The rise of Agentic AI is starting to reshape how B2B e-commerce operates: from procurement, catalogue management and pricing to customer service, supply chains, and even marketing. We’re going to take a closer look at how and why it’s growing, what it’s being used for, what the risks and barriers are (and there are currently a fair few of these), and what we might realistically expect in the near future.

What is Agentic AI?

Hitherto, AI in commerce (and elsewhere) has often involved fairly deterministic automation, such as rule-based systems, chatbots with ‘canned’ scripts, or analytics that potentially flag issues but require human intervention to resolve. Agentic AI goes further to include:

• Establishing goals and planning: Agentic AI can take a high-level objective (for instance, “optimise inventory turnover”) and break it down into subtasks
• Autonomy: making decisions without needing explicit instructions for every step, monitoring, adjusting, and adapting
• Learning and memory: repeating over time, utilising feedback, retaining knowledge of past interactions, and improving performance
• Integration with third-party systems: interacting with APIs, enterprise systems, data sources (ERP, CRM, back-office systems) to affect human-like behaviour

This all allow Agentic AI to handle tasks that are an ever-moving feast, have a number of stages, or where conditions change (e.g. an interruption to supplies, a change in demand). In short, areas where simpler automation may well fail or require frequent tinkering. And adjustments from human beings.

Why Now? What’s Pushing Agentic AI in B2B

Several strands coming together are driving B2B ecommerce towards adopting Agentic AI:

1. Complexity and scale: B2B commerce often involves large catalogues, has multiple stakeholders (such as buyers, suppliers, 3PLs, and so on), custom pricing (which is sometimes extremely complicated and even esoteric), contracts, and complex dependent tasks. Manual or semi-automated systems really can struggle to keep up. Agentic AI appears to unlock a way to reduce manual burden.
2. The availability of enabling technologies: Recent strides in Large Language Models (LLMs), reinforcement learning, multi-agent orchestration, robust API ecosystems, real-time data streaming, and cloud computing – all make Agentic AI more feasible and practical.
3. The demand for responsiveness and agility: Whether it’s disruptions in supply chains, sharp shifts in demand, or the need to personalise offers across a range of buyer groups, the ability to act quickly confers some real competitive advantage. Agentic AI systems help detect anomalies (for example, inventory shortages), adjust pricing or provide delivery options, or re-route orders with minimal lag.
4. Cost pressures and efficiency demands: staff costs, logistics costs, inventory carrying costs are all more than ever. Automating the decision-making process (where possible and safe to do so) helps reduce overheads and derisks error, while freeing human teams to focus on strategy, relationship building, and negotiation.
5. Customer expectations: Buyers (particularly in the world of B2B) increasingly expect digital experiences that are akin to B2C ecommerce. They want the site they’re using to be quick, transparent, customisable, and with up-to-date information. Agentic AI offers a way to help with personalised offers, management of contract compliance, and anticipation of renewal needs.

Current Examples in B2B eCommerce

Whist still in their infancy there are multiple promising use-cases where agentic AI is already being piloted or deployed in B2B ecommerce.

1. Procurement agents / purchasing bots
   Some companies are exploring agents that automatically reorder supplies based on stock levels, demand forecasts, or usage trends. These agents negotiate with preferred suppliers, compare pricing, and even schedule delivery, sometimes initiating procurement without human intervention for standard or routine orders. This cuts time and reduces errors. Use of such agents depends on good integration with inventory and/or ERP systems
2. Dynamic pricing & contract compliance
   For those companies with complex pricing structures, volume discounts, and contracts, Agentic AI will monitor competitor pricing, supply and demand, and adjust offers in real-time (albeit within contract rules). Additionally, helping to ensure compliance with trade agreements, margin thresholds etc., can be enforced via AI agents
3. Personalised customer experience and sales
   Agentic AI is powerful. Insights it gains from buyer behaviour, interpreting usage data, or account history may be used by agents to suggest cross-sells, upsells, or renewal prompts. For example, an agent might monitor key account details and detect that usage is dropping off or that a competitor product is muscling in, and prompt intervention or an adjustment in pricing. Agents might also streamline multi-touchpoint buyer journeys
4. Supply chain and logistics optimisation
   Agentic systems are being used (or forecast to be used) in supply chain management (SCM) to adapt to disruptions, optimise routes, manage inventory across multiple nodes, and trigger responses (e.g. reorder, reroute) when conditions change. Gartner predicts that by 2030, 50% of cross-functional SCM solutions will incorporate agentic AI capabilities
5. Customer support & self-service
   Agents that autonomously respond to enquiries, resolve routine issues (such as returns, order tracking), escalate only when necessary, and even anticipate issues (e.g. stock delays) to proactively communicate with buyers. This reduces support burden, improves consistency, and may improve buyer satisfaction
6. Operational decision-making and insights
   Agentic AI is always on. As it is continuously monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), it can forecast demand, detect anomalies, and recommend or implement changes. For example, adjusting inventory safety stock levels, flagging supplier risk, or recommending alternative shipping routes

Risks, Challenges and Barriers of Agentic AI

There’s a lot of promise surrounding agentic AI but there are a bunch of challenges, especially in B2B environments, which are typically higher stakes. Some of the main barriers:

1. Data quality, integration and silos
   Like humans, Agentic AI depends heavily on accurate, up-to-date data. But for AI it has to be machine-readable, too. In many B2B companies, relevant data is housed across a lot of disparate systems (ERP, CRM, legacy platforms, etc.), is inconsistent, incomplete, or badly maintained. And like humans, without reliable data, autonomous agents will make poor decisions.
2. Trust, transparency and accountability
   Businesses, both buyers and sellers, are inevitably and quite rightly cautious. If an agent makes a wrong decision (such as getting the wrong price or supplier delivery date), the consequences may be significant and potentially disastrous. Trust in being able to audit decisions, understand the rationale behind exactly why something was chosen, and set guardrails is crucial.
3. Liability, legal, and ethical concerns
   Most businesses don’t tend to operate a blame culture, but who is responsible when an automated decision causes loss or breach of contract? If an agent buys outside the agreed guardrails or misrepresents product information, contracts may not yet clearly assign responsibility. Also, issues of bias, fairness (e.g. favouring certain suppliers over others), regulatory compliance (data protection, trade, export controls, etc.) are pretty serious!
4. Security and fraud risk
   Agents, particularly ones that are empowered to affect finances, contracting, or external interfaces, are potential back doors for malicious parties. Identity theft, adversarial inputs, compromised credentials, or badly implemented access permissions could let agents be manipulated in cybercrime, a very real and present threat.
5. Technological maturity and cost
   Whilst the AI technology improves at a rate of knots, in many cases, agentic systems still struggle with the weird edge case scenarios, the unpredictable, or long-term planning. Maintaining, training, tuning, and monitoring these systems requires will require substantial investment both in financial and in skilled personnel time to manage them.
6. Change management and organisational readiness
   Using Agentic AI isn’t going to be only a technical project. It’s going to involve some widespread process reengineering, people skills, and profound shifts in company culture. Employees need to trust the agents, know when a human override is necessary, and understand how decisions are made. There is going to be resistance, especially where human decision-making has been central. People are people, let’s face it. There will also need to be governance, oversight, and audit trails built in organisationally.

