Solution · Manufacturers
B2B ecommerce for manufacturers: organize the network without cutting out the distributor
Manufacturers sell to distributors, dealers and networks, often through reps. They need channel pricing and a portal that organizes the network without cutting out the distributor. CWS Platform turns the commercial policy into rules the system applies on every order, over the ERP you already run.
In short
B2B ecommerce for manufacturers is the channel through which an industry sells to distributors, dealers and networks, with a price per channel. On CWS Platform the manufacturer organizes the network in one portal without cutting out the distributor: each participant keeps its own prices and terms, and every transaction is traceable by origin, so the channel stops being a blind spot.
- Every rule change requires a Reason Code, and the rules apply the same way to reps and to the AI Agents. Source: business rules engine.
- Each manufacturer and distributor configures its own prices, payment terms, lead times and approval limits. Source: Pirelli Conecta case.
- A dedicated condition for one manufacturer's line, without creating a new price table. Source: B2B pricing engine.
- Pirelli Conecta serves a network of more than 450 workshops, with a catalog of over 60,000 items. Source: Pirelli Conecta case.
Channel pricing and reps inside the channel are among the criteria in the guide to choosing a B2B ecommerce platform.
Core pain
Scale and reach, and still no view of what the channel sold at the end. Without sell-out there is no forecast, no smart replenishment and no measurable campaign, and every change to a commercial rule waits in a development queue.
What changes for a manufacturer
A price per channel, not a new table per channel
Price tags segment by catalog attribute, which allows a dedicated condition for one manufacturer's line without creating a new table.
B2B pricing engine →The network organized, the distributor kept
A manufacturer or an association can organize purchasing for an entire network from selected distributors, and governance protects each link's commercial terms so the network signs on.
governed B2B marketplace platform →Sell-out you can finally see
An anchor manufacturer with scale and reach often does not know how much the channel sold at the end. Every transaction becomes traceable by origin, and the anchor can activate the channel by rule rather than by phone.
governed B2B marketplace platform →Commercial policy as configuration
Approval limits, credit and discounts are rules the system applies the same way to sales reps and to the AI Agents, and every rule change requires a Reason Code.
business rules engine →Reps inside the channel
The rep negotiates in the same cart as the buyer, inside the approval limits, and routine reorders move to the self-service portal on the same core.
guided selling →The brand's image bank, opened to resellers
The manufacturer opens the approved image bank to resellers, who generate variations in their own context within what the brand allows.
AI product imagery and catalog →
In operation
Pirelli Conecta · manufacturer-organized buying network
More than 450 workshops
Pirelli's official network of dealers and service centers buys parts from selected manufacturers and distributors, live since 2025, with a catalog the portal advertises at over 60,000 items. Scale case: public size figures only, no result figures.
Read the Pirelli Conecta case →MTE-Thomson, a manufacturer that built its own digital sales channel to strengthen its distribution, is also a CWS Platform customer. It is the other shape of the same engine: the manufacturer selling through its own channel, where Pirelli Conecta has the network buying from many.
Frequently asked questions
What is B2B ecommerce for manufacturers?
It is the digital channel through which a manufacturer sells to distributors, dealers and networks, often through sales reps and with a price per channel. On CWS Platform the manufacturer organizes that network in a portal without cutting out the distributor, and every rule of the commercial policy is configuration the system applies on each order.
How does a manufacturer sell online without cutting out its distributors?
By putting them inside the same portal instead of around it. Each manufacturer and distributor configures its own prices, payment terms, lead times and approval limits, and every transaction stays traceable by origin, so the manufacturer sees the channel without taking the sale from it.
Can a manufacturer's sales reps work inside the portal?
Yes. The rep works in the Assisted Selling Platform (Sales Hub), in the same cart as the buyer, with every discount inside the approval limit of the profile and a Reason Code, while routine reorders go to self-service.