NuOrder by Lightspeed’s 2025 State of B2B E-commerce Report “goals to raised perceive how manufacturers are evolving their wholesale methods to satisfy trendy challenges in digital transformation, profitability and operational effectivity,” the corporate stated, including that its report “highlights a shift towards measured, strategic progress somewhat than high-risk enlargement, with manufacturers prioritizing threat mitigation and operational stability.”
Briefly, manufacturers have change into extra conscious of how and the place they place themselves.
The 21-page report, “Why stability is the brand new progress,” features a detailed have a look at how manufacturers have advanced over the previous 30 years to satisfy altering shopper calls for. On this post-pandemic interval, manufacturers are approaching progress a lot in another way than they did within the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s — an period of mass consumerism the place the main target was on a back-end infrastructure able to pushing out as a lot product as attainable.
The researchers stated manufacturers are taking a hybrid mannequin strategy the place they leverage wholesale for stability, direct-to-consumer for buyer engagement and use marketplaces for supplemental attain, which displays a shift towards a extra methodical and resilient strategy.
The report’s authors discovered that whereas 57 % of manufacturers surveyed are investing in retail relationships, “solely 34 % plan to enter new geographic markets. Progress methods emphasize buyer loyalty and gross sales diversification over pure optimization.…Key drivers embrace geographic and product enlargement and omnichannel investments.” In the meantime, the analysis confirmed that operational enhancements (comparable to new warehouses or manufacturing amenities) “are a decrease precedence, reflecting a shift towards customer-facing progress somewhat than back-end infrastructure growth.”
The report’s authors stated wholesale continues to play a vital position in stabilizing markets, shifting from a progress driver to a instrument for optimizing distribution and controlling prices. Manufacturers are prioritizing managed progress, predictable pricing and stronger retail partnerships over fast scaling through marketplaces or digital transformation.
In a cautious financial panorama, effectivity and relationship-focused methods are taking priority over dangerous enlargement. Provide chain resilience stays a precedence, emphasizing provider collaboration, demand forecasting and contingency planning somewhat than structural modifications like nearshoring. In the meantime, B2B e-commerce platforms current untapped potential for deeper operational automation and integration.
Chris Akrimi, basic supervisor for B2B at NuOrder stated the brand new precedence for a lot of manufacturers “is attaining sustainable progress whereas sustaining a powerful concentrate on monetary efficiency. Strategic, measured enlargement is now a key consideration for each current and new shoppers, a development we see constantly throughout our portfolio.”
Akrimi stated manufacturers are doubling down on strengthening wholesale and retail relationships and optimizing distribution whereas increasing their networks, however they’re doing it with a extra calculated strategy. “They’re searching for flexibility in pricing, contract phrases and stock commitments to navigate ongoing financial uncertainties that unfold each day,” he defined. “Slightly than chasing broad distribution, manufacturers are prioritizing ‘high quality over amount,’ selecting retail companions that provide long-term, sustainable progress. They’re aligning with retailers that put money into model storytelling, concentrate on sell-through and defend model picture, making certain a balanced and worthwhile partnership.”
The report additionally checked out how AI might be leveraged by manufacturers to extend operational effectivity and enhance personalization. However the authors of the report stated manufacturers have been gradual to implement the expertise. The report stated the present evolution of B2B e-commerce “won’t attain its full potential with out deeper investments in digital transformation and AI-driven efficiencies.”
Andrea Luna, shopper success staff lead at NuOrder, stated regardless of the clear worth of B2B e-commerce platforms, many manufacturers battle, not as a consequence of technical limitations, however as a result of they haven’t absolutely embraced a digital-first mindset. The true challenges lie in operational inertia, fragmented adoption and underutilization of current instruments. Too typically, digital platforms are handled as supplemental somewhat than transformational, resulting in missed automation alternatives and inconsistent purchaser experiences.”
Luna stated success requires extra than simply onboarding customers; “it means equipping groups to leverage the platform’s full capabilities — constructing campaigns, creating customized lists and dealing seamlessly throughout gadgets. Manufacturers that lead in digital transformation combine clever, automated workflows that drive adoption and improve effectivity at each stage.”
