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Digital Commerce for B2B Brands: Overcoming the Roadblocks to Transformation
India Claydon
July 09, 2025
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5m
Digital transformation is no longer a “nice to have” in B2B. It’s the new standard.
By 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions are expected to happen online. Your buyers—who are increasingly influenced by their B2C experiences—want seamless, personalised, digital-first journeys. And they want them now.
But here's the catch: despite the urgency, many B2B businesses are stuck.
We’ve worked with brands across manufacturing, retail, and distribution, and we see the same hurdles crop up time and again. The good news? They're all solvable—with the right plan, the right partner, and a dose of pragmatism.
Let’s take a look at the six most common blockers we help B2B brands overcome on the road to digital commerce success.
The Future Is Hybrid—Be Ready
In the new era of commerce, it’s not B2B or D2C—it’s both. The most resilient brands are those that can flex across channels, respond to market shifts, and own their customer relationships. If you’re a B2B business ready to go direct, now is the time to move—and Tom&Co is the partner to make it happen.
1. Waiting on a Rebrand
Ah, the “rebrand bottleneck.” It’s surprisingly common—and surprisingly costly.
Many B2B businesses put digital transformation on hold because they’re in the middle of refreshing their brand. Especially if they're exploring a move into D2C, branding suddenly feels like a prerequisite. The thinking is: “Let’s finalise our identity first, then build the digital experience.”
But waiting on a rebrand can stall your momentum for months. Sometimes years.
Our take: Rebranding and digital transformation don’t have to happen in sequence—they can run side-by-side. During Discovery, we work with clients to assess where brand work sits within the project and create a timeline that factors it in strategically. We often phase development to allow brand and platform to evolve in tandem, avoiding unnecessary delays.
And when D2C is part of the plan, we help develop a brand presence that speaks to both B2B and consumer audiences, without alienating either. It’s all about clarity, cohesion, and working with where you are—not waiting for perfection.
Many B2B businesses put digital transformation on hold because they’re in the middle of refreshing their brand. Especially if they're exploring a move into D2C, branding suddenly feels like a prerequisite. The thinking is: “Let’s finalise our identity first, then build the digital experience.”
But waiting on a rebrand can stall your momentum for months. Sometimes years.
Our take: Rebranding and digital transformation don’t have to happen in sequence—they can run side-by-side. During Discovery, we work with clients to assess where brand work sits within the project and create a timeline that factors it in strategically. We often phase development to allow brand and platform to evolve in tandem, avoiding unnecessary delays.
And when D2C is part of the plan, we help develop a brand presence that speaks to both B2B and consumer audiences, without alienating either. It’s all about clarity, cohesion, and working with where you are—not waiting for perfection.
2. Back-End Systems Are in Flux
Another common blocker? Tech infrastructure that's mid-upgrade.
When a business is revamping their ERP or swapping out legacy systems, eCommerce projects tend to take a backseat. Understandably, there’s a desire to “fix the foundations” first before investing in a shiny new front end.
But waiting for back-end systems to stabilise can grind your digital roadmap to a halt—and it rarely happens on schedule.
Our take: We architect flexible solutions that align with your current and future system landscape. Whether you're mid-ERP upgrade or planning one, we look at how to move forward without introducing risk. That could mean planning around system migration timelines, using middleware, or staging integrations.
Composable architectures, robust APIs and modern development approaches (like headless builds) help us create eCommerce platforms that are stable now and scalable later.
When a business is revamping their ERP or swapping out legacy systems, eCommerce projects tend to take a backseat. Understandably, there’s a desire to “fix the foundations” first before investing in a shiny new front end.
But waiting for back-end systems to stabilise can grind your digital roadmap to a halt—and it rarely happens on schedule.
Our take: We architect flexible solutions that align with your current and future system landscape. Whether you're mid-ERP upgrade or planning one, we look at how to move forward without introducing risk. That could mean planning around system migration timelines, using middleware, or staging integrations.
Composable architectures, robust APIs and modern development approaches (like headless builds) help us create eCommerce platforms that are stable now and scalable later.
3. Product Data Is a Mess
This one’s big. If your product data is scattered across spreadsheets, internal docs and ageing systems—or worse, trapped in people’s heads—you’re not alone.
Unstructured, inconsistent or incomplete product data is one of the biggest reasons eCommerce projects struggle to get off the ground. And yet it’s often overlooked until late in the game.
Our take: Product data is the beating heart of digital commerce, especially for B2B. It powers everything from discoverability to personalisation, and if it’s not sorted early, it creates issues later.
That’s why we address data from day one. We help you map your current product landscape, clean and standardise it, and—where needed—implement Product Information Management (PIM) systems like Akeneo. The goal? A single source of truth that drives consistency across all your channels.
With clean, structured data, everything becomes easier: merchandising, filtering, search, speed to market. You’ll scale faster—and sell smarter.
Unstructured, inconsistent or incomplete product data is one of the biggest reasons eCommerce projects struggle to get off the ground. And yet it’s often overlooked until late in the game.
Our take: Product data is the beating heart of digital commerce, especially for B2B. It powers everything from discoverability to personalisation, and if it’s not sorted early, it creates issues later.
