B2B Connected Commerce Starter Guide
If you’re exploring B2B Connected Commerce, either to proactively enhance your digital transactions or in response to customer requests for integration, you’re in the right place. This strategic resource hub provides the clarity you need to feel confident as you explore what’s possible for your business.
What is B2B Connected Commerce?
B2B Connected Commerce is the strategic and seamless integration between supplier eCommerce systems and buyer eProcurement/ERP platforms to enable automated, error-free transactions. At its core, B2B Connected Commerce is all about removing friction, and that unlocks a lot of value for both sides of the transaction. Solutions include PunchOut, Purchase Order (PO) Automation, Invoice Automation, Purchase Order Acknowledgement, Advance Shipping Notice and eQuote.
What’s the driver for B2B Connected Commerce?
Organizations typically begin their Connected Commerce journey when they encounter one of these scenarios.
Buyers ask for PunchOut or eProcurement integration
As procurement teams increasingly rely on digital systems to manage purchasing, they expect their suppliers to meet them where they are.
Connected Commerce allows suppliers to integrate directly into buyers’ procurement/ERP systems, making it easier for customers to do business with them.
Manual processes create costly delays and errors
Disconnected systems lead to order mistakes, invoice mismatches, and slow approvals, which hurt both customer relationships and the bottom line.
Integration helps eliminate these friction points by enabling accurate, automated data exchange between supplier and buyer systems.
Business growth demands greater efficiency and scalability
Manual processes don’t scale well.
As companies grow—more orders,
more buyers, more complexity—they need a way to handle it without multiplying headcount.
Connected Commerce provides a foundation for growth by streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
Terms you should know
Understand the core concepts and language of B2B Connected Commerce, without the jargon.
A buyer’s digital platform used to manage purchasing workflows. Examples include SAP Ariba, Coupa, Jaggaer, Oracle, and others.
The software businesses use to run their online store. It manages product listings, pricing, inventory, and order processing. In B2B, platforms often support features like customer-specific catalogs, negotiated pricing, and integration with ERP or procurement systems. Popular B2B eCommerce platforms include Adobe Commerce (Magento), Salesforce B2B Commerce, SAP Commerce Cloud, and BigCommerce.
A process that allows buyers to access a supplier’s catalog from within their eProcurement system, shop in real time, and return the cart to their procurement platform for approval and purchase. Learn more about PunchOut in this blog.
The process of digitally creating, sending, receiving, and managing purchase orders between buyers and suppliers without manual input. Read more about PO Automation here.
The digital processing of supplier invoices, eliminating manual handling and streamlining the accounts payable (AP) workflow in B2B transactions. Learn more about automated invoice processing.
A step in the B2B order process where a supplier confirms receipt of a purchase order (PO) from the buyer and communicates acceptance or requested changes. More information about PO Acknowledgement can be found here.
An electronic document sent by a supplier to a buyer to provide detailed information about a pending delivery. It is typically sent before the shipment arrives and includes critical data to help the buyer prepare for receipt and streamline inventory and logistics processes. Learn more about ASN here.
An electronic quotation system that facilitates the digital exchange of pricing and product information between buyers and suppliers before a purchase is made. Check out this article for more information.
A static list of products and pricing uploaded to a buyer’s procurement platform for direct purchasing. This option is less dynamic than PunchOut and requires regular maintenance. Check out this blog to compare the two.
A protocol used to exchange data (like orders and invoices) between procurement and commerce systems. Learn more about cXML here.
A standardized method for exchanging business documents electronically, often used in traditional B2B integrations. This blog explains everything you need to know about EDI.
A set of rules that allows software systems to communicate with each other, frequently used for real-time integration. This article explains the difference between EDI and an API.
FAQs
Real questions from real teams like yours, answered clearly and concisely.
To improve the buying experience, speed up revenue, and reduce manual effort. It’s a win-win: buyers get a smoother procurement process, and suppliers get faster, more accurate transactions.
