B2B eCommerce has evolved rapidly over the past few years.
Wholesale buyers now expect the same speed, simplicity, and ease of use they experience when shopping online as consumers - but with all the additional elements that come with bulk purchasing.
This is why the combination of BigCommerce and SparkLayer has become such a powerful solution for B2B brands.
Using BigCommerce as your B2B platform
BigCommerce provides a flexible eCommerce foundation, while SparkLayer operates as a dedicated B2B eCommerce solution that works alongside it. Together, they allow businesses to deliver a scalable, modern B2B experience.
B2B buying journeys typically involve multiple stakeholders, internal processes, and negotiated pricing, which must be reflected accurately online.
Many eCommerce platforms were originally designed for B2C and later adapted for B2B. While this can work in the short term, it often leads to clunky workflows, manual workarounds, and unsatisfying or confusing user experiences.
BigCommerce provides the eCommerce foundations that online businesses need in order to operate efficiently and in a scalable manner. It’s designed to integrate easily with other platforms and tools. This makes it an ideal foundation for adding on SparkLayer…
Adding SparkLayer to your BigCommerce B2B store
SparkLayer is a B2B eCommerce solution that sits on top of existing platforms like BigCommerce. Instead of replacing the core platform, SparkLayer connects directly to it and uses the same product, pricing, and customer data. This means merchants don’t need to duplicate systems or manage separate catalogues for B2B and B2C.
Where SparkLayer adds real value is in the way it handles B2B complexity. It provides access to features and workflows that reflect how B2B companies actually buy and sell, while presenting them through a modern, intuitive user experience.
When SparkLayer is integrated with BigCommerce, the two platforms take on complementary roles to enhance the B2B buying experience. BigCommerce continues to manage products, pricing data, customers, and orders. SparkLayer layers on top of this foundation, adding B2B-specific functionality and powering a better buying experience.
For wholesale buyers, this integration feels seamless. Once logged in, customers are presented with a personalised B2B experience that reflects their company account, pricing agreements, and account permissions.
Behind the scenes, SparkLayer is using data from BigCommerce to ensure everything stays accurate and consistent.
Supporting company accounts and multiple users
One of the most important aspects of B2B eCommerce is the ability to support multiple users within a single customer organisation.
SparkLayer works with BigCommerce to enable company-level accounts, allowing businesses to group individual users under one organisation.
Each user can have their own role and permissions, ensuring the right members of the team can place orders, approve purchases, or simply view account information. This aligns with real-world B2B buying structures and removes the need for shared logins or manual order handling, creating clarity and control.
Delivering customer-specific pricing and catalogues
Pricing is one of the most complex areas of B2B eCommerce. Most B2B businesses operate with negotiated pricing, contract terms, or customer-specific product ranges. SparkLayer works with BigCommerce’s pricing capabilities to ensure each buyer only sees the products and prices that apply to them.
This means that when a customer logs in, their experience is immediately tailored to their relationship with the merchant. Any conversations with the sales team that have happened offline, about specific pricing or order rules, for example, are automatically applied to their account.
This removes potential friction by eliminating any obstacles before they occur. It also reduces reliance on internal teams, as there is less back and forth to adjust online pricing, fewer complaints about the wrong information being displayed, and a more enjoyable buying experience.
Making repeat ordering fast and simple
Repeat purchasing is a huge part of wholesale. Many buyers return regularly to place similar or identical orders, often under time pressure due to internal processes and expectations. SparkLayer enhances the BigCommerce experience by making repeat ordering faster and more intuitive.
Buyers can quickly find previously purchased products, reorder in bulk, and move through the checkout process with minimal friction. They can build their own shopping lists using SparkLayer, meaning frequently bought items are one click away.
This not only saves time for customers but also encourages higher order frequency and stronger long-term relationships.
SparkLayer’s Sales Agent feature also complements BigCommerce’s framework. This tool allows merchants to log in on behalf of their customers and create baskets for the buyers’ approval.
This is a great way of encouraging repeat ordering - the buyer simply needs to approve the order without doing any of the product selection themselves.
Additional benefits for merchants
The benefits of using SparkLayer with BigCommerce extend beyond the customer experience.
Sales teams gain better visibility into account activity and, as a result, spend less time managing manual pricing requests or correcting orders. This frees them up to invest time and resources into activities that help scale the business further.
eCommerce and operational teams benefit from one centralised platform where data lives in BigCommerce, while SparkLayer handles B2B-specific workflows without constant custom development.
This streamlines all wholesale operations without adding expensive or extensive customisation or outsourcing.
Because SparkLayer is designed specifically for B2B, it also allows businesses to scale more easily. As requirements grow or change, new users, accounts, or pricing structures can be added without replatforming or major disruption.
Why choose SparkLayer and BigCommerce for B2B?
Together, SparkLayer and BigCommerce create a powerful combination of flexibility and structure.
BigCommerce provides the stability of a leading eCommerce platform, while SparkLayer delivers the niche B2B functionality and user experience that modern buyers expect.
Rather than forcing B2B businesses to compromise, this partnership allows them to build eCommerce experiences that feel intuitive, professional, and genuinely helpful. In a competitive market where customer expectations continue to rise, this combination can make a real difference.