrations with other systems

Your new software needs to integrate with the tools you already use, such as:

• CRM (customer relationship management) software
• Supply chain and warehouse management software 
• ERP (Enterprise resource planning) software
• PIM (product information management) software
• Accounting software
• Marketing software

For example, if your order management system integrates with your CRM platform, your sales team can see at a glance whether a customer has placed an order recently and whether it has been fulfilled. 

Additionally, integrating your order management software with your accounting software makes it simple to track your business’s revenue and spot trends in your sales over time.

Expert tip: To organize their order data, many people pick from two main types of software:

• Traditional order management software (OMS) — a standalone system with tools for order processing, inventory management, shipping, and returns. 
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software — an all-in-one business management solution that helps with order management tools and includes tools for CRM, accounting, supply chain management, marketing, and more.

If you already use separate CRM and accounting software, you can save time and money by choosing a traditional OMS platform. But if you want to digitize multiple aspects of your business at once, ERP software could be a better choice.

That said, there is a downside to OMS and ERP software: You cannot order through it. That is why we recommend using a unified, customer-facing commerce platform like DJUST. Our software enables clients to place orders, track orders in progress, initiate returns, and more.

Customization and flexibility

Most platforms include a standard set of features that can benefit nearly everyone. But the only ones worth your while are those that let you tailor the features and functionalities to suit your needs. For example, you might need a B2B online order manager system that allows you to quickly adjust order volumes, customize delivery schedules, or offer the option to pick up priority orders at your warehouse for faster fulfillment.

Expert tip: Your company has likely spent years building an order management process suited to your products and your customers’ unique needs. So, beware of any software that forces you to follow its standardized process. It is a major rule of thumb when shopping for software: The platform you pick has to adapt to your needs, not the other way around.

In addition, find software that can grow with your business. This allows you to adjust and scale your order management process as needed in the future. For example, say you offer fixed pricing now but might want to offer customer-specific pricing in the future. In that case, search for software that will enable you to create account-specific price lists.

Security and data protection

Ransomware and other digital attacks are becoming increasingly common, so your B2B software for order management needs to protect your customers’ data effectively.

Look for security capabilities such as multi-factor authentication, the ability to assign user access roles, and data encryption. Some platforms also offer support for single sign-on.

To separate the super-secure platforms from the not-so-strong, find out the answers to these questions:

• How does the platform store customer data? Data can be stored all together or separately. Storing data separately reduces the risk of your company’s data being leaked or shared accidentally. 
• Where are the platform’s servers located? If they’re located in Europe, the company must follow the strict privacy standards set by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
• How does the platform protect against cyber attacks? Many companies have dedicated threat monitoring teams, for example.
• How long are data and logs retained? A longer retention period can help you recover your data if it ever gets lost.
• What is their business continuity plan? This document outlines how a business will continue operating during unexpected disruptions.
• What is the platform’s disaster recovery plan? This is a blueprint for restoring a business’s IT infrastructure and systems after a serious disruption. It is more specialized than a business continuity plan, focused on getting technology back up and running ASAP.
• How long does it take to restore data? If you lose data — for example, by accidentally deleting it — it is important to get it back as quickly as possible.

Implementation time

The final thing to consider is the timing of switching to a B2B order processing system. Implementation or re-platforming can be time-consuming, expensive, and require significant buy-in from stakeholders within your company. 

Be sure to get a clear integration timeline from any software provider you’re considering working with. DJUST, for example, can create a new order management system for your business or build a digital integration for your existing ordering process in four months or less.

Key software features for B2B order management

Let’s look at the must-have features of B2B online order management systems to help you pick the perfect one.

Order management

• Order validation: Set up automated rules to validate orders before processing. Rules might require a sales rep to check orders that are over a certain threshold (such as price or item quantity) or include products a customer has not ordered before.
• Quote management: Create, track, and deliver sales quotes for your customers. Top platforms will allow you to customize rules to validate quotes. 
• Order processing and tracking: Monitor your fulfillment process by tracking all processing steps — from order validation to inventory receipt, packing, and shipping — in a single place.
• Real-time order status updates: Notify customers at each stage of the delivery process, including order approval and shipment. Your order management system should integrate with shippers’ tracking information for orders you have shipped.
• Cancellation or modification: Enable customers to cancel or modify orders that have not been shipped, and alert your fulfillment team immediately.