How to Use Agentic AI Successfully

For B2B businesses wanting to make the most of the potential opportunity, there are some key things that need to be defined first:

1. Do the groundwork
   Ensuring clean, standardised, accessible data across your product catalogues, contracts, inventory, and pricing. Without this, autonomy is unstable and probably unfeasible.
2. Define your scope and guardrails clearly
   Decisions will need to be made as to which tasks will agents perform autonomously, under what constraints, and when a human needs to get involved. This is particularly true for high-value, high-risk decisions so you’re going to need to do this gradually.
3. Make sure there’s an audit trail
   It’s important that you’re logging and auditing agent decisions, with the ability to play back how a pricing decision was made, or why a supplier was chosen. Establishing exactly when to override will be an important element.
4. Security and regulatory compliance
   You’re going to need strong authentication, along with role-based access, encryption, secure APIs to make sure your security protocols are as robust as they can be. And compliance with relevant laws (data protection, commercial law, export controls, anti-corruption, etc.) will need to be watertight. On the legal side, it’s important to contractually define liability so you know where you stand.
5. Invest in talent, change management, and governance
   Moving to an Agentic AI model is going to be a huge jolt to the system. You’ll need to make sure you have the right team in place. You’ll need to make sure you involve legal, compliance, operations, supply chain experts, sales and marketing. And you will also need to train staff to work with, supervise, and trust agentic systems.
6. Test and iterate
   Don’t go in all guns blazing. Start with lower-risk scenarios (like routine procurement or routine customer support) to test performance, build confidence, monitor impact (such as error rates, cost savings or customer satisfaction), and then refine.

The Near and Medium-Term Outlook

If we look at what could be in place over the next few years, several forecasts suggest Agentic AI will be deeply embedded in B2B ecommerce.

• Gartner predicts that 50% of supply chain management solutions will include agentic AI capabilities by 2030
• Many of the larger software firms are incorporating agentic features (autonomous agents, agents that reason, adapt, etc.) into their roadmaps
• More B2B companies will be using autonomous agents in procurement, supplier management, finance (especially in laborious tasks such as invoice matching, reconciliation), but more sophisticated ones too, such as contract renewal and pricing
• Agentic commerce (where purchasing decisions, transactions or parts of them are handled by AI agents) might well begin to reduce friction in buyer-seller interactions—e.g. automated contract fulfilment, compliance checks, and payments.

But let’s be honest, it’s not going to be seamless. Those barriers we explored earlier will mean widespread adoption will be uneven, and many companies will certainly be at the back of the queue. ROI will be most impressive where:

• Data is already relatively clean and accessible
• Systems are modern or can be modernised (e.g. good ERP/CRM/APIs, etc.)
• Where management will take a risk and be willing to try pilot programmes
• The business area they operate in has complexity that lends itself to automation (e.g. logistics and supply chains, and with large or recurring orders)

Final Word

Agentic AI really does offer an exciting evolution in B2B ecommerce. Using systems that act, learn and adapt independently, businesses will get improved efficiency, better decision-making, faster responses to change, and more personalised buyer journeys. That said, the risks are very real—as are the organisational, technical and ethical challenges. For B2B ecommerce players who approach Agentic AI with the right combination of a sense of realism, strong data foundations, clear guardrails, human oversight and governance (from a team that has bought into what you’re setting out to achieve), the rewards may well be transformational.

The rise of agentic AI isn’t just another white elephant. It’s fast becoming a strategic necessity. Those that succeed will, in all likelihood, redefine what competitive advantage looks like in ecommerce. And that means not just having the best products or lowest margins, but those who can conduct autonomous intelligence throughout their operations, while keeping trust, transparency, and control. A prize worth striving for.

The post The Rise of Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) in B2B Ecommerce appeared first on PureNet.

For organisations transacting regularly with large corporate customers, B2B punchout portals have migrated from being a “nice to have”. They have become essential to securing business, maintaining strong customer relationships, and driving growth. And by integrating directly with buyers’ procurement systems (the software platforms they use internally to source products and services), punchout portals enable a far smoother purchasing journey that benefits both buyer and supplier. Yes, they offer convenience but they also offer real opportunities to boost revenue, deliver efficiencies, and help ensure long-term competitiveness.

We’re going to look at how punchout portals work, the revenue opportunities they deliver, and the day-to-day efficiencies that are up for grabs.

What is a Punchout Portal?

A punchout portal is a system that integrates a supplier’s ecommerce catalogue directly into a buyer’s procurement platform, such as Proactis, SAP Ariba, Coupa, etc. Instead of logging into a supplier’s website separately, buyers can “punch out” from their internal procurement system into the supplier’s catalogue.

This punchout integration allows the buyer to:

• View (often in real-time) product information, customer-specific pricing, and stock availability
• Build and configure orders directly within their own procurement environment without logging into another system (making life easier, which is a massive win)
• Transfer the populated basket easily back into their own system for approval workflows and raising a PO

For the supplier, a punchout portal means that their catalogue is embedded neatly into the buyer’s workflow, making ordering from them simple. This gets rid of the friction (and errors) associated with manual procurement processes, email orders, or a static catalogue.

Revenue Generation Through Punchout Portals

1. Access to Large Corporate Buyers

For many large organisations, an e-procurement punchout portal is a necessity and a condition of trading. Without it, suppliers may be excluded from tenders or long-term supply agreements. By offering punchout capability, businesses can position themselves as preferred suppliers and gain access to lucrative corporate accounts.

Many multinational firms often insist that all approved vendors integrate with their chosen e-procurement system. If a supplier can’t offer a punchout solution, they will lose that business to a competitor that can. Conversely, suppliers who do have an effective punchout capability will win new contracts and retain existing ones, maintaining and increasing their revenue streams.

2. Increasing Order Volume and Frequency

As we’ve seen, punchout portals make it markedly easier for buyers to order from a supplier because the punchout catalogue is embedded directly into their system. As with all B2B ecommerce, convenience encourages repeat purchases and reduces the temptation to shop around for alternatives.

Importantly, punchout portals present customer-specific catalogues, tailored pricing, and negotiated discounts. This level of personalisation very much builds a relationship which, in turn, directly incentivises higher order volumes. With fewer barriers in place to ordering from you, buyers are more likely to consolidate spend with a single supplier, leading directly to larger average order values (AOVs) and improved and predictable revenue.

3. Strengthening Long-Term Customer Loyalty

In B2B commerce, long-term contracts and repeat business are the recipe for sustainable growth. Punchout portals make customer loyalty easy by making e-procurement more efficient, transparent, and reliable. And let’s face it, once integrated, switching suppliers becomes less attractive, as doing so would involve reconfiguring procurement systems and retraining staff.

By providing B2B punchout catalogue functionality, suppliers embed themselves deeply into the customer’s operational infrastructure. This ‘stickiness’ protects existing revenue but also creates opportunities for upselling and cross-selling additional products or services.

