# B2B

> B2B, short for business-to-business, is the market in which companies sell goods and services to other companies.

Original page: https://t10.de/en/glossary/b2b
Publisher: total10 GmbH, https://t10.de/en/glossary

The definition follows the German business encyclopaedia [Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon](https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/business-business-markt-28155), which lists B2B as one of the segments into which e-commerce is often divided. B2B is not a legal term in itself, though German civil law defines one side of it: [section 14 of the German Civil Code (BGB)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__14.html) sets out who counts as a trader (Unternehmer).

In our work, B2B comes in two forms. The first is the ordering portal, central to our bespoke development: in pharma distribution, for instance, such portals handle orders for promotional material. They connect to an existing enterprise resource planning (ERP), warehouse management (WMS) or shop system through APIs and secure file transfer (SFTP) instead of reworking it.

The second is the B2B shop, with features we build for business buyers. Authorised distribution partners can have their own price groups and access rights. Where purchases need approval, buyers can add a cost centre or project number as an order comment. Some shops open only once a customer has registered and been approved. We run one ourselves: rollenrampe.de, a specialist shop for till and receipt rolls, sells to businesses and consumers alike; for business customers it checks VAT numbers and offers payment by invoice. We also migrated FEAS GmbH's B2B shop for industrial power supply to Shopware 5 without losing its established customer base.

## See also

- [B2C](https://t10.de/en/glossary/b2c): B2C, short for business-to-consumer, is the market in which companies sell to consumers.
- [ERP](https://t10.de/en/glossary/erp): ERP (enterprise resource planning) is cross-departmental business software that manages and analyses processes such as production, sales, logistics, finance and human resources.
- [Business application](https://t10.de/en/glossary/business-application): In general terms, a business application is software used to perform or support business functions.
- [Promotional material](https://t10.de/en/glossary/promotional-material): Promotional material is our term for a pharma manufacturer's brochures, pens, posters, displays and other items to promote or inform, requested by its sales staff, medical practices or pharmacies.
- [Microsite](https://t10.de/en/glossary/microsite): According to the Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon, a microsite is a small website separate from the main website of the organisation providing the information.

## Where the term appears

- [Bespoke software and business applications with Symfony](https://t10.de/en/symfony-development)
- [rollenrampe.de: our own B2B specialist shop](https://t10.de/en/portfolio/rollenrampe-de)
- [Ordering promotional material without losing control](https://t10.de/en/blog/promo-material-ordering-pharma)
- [Battle-Merchant](https://t10.de/en/portfolio/battlemerchant)
- [rasensamen-kaufen.de](https://t10.de/en/portfolio/rasensamen-kaufen-de)
- [FEAS Onlineshop](https://t10.de/en/portfolio/feas-onlineshop)

## Sources

1. [Business-to-Business-Markt](https://wirtschaftslexikon.gabler.de/definition/business-business-markt-28155), Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon (Springer Gabler), accessed 2026-11-07
2. [Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB), § 14 Unternehmer](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__14.html), Bundesministerium der Justiz / gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed 2026-11-07