Field Report: Four Takeaways about Amazon from B2B Online Chicago

B2B Online Chicago 2025

Enceiba recently attended this year’s B2B Online conference in Chicago, the premier event for B2B firms to learn about digital transformation, Ecommerce, and marketing. From family-run businesses to Fortune 500 companies, B2B Online Chicago drew nearly 1,000 distributors, manufacturers, and industry experts to explore the future of B2B commerce, reportedly its largest attendance since the pandemic ended.

Over the course of the three-day event, Enceiba met with dozens of companies that are either actively selling on Amazon or looking to expand into the channel. We held a Master B2B main stage presentation along with several executive dinners, allowing us to directly engage with more than 60 conference attendees about the evolution of selling B2B on Amazon. We were also thrilled to reconnect with Enceiba clients like Schneider Electric, Hanes Supply, and Snap-on, while also meeting with many businesses eager to take control of their Amazon presence.

From established sellers to companies just beginning their Amazon journey, the conversations at B2B Online reflected the platform’s increasing significance in B2B commerce. Here are four key takeaways from the conference on how businesses are navigating Amazon’s evolving landscape.

Takeaway #1: B2B Firms want more control over their Amazon presence

Channel conflict is one of the top concerns B2B manufacturers have as they look to deepen their involvement with Amazon. Many manufacturers expressed the need to gain more control over the channel to avoid or mitigate channel conflict.

They are looking for methods to maximize the financial benefits of the channel without cannibalizing or jeopardizing their existing relationships with distributors, retailers, and other types of resellers.

This is particularly true for manufacturers who sell using the Vendor Central approach, or 1P, which involves a more traditional wholesale selling relationship with Amazon, where Amazon sets the retail price of products on the marketplace (and often at levels the brand is not thrilled about). What’s more, brands are seeking to eliminate poor or misleading product information that is often presented on Amazon by opportunistic and unauthorized resellers, while also protecting themselves against price erosion. 

Takeaway #2:  More traditional B2B Manufacturers are starting to explore Amazon

Just as we saw at the ISA 25 conference in March 2025, more traditional manufacturers that had previously avoided Amazon are now investigating—and investing in—the channel. Based on our conversations, this new wave of interest is largely being driven by concerns about channel conflict and the desire for greater control over the Amazon channel (see above). 

Opportunities for sales and profit growth are also driving interest in Amazon. Many firms we talked to that may not have been a good fit for Amazon in the past are now exploring launching a selling program, such as manufacturers of large commercial equipment (e.g. professional-grade stoves), scientific tools, and bulk construction materials. But the rapid growth of Amazon Business in recent years has convinced many manufacturers to rethink the channel and look for ways to leverage it to increase revenues.

Takeaway #3:  B2B manufacturers need fulfillment support for Ecommerce, and Amazon is providing it

Many B2B manufacturers are only set up to ship large, bulk orders. And while a portion of Amazon’s B2B volumes do come in this form, most sales on Amazon are smaller orders that require a different form of fulfillment, including picking, packing, and shipping methods. As such, B2B manufacturers are realizing they need fulfillment support to get their products to their customers. 

Today, Amazon is as much a logistics company as it is an online marketplace. The company’s enormous investments in logistics infrastructure, including fulfillment centers, warehouses, an extensive fleet of ground and air vehicles (including drones), and logistics technologies, has enabled them to deliver more packages annually in the U.S. than UPS and FedEx combined in recent years.

What’s more, Amazon now offers its fulfillment capabilities as paid services, fulfilling orders not only from their own site but also from manufacturers’ own Ecommerce sites. Amazon’s logistics and fulfillment services are increasingly appealing to B2B firms looking to increase their digital footprint without having to invest heavily in infrastructure. 

Takeaway #4:  The next generation of buyers is taking over 

The next generation of B2B buyers, specifically Millennials, is rapidly reshaping the B2B purchasing landscape. According to Forrester’s Buyers’ Journey Survey, over two-thirds of buyers involved in transactions exceeding $1 million now belong to these younger generations. 

These buyers have grown up using Amazon, which turns 30 this year. They expect it to be easy to find what they want on a website, click a few buttons to complete the purchase, and have it on their doorstep the next day. Millennials are also on the other side of the equation, driving digital transformation projects at their firms and rethinking how companies operate today and in the future. They’ve been using Amazon almost their entire lives and already have a keen understanding of the benefits in selling on the world’s largest marketplace, and are spurring their companies to action.

Are you looking for a top B2B Amazon consultant to help you tackle Amazon? Enceiba is here for you! Schedule a call with one of our Amazon experts to talk about how your business can grow revenues on the channel.