4. Enabling Global Reach

If you are a business serving multinational clients, punchout portals make it a lot simpler to scale across different regions without the need for messy multiple and disconnected catalogues. And with the centralised integration provided by a punchout system, suppliers are able to serve global buyers consistently, ensuring localised catalogues, pricing, and compliance. This ability to service global accounts through a single infrastructure gives you a real opportunity to access new international revenue opportunities.

Efficiency Gains from eCommerce Punchout Solutions

1. Reducing Manual Processes

Traditional procurement processes involve manual catalogue uploads, paper-based purchase orders, or email-based communication (with all the concomitant issues that brings). These methods are time-consuming, (human) error-prone, and resource-intensive. E-procurement punchout portals take away this pain and cost by automating much of this work by linking directly to the supplier’s ecommerce system.

For suppliers, this means reduced administrative overheads such as rekeying orders, correcting errors, or manually updating catalogue data. For buyers this also helps save time by accessing real-time information without requesting quotes or clarifications. The result is slick procurement that eliminates inefficiencies and reduces costs.

2. Enhancing Data Accuracy

Data errors are a really common issue in procurement. Wrong product codes, out-of-date pricing, or items out of stock contribute to delays, disputes, and general strife. A good punchout portal goes a long way towards data accuracy by updating catalogue data in real-time. Buyers then see the most up-to-date details directly from the supplier’s system, all of which helps reduce errors and increases order accuracy.

This accuracy prevents wasted effort and essentially builds trust between buyer and supplier. A reputation for reliability will always translate into a stronger relationship and, as a result, repeat business will follow in its wake.

3. Streamlining Approval Workflows

For most companies, procurement follows strict approval permission structures. With a punchout portal, you can integrate with these workflows, allowing buyers to build shopping baskets in the supplier’s catalogue and then return them to their procurement system for internal signoff. All of this means compliance with all those internal rules and policies while at the same time aiding fast and efficient purchasing.

For suppliers, this means fewer bottlenecks in the ordering process and quicker conversion of quotes to confirmed sales. Win win.

4. Lowering Transaction Costs

The cost of processing a manual purchase order can be eye-wateringly high when considering labour, communication, and error-handling. Punchout portals can dramatically reduce transaction costs by automating these fiddly, resource-intensive steps. Industry studies by the Hackett Group suggest that automated procurement processes can reduce transaction costs by as much as 70%. For both buyer and supplier, these savings can be pretty significant over time, so more win winning.

5. Supporting Sustainable Procurement

Sustainability rightly continues to be a big consideration for businesses. Punchout portals can really contribute to this environmental consideration here as they are instrumental in reducing the need for paper catalogues, faxed orders, and other outdated practices (which, almost unbelievably, are still in place in a lot of businesses). This digital procurement also makes it much easier to monitor and report on supplier compliance, ethical sourcing, and environmental impact. So, these efficiencies don’t just reduce costs, but they also support corporate social responsibility goals.

Strategic Advantages of a Punchout System for Suppliers

It’s obvious, then, that the combination of revenue growth and efficiency gains gives suppliers a distinct competitive edge. Punchouts let you:

• Differentiate yourself from competitors that still rely on old-school manual processes
• Build real inroads with key accounts by synchronising with buyers’ preferred procurement practices
• Reduce internal costs, which is great in itself but also it helps with the freeing-up of resources to focus on strategic growth
• Future-proof your business against those ever-evolving digital procurement needs that come your way

In industries where margins are particularly tight and competition vicious, these advantages really will make the difference between winning and losing major contracts.

Overcoming Implementation Challenges with Punchout Software

We’ve charted the benefits of punchout portals, and established they are clear and manifold. However, implementation does require careful planning. Challenges may include:

• Technical complexity – Integration with different eProcurement platforms requires experience, specialist knowledge and a robust technology platform
• Change management – Your sales and customer service teams will need to adapt to new ways of working and digital processes.
• Price – Setting up punchout portals will require outlay, especially at first, before realising the significant benefits we’ve discussed

However, these challenges can be very much mitigated by partnering with experienced technology providers (like us) who specialise in punchout integration. You’ll find that the ROI, through increased revenue and reduced costs, very quickly outweighs the initial costs

What is the Future of B2B Punchout eCommerce?

As more businesses adopt modern procurement strategies, the trajectory of punchout portal adoption will only grow in importance. Buyers increasingly expect suppliers to support integration as standard, and those that can’t (or won’t) join the party will struggle to compete.

And beyond traditional punchout portals, punchout API-based integrations and Artificial Intelligence (AI) promise even greater efficiencies. For example, clever features such as predictive procurement (which we’ve provided for clients) enable buyers to automate reorders based on usage data, while number crunching and advanced analytics allow suppliers to identify opportunities for upselling.

If you’re embracing punchout solutions today, then you will be far better positioned to take advantage of innovations in the future, helping you continue to grow and remain relevant in the digital economy.

In a B2B landscape where you can live or die by the sword of digital transformation, punchout portals are a necessity, not a “nice-to-have”. If you invest in this capability today, it will help you secure stronger revenues, ever greater efficiencies, and a sustainable competitive advantage for the future.

The post How Ordering Portals Punchout for Your Business appeared first on PureNet.

B2B ecommerce is a sector that has gained huge and sustained momentum driven by the opportunities it presents to drive revenue growth, streamline operations, and enhance customer relationships. Additionally, it provides B2B businesses the ability to gain real competitive advantage whether by building a B2B ecommerce site as first step or rebuilding an old existing site to capitalise on new technology and make further investments, and gain greater scalability, to get even more results.

The B2B eCommerce Boom

Globally, B2B ecommerce is experiencing year on year growth. And it’s serious growth, too. Looking at two sets of research conducted independently by Forrester and Statista, the worldwide B2B ecommerce market was valued at a staggering $7 trillion in 2023, significantly eclipsing the B2C sector. Buyers are increasingly expecting B2B transactions to mirror the speed, transparency, and ease of consumer user experience (UX), which imperils those who refuse to move with the times.

If we look at the UK specifically, a 2024 piece of research by Wunderman Thompson Commerce found that over 60% of B2B buyers would rather conduct more than half of their purchasing online. The pandemic turbocharged this shift, making remote buying the norm and exposing gaps in companies relying on old school brochures, face-to-face, or phone-based sales. In fact, it’s fair to say that for UK businesses, B2B trading platforms have moved from being an optional extra to enhance sales and satisfy fringe customers to a critical central role.

Opportunities in B2B eCommerce

That B2B ecommerce is a game changer is beyond argument. But why? What are the advantages it brings to the table? Let’s look at some answers to this question.

1. Reach & Access

This first one is simple. Just as the internet is borderless, so is B2B ecommerce. International markets can be reached easily by logging into a B2B ordering portal. A simple to use ordering portal with multilingual and multi-currency features allow typical B2B suppliers such as manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors to trade around the world with limited friction. This is of particular value to UK-based companies looking to boost exports post-Brexit. Customers across Europe, say, or North America can access your full product range, view customer specific pricing, and order online without any boots on the ground in terms of local sales team.

