The last 12 months have been one big mood swing for U.S. manufacturers and wholesalers, thanks in large measure to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruption. But if there was one constant, it was digital commerce.

In 2021, online sales on B2B ecommerce sites, log-in portals and marketplaces increased 17.8% to $1.63 trillion from $1.39 trillion in 2020. B2B ecommerce in 2021 grew 1.17 times faster than the growth in all U.S. manufacturing and distributor sales, which increased 15.2% to $13.09 trillion in 2021 from $11.36 trillion in 2020.

B2B ecommerce sales accelerated in 2021 in large measure because more business buyers and sellers now see digital commerce as a more efficient and effective way to research and purchase corporate goods and services, according to data and analysis contained in the newly published 2022 B2B Ecommerce Market Report.

As 2021 ended, many manufacturers, regardless of size, faced the same challenge—how to roll out or expand B2B ecommerce with an effective strategy that turned multitudes of first-time digital buyers into long-term valued customers.

“While some businesses continue to struggle, we are seeing some industries grow and flourish during these challenging times,” says industry expert Karie Daudt, senior commerce consultant at Perficient and a veteran of B2B commerce. “So as demand continues to increase in specific markets, the results from COVID-19 are driving the need to invest in digital channels and look for more ways to satisfy their customers and market demand.” The acceleration of digital commerce is fundamentally changing the ways U.S. manufacturers and distributors conduct business.

The 2022 B2B Ecommerce Market Report sizes up how a new generation of digital buyers is shifting their organizational purchasing permanently online and explains in detail the trends driving the growth in digital sales. The report also analyzes whether that growth will likely be sustained in 2022 and beyond.

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