That’s why we address data from day one. We help you map your current product landscape, clean and standardise it, and—where needed—implement Product Information Management (PIM) systems like Akeneo. The goal? A single source of truth that drives consistency across all your channels.
With clean, structured data, everything becomes easier: merchandising, filtering, search, speed to market. You’ll scale faster—and sell smarter.
4. CAPEX Approval is a Struggle
Let’s be honest: getting budget sign-off can feel like a campaign in itself.
eCommerce transformation isn’t cheap, and when ROI is projected over the long term, it can be tough to justify to leadership—especially when finance teams are focused on short-term wins or cost-cutting.
Our take: We help build a business case that speaks finance’s language. That means linking platform improvements to measurable outcomes—like increased order accuracy, higher AOV, improved operational efficiency, and happier customers.
We also help you explore smarter commercial models. Some costs may fall under CapEx, others under OpEx, depending on how you structure the project. Either way, we’ll help you present a clear view of where the value lies—and when it lands.
With clear goals, defined KPIs and a thoughtful roadmap, you’re far more likely to secure the buy-in you need.
eCommerce transformation isn’t cheap, and when ROI is projected over the long term, it can be tough to justify to leadership—especially when finance teams are focused on short-term wins or cost-cutting.
Our take: We help build a business case that speaks finance’s language. That means linking platform improvements to measurable outcomes—like increased order accuracy, higher AOV, improved operational efficiency, and happier customers.
We also help you explore smarter commercial models. Some costs may fall under CapEx, others under OpEx, depending on how you structure the project. Either way, we’ll help you present a clear view of where the value lies—and when it lands.
With clear goals, defined KPIs and a thoughtful roadmap, you’re far more likely to secure the buy-in you need.
5. Sales Team Sensitivities
Sometimes the biggest blocker isn’t tech at all—it’s people.
For sales teams, especially those who’ve built strong customer relationships over years, the idea of an eCommerce platform can feel threatening. They worry about losing control, losing commission, or being replaced altogether.
And if leadership doesn’t tackle that fear head-on, it can quietly derail the whole project.
Our take: Digital commerce should empower your sales team, not replace them. We show teams how self-service functionality reduces admin and gives them more time to focus on strategic selling.
We help develop new incentive structures that reward eCommerce-enabled sales. And we equip sales teams to use the platform as a tool—placing orders on behalf of clients or walking them through new functionality.
The result? Better customer experience, stronger sales performance, and a team that sees digital not as a threat, but a win.
For sales teams, especially those who’ve built strong customer relationships over years, the idea of an eCommerce platform can feel threatening. They worry about losing control, losing commission, or being replaced altogether.
And if leadership doesn’t tackle that fear head-on, it can quietly derail the whole project.
Our take: Digital commerce should empower your sales team, not replace them. We show teams how self-service functionality reduces admin and gives them more time to focus on strategic selling.
We help develop new incentive structures that reward eCommerce-enabled sales. And we equip sales teams to use the platform as a tool—placing orders on behalf of clients or walking them through new functionality.
The result? Better customer experience, stronger sales performance, and a team that sees digital not as a threat, but a win.
6. You’re Doing It Alone
Digital transformation is a team sport. And trying to do it all in-house—while juggling day-to-day priorities—is a recipe for burnout.
You need a partner who gets B2B, understands your internal politics, and knows how to build not just great websites—but great businesses.
Our take: At Tom&Co, we’ve helped brands like Topps Tiles, LeMieux, and Biscuiteers navigate complex transformation journeys.
Our proven Discovery → Strategy → Delivery framework is designed to bring clarity, reduce risk, and deliver results.
We’re Adobe Commerce specialists with deep integration expertise, skilled in headless development and comfortable working alongside your in-house teams, external suppliers, and everyone in between. Digital transformation is tough. You don’t need to go it alone.
You need a partner who gets B2B, understands your internal politics, and knows how to build not just great websites—but great businesses.
Our take: At Tom&Co, we’ve helped brands like Topps Tiles, LeMieux, and Biscuiteers navigate complex transformation journeys.
Our proven Discovery → Strategy → Delivery framework is designed to bring clarity, reduce risk, and deliver results.
We’re Adobe Commerce specialists with deep integration expertise, skilled in headless development and comfortable working alongside your in-house teams, external suppliers, and everyone in between. Digital transformation is tough. You don’t need to go it alone.
Let’s Get Started
If you’re stuck in planning limbo, battling internal blockers, or unsure how to move forward—we can help.
From aligning your tech stack and cleaning up product data to building a rock-solid business case and managing change internally, we help B2B businesses get moving—and stay moving.
📞 Give us a call on 020 7351 3521
📧 Or drop us a line at info@tomandco.co.uk
Let’s make your digital transformation happen—for real.
From aligning your tech stack and cleaning up product data to building a rock-solid business case and managing change internally, we help B2B businesses get moving—and stay moving.
📞 Give us a call on 020 7351 3521
📧 Or drop us a line at info@tomandco.co.uk
Let’s make your digital transformation happen—for real.