It also levels the playing field, allowing smaller B2B operations to go toe-to-toe with their bigger competitors, especially if they have a smart online presence (size of business is often no guarantee of ecommerce excellence, believe me).

What’s more, your site works 24/7 helping remove the challenges of international time zones.

2. Streamlining Operations

A big difference between B2B and B2C interactions is the complexity typically involved in any given interaction. Traditionally, B2B transactions frequently involve lengthy email threads, PDF quotes, multiple phone calls, and manual data entry into ERP systems. This need for detail never changes. But how simple it can be really does change with a well-executed ecommerce solution.

Integrating you B2B ordering portal will make all the difference. An integrated ecommerce site simplifies and automates those processes that take your team the most time and carry the highest risk of errors. Features such as real-time inventory updates, self-service ordering, bulk pricing tiers (price breaks in common parlance), and custom catalogues reduce internal workload and eliminate costly mistakes.

With a joined-up approach you will be able to link your B2B ecommerce operation with business systems such as ERPs, Order and/or Warehouse Management Systems and fulfilment solutions, giving a real 360-degree visibility. This streamlining will not only save you time but also provides richer data for forecasting, procurement, and senior decision-making.

3. Enhancing Customer Experience

Your B2B customers are the same as the B2C customers buying online in their free time. Except now they’re buying from you as part of their job. They expect the same intuitive UX they experience as consumers. They want to research products, view reviews, check technical specifications, and place orders without it being in any way difficult (or they’ll just go elsewhere). Having in place a sophisticated B2B ordering portal with a seamless UX, complete with advanced search, personalised pricing, instant reordering, and even AI-powered product recommendations will be a magnet to new and existing customers.

And, as we all know, improving customer experience (CX) also significantly helps in building loyalty and will encourage return visits and repeat purchases. Offering useful features such as account dashboards, and delivery tracking demonstrates your teams’ professionalism and reliability—two qualities highly valued by your customers in B2B relationships.

4. Personalisation & Self-Service

One of the greatest advantages of a modern B2B ecommerce platform is the ability to personalise the buying experience. B2B customers are very often long-term buyers, and they have specific needs and requirements; very often that’s why they’ve come to you to buy in the first place. By harnessing customer data, a B2B platform can offer tailored pricing, relevant product suggestions, and speedy access to order history.

Ordering portals also give buyers more control. They can generate quotes, track their deliveries, download their invoices, and even negotiate pricing (which agentic AI is going to impact majorly in the not-to-distant-future)), all without direct sales intervention. This reduces dependency on sales staff and enhances the buyer’s autonomy and efficiency.

5. Boosting Sales with Data & Insights

In B2B, as in B2C, ecommerce understanding your customers is crucial in achieving online success. A key component of that understanding is turning data into information. It can tell you what products people are buying and when. What items they are buying regularly, what they are buying alongside other products and what is selling the best. It can tell you when the buying journey of a given customer is interrupted and where. It can also tell you what products people would buy from you even if you don’t stock them (looking at site search data is invaluable for this). This data will inform merchandising, marketing campaigns, and product development.

It’s worth remembering too that your sales teams can gain insights from digital behaviour to guide their conversations. If a customer repeatedly views a certain product line but hasn’t purchased, it could well indicate interest that the sales team can then pursue proactively.

Challenges & Considerations for B2B eCommerce

One thing to note is that while it’s fair to say that the opportunities are vast, B2B ecommerce is usually very, very complex. It involves larger transaction sizes, negotiated pricing structures, complex approval hierarchies, and multiple payment methods. Most B2B-focused companies have to cater to varied customer groups, each with their own unique needs and permissions. So, building (or improving) a B2B platform requires careful planning, the right technology stack and an experienced development partner to provide implementation.

Key considerations include:

• Platform choice: Whether using Adobe Commerce/Magento Open Source, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce B2B, or a custom solution, the platform must support B2B functionality out-of-the-box or via robust integrations and/or extensions or plugins.
• Integration: Well planned and executed linkups with ERP, CRM, PIM, accounting, and logistics systems are crucial for operational efficiency and a seamless, joined up architecture
• UX: Investing in intuitive UX and responsive design is essential for both desktop and mobile users.
• Security & compliance: Pricing is highly sensitive data, as are contracts and customer data, so it’s important that the platform must meet rigorous security standards, including GDPR compliance. Selecting an ISO27001/9001 development partner is highly advised

Future-Proofing Your B2B Business

You see, investing in a new or existing B2B ecommerce site isn’t just about today. Rather, it’s about preparing for the future. Trends such as AI-powered personalisation, voice commerce, and predictive inventory ordering are already revolutionising how B2B buyers engage with their suppliers.

And let’s face it, younger procurement professionals are digital natives who prefer to research and buy online. As generational shifts continue, companies without a strong digital presence will simply find themselves increasingly irrelevant.

The ongoing rise of marketplaces (think Amazon Business, Alibaba, or even industry-specific portals) also means that savvy B2B companies will have to either compete effectively on these platforms or ensure their own service offers the same  functionality and ease of use.

In Short

Building (or improving) your B2B ordering portal is significant job but one that delivers real benefits to your business. From increasing sales and enhancing CX to boosting operational efficiency and even powering global growth, the ROI can be significant.

For UK businesses, again in manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution, the opportunity is highly significant and potentially profound. Those who act now will reap rewards in growing buyer demand for digital services, differentiate themselves from less nimble competitors, and build more streamlined, data-driven operations.

Whilst your journey will involve technical and organisational challenges and costs, the strategic advantages far outweigh the initial investment. And picking an experienced development partner with a track record in B2B and integration will derisk implementation significantly.  Meaning a well-executed B2B eCommerce strategy is not only an opportunity— it’s a necessity for long-term success.

The post B2B eCommerce: Build, then Build Better appeared first on PureNet.

1. AI-Based personalisation will become the norm

By 2026, artificial intelligence will be underpinning ever more of the ecommerce customer experience. This will range from dynamic content recommendations to predictive analytic tools, and AI will offer highly personalised interactions with users. Machine learning algorithms will take into account contextual data such as the weather or the time of the day to tailor experiences when interacting with us. And of course, Agentic AI will be everywhere as it continues to grow rapidly.

2. Social Commerce will hit its stride

Social Commerce has had so many false dawns over the past decade or more, but things have really changed, and it is set to be a truly dominant channel, especially on platforms where it’s seeing real growth such as TikTok and Instagram (and increasingly YouTube). Consumers will increasingly discover, source, and purchase products without even leaving the app. This is likely to be highly disruptive to many leading platforms.

3. Zero- and first-party data will replace cookies

With the phase-out of third-party cookies, merchants will rely more and more on zero- and first-party data to receive insights and learnings. Loyalty programmes and quizzes will become signally more common data collection methods.

4. Voice and Conversational Commerce will mature

Voice commerce is another area full of expectation but that has yet to really take off. However, I think it will continue to evolve with smarter Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI assistants. This means it will be more intuitive to use voice to reorder, ask questions and complete checkouts.

