As the EC market continues to grow, B2B EC has great potential for future growth.
The increase in BtoC EC sites means that the number of EC businesses looking for products and suppliers is also increasing. For such businesses, there is high demand for BtoB EC sites that allow them to efficiently search for and purchase products online.
In response to this market trend, an increasing number of wholesalers who have only conducted offline transactions are now considering launching EC sites. In fact, some companies are already increasing their sales by using B2B EC sites.
In this article, we will explain examples and features of B2B e-commerce sites, focusing specifically on apparel.
Example of an e-commerce site for a "wholesale" apparel retailer
BUYON
Image source: https://buyon.jp/shop/main.php
An e-commerce site with approximately 4,200 stores from wholesalers in Dongdaemun, a huge apparel wholesale district in Seoul, South Korea.
【Features】
- You can purchase at local wholesale prices while in Japan.
- Product prices are in Won, direct exchange rate from the Bank of Korea.
- An overwhelming number of over 600,000 products. Over 1,200 new products are updated every day.
- Initial costs, deposits, monthly fees, and system fees apply
[Payment method]
Bank transfer
- You can pre-charge your card and order within the pre-charged amount.
SMASELL
Image source: https://www.smasell.jp/
A wholesale and purchasing website for apparel inventory operated by WeFabric Co., Ltd. (established in 2015).
【Features】
- Transactions with over 920 suppliers
- A wide range of products are available, including one-of-a-kind selected items, assorted items at bargain prices, used clothing, fabrics, interior items, etc.
- By posting the products you want on the bulletin board, suppliers can make suggestions.
[Payment method]
Credit card payment / Kuroneko deferred payment / bank transfer
TopSeller
Image source: https://top-seller.jp/www/lp
A product procurement site specializing in online shops, operated by Moshimo Co., Ltd. (established in 2004), which is involved in businesses such as drop shipping, affiliate marketing, and web marketing.
【Features】
- Use a plan that includes everything from purchasing products to opening a mall and building an online store
- Approximately 250,000 items (including products other than apparel)
- No need to hold inventory as products are shipped directly from the manufacturer
[Payment method]
Credit card/Debit card/PayPal
Apparel Wholesaler.com
Source: https://apparel-oroshitonya.com/
A wholesaler website operated by Shoichi Co., Ltd. (established in 2005), a purchasing company specializing in inventory disposal.
【Features】
- Can be used by individuals and non-corporations
- Prices and products are published
- Mainly low-priced bulk purchases
[Payment method]
Credit card/Bank transfer/Cash on delivery/Amazon Pay
ReValue
Image source: https://b2b.revalue.jp/top/guide
An e-commerce site operated by SynaBiz Inc. (established in 2015), a subsidiary of Aucfan Inc.
【Features】
- Can be used by individuals and non-corporations
- Auction format
- A wide range of products from consumer goods to industrial materials, in addition to apparel
- We handle everything from single items to bulk sales
[Payment method]
Bank transfer/credit card (lump sum)
GOMEN Online
Image source: https://www.gomen.jp/
A members-only e-commerce site for retailers operated by Gomen Co., Ltd. (established in 1949), a general wholesaler for clothing retailers.
【Features】
- An e-commerce site operated by a long-established wholesaler
- There is also a physical store
- This is a membership-based site where you can view member prices and product lineups by registering as a member.
[Payment method]
Online banking/Bank transfer/Cash on delivery/GQ card
ETONET
Image source: https://etonet.etoile.co.jp/ec/app/auth/login
A purchasing site operated by Etoile Kaito Co., Ltd., a general wholesaler (established in 1948).
【Features】
- They also have a physical store where you can ask about products.
- We handle over 700,000 products from approximately 3,500 manufacturers. Over 150 new products added every day.
- Real-time inventory checks allow products to be secured 24 hours a day
- Same-day shipping and up to 7-day hold are available, and you can add products multiple times up until the day they are shipped.
- Regardless of quantity, shipping is for one item
[Payment method]
Money transfer/Cash on delivery/Etoile Credit/Smart Plan
Pro Route Maruko
Image source: https://proroute-ec.biz/
A members-only online shop for retailers operated by Proroute Marumitsu Co., Ltd. (established in 1951), a general clothing wholesaler.
【Features】
- Operated by a long-established general clothing wholesaler
- There is also a physical store
- A wide variety of women's apparel products
- Online store exclusive items available
- Earn 1 point for every 100 yen (excluding tax) you spend online
[Payment method]
Bank transfer / Cash on delivery (only for shipments from the head office) / Dedicated credit card / Credit card / Withdrawal from deposit / Agent (only overseas)
TOPWHOLE
Image source: https://topwhole.shop/
An apparel purchasing site operated by Bleaf Inc. (established in 2016), which provides operational support services for the apparel business.
【Features】
- Available immediately without membership screening
- Secondary use of images and ordering is possible
- The monthly membership fee is 3,000 yen (excluding tax).
[Payment method]
Credit card/Cash on delivery/NP deferred payment
AKF
Image source: https://www.akf-japan.jp/
A purchasing site for retailers operated by AKF, a Chinese manufacturer specializing in swimwear and apparel for the Japanese market.
【Features】
- The main products are swimwear, but there are also many other items available.
- It is a membership-based site, and by registering as a member, you can check wholesale prices and place orders.
- Estimate and order by email
- The minimum order amount is 60,000 yen per order, and there is a minimum lot size for each product.
