Selling configurable products in B2B requires more than great offerings – it’s about how customers configure, experience, and purchase them: online, via a portal, or in direct sales interactions. Especially for technically complex products, a unified sales logic across all channels is essential.
The key to this? A strategic
integration of CPQ solutions with e-commerce platforms.. Only when configuration, pricing logic, and checkout processes are tightly interlinked can a seamless omnichannel experience be achieved.
B2B customers expect smooth workflows, real-time information, and intuitive ordering processes. After all, why should business buying lag behind the B2C standard?
This is supported by McKinsey & Company’s “Rule of Thirds” in B2B buying behavior (2024):
Quick Summary – The Rule of Thirds in B2B Sales:
One-third of B2B buyers prefer in-person consultation, one-third rely on digital communication (phone, video), and one-third favor self-service channels.
This distribution shows why companies must architect their sales operations with a true omnichannel approach – without media breaks or data silos.
Reality in many companies:
CPQ and e-commerce systems are often implemented separately – a critical mistake. This leads to duplicated data maintenance, broken processes, and underwhelming customer experiences. In truth, both systems should share the same data base and span the same customer journey.
What’s often overlooked:
CPQ and e-commerce share core functionality. Filtering, variant management, product comparison, and pricing logic are essential in both domains.
Gartner (2023) confirms: a solid CPQ foundation is now a minimum requirement for modern B2B e-commerce. If this integration is overlooked, costly and complex retroactive efforts are inevitable.
A future-ready sales model depends on a consistent, modular architecture. True omnichannel is only possible when CPQ and e-commerce access the same interfaces and data sources – whether the customer interacts via webshop, portal, or partner platform.
This enables:
Properly integrated, the two systems work hand in hand:
The CPQ system provides valid configurations, while the e-commerce frontend facilitates the transaction via cart and checkout.
Visualization makes complex products understandable – and purchasing decisions easier. Especially with configurable, high-involvement products, text alone isn’t enough.
Customers need to see what they’re configuring – in real time, interactively, and accurately. Configurators that offer realistic previews, AR/VR content, or interactive CAD data build trust – and allow even complex products to be purchased entirely online. Thus, visualization becomes the bridge between digital channels and technical understanding.
And that’s just the beginning: depending on the use case, additional formats and views can be integrated to clarify technical complexity and accelerate decision-making.
Connecting CPQ to CAD, 3D, or BIM data is not just a technical upgrade – it’s an investment in customer trust.
What visualization delivers in omnichannel B2B:
Real-time visual feedback – instant updates with every configuration
Fewer errors – thanks to clear previews of dimensions and compatibility
Improved customer experience – even non-technical decision-makers can engage
Higher conversion rates – supported self-service buying journeys
While CPQ systems generate rules, pricing, and technical data in the background, the e-commerce frontend turns them into actionable, user-friendly outputs – often without the customer noticing the complexity underneath.
CPQ provides:
E-Commerce displays these as:
The result? A seamless, consistent buying experience with visual clarity and complete product information – backed by automated data flow from CPQ to the webshop.
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