5. Sustainable ecommerce will be non-negotiable

Despite contrary headwinds from the US, environmental concerns here in the UK will continue to push green logistics, carbon-neutral shipping and sustainable packaging to the top of the agenda.

6. Hybrid retail (Phygital) will see increased growth

The restructuring of how shoppers buy will continue to transmogrify before our very eyes. The rate at which retailers will use digital tools in-store (like Augmented Reality and mobile POS) will accelerate as will the promotion click-and-collect to create genuinely joined-up shopping journeys.

7. Subscriptions will surge

Customisable subscription and the utilisation of auto-replenishment powered by AI will become mainstream, especially across pet care, groceries, and health sectors. The Business to Business (B2B) sector, which has hitherto seen low uptake of subscription, will also see significant pick up in this area, again frequently driven by AI models.

8. Buy Now, Pay Later will be regulated

Now in the process of being regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), BNPL will remain a popular payment method. There are ethical considerations around this (debt accumulation is a very real problem) but transparency will certainly boost user trust and adoption in 2026.

9. “Hyperlocal” delivery will increase market share

Fast, sustainable delivery via local hubs and multiple micro-warehouses will see increased growth in 2026, especially in sectors such as fast fashion and groceries according to recent trends.

10. B2B will be behind significant ecommerce growth

B2B ecommerce remains the biggest area of growth. In an environment where replatforming is less and less frequent, green and brownfield ecommerce builds are far more common in B2B than the B2B space currently. New and innovative technology is emerging from this sector (rather than simply B2C innovations being adopted). Unlikely to change anytime soon.

The post 10 UK Ecommerce Trends to Look Out for in 2026 appeared first on PureNet.

Good processes are not just fussiness or excessive administrative overhead. They form the backbone of scalable, maintainable, and user-friendly digital experiences.

Today, we’re looking at the critical role that structured, well-thought-out processes play in delivering successful web development projects, particularly in the area that PureNet focuses on: ecommerce platforms, back-office integration, and customer-facing portals.

The Foundation of Good Web Development

Web development encompasses far more than simply writing code (or “clattering keys” as one C-level executive airily put to me, with the dismissive tone of someone who hadn’t a bloody clue).  It actually requires significant coordination among multidisciplinary teams, a real understanding of user needs, and dextrous alignment with business goals. No effective processes equal projects that encounter delays, scope creep, budget overruns, and ultimately, a failure to deliver.

Good process, and by this I mean particularly those that are standardised, repeatable, and continuously improved, help to significantly mitigate these risks. They let teams work collaboratively, manage complexity, and maintain quality. From initial discovery and requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance, clearly defined processes ensure that every stage of development is transparent, measurable, and aligned with what the client wants and needs.

Ecommerce: High Stakes, High Complexity

Nowhere are these principles more crucial than in ecommerce, where pitfalls litter the ground. Digital storefronts must deliver seamless user experiences (UX), handle secure transactions, scale efficiently, and integrate with a variety of third-party systems such as payment gateways, ERPs, CRM platforms, and analytics tools.

If you don’t have robust development processes, the intricate ecosystem that is an ecommerce platform just becomes unmanageable. For example, client requirements must be effectively gathered and validated to ensure all stakeholder needs are captured. If you don’t do this it will come back to haunt you with a vengeance. Inadequate discovery will result in missing functionality—such as abandoned cart recovery or multi-currency support—that are costly to retrofit. A process-oriented approach that includes workshops, stakeholder interviews and user journey mapping helps ensure that the developers (or key clatterers- only joking) build a product that meets (or exceeds) expectations.

Agile methodologies, when done properly, offer the flexibility to adapt to changing requirements while maintaining control over deliverables. Iterative development with regular feedback loops, such as sprint reviews and user testing, allows for continuous refinement. This is super helpful in ecommerce, where market conditions and customer behaviours evolve rapidly.

Integration: The Glue that Holds Systems Together

Modern web applications rarely operate in isolation. Integration with other systems, whether back-office systems, cloud services, or third-party API, is essential for delivering a joined-up and efficient UK. This is vital in ecommerce, where systems such as stock management, payment processing, fulfilment, and customer support must work in harmony.

Here, good processes really are indispensable. Integration projects are notoriously susceptible to failure if not properly planned and governed. Key risks include mismatched data structures, unreliable third-party services, poor documentation (a biggie), and security vulnerabilities. A structured process helps to identify these risks early and plan mitigation strategies.

Furthermore, integration Quality Assurance (QA)/user acceptance testing (UAT) should be automated where possible and conducted continuously as part of a DevOps pipeline. This ensures that any changes, be they internal or external, don’t break critical workflows. By putting these elements into a clearly defined development process, teams can ensure system interoperability, data integrity, and long-term maintainability.

Portals: Personalisation, Access Control, and User Experience

Portals serve as centralised platforms that offer users access to personalised content, services, and data. These may be customer portals, employee dashboards, supplier hubs, or partner interfaces. In each case, the challenge lies in presenting complex information in a user-friendly way while maintaining secure access and system performance.

The development of portals requires meticulous planning and rigorous adherence to process. Key process steps include elements such as user segmentation, access control modelling, interface design, content management planning, and performance optimisation. For example, permission structures must be carefully designed and tested to ensure that users see only what they are authorised to view. A poor implementation could lead to data breaches or service disruption.

Like ecommerce platforms, portals often integrate with multiple back-end systems, such as HR databases, CRMs, billing platforms, etc., which means that data synchronisation, latency, and error recovery must be addressed early in the process. Without a good process to guide these efforts, teams risk poor UX, data silos, or redundant functionality.

Design thinking, combined with agile development and user feedback loops, offers a powerful process framework for portal development. Regular usability testing and accessibility audits help ensure that the portal serves all user groups effectively. Clear documentation and onboarding processes further enhance user satisfaction and reduce support costs.

Monitoring and observability are also vital. Processes must be in place to log system events, track performance metrics, and alert teams to anomalies. In ecommerce, where even minor downtime can result in significant revenue loss, proactive monitoring is a must. Good processes define how alerts are triaged, escalated, and resolved, ensuring that teams can respond effectively to incidents.

Documentation, Governance, and Compliance

In regulated industries or sectors dealing with sensitive data e.g. healthcare, finance, or education, compliance requirements add another layer of complexity. Data protection regulations such as the UK’s Data Protection Act and the EU’s GDPR require that systems handle personal information in specific ways.

Good development processes ensure that compliance is not an afterthought but an integral part of the project lifecycle. This includes documenting data flows, establishing data retention policies, encrypting sensitive data, and securing access to systems. Auditable trails and version-controlled documentation allow organisations to demonstrate compliance and respond effectively to regulatory inquiries.

Moreover, governance processes provide oversight across projects, helping to standardise best practices, enforce coding standards, and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture. This leads to better maintainability, improved scalability, and reduced technical debt.

Tools to the Job Right

Tools such as Jira and Service Desk (as used by us) are integral to efficient web development and support, streamlining task management and issue resolution. Our Jira system enables agile development by organising sprints, tracking bugs, and assigning tasks to team members with full visibility. This ensures accountability and progress monitoring.

