How do we choose which B2B commerce problems to fix first?

Fix the problems that create the greatest measurable difficulty for customers or internal teams, then weigh the expected business benefit against implementation effort and dependencies. Start with evidence of stalled purchases, repeated service requests, or avoidable manual work. You may wish to focus on a narrowly targeted improvement over a larger technology initiative if it addresses a clear problem and produces results your team can evaluate.

A live conference conversation about technology investment emphasized the importance of distinguishing useful improvements from requests driven by enthusiasm alone. Darko Milivojevic, Director of eCommerce at Gerrie Electric Wholesale Ltd., described evaluating technology against measurable business outcomes and customer behavior: "It has real human behavior behind it; everything else is noise to us." His team works with customers to clarify their needs and develop business cases, while setting aside less-defined ideas for experimentation.

The 2026 B2B Online State of B2B Commerce Report found that 59% of surveyed senior leaders at manufacturers and distributors prioritize product data management, enrichment, and syndication over the next 12 months. That result highlights the attention leaders are giving foundational improvements that support product discovery and consistent information across channels.

Digital transformation leaders and commerce product managers should build a shared backlog that describes each problem, the supporting evidence, and the intended outcome. Compare expected revenue benefit, service effort, implementation cost, and dependencies before selecting the first project. Assign an owner and establish a baseline so the team can assess whether the change works. Keep room for urgent customer needs, but separate exploratory ideas from projects with a clear business case.

Attend BeCommerce Chicago to compare investment priorities with industry peers and explore how to turn customer and operational problems into measurable commerce improvements.