Below is a practical, decision-focused comparison of the leading B2B e‑commerce platforms (summary + when to pick each). I surveyed vendor materials and recent market reports (Forrester/Gartner coverage and vendor pages) to compile strengths, tradeoffs, and typical fit.

Quick summary (at-a-glance)

• Adobe Commerce (Magento / Adobe Commerce Cloud) — Best for highly customized enterprise B2B with large catalogs and complex pricing; strong B2B modules but higher TCO and developer needs. (Codup.co)
• Salesforce Commerce Cloud (B2B / Commerce Cloud) — Best for enterprises that need deep CRM/CRM-led commerce, strong strategy/roadmap and analytics; premium platform and ecosystem. (Salesforce.com)
• SAP Commerce Cloud (Hybris) — Best for very large enterprises requiring deep ERP integration, omnichannel and product configuration at scale. (SellersCommerce.com)
• Shopify Plus / Shopify Wholesale & Shopify Plus B2B tools — Best for fast time-to-market and mid-market B2B with simpler B2B needs; lower engineering overhead but less out-of-the-box complexity support vs. enterprise platforms. (cssChopper.com)
• BigCommerce B2B Edition — Mid-to-large merchants wanting hosted SaaS performance plus B2B features (custom catalogs, quotes); easier ops than heavy open-source. (ithy.com)
• OroCommerce — Built specifically for B2B: account hierarchies, negotiated pricing, workflows/quoting; great for manufacturers, distributors with complex workflows; smaller ecosystem and steeper ramp. (OroInc.com)
• commercetools / Elastic Path (headless, MACH/Commerce-as-API) — Best for teams that want composable, headless architecture and rapid front-end innovation; requires strong developer resources and microservices integration. (hycom.digital)
• Optimizely (formerly Episerver) — Recognized leader for commerce and optimization/testing; good choice when experimentation, personalization, and content + commerce are priorities. (Optimizely.com)

Comparison by key criteria (Notes: “SMB / Mid-market / Enterprise” are general guidance; pricing and implementation vary by region, requirements and integrations.)

1. Core B2B features (quotes, contract pricing, catalogs, account hierarchies, approval/workflow)

• Strong, native B2B: OroCommerce, SAP Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce (with B2B modules). (OroInc.com)
• Good B2B support in SaaS platforms: BigCommerce B2B Edition, Shopify Plus (via Wholesale APIs and apps), Salesforce Commerce Cloud (enterprise features). (ithy.com)
• Headless/composable platforms: commercetools and Elastic Path provide account-specific catalogs and pricing but require building B2B flows. (hycom.digital)

2. Customization & extensibility

• Very high customization: Adobe Commerce (open-source roots), SAP Commerce, OroCommerce. Good if you need bespoke processes or complex product configuration. (Codup.co)
• High but more managed: Salesforce Commerce Cloud, BigCommerce, Shopify Plus (APIs + extensions). (Salesforce.com)
• Architecturally most flexible for front-end innovation: commercetools, Elastic Path (API-first, composable). (hycom.digital)

3. Speed to market & operational overhead

• Fastest: Shopify Plus and BigCommerce (hosted SaaS, less ops). (cssChopper.com)
• Moderate: SaaS enterprise offerings (Salesforce, Optimizely) — configurable but often require partner implementations. (Salesforce.com)
• Slowest / heaviest: Adobe Commerce, SAP, OroCommerce for complex, enterprise projects (longer implementations, higher consulting/dev time). (Codup.co)

4. Total cost of ownership (TCO)

• Lower up-front & predictable: Shopify Plus / BigCommerce (subscription), though transaction or app costs add up. (cssChopper.com)
• Higher/variable: Adobe Commerce (licensing + hosting + dev), SAP and Salesforce (enterprise licensing + integrations). OroCommerce can be lower license cost but higher services. (Codup.co)

5. Integration ecosystem (ERP, PIM, OMS, payments)

• Best enterprise connectors & partner networks: Salesforce, SAP, Adobe, commercetools (via partners). (Salesforce.com)
• Adequate marketplace + connectors for mid-market: BigCommerce, Shopify Plus. (ithy.com)

6. Architecture choices

• Monolithic / Full-stack enterprise: SAP Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce (cloud option). Good for integrated enterprise needs.
• SaaS-managed: Shopify Plus, BigCommerce — fewer infra headaches.
• Composable / headless: commercetools, Elastic Path, some deployments of Adobe (headless) — best for omnichannel and custom front-ends.

When to choose which (practical guidance)

• You are enterprise (global SKUs, complex pricing, deep ERP customization, long buying cycles): SAP Commerce Cloud, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, or Adobe Commerce — choose based on your ERP/CRM alignment, partner ecosystem and budget. (SellersCommerce.com)
• You are mid-market/rapid growth and want B2B capabilities with faster launch: BigCommerce B2B Edition or Shopify Plus. (ithy.com)
• You are a manufacturer/distributor with complex B2B workflows (quotes, negotiated contracts, account hierarchies) and want a platform built for B2B: OroCommerce. (OroInc.com)
• You want to experiment, personalize, and iterate content + commerce: Optimizely. (Optimizely.com)
• You want a future-proof, front-end-agnostic, composable architecture: commercetools or Elastic Path — plan for higher engineering investment. (hycom.digital)

Typical implementation considerations & timeline (very rough)

• SaaS mid-market (Shopify Plus, BigCommerce): 2–12 weeks for simple B2B stores; 3–6 months for moderate complexity. (cssChopper.com)
• Enterprise (Adobe, Salesforce, SAP, OroCommerce with heavy integrations): 6–18+ months depending on ERP integration, custom workflows, and global rollouts. (Codup.co)

Key tradeoffs (short)

• Speed vs. control: SaaS = faster, less control; open/composable = more control, longer build and higher cost.
• Out-of-the-box B2B vs. build-it: Oro, SAP, Adobe offer many native B2B features; headless and some SaaS require building business flows.
• Ecosystem & partners: Enterprise vendors have larger certified partner pools; smaller specialized vendors may need niche partners.

Next steps (how to pick)

1. Define must-have B2B flows (quotes, negotiated pricing, account hierarchies, approvals, contract pricing, ERP integration).
2. Estimate order volume, catalog size, user count and geographic footprint.
3. Choose architecture preference: SaaS vs. open-source vs. composable.
4. Shortlist 2–3 vendors and run solution demos with your top integrations (ERP, PIM). Ask vendors for reference customers in your industry and check real-world case studies (e.g., OroCommerce case studies for distribution/manufacturing). (OroInc.com)

If you want, I can:

• Build a one‑page decision matrix tailored to your company size, tech stack and must-have B2B features.
• Create a shortlist of 3 vendors and a suggested RFP checklist you can send to partners.

Sources and recent references used

• Forrester / vendor press: Salesforce Commerce Cloud — Forrester Wave (Commerce Solutions for B2B, 2024). (Salesforce.com)
• OroCommerce 2025 customer/case announcements and product positioning. (OroInc.com)
• Vendor comparisons and platform summaries (Ithy, Codup, cssChopper, SellersCommerce) used to compare features, speed-to-market and TCO notes. (ithy.com)
• Architecture / composable platform notes (commercetools, Elastic Path, Optimizely leader recognition). (hycom.digital)

Would you like a tailored comparison for your business? If yes, tell me: company size (SMB / Mid-market / Enterprise), main ERP or systems to integrate, and top 3 must-have B2B features — I’ll produce a compact RFP-style shortlist and recommended questions for vendors.