[Payment method]
Bank transfer/PayPal/International remittance
Characteristics of BtoB apparel EC sites
Payment function
The payment-related functions required for B2B e-commerce sites include the following:
- estimate
- Credit
- Payment method settings for each customer
Additionally, the following features can help streamline payment operations:
- OCR function
- Consolidated invoice issuance
OCR is the process of scanning handwritten documents and converting them into electronic data. With OCR functionality, you can manage all your paper invoices and purchase orders in one place.
Management Features
The following features are important for efficiently managing orders and deliveries on a B2B e-commerce website:
- Linking with core systems
- Person in charge registration
- Multiple shipping method selection
- Split delivery
If a wholesaler already has a system in use, it is necessary to link it well with the EC site so that orders can be managed hassle-free. In addition, in B2B transactions, it is easier to manage orders if you can register not only the company information of the business partner but also the person in charge.
When it comes to shipping, the shipping method may change depending on the product, or it may be delivered in installments, so make sure you are able to manage the information accordingly.
Closed Site Features
BtoB EC sites are generally membership-based sites, where when you register as a member, you are asked to confirm that you are a corporation or sole proprietor, and once that is confirmed, your registration is complete. Depending on the site, there may be other conditions in addition to being a corporation or sole proprietor.
In the case of a membership-based site, the site is visible to non-members, but prices and product lineup details are not displayed.
If you want to impose further restrictions, you can use the closed site function, which hides the site or web page from anyone other than the target users. The closed site function allows you to make limited transactions.
Price display function
In B2B transactions, there is not just one price for one product, and the wholesale price generally varies depending on the order quantity, order contents, order amount, and trading partner. Therefore, it is good to have the following functions for price display.
- Lot price: Price varies depending on order quantity and amount
- Assorted price: Price varies depending on the combination of products
- Pricing by account
In addition, for items that have not yet arrived, displaying not only the price but also the next arrival date makes it easier for purchasing staff to make plans, leading to smoother ordering.
Furthermore, in B2B transactions, shipping costs vary depending on order volume, size, and the business partner, so flexible functions are required.
Introducing services that are useful for launching a BtoB apparel EC site
When launching a BtoB apparel EC site, an order receiving and sending system with functions unique to BtoB EC sites can be helpful. There are also BtoB apparel EC support services that provide total support from launch to operation.
Here we introduce some of these systems and services.
Easy B2B
Image source: https://raku2bb.com/
Rakuraku B2B is a web ordering system specialized for business-to-business transactions, developed and provided by Net Shop Support Office Co., Ltd. It has the following features specialized for BtoB transactions:
- You can set the markup rate, product, and payment method for each wholesaler.
- Numerous functions to streamline B2B transactions, such as bulk orders and customer management and analysis
- AI OCR = Automatic order form reading function allows paper forms to be processed simply by scanning them
- Many externally linked services (automatic link with NP deferred payment and LOGI FORCE)
【Fee】
Light Plan: Initial fee 100,000 yen, monthly fee 50,000 yen Standard Plan: Initial fee 100,000 yen, monthly fee 75,000 yen Enterprise Plan: Initial fee 300,000 yen, monthly fee 150,000 yen *AI OCR is available in the Standard and Enterprise plans
boutiquestar
Image source: https://boutiquestar.jp/
A total support service specializing in apparel e-commerce provided by Boutique Star Co., Ltd. We provide total support for the tasks required for the creation, construction, and operation of an e-commerce site, such as:
- EC website production, construction and design
- E-commerce website branding
- Product photography/model photography
- Consulting and Web Analysis
- Customer promotion
- Logistics/Call Center
We specialize in apparel e-commerce and have a long track record of supporting major companies and famous brands.
Bcart
Image source: https://bcart.jp/
Bcart is a BtoB-only web ordering system developed and provided by Dai Co., Ltd. It has the following functions and features that correspond to the unique business practices of BtoB:
- Sales prices, products, and payment methods can be set for each business partner
- It is a cloud service, so you can start using it in as little as three days, keeping costs down.
- Inventory linkage, deferred payment, WMS, and many other external service integrations
【Fee】
Initial cost: 80,000 yen Monthly cost:
Light Plan (500 products, 50 members) 9,800 yen Plan 10 (1,000 products, 1,000 members) 19,800 yen Plan 30 (3,000 products, 3,000 members) 29,800 yen Plan 50 (5,000 products, 5,000 members) 39,800 yen Plan 100 (10,000 products, 10,000 members) 49,800 yen Plan 300 (30,000 products, 30,000 members) 79,800 yen
NuORDER
Image source: https://www.nuorder.com/
A B2B apparel e-commerce platform provided by the American company NuORDER. It is used by over 2,000 brands and 500,000 buyers.
For brands, it offers an opportunity to introduce and sell products to buyers online as if they were in a physical store or show, and for retail buyers, it offers a place online to efficiently search for and procure the brands and products they are looking for.
- Equipped with 360-degree images, videos, and the ability to create an image of how the product will look when displayed in a store or on a website, it is possible to have customers click on the product within the image or video and purchase it immediately.
- Fashion shows and exhibitions are planned.
- Buyers can easily purchase items 24/7, even from their mobile devices
summary
Looking at the cases covered in this article, we can see that even long-established wholesalers are entering the B2B e-commerce market, which shows just how much demand there is from retail businesses.
B2B e-commerce sites require functions that correspond to the business practices unique to B2B, and systems and tools with such functions are now available, so it would be good to make use of them conveniently.
Also, unlike BtoC, BtoB EC sites do not require good design. Rather, it is more important that the site allows efficient product selection and ordering, and that the desired transaction and payment methods are available.
If you would like to discuss such matters, it is a good idea to look for a production or consulting service with a track record of B2B e-commerce sites.