Service Desk, on the other hand, provides a structured approach for handling user requests, incidents, and service queries. It integrates seamlessly with Jira, allowing support tickets to be escalated directly into development workflows. This connection fosters quicker response times, improved communication between support and development teams, and a clear audit trail. Together, they support continuous improvement, ensuring websites remain robust, secure, and responsive to user needs through effective collaboration, prioritisation, and resolution of technical issues.

Gone, then, are the days of laid-back coding teams approaching web development in a casual way, with each build treated as one off web build. Processes are essential to make complex web platforms work properly. We do it not because we’re fussy. We do it because it works. Get in touch to find out how we can help with your latest project.

The post Don’t Leave it to Chance- Why Good Process Makes for Good Web Development appeared first on PureNet.

Customisation and Flexibility

All ecommerce platforms offer a degree of flexibility. That can vary very much on the platform and the ingenuity and skill of the developers. You can also get a lot of functionality out of the box (whether you need it or not) which can be a boon or sometimes a drag on resources.

But the nature of bespoke systems means that there is little predefined functionality (beyond a range of essential core functions and modules as in Coops Collective own bespoke platform, WebPOS) and the complete latitude to build as much or as little as is required and desired.

This offers some very real freedom. For instance, for business-to-business companies there are often processes that have evolved and been fine-tuned that really work, improving efficiency and output. Reflecting these processes can be hard to implement in an off the peg ecommerce package but can be faithfully reproduced with a bespoke build. And with B2C builds, allowing the weird and wonderful as a company USP may hinge on the ability to offer heavily customised web experiences.

Unlike more ‘black box’ SaaS systems you’ll never find the answers “this can’t be done” or “you can achieve this but only doing it the platform’s way”, common responses that can frustrate ecommerce managers. With a custom build, the question will simply be about budgets and timescales, never any technical limitations.

Scalability and Longevity

As a business, and its online operation, grows, adapts, changes and reacts so too does the needs of its website functionality. Different ecommerce platforms can be customised in variable degrees to meet these changes and challenges but only a bespoke build will allow you to tailor your ecommerce platform to reflect every nuance and detail required in an evolving web environment.

Powerful 3^rd party tools, such AI driven merchandising, search, data reporting and user experience (UX) systems are also available and increasingly used by ecommerce sites to augment their own innate functionality. Many of these can be as readily integrated into a custom build as they can with an off the shelf package, helping you to beef up functionality and improve performance.

Equally, other than the occasional underlying technical upgrade, you won’t be forced to upgrade or retire your platform if it is deemed ‘end of life’. Many custom platforms will continue performing exceptionally well 3, 5 or even 10 or more years after they have been built delivering real ROI and justifying the additional costs of tailoring it.

Security and Control

Off-the-shelf solutions are far more susceptible to widespread security vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals are far more likely to invest their time finding ways to hack a platform which has thousands of ecommerce sites than one. Having a bespoke ecommerce platform allows you to focus on your cybersecurity in a more focused way, rather than hurriedly react to the latest security update or patch.

With very few agencies demanding proprietary ownership if their code these days, you also get to control your site. No unexpected hikes in fees, no waiting for roadmap functionality or sudden changes in approach. You will own your site and be able to plot your own destiny.

So, when should you seek out custom ecommerce website design?

A custom build is not the solution for everyone. Off the shelf packages usually offer the best route to cost effective online success. PureNet would always look at a client’s needs and ultimate goals and for most an off the shelf system offers the best approach. However, for many, having a bespoke ecommerce website design offers some real advantages that should be explored as part of any platform evaluation.

The post When are Bespoke Ecommerce Solutions the Right Move? appeared first on PureNet.

You can forgive yourself for feeling like a rabbit in the headlights. Not only is there a lot of data to consume to convert into meaningful information but the fact it seems to be changing and evolving can make your head spin. We know, though, that the ability to use this emergent technology effectively could mean competitive advantage, increased revenues and lower costs. So, what to do?

From our perspective AI is somewhat old news. PureNet has been delivering AI solutions since 2012. One of the company’s founders and director, Dr Paul Gibson, has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and long ago saw how AI could be used by organisations effectively. Paul heads a team of PureNet consultants who can add real value across a range of sectors that could benefit your business.

So, with that in mind let’s look at some areas which offer some huge opportunities where third-party experience and expertise might be really valuable.

AI and Ecommerce

Ecommerce is perhaps the most obvious of applications. It’s certainly a space where AI has been operating for some time and is very mature as far as AI is concerned. Some areas which some merchants are getting great results are:

• Personalised Customer Experience –recommendation engines, natural language processing (NLP) chatbots, and AI-powered search functionality really improve user engagement and increases conversion rates. These are all areas we can help you understand. We’ve also built many of these tools so we really know how they could work for your ecommerce site.
• Fraud Detection and Security –AI-driven algorithms will analyse transactional patterns to detect anomalies, minimising fraud risks (the perennial headache of an ecommerce operation).
• Dynamic Pricing Strategies – We began to build functionality to do this back in 2012 (they’re a lot more sophisticated now) and they enable businesses to optimise pricing in real-time based on demand, competitor pricing, and/or consumer behaviour.
• Inventory and Demand Forecasting – PureNet can advise and assist in building models that predict demand fluctuations, helping you maintain optimal inventory levels and reducing over/under stocking.
• Marketing and Customer Insights –Our AI consultancy services can provide insights around segmenting customers, predicting buying behaviours, and making the most of your ad spend through predictive analytics and automation.

AI Applications Development

If you have your own in-house development team, or even if you outsource, our AI consultancy services will be able to help. inject knowledge into the team with some targeted AI consultancy. Areas in which we could help include:

• Automating Software Testing – PureNet would work with your team to introduce AI-driven testing frameworks to detect and resolve bugs more quickly, reducing rework and helping out in development timelines.
• AI-powered Code Generation – We would advise your developers on integrating AI-assisted coding tools enhancing developer productivity.
• Enhanced User Experience (UX) – Giving a first class UX can be enhanced by deploying AI-powered chatbots, utilising voice recognition, and adaptive interfaces (which are known to improve user interaction with applications).
• Predictive Analytics in Development – You can make use of machine learning to predict potential software failures and recommend optimisations before you deploy code.
• Cybersecurity Enhancements – It’s fascinating to see how many organisations now employ AI-powered threat detection to safeguard applications from vulnerabilities and security breaches. A great use of the technology.

AI in Product Management

Product management is crucial for driving product innovation and market success. Coops Collective AI consultancy services would support product management teams in:

• Data-driven Product Decisions – AI-powered analytics will identify market trends, customer preferences, and potential product opportunities.
• Automated Customer Feedback Analysis – Using AI tools enables companies to process customer reviews and feedback at scale, identifying areas for improvement or that require a closer look. Our consultants can show you the most appropriate and cost-effective tools you can use.
• AI-driven Roadmap Planning – Analytics are important, right? What about predictive analytics? Based on trends, these will assist in forecasting product success, prioritising features, and optimising development resources. Let us show you how.
• Competitive Analysis – AI-driven insights provide businesses with a competitive edge by using big data tasks to help in analysing market trends, competitor strategies, and customer sentiment.
• Enhancing User Experience – This is something we’ve been doing for over a decade. AI-driven personalisation ensures that products align with what your customers want, be it B2C or B2B, improving retention and engagement.