B2B Connected Commerce requires the supplier to have an eCommerce platform with an online storefront and the buyer to have either an eProcurement solution or an ERP system.
In most cases, yes, your eCommerce platform can be configured to support B2B Connected Commerce. TradeCentric has built integrations for virtually every eCommerce platform out there – including custom-build solutions!
All leading eProcurement systems can support integration via B2B Connected Commerce – and we’ve integrated with all of them.
Although B2B Connected Commerce has traditionally been leveraged by enterprises, it is increasingly being adopted by mid-market organizations aiming to streamline operations, enhance customer experience, and drive scalable growth. As digital expectations rise across all segments, B2B Connected Commerce is becoming a strategic initiative for companies of all sizes.
Our most successful customers have engagement from several departments across the organization, including: IT (for systems access and data flow), eCommerce or Operations (for product and pricing data), and customer-facing teams (Sales, Customer Success) for enablement. It’s also helpful to have buy-in from leadership.
Well-managed integration programs include ongoing support and adaptability for system upgrades, changes in catalog structure, or new buyer requirements. Issues can occur if a program isn’t monitored, maintained, and scaled properly.
B2B Connected Commerce integrates directly with the buyer’s procurement system and provides a “PunchOut catalog,” enabling real-time product access, automated order creation, and error-free invoicing. A hosted catalog is a static list of products that needs to be maintained and is typically not easy to browse. A traditional eCommerce site is a digital storefront that users log into directly and does not typically support invoicing.
It starts with an implementation, but long-term value comes from treating integration as a strategic program. That includes ongoing support, optimization, and expanding integrations as the organization’s needs evolve.
Yes, data flows within integrations built via a reputable partner (like TradeCentric) are encrypted and structured to comply with standard enterprise IT policies. TradeCentric aligns with SOC 2, ISO27100, and other security certifications. You can learn more about our commitment to security here.
When a supplier is integrated with a buyer’s eProcurement system, users shop through a PunchOut catalog rather than logging into your eCommerce site. This may change how you access data. Reporting varies by integration vendor, so it’s important to evaluate visibility. TradeCentric offers robust analytics, including key elements like customer-specific trends, cart abandonment, user activity, and the ability to view each buyer’s shopping experience.
B2B Connected Commerce aligns key functions, such as eCommerce, Sales, Finance and IT, under a unified, automated workflow. By integrating eCommerce platforms with eProcurement and ERP systems, organizations eliminate manual processes, minimize errors and reduce transactional friction across the purchase-to-pay lifecycle. This supports transformation goals such as operational scalability, improved compliance, enhanced customer experience, and data-driven decision-making. Ultimately, Connected Commerce helps enterprises modernize legacy workflows, reduce cost-to-serve, and accelerate time-to-value from digital investments.
Signs you’re ready for B2B Connected Commerce
Here’s some helpful indicators that your organization may be ready to take the next step. Check out this checklist for assessing your B2B Connected Commerce readiness.
You’ve got a functional B2B eCommerce site
You need a digital storefront or product catalog your buyers can interact with. Ideally, it’s one that supports dynamic pricing, real-time inventory, and customer-specific experiences.
You have identified target customers for integration
It’s always helpful to have customers identified for integration, whether that’s buyers actively requesting it or accounts you know would realize value from B2B Connected Commerce.
You have access to technical resources (internal or external)
Integration requires some coordination. You don’t need a massive IT team, but having someone who understands your systems (or a partner who does, like TradeCentric) can make implementation smoother.
You’ve achieved internal alignment across teams
Successful Connected Commerce isn’t just an IT project. It impacts sales, eCommerce, finance, and customer success. Having alignment on goals and ownership is key.
What success looks like
See how leading businesses are turning integration into impact.
Helpful articles to get you started
How to Break Down B2B eCommerce Barriers and Find New Ways to Grow Revenue
B2B eCommerce Integration: What is it and Why is it Important?
