For Ecolab I redesigned an old B2B e-commerce site on a new design kit made by Fjord. Most of the work was the buying, not the look.
Why do B2B sites age so badly?
Because they were built around the catalog and the ERP, and buyers have since learned what ordering should feel like from every consumer site they use at home. The B2B site still asks for a part number from memory, hides the contract price until the cart, and sends people to email for a spec sheet. Buyers put up with it until a competitor's site is easier, then they quietly move the reorder.
What do B2B buyers need that a consumer shop does not?
- Fast reorder. Most orders repeat last month's. Show the past orders and let them reorder in two clicks.
- Their own prices. Contract and volume pricing visible on the product page, not a surprise at checkout.
- Documents beside the button. Spec sheets, safety data sheets, certifications, and install guides on the product, not in a separate library.
- Approvals. The person ordering is often not the person who signs off. The site has to route the order the way the customer's company works.
- Accounts with more than one person. Several buyers, ship-to addresses, and cost centers under one customer.
Where should the redesign start?
With five buyers placing a real order while you watch, and with your inside sales team, who know every workaround customers call about. That shows which flows to fix first. Then the categories and search, because B2B buyers search by part number, by spec, and by the old product name. The look comes last.
Do we need a new design system?
If the site is old enough that every page was designed separately, yes, and you do not have to build it from scratch. The Ecolab site went onto a design kit Fjord made, and my job was to make the buying flows work inside it. A good kit gives you consistent buttons, tables, and forms, so the team spends its time on ordering, pricing, and approvals.
What does it cost?
A one-hour second opinion on your current site is $150. Research with real buyers runs as a fixed study price, quoted before we start. If you need someone to lead the redesign team for a few months, that is priced monthly by the day. Anything over $3,000 can be paid by the month, no interest.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.