B2B Sellers Funnel Onto Amazon Business

Just months ago, Amazon quietly revealed a revamped version of its online B2B eCommerce portal with the launch of Amazon Business. Industry experts are not yet convinced that the venture will be more successful than its younger counterpart, AmazonSupply, but some market players are confident in the effort.

One of those players is ChannelAdvisor, a cloud-based Commerce-as-a-Service provider that is now making it easier for its B2B clients to link into the Amazon Business portal.

In an announcement Thursday (June 18), ChannelAdvisor revealed that it will now provide its B2B sellers with support to list and integrate their operations into Amazon’s business-to-business sales platform. According to ChannelAdvisor Executive Chairman Scot Wingo, Amazon’s revamped B2B efforts show far more promise than earlier attempts thanks to its open platform.

“Unlike AmazonSupply, Amazon Business is open to third-party sellers that want to grow their B2B sales,” he said in a statement. “Buyers on the marketplace can expect large selection, and they can purchase from an online channel that is integrated with top systems for accounting, work flows and approval systems. B2B sellers can also set exclusive prices for these customers.”

Amazon must first approve for manufacturers and suppliers to list on its B2B marketplace, reports said, a process that involves meeting performance and customer service requirements. Similarly, corporate buyers must be approved to procure through the site. ChannelAdvisor will now help its corporate clients with these measures.

The decision to facilitate efforts through Amazon Business follows ChannelAdvisor’s other initiatives of helping brands launch eCommerce ventures through other channels, including B2C sites like Amazon and eBay, the company said.

Amazon has recently taken up a renewed effort to expand its B2B services, but not only in the U.S. The eCommerce conglomerate recently expanded its digital B2B commerce services in India through AmazonBusiness.in, a venture that focused on the nation’s SMEs to more efficiently buy and sell goods and services between each other.