A good annual outlook is not about flashy technology, but rather a solid implementation plan. The following ten topics will genuinely drive revenue in 2026. I will explain them in a way that even readers unfamiliar with the field will immediately understand what it's about, and why it's worth focusing right here.
1. Login first customer portal
Customers want to handle standard tasks themselves without contacting sales or service each time. A central customer portal is the place for this: download invoices, check delivery status, register returns, manage favorites lists, reorder from order history. The effect is doubly positive. Firstly, the customer feels empowered because they get answers in seconds. Secondly, you relieve your team from routine inquiries, allowing time for value-added conversations. Start pragmatically: engage existing customers, enable three core functions, and measure how many accounts are truly used and how much repeat business happens online. What feels good quickly becomes the new standard.
2. ERP first data and integrations
In B2B, reliability is the currency. Prices, inventories, and delivery dates must be consistent across all touchpoints, whether in the shop, ERP, or warehouse. As soon as these figures diverge, customers lose trust, and your team generates corrections instead of revenue. The solution is simple but consistent: define a single source of truth, solidify interfaces, and designate clear responsibilities for pricing logic, master data, and delivery information. The objective is clear: no more surprises after clicking, no discussions about which number is correct, and significantly fewer cancellations because availability is communicated honestly.
3. Pricing governance instead of Excel chaos
Discounts via email, last-minute special prices, and multiple Excel lists circulating are classic margin leaks. It becomes professional when you negotiate rules instead of individual cases. Define which customer groups receive which discounts, from what quantity tiered prices apply, where minimum prices lie, and how long special conditions last. These rules belong in the ERP or a dedicated pricing service, and the shop only displays them. This makes the price understandable, approvals become rarer and quicker, and discussions about yesterday's promises become a thing of the past. In the end, not only more margin but also more trust is achieved.
4. CPQ lean and one or two configurators
CPQ stands for Configure Price Quote. It refers to a process where the customer configures their product or set and sees a reliable price along with a realistic delivery date in less than a minute. This is not a toy for marketing, but an efficiency lever for purchasing and sales. You automatically pre-qualify inquiries, reduce follow-up questions and noticeably shorten the time to offer. Start with a typical use case, connect ERP pricing logic, and lead to an offer page that the customer can approve or finalize directly. Two key metrics are decisive: time to price and completion rate from offers. If both increase, you've set the right track.
5. Make deliverability visible with OMS light
Buyers don't just ask about the price but also about the when. An Order Management System helps you accurately portray available quantities, cutoff times, and expected delivery dates. A lean approach is often enough for 2026: an honest display of Available to Promise, a simple status handshake with the warehouse, and clearly communicated service levels in the portal. This reduces cancellations, eases pressure on customer service, and shifts conversations from mere tracking status to real consulting issues. The result is predictable revenue rather than spontaneous firefighting efforts.
6. E-Procurement as a differentiator
Many major customers want to procure in their own system, for example via SAP Ariba or Coupa. Punchout or OCI are the bridges that bring your catalog directly into these systems. For the buyer, this means: familiar interface, approved processes, less coordination. For you, it means: a frictionless order path that dramatically increases the chance of repeat purchases. Select a few key customers, stabilize the connection, and test it together. This makes procurement fast, correct, and measurable. What works seamlessly stays.
7. Product data and search as conversion levers
In B2B, findability often determines success. Good product data are more than just nice descriptions. It's about clear attributes, consistent measurements, comprehensible variants, and clean images. A product information system bundles this information so that the shop and portal can target them effectively. Combined with a search that understands synonyms and corrects typos, buyers find what they really need more quickly. Consistently clear out zero hits and guide searchers to appropriate alternatives. Less irritation means more in the cart, less support, and better repeat purchase rates.
8. Content that answers questions
Even in 2026, it's not those with the most buzzwords who win, but those with the best answers. This means content that solves specific questions: which box holds which load, how to choose the right material, how returns work, how to integrate a configurator into my approvals. Supplement this with comparison pages, step-by-step guides, and precise specifications. Structured data help search engines understand this content accurately. Result: fewer queries, more qualified traffic, higher likelihood of completion. Those who provide answers get hired.
9. Lifecycle automation with existing customers
Existing customers are your most stable growth engine. With simple automations, you accompany these accounts throughout the entire lifecycle. This starts with onboarding through a brief guide to the portal, documents, and favorites lists. It continues with reminders of typical repurchase cycles and ends with reactivations if an account has been inactive for a long time. Five well-built flows often suffice to noticeably increase repeat purchases. It is important to integrate this with sales, so automated impulses seamlessly transition to personal conversations when things get complex.
10. KPI dashboard and incentives
What isn't measured is rarely improved. A compact dashboard creates transparency over the key metrics that truly matter. These include activated customer accounts in the portal, the share of online revenue with existing customers, the average time to price, the completion rate from offers, the zero-hit rate in search, timely delivery, and the share of standard tickets in service. Connect this transparency with smart compensation: a team bonus for digital revenue with existing customers ensures everyone strengthens the quickest path for the customer, not obstructs it. This turns management into behavior.
Bonus: Sensibly enhancing security and compliance
Single Sign-On, multi-factor authentication, a clearly regulated role and rights model, and initial steps towards NIS2 are sensible assignments in 2026. Also, check whether your product groups might be affected by digital product passports in the future, and prepare data structures. This reduces risks, prevents later hectic reactions, and builds trust with customers, partners, and auditors.
Conclusion and next steps
In 2026, clarity, not cosmetics, will be decisive. Those who integrate portals, data truth, prices, deliverability, product data, answer content, automation, and management are not building an IT project, but a modern sales model. If you want to know how these ten points specifically look in your company, let's talk. In a short exchange, we will prioritize the first three levers and outline the path to impact.