Customer management

• Company accounts: Create customer profiles that include their contract details, shipping preferences, contact information, and order histories. If you offer contract-specific pricing, make sure your B2B management software shows customers their unique prices when logged into their accounts.
• Customer groups: Sort customers into groups for product catalogs, pricing, sales analysis, marketing campaigns, and more. Your software should offer automated options to segment customers and let you create custom groups.
• Reordering: Enable customers to quickly reorder items they have ordered in the past.

Inventory management

• Centralized inventory management: Track inventory for all your products in a single database that your sales, supply chain, and fulfillment teams can access. When a customer orders a product, your in-stock inventory should adjust automatically. You should have the ability to track inventory across multiple warehouses.

• Barcode scanning: Attaching scannable barcodes to your products can make it easier to manage your warehouse and enable your fulfillment team to quickly ensure they’ve packed all the products needed for an order.

Payments

Finally, do not forget integrations with payment service providers (PSP) such as Stripe, Lemonway, and Mangopay. 

These PSPs enable you to accept B2B-friendly payment methods, including purchase cards, bank transfers, and checks. Many also offer essential tools for invoicing, accounting, and revenue analytics.

The top 3 B2B order management software of 2024

To save you time and effort, we have done the heavy lifting and found three order management systems that can help transform your B2B game in 2024.

DJUST

DJUST is a robust, unified B2B commerce platform. Our software offers various features for managing every aspect of your order process, from onboarding customers and fulfilling orders to accepting payments and providing after-sales services.

With DJUST, you can build flexible order validation workflows and monitor your entire fulfillment process in one place. Our platform supports omnichannel sales and order splitting, too.

DJUST also helps you retain customers with features such as real-time order tracking and contract-specific customer service tiers.

Importantly, transitioning to DJUST is seamless. You can implement our software in under four months, and it works with any legacy ordering system. 

While DJUST is a fresh entrant into the world of B2B commerce management software, we have accomplished a lot in a short time. Since we were founded in 2020, we have formed partnerships with major companies across multiple industries. Our clients include deSter, Foodia, Monoprix, and Victoria’s Secret subsidiary Adore Me, among many others.

SAP Commerce Cloud

One of the most popular enterprise eCommerce platforms, SAP Commerce Cloud supports personalized catalogs, online quotes, omnichannel sales, and more. It also enables you to track inventory and accurately forecast when items will be delivered to customers.

SAP Commerce Cloud is a good option if you want to connect your order management system to an ERP platform in the future. It integrates seamlessly with SAP ERP, which gives you more insights into your supply chain, manufacturing, and sales processes.

However, getting used to SAP Commerce Cloud might take a while since it is so feature-rich. There is a ton to learn to get the most out of the platform, which could require training and ultimately slow down implementation time.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Salesforce is best known as a CRM platform, but it also has a B2B component you can use for order management: Salesforce Commerce Cloud. It is suitable if you want to see a customer’s entire purchase history in one place and market to them based on their past purchases.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud enables you to build complex fulfillment workflows and supports omnichannel sales through order splitting. You can also quickly share customer data with associates at your stores or warehouses so they can provide better in-person customer experiences.

The drawback is that the Salesforce ecosystem is enormous, and only a small slice of it is focused on B2B eCommerce order management software. It can be difficult to navigate the platform, and you will miss out on some of its benefits unless you restructure your business’s sales process to also use Salesforce.

Expert tip: Be cautious using vendors that offer both B2B and B2C solutions. While using a hybrid vendor may seem like a good idea at first, the requirements for B2B and B2C orders are vastly different. So, it’s a good idea to have separate order management systems for your B2B and B2C sales. At DJUST, we specialize in B2B and are laser-focused on the unique complexities of B2B companies.

The bottom line

B2B order management software can help your business streamline sales channels, reduce order processing time, better manage inventory, and enhance customer experience. When choosing software, look for features such as integrations, customizability, and security alongside tools to make managing orders, customers, and payments more seamless.

Here at DJUST, we have developed a powerful B2B ordering platform that can connect to any legacy ordering system. Contact us today to learn how DJUST can help optimize your B2B order processes.