AI in the Supply Chain

In our view, AI-driven solutions have the potential to revolutionise supply chain management just by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and making your operational capacity more self-sufficient. This covers a number of quite diverse areas in which AI can be used to achieve some great results and include:

• Predictive Demand and Supply Forecasting – You can use AI algorithms to analyse historical data factoring in external factors(wherever possible) to predict demand far more accurately than before
• Automated Logistics and Route Optimisation – By deploying machine learning models that there is an opportunity to optimise delivery routes and reduce transportation costs which can make a real impact
• Inventory Optimisation – You can deploy AI-driven tools to help your team in maintaining optimal inventory levels, preventing the headache of excess stock or product shortages
• Supplier Risk Assessment – Companies are using AI to assess supplier risks based on data-driven insights, which crunch the numbers to help ensure supply chain resilience

What is clear is that AI offers plenty of benefits across a range of business functions and processes.  By leveraging AI expertise, businesses can optimise operations, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive advantage. And, as AI technology continues to evolve, companies that invest in AI will be better positioned to harness its full potential, driving innovation and long-term success. A helping hand from a team of AI experts makes decision making easier, quicker and far less riskier.

The post The Advantages of AI Consultancy appeared first on PureNet.

However, there remains a constant pressure to innovate, adapt, and maintain a competitive edge. For businesses with an in-house development team, the challenges of keeping up with this wildly mutating technology ecosystem can be overwhelming.

That’s why businesses should consider teaming up with a development agency such as PureNet to support the internal team. There are several reasons why supplementing in-house capabilities with the expertise of a development team might drive real success.

1. Access to Specialised Expertise

Technology is always evolving, with new tools, innovations and methodologies cropping up all the time. While in-house teams may be great in specific areas, they often lack proficiency in certain niches or emerging technologies. PureNet brings a wealth of specialist knowledge and experience across a variety of domains. For instance, we have experts in AI, integration, consultancy and advanced mobile app development, skills that may be challenging to cultivate internally due to time or resource constraints.

This access to specialised expertise helps ensure that businesses can tackle complex projects effectively without the daily grind of extensive training or recruitment efforts. We fill these gaps, enabling companies to take on projects that might otherwise be out of reach.

2. Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility

A crucial advantage of working with a development agency is the ability to scale resources up or down based on project requirements. Most internal teams face fluctuating workloads with periods of high demand followed by quieter intervals. Maintaining a large in-house team to handle peak workloads can be inefficient and costly. We provide the flexibility to adapt to these changing needs.

To give an example, during the development of a new product, we supplement our clients’ in-house team with additional resources, ensuring timely delivery without overburdening internal staff. Once the project is complete, the company can scale again, optimising costs and maintaining efficiency.

3. Accelerated Time-to-Market

Let’s face it, in the world of development, speed of delivery is usually a critical factor. Whether it’s launching a new product, updating an existing platform, or responding to market trends, delays can result in missed opportunities. Development agencies such as PureNet are equipped to work alongside in-house teams to expedite project timelines.

By leveraging the additional manpower and expertise of an agency, businesses can divvy up tasks more effectively, reduce bottlenecks, and streamline workflows. PureNet brings proven processes and methodologies that help accelerate development cycles, ensuring faster delivery without compromising quality.

4. Cost-Effective

Building and maintaining a full-time team of developers with diverse skill sets often can be prohibitively expensive. And it’s not just their salaries, either. There are costs associated with benefits, training, equipment, office space and a host of other things. Partnering with a development agency allows companies to access top notch skill sets without the overhead associated with permanent hires.

Good agencies (like us, of course) are also flexible. PureNet operates on flexible pricing models, such as hourly rates, fixed project costs, or retainer agreements, enabling businesses to choose an arrangement that aligns with their budget and objectives.

5. Fresh Perspectives and Innovation

In-house teams, while hugely familiar with the company’s products and processes, often fall into the trap of tunnel vision and echo chamber. A development agency like PureNet brings an outsider’s perspective, offering bright ideas and innovative solutions that haven’t been considered internally. We work with a range of clients in lots of different industries meaning we can cross-pollenate good ideas. We bring new approaches, best practices, and creative strategies that can significantly enhance our clients’ projects.

6. Risk Mitigation

Software development projects come with risks, including technical challenges, project delays, and feature creep. Development agencies are very well used to navigating these risks and have established processes to address them effectively. We provide risk management strategies, contingency plans, and quality assurance measures that reduce the likelihood of issues arising.

7. Focus on Core Competencies

For many businesses, technology development is a means to an end rather than the core focus. Take some examples- an ecommerce company’s primary objective might be to enhance customer experience and drive sales, whilst a healthcare organisation might prioritise patient care and compliance. By outsourcing certain development tasks to an agency, you free up in-house teams to concentrate on strategic initiatives and core business functions.

This division of labour ensures that critical projects receive the attention they deserve while routine or specialised tasks are handled efficiently by the agency.

8. Continuous Support and Maintenance

Just because you’ve finished the project doesn’t mean downing tools. It usually means the beginning of a new phase: maintenance and updates. We all know software requires ongoing support to address bugs, implement updates, and adapt to changing user needs or technological innovations. We can provide this ongoing support, either independently or in collaboration with an in-house team.

This ensures that the company’s digital assets remain robust, secure, and up to date without overburdening internal resources. PureNet has dedicated support teams that respond quickly to issues, minimising downtime and maintaining user satisfaction.

9. Adaptability to Emerging Trends

It’s blindingly obvious to say the technology landscape is characterised by rapid evolution, and we can all see new trends and tools emerging regularly. Staying ahead of these trends is essential for maintaining competitiveness. Development agencies are, by necessity, at the forefront of innovation and advancements, investing in research and training to stay updated.

By collaborating with an agency, businesses leverage this forward-thinking approach to adopt new technologies, implement innovative solutions, and remain relevant in their industries. This adaptability ensures that companies can respond proactively to market changes and customer expectations.

Wrap Up

Let’s be clear. The decision to partner with a development agency such as PureNet to support an in-house team is not just about addressing skill gaps or managing workloads. It’s a strategic move that will drive growth, innovation, and efficiency. From accessing specialised expertise and accelerating time-to-market to enhancing scalability and mitigating risks, the benefits of such a partnership are significant and transformational.

By blending the strengths of both internal teams and external agencies, companies will achieve a balance that maximises productivity and breeds long-term success. In an era where agility and innovation are paramount, having a development agency as an extension of the in-house team is not just a good idea—it’s a competitive necessity.

The post Why and When to Outsource Web Development appeared first on PureNet.

And with headless ecommerce, like a religion that many proselytise with the zeal of the newly converted, there are a range of approaches that operate like sects within this very broad church.

