In 2024, B2B technology leaders had to tackle big challenges that forced them to rethink and update their strategies. They faced rising buyer expectations, outdated systems that slowed them down, and pressure to prove the value of their tech investments. These weren’t just problems—they were opportunities to improve and refocus. Here’s a look at the key pain points from 2024 and practical steps to get ready for a stronger, more customer-focused 2025.
The Biggest Challenges in 2024
1. Meeting Modern Buyer Expectations
Today’s B2B buyers expect seamless, personalized, and guided experiences across every touchpoint. They demand interactions that cater to their unique needs, processes that reduce friction, and systems that integrate effortlessly to support their decision-making. These expectations are transforming how businesses approach digital experiences.
Zaelab’s PACING Model provides a clear framework for meeting these demands:
- Personalized: Buyers expect tailored recommendations and solutions that address their specific needs and preferences.
- Automated: Streamlined processes that minimize manual effort and ensure smooth interactions.
- Collaborative: Tools and systems that enable seamless collaboration across teams and stakeholders.
- Integrated: Solutions that work harmoniously across different platforms and eliminate data silos.
- Guided: Decision-making tools and experiences that empower users to make informed choices easily.
By adopting these principles, businesses can align with modern buyer expectations and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
2. Overwhelming Platform Customization
Many organizations rely on highly customized platforms to meet unique operational needs. While these customizations may solve short-term problems, they often result in high costs, inefficiencies, and limited scalability. Over time, these challenges can stifle growth and make it harder to adapt to changing market demands.
Here are our solutions and recommendations:
- Adopt Composable Platforms: Transitioning to standardized, modular systems reduces complexity and allows for faster innovation. Zaelab’s work with tools like Logik.io showcases how composable platforms can streamline operations.
- Streamline System Architecture: Consolidate fragmented systems into unified platforms to enhance efficiency and improve team collaboration. For an example of this approach, explore Zaelab’s case studies on platform unification.
- Focus on Scalability: Choose solutions that can grow with your business and adapt to new channels or markets. Learn how Zaelab’s Portul platform supports scaling into new markets quickly and effectively.
By embracing composable, API-driven solutions, businesses can cut costs, simplify operations, and prepare for future growth without the burdens of excessive customization.
3. Proving ROI
A common pitfall in 2024 was the “build it, and they will come” mindset. Organizations invested heavily in new technologies without clear planning, talent, or resources to ensure success. As a result, many struggled to achieve measurable ROI.
At Zaelab, we begin with a discovery stage to understand your business needs and challenges. From there, we create a strategic roadmap that ensures technology investments align with clear business goals. Each step is designed to deliver practical results and long-term growth.
The good roadmap includes prioritizing solutions that deliver immediate value while addressing inefficiencies and supporting scalable growth. It ensures every investment directly contributes to improved operations and measurable success.
Common Pain Points in B2B Ecommerce and How to Solve Them
1. Reducing Operational Costs
High operational costs from inefficient processes and legacy systems were a major challenge. Many organizations struggled to allocate resources effectively, impacting overall productivity.
Solution:
- Standardized platforms and streamlined workflows reduce maintenance expenses and improve operational efficiency.
- Zaelab’s implementation of API-driven systems has helped clients cut costs and reallocate resources strategically.
By focusing on modernizing technology, businesses can significantly lower operational expenses and channel resources toward growth initiatives.
2. Standardizing Platforms
Heavily customized platforms have become expensive and difficult to maintain, limiting flexibility and scalability. Over time, these systems hinder innovation.
Solution:
- Transitioning to composable platforms, like Logik.io, simplifies systems and ensures consistency.
- Consolidating fragmented systems into unified platforms improves collaboration and streamlines workflows.
Zaelab’s expertise in platform standardization has enabled clients to adapt quickly, reduce costs, and enhance flexibility.
3. Improving Self-Service Experiences
Customers increasingly expect intuitive tools that allow them to interact with businesses on their terms. A lack of self-service options often leads to customer frustration and lost opportunities.
Solution:
- Tools like Zaelab’s Portul deliver dynamic self-service experiences, offering personalized recommendations and simplifying navigation.
These solutions increase customer satisfaction and foster loyalty by making interactions more seamless and efficient.
4. Accelerating Sales Processes
Lengthy and cumbersome sales cycles can slow revenue growth and frustrate both sales teams and customers.
Solution:
- AI-driven CPQ solutions streamline configuration, pricing, and quoting processes.
Zaelab’s approach has enabled clients to close deals faster, with greater accuracy and reduced friction in the sales cycle.
5. Scaling Into New Channels
Expanding into new markets often introduces operational bottlenecks, making it difficult to scale effectively.
Solution:
- Leveraging composable commerce solutions equips businesses to scale confidently and respond to new opportunities quickly.
- Zaelab’s Portul App supports clients in entering new markets with speed and agility.
A Success Story: Transformation in Action
Delivering seamless customer experiences can be a major challenge when internal systems are disjointed. One of Zaelab’s clients, a global electrical manufacturer, faced exactly this issue. They relied on eight disconnected applications, creating inefficiencies that frustrated internal teams and their customers alike. Managing these systems was time-consuming, and inconsistent experiences slowed down processes and diminished customer trust. Here’s how we approached it together:
- Platform Consolidation: Zaelab unified the client’s fragmented applications into a single, AI-driven platform, reducing complexity and ensuring consistent performance.
- Streamlined Workflows: By integrating processes, Zaelab improved internal efficiency, allowing teams to focus on higher-value tasks instead of system management.
- Enhanced Customer Experience: Customers benefited from a faster, more intuitive system that delivered consistent and reliable interactions.
- Faster Decision-Making: The consolidated platform provided real-time insights, enabling quicker and more informed decisions across the organization.
This is a great example of how B2B businesses can overcome operational bottlenecks and boost team productivity with the right strategy for growth.
Solutions Driving Success
Zaelab’s approach focuses on harmonizing technology and business goals to drive measurable success. We’ve seen modern platforms like Logik.io and Shopify adopt API-driven strategies that empower businesses to rethink and transform how they operate. These platforms make integration simpler and scalability easier, helping companies remain agile in dynamic markets.
In addition, Portul, our B2B Experience Product, is designed to elevate B2B commerce experiences on Shopify. It offers advanced features such as:
- Self-Service Customer Portals: Allowing customers to manage their accounts and orders independently.
- Quoting Systems: Streamlining complex pricing and quoting processes.
- Integration with Advanced Tools: Seamless connections to platforms like Logik.io and Algolia to enhance functionality and user experience.
With Portul, businesses can deliver tailored, efficient, and scalable solutions that meet modern customer expectations while optimizing internal operations.
Looking Ahead to 2025
2024 taught us that transformation isn’t just about addressing challenges—it’s about recognizing opportunities to innovate and grow. Here are the key takeaways to carry forward into 2025:
- Embrace Agility: Businesses must adopt flexible, API-driven technologies that can evolve alongside market demands. Agility isn’t optional—it’s essential.
- Prioritize Customer-Centricity: Meeting modern buyer expectations requires personalized, automated, and intuitive experiences across every touchpoint.
- Standardize to Simplify: Transitioning to composable platforms eliminates inefficiencies, reduces costs, and ensures scalability.
- Invest Strategically: Create a clear business case for technology investments, focusing on immediate ROI and long-term growth.
At Zaelab, we’re committed to helping businesses turn challenges into opportunities. By leveraging platforms like Logik.io, Shopify, and more, we empower organizations to achieve measurable results and build stronger connections with their customers.
Ready to future-proof your business? Explore our latest insights and discover how Zaelab can support your journey into 2025 and beyond.
