6 Ecommerce Growth Strategies for Manufacturers
Nearly every manufacturer is making moves into ecommerce. According to McKinsey, as of 2025, 98% of manufacturers have either launched, are in the process of launching, or plan to implement an ecommerce strategy.
But intent doesn’t guarantee impact.
Even with this increased availability, three out of four buyers say they’d switch to a competitor offering a better online experience. So, staying ahead means more than just going digital. It means evolving how effectively you sell, support, and scale online.
We’ve helped manufacturers do exactly that and build strategies that work with their operations, not against them. And we want to share the six growth initiatives we’ve seen work best.
1. Implement self-service portals to enhance customer experience
If you’re part of the 2% not exploring ecommerce capabilities yet, this one is for you.
That’s because self-service portals tend to be the most approachable entry point for manufacturers. They offer a practical way to reduce strain on sales and customer service teams while giving repeat buyers the ability to place and manage orders.
Your customers also want this option, even if they’re not saying it. According to Gartner, 83% of B2B buyers prefer to manage their orders online over speaking directly with a sales rep. The same purchasing managers who shop on Amazon and track shipments in real time are now applying that lens to their B2B experiences.
“Today’s buyers aren’t waiting days for quotes or digging through PDFs,” explains Above The Fray VP of Tech Solutions Sander Mangel. “They expect seamless, digital-first purchasing experiences.”
Still, a customer portal can’t be the final destination. If you launch using an existing inventory system, instead of organizing around ecommerce best practices, you’ll struggle to scale beyond serving existing customers.
To achieve real growth, plan for a front-facing digital commerce experience, even if you don’t immediately act on it. You’ll end up with a better self-service platform and a less costly path to true online selling.
2. Improve your existing processes and integrations
If our first growth strategy is a stepping stone, this is our hidden gem. That’s because it’s a less advanced option that many manufacturers overlook. Of course, we’re talking about auditing and improving existing systems and integrations.
Document your workflows. Get clear on how your ERP, CRM, and other internal systems operate. Most importantly, identify where things break down or rely too heavily on tribal knowledge.
You won’t need sophisticated tools, just time, internal alignment, and someone responsible for guiding the effort. Sander recommends, “Appointing someone as your dedicated Ecommerce Manager, even if it’s part-time.”
It may feel like grunt work, but it’s likely long overdue. And in the end, you’ll end up with highly optimized offline and online systems that work better together from the start.
3. Adopt a phased approach to digital transformation
There’s no return on features your team can’t support or your customers don’t use.
Yet we often see manufacturers try to do too much at once. Overloading teams, stretching budgets, and delivering tools that ultimately miss the mark.
Just like with self-service portals and internal systems, starting small gives you room to focus, test, and improve.
According to MIT Sloan, manufacturers who instead staged their digital transformation (focusing on efficiency, capability, and innovation) were far more likely to succeed than those who went all-in from day one. That’s because a phased rollout creates space for buy-in, training, and early wins that help build momentum.
So, don’t overdo it.
Aim for faster MVPs, sharper feedback, and ultimately shorter development cycles.
4. Prioritize revenue-generating actions by empowering your sales teams
One of the biggest advantages most traditional B2B companies have is a strong sales team. With the right digital tools, you won’t replace that team; you’ll enable them.
According to Optimizely, integrating ecommerce with ERP and CRM systems gives sales teams critical insight into their accounts’ digital behavior. Ultimately, helping to deepen relationships and improve service.
When sales reps have access to order history, product availability, and real-time customer activity, they’re better equipped to have meaningful conversations. They’re more informed and can solve problems faster.
And it creates a more unified customer experience across touchpoints. No matter if the interaction started online or in person.
We’ve seen this play out in real time with our client L.H. Dottie.
At first glance, the opportunity looked simple: create informational video content to educate contractors and distributors. But to uncover what would actually move the needle—what would connect with customers and drive business value—we needed to go deeper.
That meant sitting down with their sales and leadership teams. The people closest to the products. The ones who spend every day in the field, building relationships and hearing where customers get stuck.
Their input shaped everything.
From which products to highlight first, to how we structured the content for quick on-the-job reference, to the tone that would feel authentic rather than scripted. Just as importantly, those conversations sparked an ongoing feedback loop that keeps the content sharp and relevant.
The result? Content that isn’t just “educational”—it’s a direct extension of the sales process. It accelerates customer adoption, reinforces trust, and arms the sales team with tools they can put to work immediately.
5. Clean up your data…then look for ways to use it
If you want to improve conversions, you need better data.
Not just more dashboards. Clean, structured information that helps you understand customers and act on their needs. Wolf & Company notes that businesses using data effectively—through behavioral tracking, segmentation, and tailored messaging—see stronger conversions and greater loyalty.
But, that’s where many manufacturers hit a wall.
Decades of informal processes leave product details stuck in spreadsheets. Customer records are scattered across inboxes—or locked in the heads of a few team members.
It may have worked in a traditional sales model, but it doesn’t scale digitally.
So, before you pursue ‘shiny’ growth opportunities, spend the time cleaning your house. Investing early in organizing and aligning data will accelerate growth and reduce the risk of expensive rework as you expand into new ecommerce functionality.
Even small steps matter. Tracking return-user activity alone can reveal opportunities that boost both repeat sales and long-term retention. Like phasing your development, start with the data that offers the biggest upside and build from there.
6. Explore Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) channels
More B2B buyers now expect the same ease they experience as consumers:
- Straightforward navigation
- Transparent pricing
- Option to check out without speaking to a rep
For many manufacturers, introducing direct-to-consumer selling can feel like a major shift. In practice, it typically means adding another sales channel while continuing to work with your distributor network.
But the reality is, you may not be that far away from making D2C work.
If you already offer a self-service portal, a public-facing storefront can be a natural extension. It speeds up reorders for existing customers and opens the door to new business with minimal sales overhead.
As Andrei Mikhailov, Sr. Project Manager at Above The Fray, puts it: “The more steps a customer needs to make in the buying journey, the more chances they walk away. Remove hurdles for your customer and you’ll see the difference.”
That principle is at the core of successful D2C expansion. You are removing friction and making it easier for customers to buy. And as a bonus, according to Shopify, manufacturers that sell directly from their own stores gain stronger customer loyalty by owning more of the relationship.
Now, this isn’t about pushing every manufacturer to launch a full-blown consumer storefront.
The bigger takeaway is simpler: you need to show up where your customers expect. For some, that might mean testing a sample store or a limited product line. For others, it’s layering ecommerce alongside distributors.
Whatever the path, the goal is the same. Build a scalable way to serve buyers who already expect a consumer-like experience, even when they’re purchasing on behalf of a business.
Reflecting on the past to better serve our clients
You may have noticed a theme running through these strategies: many of them could build on each other.
That’s because the path to ecommerce growth for B2B manufacturers isn’t about a single bold move. It’s about a series of smart, connected decisions.
Each investment, from data structuring to ERP integration to direct selling, lays the groundwork for the next. When done right, the result is a compoundable growth engine that complements the long-standing relationships and sales channels you’ve already built.
At Above The Fray, this is what we do best.
We’ve helped manufacturers at every stage of digital maturity—some hesitant, some hungry, all looking to make the leap.
And every time, we’ve helped them surpass what they thought was possible. Whether you’re just testing the waters with a self-service portal or ready to launch a full-scale D2C experience, we’ll meet you where you are and build a solution that works.
So if this is the direction you’re looking to take your manufacturing business, give us a ring. We’re ready when you are.
