by Striped Giraffe Team
11. August 2025
Reading time: 5 Minutes
Search in B2B e-commerce can be a strategic differentiator
In B2B e-commerce, search is no longer a utility — it’s a sales engine.
Yet, according to Forrester, only 49% of B2B websites offer product search at all. Meanwhile, CXL Institute found that those who optimize it have seen sales from search-driven sessions jump by up to 43%.
With 70% of B2B leaders calling product discoverability a top priority, the message is clear: search isn’t a backend feature. It’s a commercial differentiator.
To see how B2B companies are meeting (or missing) this challenge in 2025, Zoovu analyzed the search experience across 30 enterprise-level B2B e-commerce websites.
The best performers share one thing in common: They build for how buyers think and buy, not how internal systems are organized.
Here’s what they’re doing differently:
1. Core search functionality
As B2B product catalogs grow and buyer expectations evolve, search functionality must be flexible enough to handle part numbers, industry-specific language, or vague problem descriptions. Whether it’s a procurement officer or a field technician, users expect intelligent results that adapt to their input — including misspellings, synonyms, or incomplete terms. Core functionality lays the groundwork for the entire experience.
What top performers are getting right:
- Fastenal handles typos and alternate phrasing with ease.
- 3M and Thermo Fisher support keywords, part numbers, and use cases.
- Caterpillar gets you from part number to relevant product in seconds.
- AO Smith stands out with its powerful filtering and sorting tools.
2. Product discovery & guidance
Finding a product is just the beginning — evaluating its fit is where the real decision-making starts. In B2B, buyers often face complex requirements: compatibility constraints, multi-component systems, or regulatory considerations. That’s why the best platforms go beyond filters, offering guided selling tools that help users compare options, build solutions, and explore alternatives. The goal isn’t to push products — it’s to support informed, confident decisions at every step.
What top performers are getting right:
- Schneider Electric and John Deere integrate guided selling tools directly into search.
- Schaeffler dynamically groups results and clearly displays compatibility.
- Straumann excels with compatibility logic and related items baked into results.
- Caterpillar stands out with compatibility indicators and robust bundling options.
3. Product detail experience
In B2B, a product isn’t just a SKU — it’s a bundle of specifications, certifications, documentation, and dependencies. Buyers need detailed, credible, and easily accessible information to evaluate options and minimize risk. That includes everything from CAD files and compliance data to stock availability and price calculators. A rich product detail experience not only builds trust — it accelerates decisions by reducing the need for back-and-forth with sales.
What top performers are getting right:
- Molex, Thermo Fisher, and Kennametal provide CAD files, spec sheets, and compliance docs right from the results page.
- Graco and Ingersoll Rand offer interactive product imagery and instant access to product details.
- Caterpillar provides price calculators, inventory info, and strong product tags.
4. Performance & experience
Speed and stability are crucial for B2B buyer satisfaction. In enterprise settings, users are often under time pressure and working across devices or departments. A slow or clunky interface becomes a barrier to purchase — especially when expectations are shaped by seamless B2C experiences. Responsive design, persistent filters, and fast loading times aren’t extras — they’re enablers of flow and focus in complex buying journeys.
What top performers are getting right:
- ABB preserves previous queries across sessions.
- 3M, Uline, and Neogen deliver lightning-fast and responsive search journeys.
5. Conversational search
As product complexity increases, so does the value of guidance. Conversational search brings a human-like layer to digital discovery, allowing users to express intent in natural language, clarify queries in real time, and explore solutions without navigating rigid taxonomies. Especially in B2B scenarios where needs are nuanced, conversational interfaces powered by AI can bridge the gap between catalog logic and customer logic — creating faster, more intuitive paths to the right solution.
What top performers are getting right:
- Graco has layered AI-powered chat directly into the search journey.
- Rockwell Automation integrates AI chat to support next-step guidance.
- Ingersoll Rand lets users ask configuration and compatibility questions in natural language.
“Designing a great search experience isn’t just about providing the right features. It’s equally about the quality of the product and customer data that power them,” says Danielle Rietsch, Head of Marketing at Striped Giraffe. “AI, personalization, and intelligent content delivery can add tremendous value — but only when built on a strong data foundation and aligned with how B2B buyers actually think and decide.”
How does your on-site search stack up — and are your data foundations ready to support it?
We’d be happy to talk. Contact us at experts@striped-giraffe.com.