What is headless ecommerce?

So, let’s start at the beginning. What is headless ecommerce anyway? A headless ecommerce solution essentially decouples the front-end user interface, or “presentation layer” of an ecommerce site from the back-end gritty ecommerce functionality, offering flexibility and innovation potential. Essentially, you’re splitting your site down the middle. On the one hand, this offers huge potential wins in addressing these two elements separately. On the other, it also comes with some real challenges.

Headless ecommerce platforms

Also, what type of headless approach will you adopt? The more relaxed proponents (like headless Anglicans) would be happy to use an established ecommerce platform like Magento/Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce or Shopify as the back end (all support headless integration) supplying all that rich ecommerce functionality you get out of the box with a custom front end.

However, the Ultras would call this heretical and insist a true decoupled solution can only be made out of composable tools using best of breed products for the back end such as Medusa.JS and incorporating different tooling for order management, catalogue, payment and so on. In fact, they won’t even call this headless and refer to it as ‘Composable Commerce’. A discussion for another day… Instead, let’s take a look at its advantages and disadvantages.

The benefits of headless ecommerce

• A Flexible Architecture. Standard (or, to use the pejorative “monolithic” used by those who are wholly converted to the headless paradigm) ecommerce sites have their front and back end intrinsically linked and effectively tied to templates. When separated, it allows businesses to create unique, customised digital experiences. advanced personalisation for customers across devices and channels, enhancing engagement leading to increased conversion rates. Ecommerce professionals can experiment with creative designs and user journeys without being limited by backend constraints.

• Omnichannel Capability. Based upon a single backend, businesses can deliver consistent shopping experiences across multiple touchpoints, such as websites, mobile apps, smart devices (like your TV), and even voice assistants. This centralisation ensures seamless integration and data synchronisation.

• Improved Performance. A decoupled architecture can lead to faster load times (by using a lightweight front end using JavaScript (improving load times which Google really likes) and smoother user experiences, akin to Progressive Web Applications (PWAs). These benefits contribute to an enhanced User Experience (UX) and better search engine optimisation.

• Scalability and Agility. Headless solutions enable businesses to scale their front-end and back-end systems independently. In ongoing development terms, this supports concurrent development, speeding up changes. It also makes it easier to accommodate traffic surges or introduce new sales channel

• Freedom. Online companies can choose the technologies that best suit their needs for the front-end and back-end, avoiding vendor lock-in and leveraging modern development frameworks.

Right. Those are the headless ecommerce benefits and they are extremely impressive benefits at that, let there be no doubt. Many of these points represent an ecommerce Holy Grail and something sought after by every online business’s Knight-errant. Or Ecommerce Manager as they like to be called. But is there a downside? Of course there is. Few things are that pure and simple:

The cons

• High Costs. Boy, building one of these headless ecommerce solutions can be pricey. The implementation and maintenance of headless ecommerce systems are expensive. Development costs will be at least 6 figures with ongoing expenses for an ecommerce platform and/or tools to augment the solution

• Technical Complexity. Headless builds are complicated. They require significant expertise and skill sets. Development teams need to manage APIs, front-end frameworks, and back-end systems that dwarf what is required but standard (or “monolithic” ecommerce platforms

• Longer Build Times. If headless solutions cost more and are extremely complex then, guess what? They take longer to build. Whilst once in place they can be quicker (if not cheaper) to apply change, any initial build is going to be a time-consuming process, especially when APIs are being put in place. Few but the simplest ecommerce sites are quick, but with headless…? Just make sure you understand the implications on your timelines

• Team Training and Learning Curve. Transitioning to a headless setup involves training teams on new workflows, especially when managing separate systems for content, products, and customer interactions. This adjustment period can slow operations, and this is an overhead on any busy ecommerce outfit

• Lack of Unified Support. In traditional platforms, one vendor often provides comprehensive support for all components. In a headless setup, different parts of the stack (front end, back end, APIs) might be managed by separate vendors or teams, complicating troubleshooting and potentially leading to finger pointing among those providing the solution. This is particularly compounded when running an orthodox ‘Composable Commerce’ solution

There endeth the lesson. As an agnostic, those are some of the pros and cons I’ve identified, but there are plenty more. As experts in headless commerce development, we’d be happy to talk through our experience and guide you on your ecommerce crusade.

The post Headless Ecommerce appeared first on PureNet.

Aside from the management and ongoing development of your ecommerce platform, there are a number of services that really help to support your online growth. Behind real ecommerce growth you will often find:

• Expert consultancy
• A fundamental understanding of Artificial Intelligence
• Hosting and infrastructure
• Digital marketing
• Mobile apps

PureNet is perhaps know best for its skills in development using off the shelf platforms such as Adobe Commerce/Magento and custom builds using its powerful WebPOS framework. But it also has other brands that we use to help our customers deliver a full range of services. Let’s take a look at them and how they deliver success.

A Full Service Digital Marketing Agency

Agency51 is our digital marketing brand. They help ecommerce clients grow using the full mix of tactics including Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), social media, PR, emails and many more. As we’re part of the same organisation, we can work in tandem to ensure easy communications and as shared vision to help ensure our clients not only have the best ecommerce site, but that it’s being promoted and pushed forward at a rate of knots. Marketing your site effectively will boost traffic and will raise those conversion rates.

A Mobile App Development Company

Something else to note is that ever more rapidly, ecommerce transactions are carried out on people’s phones. This is a trend that has been growing since the advent of smartphones and shows no signs of slowing down. According to a report by Elogic, mobile apps accounted for 58% of all website visits and specialised tech provider GoMage reported that this mobile commerce market will approach $3.56 trillion by the end of the year.

Mobile responsive sites are central to this, but you can really take the initiative with Android and iOS mobile apps. Coops Collective mobile app development brand, Appnetix will build you powerful, leading edge mobile apps that provide a first-class user experience with the ability to integrate into back office systems, provide multi use applications and incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance user journeys and experience.

A Digital Consultancy

PureNet carries out a great deal of consultancy both independently and in conjunction with our site builds to ensure that any build as covered off all angles. I wrote about the value this can bring earlier this year and working with experienced agencies that can offer seasoned consultants an make the difference between a project’s success and failure.

Web Hosting Services

Your ecommerce platform is only as robust as the hosting platform it sits on. Making sure your web development agency is highly skilled in the delivery of your site is paramount. Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are examples of hosting platforms that offer scalability, allowing businesses to handle traffic surges during peak seasons without worrying about infrastructure limitations. They also offer powerful tools for analytics, AI, and machine learning to optimise operations, improve customer experiences, and drive growth. They also have services and tools to help your online security. Understanding these platforms requires unique skill sets so it’s essential your developer can find their way around these platforms and give you the support you need.

In summary then, having one agency, working together and offering all they key services for growth makes a lot of sense. A joined-up approach is very often the best and coordinating your services much simpler. There’s no finger pointing, no blaming the other guys and no excuses. I’d recommend you try.

To find out how PureNet can help your ecommerce business thrive, get in touch with us.

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