When we talk to directors of manufacturing, distribution, or wholesale companies today about the challenges they face, the topic of digitalization almost always comes up.
A few years ago, companies were asking how to simplify the ordering process, connect ERP with the e-shop, or speed up the work of salespeople. Today, most questions start much more simply.
"How do we implement AI in the company?"
It's not surprising. Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us today, and there is a natural feeling that those who don't start with AI immediately will be left behind.
But this is where one of the biggest misunderstandings of current digitalization arises. AI is not the beginning of the journey. It is its evolution.
If a company doesn't have mastered processes, quality data, and clear operating rules, artificial intelligence won't help it. It won't make better decisions. It won't create order where it has no prerequisites. It will only speed up processes that are already functioning poorly today.
We need to stop perceiving digitalization as a technological project today. It is a strategic transformation of the company. It doesn't start with choosing a platform or implementing AI. It starts with understanding your own business.
And this is the step that is most often skipped today.
Digitalization is not universal. Just like B2B.
One of the most common mistakes we see in digitalization projects is the effort to create one universal solution for all customers.
At first glance, it sounds logical. After all, everyone sells to companies. But B2B is not one market, it is not even one type of customer, and it is certainly not one way of shopping.
Over the years of working on B2B projects, we have found one very simple and fundamental division of B2B businesses.
- On one side are companies that purchase on demand or as needed.
They keep minimal stocks, order only when they actually need the product, and their biggest priority is speed. They need to know immediately if the goods are in stock, at what price they will get them, and when they can be delivered. If they don't find this information within a few seconds, they move on.
- On the other side are customers who purchase for stock.
Their decision-making looks completely different. They plan ahead, use bulk discounts, order hundreds of items at once, and are much more interested in planning efficiency than the speed of the order itself.
Both groups belong to B2B. But they expect a completely different digital environment from their supplier. If you offer them the same user experience, you are making compromises that suit neither of them.
And that's why digitalization doesn't start with technology. It starts with understanding the business model.
The best B2B companies today don't sell better products.
When we look at companies like Würth, Hilti, Schneider Electric, RS Components, or even Slovart or TSS Group, we find one interesting thing: their competitive advantage has long ceased to be just in the product.
Investments are directed towards how easy it is to do business with them. The customer doesn't have to call about stock availability. They don't have to request technical sheets by email. They don't have to wait for an individual price offer for each order. They don't have to contact a salesperson to find out the status of a complaint or repeat an order from three months ago.
All this information is available immediately. At first glance, it looks like a detail. In reality, it is a fundamental competitive advantage.
Because every minute the customer doesn't have to spend on administration reduces their costs. And every simplification of the process increases the likelihood that they will place the next order with you again.
This is the biggest lesson from the world's B2B leaders. They don't digitalize everything, but they digitalize everything that doesn't bring value to the customer.
Scaling a company today is not measured by the number of people
A large part of manufacturing and distribution companies faces a similar problem. The number of customers is growing, the number of orders is growing, turnover is growing, and along with it, the number of people in administration is growing proportionally. Profit remains the same.
More workers are added to customer support. More people process orders, someone checks prices, someone sends technical documentation. Someone handles complaints.
From a business perspective, this is a very expensive growth model. More orders should not automatically mean more administrative workers. This is where the first fundamental question arises: Which activities are people doing today that a system could do?
It's the same principle we know from everyday life. When retail chains introduced self-service checkouts, their goal was not to get rid of cashiers.
Their goal was for employees not to have to perform routine tasks that the customer or system can handle. Instead of blocking every purchase, they can focus on restocking the store, helping customers, or dealing with situations where a human approach is truly needed.
The same logic applies in B2B. A modern customer portal is not a replacement for a salesperson. It is the self-service checkout of the B2B world.
A salesperson shouldn't spend the day sending certificates, technical sheets, availability confirmations, or rewriting orders. They should do what the system will never do. Develop business relationships. Understand the customer, look for new opportunities, and create value.
In this article, we focused on why digitalization starts with the business model and processes, not technology.
In the next article, we will look at a topic that resonates the most today - artificial intelligence. We will show why most B2B companies start with AI from the end and what a realistic path from automation to AI agents looks like.
