B2B e-commerce on Magento requires sophisticated features and tight integration with NetSuite. This guide covers comprehensive B2B strategies for Magento-NetSuite integration including wholesale, distribution, and enterprise sales models.
B2B Commerce with Magento NetSuite
B2B e-commerce on Magento integrated with NetSuite enables sophisticated wholesale and enterprise sales operations with advanced order management and financial features.
B2B Features Required
- Company and user account management
- Tiered customer pricing
- Purchase order workflows
- Order approval workflows
- Negotiated contracts and pricing
- Quick order entry (bulk purchasing)
- Saved carts and templates
- Shared catalogs and visibility rules
- Net payment terms
- Custom invoicing
- Accounting integration
B2B Account Structure
Company Hierarchy
- Company (Parent Account): Legal entity with billing
- Divisions/Departments: Sub-accounts within company
- Locations: Ship-to addresses
- Users/Contacts: Individual purchasers
- Approval Structure: Hierarchical approvals
User Roles and Permissions
Pricing and Contracts
B2B Pricing Models
- List Price: Published price
- Tiered Pricing: Volume-based discounts
- Custom Pricing: Negotiated per company
- Catalog Pricing: Company-specific catalog
- Contract Pricing: Time-limited pricing agreements
- Wholesale Pricing: Special distributor pricing
Volume Tiering Example
Purchase Order Management
PO Workflow
- Buyer creates PO in Magento portal
- System validates against purchase limits
- Routes to appropriate approver(s)
- Approver reviews and approves/rejects
- Approved PO converted to sales order
- Inventory reserved
- Fulfillment initiated
- PO status updated
- Invoice linked to PO
Approval Workflow Configuration
Quick Order Entry and Bulk Operations
Quick Order Methods
- CSV/Excel Upload: Bulk import product list
- Quick Order Form: Enter SKU and quantity rapidly
- Saved Carts: Reuse previous orders
- Requisition Lists: Save multi-order templates
- Catalog Search: Quick product lookup
- Order Templates: Pre-defined package orders
Requisition Lists
- Save reusable product combinations
- Shared across team members
- Version control and history
- One-click conversion to order
- Automated replenishment scheduling
B2B Customer Portal Features
Portal Capabilities
- Account dashboard with key metrics
- Team member management
- Role and permission configuration
- Spending analysis and reporting
- Invoice and statement access
- Payment tracking and processing
- Support ticket management
- Order history and reordering
- Quote request submission
Portal Analytics
- Monthly spending trends
- Spending by product category
- Comparison to budget
- Year-over-year analysis
- Price change tracking
- Savings achieved through bulk purchasing
Payment Terms and Credit Management
Payment Options
- Credit card (for smaller orders)
- ACH/Bank transfer (for larger orders)
- Wire transfer
- Check payment
- Letter of credit (international)
- Prepay/COD for new customers
Credit Limit and Terms
- Individual credit limit by company
- Credit limit monitoring
- Automatic order blocks for exceeded limits
- Payment terms (Net 30/60/90 days)
- Early payment discounts
- Auto-invoice generation
- Dunning process for overdue invoices
Shared Catalogs and Visibility
Custom Catalogs
- Company-specific product visibility
- Hide products from certain customers
- Show exclusive products to premium tier
- Category-level restrictions
- Price visibility controls
Catalog Assignment
- All products catalog (default)
- Distributor catalog (wholesale only)
- Reseller catalog (exclusive items)
- Partner catalog (co-branded products)
- Premium customer catalog (premium items)
Quote and RFQ Management
Quote Workflow
- Customer submits quote request
- Sales team reviews request
- Custom pricing determined
- Quote created in NetSuite
- Quote presented to customer
- Customer accepts quote
- Accepted quote converts to order
- Order proceeds through normal workflow
Quote Templates
- Standard quote document
- Company-branded formatting
- Customizable terms and conditions
- Discount matrices
- Volume commitment options
- Expiration date management
B2B Reporting and Analytics
Key B2B Metrics
Best Practices for B2B Integration
- Flexible Pricing: Support tiered, custom, and contract pricing
- Approval Workflows: Automate approval routing by amount
- Self-Service Portal: Empower customers to manage accounts
- Credit Management: Monitor limits and enforce controls
- Custom Catalogs: Control product visibility by customer tier
- Comprehensive Reporting: Track account profitability
- Dedicated Support: Provide account management for key accounts
Actionable Takeaways
- Implement B2B company and user hierarchy in Magento
- Configure tiered pricing by volume and customer tier
- Set up PO approval workflows with spending limits
- Enable quick order entry via CSV upload and SKU entry
- Create shared catalogs for different customer segments
- Configure payment terms and credit limits in NetSuite
- Implement quote management workflow
- Track account profitability and engagement metrics
