Turning fragmented sales channels into profitable growth in B2B
Today's B2B buyers expect seamless experiences across multiple channels, and companies must adapt or risk losing valuable customers to more agile competitors.
According to McKinsey's latest research, the "rule of thirds" has now become a fundamental truth in B2B sales. At every stage of the buying journey, customers are evenly split between wanting traditional in-person interactions, remote communications and digital self-service options.
Even more telling, 54% of B2B buyers say they're likely to switch suppliers due to poor digital experiences, while 51% will change vendors if they can't connect with knowledgeable support. Maintaining multiple channels isn’t an easy chore after all.
The root cause: Fragmented systems and disjointed channels. In this blog, we’ll explore how businesses can turn fragmented sales channels into engines of profitable growth.
Understanding B2B multichannel complexity
The buyer ecosystem has become increasingly fragmented, with multiple customer segments exhibiting distinct purchasing patterns.
Modern B2B buyers typically engage with an average of 10 different channels throughout their buying journey, from EDI and procure-to-pay platforms to traditional sales-led interactions, eCommerce platforms and in-store experiences.
The supply ecosystem presents its own challenges, with extended networks of internal warehouses, distribution centers and logistics hubs, each with its own tech systems, creating complex unified inventory management scenarios.
This complexity is further amplified by external networks comprising third-party suppliers, distribution partners and wholesalers, who directly fulfill orders — all requiring seamless coordination to ensure consistent service delivery and product availability.
Internal operations also suffer from complex technology stacks (ERPs, OMS, CMS and PIM systems), where the complexity of how different systems interact with each other creates silos and forces reliance on resource-draining manual processes.
The cost of this fragmentation extends beyond lost sales. In fact, more than 50% of buyers say a lack of customer tracking across channels would be an impediment to doing business.
When organizations can't maintain continuity and quality of service across sales channels, they risk losing revenue opportunities.
Inconsistent experiences drive customer churn as frustrated buyers turn to competitors who offer smoother, more reliable purchasing journeys.
Customer attrition forces companies to invest heavily in acquisition efforts, significantly increasing customer acquisition costs (CAC) while simultaneously losing the lifetime value of departing customers.
The result is a damaging cycle where operational inefficiencies directly erode both market share and profitability.
Leveraging platform-powered growth
By embracing a platform model, businesses can bridge the gap between supply and demand, eliminating fragmentation through distributed commerce orchestration.
A modern platform provider connects multiple supply sources to a single platform, which also links to all your sales channels. It orchestrates real-time information — such as product details, pricing and inventory — across every source.
On the other side, it captures orders, splits them as needed and routes the information to the right suppliers to enable seamless fulfillment.
These modern platforms offer powerful capabilities:
Catalog management: Accelerating and simplifying onboarding of highly complex catalogs from various suppliers, through AI and automation.
Inventory aggregation: Onboarding all internal and external supply sources onto a single platform for a real-time view of inventory.
Order management and fulfillment: Capturing orders from all channels, automating order splitting and routing orders to the right supply source based on your rules.
Invoicing and payments: Streamlining customer and supplier invoice creation and compliance. Simplifying financial reconciliation across suppliers, distributors and customers.
Modern platforms are transforming traditionally fragmented operations into a cohesive, responsive system that drives both efficiency and growth.
Mirakl’s Distributed Commerce Orchestration Platform drives this transformation, automating orders, inventory and fulfillment, supercharging revenue and delivering a seamless omnichannel experience for buyers.
With an API-first architecture providing pre-built integrations with existing systems, modern platforms eliminate the need for costly technical development. Additionally, their flexible connectivity supports traditional file formats like .xls and .xml, as well as sophisticated protocols including SFTP, EDI and APIs.
As a result, organizations can maintain existing business processes while gradually modernizing their operations.
These interconnected capabilities and integration approaches create a platform that doesn't just connect channels – it fundamentally transforms how B2B organizations operate, compete and grow in today's dynamic market environment.
Growth acceleration strategies: proven paths to platform success
Multichannel growth isn't just about technology adoption — it's about fundamental business transformation. Industry leaders have demonstrated three key strategies driving significant results:
1. Customer experience enhancement
The platform model enables businesses to offer unified omnichannel experiences and to leverage data-driven insights to create personalized interactions that meet today’s B2B buyer expectations. Toyota Material Handling demonstrates the power of this approach. By focusing on seamless customer experiences, they achieved a remarkable 220% year-over-year growth in their parts business, with 70% of orders coming from new customers.
The platform successfully onboarded more than 65 dealers, creating a robust network that enhances both supplier and customer satisfaction.
2. Operational efficiency
Businesses embracing the platform approach gain operational efficiency through the automation of manual processes, optimization of inventory across the network and identification of cross-selling opportunities that drive revenue growth. Bunzl's transformation illustrates this perfectly. Facing the challenge of multiple acquisitions creating a fragmented ecosystem, they united their subsidiaries on a single platform without disrupting their existing technology infrastructure.
This strategic move enabled automated order routing to appropriate subsidiaries, streamlined operations and created a unified experience for customers sourcing from multiple Bunzl businesses.
Companies must embrace platform-powered growth models, prioritize seamless omnichannel experiences, leverage automation and build sustainable, scalable operations if they want to remain competitive and drive long-term success.
3. Supplier network expansion
Digitizing existing supplier relationships while deepening integration with strategic partners has proven instrumental in Airbus’ spare parts business.
Airbus built a powerful network spanning 148 countries with over 30 active suppliers serving more than 600 monthly users.
Their platform now manages more than 600,000 products through AI automation, reducing procurement time from days to less than 24 hours — a transformation that significantly reduces aircraft downtime and operational costs.
The future of B2B growth
B2B companies can no longer afford to operate with fragmented sales channels. The future belongs to organizations that can unify their operations, deliver seamless experiences and leverage platforms to drive profitable growth.
Learn more about transforming your B2B operations by listening to the latest episode of “Place to be” — THE podcast for B2B platforms — and get practical insights from industry leaders.
