B2B shop: 27 % drop out at the product overview – 3 fixes

The B2B online shop is live. The traffic budget is in place. Potential customers land on the site. But then comes what many managing directors and sales directors notice only late: the visitors disappear before they ever place an order. According to the current B2B Market Monitor 2025 from ECC KÖLN, FIS and Shopware, 27 per cent of potential new customers drop out at the product overview. A further 24 per cent leave the home page without going any deeper. That means more than half of all prospects vanish before conversion optimisation can even take effect. B2B internet trade grew by seven per cent in 2025 to 509 billion euros, with online shops holding a market share of 76 per cent. Anyone who reduces drop-outs here secures a measurable competitive advantage.

Why B2B shops fail at the product overview

The causes of abandoned purchases in a B2B online shop are rarely technical. What is usually missing is clarity, orientation and relevant information at exactly the point where decision-makers expect it. A mid-sized wholesaler of industrial supplies invests in Shopware, connects its ERP and launches the shop. The first weeks are muted. The analysis shows that visitors click through the categories, open product pages and then leave the site without acting. The reason is not a lack of interest but the lack of any basis for a decision.

52 per cent of B2B companies do not know exactly what their target group needs, according to the Market Monitor. That shows up particularly at the product overview. Where a buyer expects technical specifications, availability and tiered prices, they often find only images and short descriptions. Where quick filtering by application or compatibility would be needed, there is at best a full-text search. The result: the user leaves the shop and reaches for the telephone, or turns to a competitor who provides the necessary information digitally.

On top of that, 50 per cent of companies find technical shop questions a challenge. As a result, product data is entered incompletely or inconsistently. Without end-to-end product information management (PIM), gaps appear that become a knock-out criterion for B2B customers. A missing note on delivery time, an unclear unit of measure or a certification that cannot be found is enough to prevent an order.

The central problem: nothing to base a decision on

B2B buyers are not looking for products, they are looking for solutions to specific requirements. A buyer who needs seals for an industrial plant wants to know: does the part fit, is it available, what quantity can I order, and when will it be delivered? These questions have to be answered on the product overview, not after several clicks or a call to the sales team.

The product overview is where relevance is created or lost. If a user cannot tell within a few seconds whether a product meets their requirements, they drop out. That applies particularly to technical products with complex specifications. Here it is not enough to display a list of items. What is needed are filters that sort by application, technical characteristics or compatibility, availability displays fed in real time from the ERP, and complete product data from a PIM system.

Across more than 2,500 projects since 1999, Commerce Partner has observed that most drop-outs are caused not by missing functions but by missing priorities. Companies invest in elaborate home pages but neglect the product overview. Yet that is precisely the page at which a visitor turns into a buyer – or does not. The good news: the most common mistakes can be put right with manageable effort.

Three concrete fixes for fewer abandoned purchases

The following measures reduce drop-outs measurably and can be implemented in existing Shopware installations or comparable systems. They are based on experience in the mid-market and take account of what manufacturers and wholesalers need.

1. Tailor the home page and entry points to the target group and use case

The home page has to show immediately who the shop is for and which problems it solves. A general welcome text is not enough. What works better is clear segmentation by target group or use case – "Industrial supplies for machine builders" or "Packaging solutions for food manufacturers", for example. These entry points lead straight to relevant product overviews and reduce the bounce rate on the home page. People who feel addressed click on.

2. Improve the product overview and the product data

This is where it is decided whether a user orders or drops out. Filters have to sort by the criteria that matter to the target group: use case, technical specifications, compatibility, certifications. Availability belongs directly in the overview, ideally with a delivery time. Product data should come from a PIM system to ensure completeness and consistency – missing data sheets, unclear units of measure or missing images are conversion killers. To keep that information current, availability and prices should flow into the shop from the ERP and PIM in real time. Manual maintenance is the most common source of error and undermines trust the moment a customer finds outdated details.

3. Intuitive navigation and self-service all the way to checkout

B2B customers expect to be able to order without having to ask questions. That means clear navigation, transparent prices (tiered prices included), simple basket management and a checkout without breaks in the media chain. Anyone still relying on manual approvals or telephone calls loses customers to competitors who offer self-service. The checkout should also be able to handle purchase on account, framework agreements and customer-specific terms.

Conclusion: fewer drop-outs, more revenue

A 27 per cent drop-out rate at the product overview is not a law of nature but the result of avoidable mistakes. Anyone who tailors the home page to the target group, provides complete and filterable product data and offers consistent navigation all the way to checkout will reduce abandoned purchases measurably. In most cases the technical basis is already in place – what is often missing is consistent execution. Conversion optimisation remains an ongoing process: those who use tracking to see where users drop out and which filters they use can then sharpen things up in a targeted way.

Since 1999, Commerce Partner has been helping mid-sized manufacturers and wholesalers build B2B online shops that do not merely run but also sell. If you would like to know where potential is being lost in your shop and how to capture it, arrange a free 30-minute strategy call at www.commerce-partner.com/kontakt. We will analyse your situation and show you concrete next steps.