Pressure from all sides: cost, growth, and cash 

B2B companies in every sector, from energy and food to manufacturing and pharma, are feeling the weight of a triple squeeze:

Inefficient commercial processes

Sales and commercial teams are bogged down by complexity and outdated workflows. According to Salesforce’s State of Sales report, sales reps spend only 28% of their time actually selling; the rest is lost to administrative tasks, internal coordination, and manual updates. 

Challenging growth environment

Over the last decade, the world’s 5,000 largest public companies grew at just 2.8% annually, with only 1 in 8 achieving more than 10% growth. This trend underscores the necessity for businesses to explore new markets, innovate their offerings, and adopt digital strategies to sustain growth. 

Cash is under strain

€1.56 trillion in excess working capital tied up globally; funds that could otherwise be used to invest in operational transformation and business model reinvention. Across many B2B sectors, inefficient order-to-cash and supply chain processes are preventing companies from unlocking this value. 

At the same time, customer expectations have changed dramatically. A generational shift is reshaping the B2B landscape. Nearly half of all B2B buyers are now millennials, with Gen Z quickly gaining ground. These buyers bring digital-first habits and consumer-grade expectations into the workplace. 

They expect to engage across multiple channels. They value speed, transparency, and personalisation. According to Gartner, 80% of B2B sales interactions will happen in digital channels by 2025. The era of static, salesperson-driven interactions is giving way to a new standard; one defined by dynamic self-service experiences, seamless omnichannel journeys and AI-powered personalisation and interactions. 

This combination of internal pressures and external demands is creating a clear imperative. Turning traditional B2B commerce into a well-executed eB2B model is not optional. It is a business-critical capability for any company that wants to stay competitive. 

What the leaders do differently 

B2B companies that have embraced digital as a core capability are already pulling ahead. According to research, digital leaders achieve: 

• Seven times higher EBIT growth  

• A 20% reduction in cost-to-serve  

• Up to 50% savings from moving long-tail customers to digital channels  

These companies are not simply upgrading technology. They are redesigning how the business works. Sales become scalable. Pricing becomes intelligent. Inventory becomes dynamic. Service becomes proactive. This is the foundation for eB2B. 

The eB2B Value Framework 

At Metyis, we developed the eB2B Value Framework to help B2B companies rethink and rebuild how they drive commercial success in the digital age. This framework is designed to do two things extremely well.

First, it helps businesses reach and convert new customers — whether in untapped geographies, underserved segments like SMEs, or through new direct-to-buyer channels. Second, it enables companies to serve existing customers more profitably by shifting towards more digital, automated, and self-service selling models that reduce cost-to-serve without compromising experience. 

Unlike many digitisation efforts that start with tools or systems, this framework starts with the customer. At its core is a deep understanding of what truly drives value for each customer segment and what pain points are holding them back. This customer-first lens is often missing in B2B commerce transformation, but it is critical for success. The framework is built around three strategic pillars, powered by two enabling capabilities. 

Graphic 1 - Metyis eB2B Value Framework building blocks

Deconstructing Metyis eB2B Value Framework

Pillar 1: customer value 

Understanding your customers begins with more than just sales data. We identify and cluster customers based on the specific value drivers that matter to them, such as delivery reliability, product mix, or support quality, and the pain points they experience today.

This insight allows you to tailor your offering, your service model, and even your commercial strategy to the needs of each segment. The result is a more relevant, more effective, and ultimately more profitable customer relationship.

Pillar 2: customer contribution 

Not all revenue is created equal. This pillar uncovers the true profitability of each customer by bringing transparency to the full cost-to-serve. We analyse everything from gross margins to service intensity, cost of the salesforce, logistics costs, payment behaviour, and support overhead.

This granular view allows you to make smarter decisions about pricing, discounts, service levels, and account strategies – moving away from blanket policies towards precision profitability management. It also reveals working capital inefficiencies, enabling better control over cash.

 Pillar 3: omnichannel execution 

A good strategy only matters if it is executed well. This pillar turns customer insights into action by designing and enabling a seamless experience across digital and human touchpoints. Whether it’s through eCommerce platforms, self-service tools, inside sales, or channel partners, we help orchestrate the right model for each customer cluster.

We approach omnichannel execution through targeted, impact-driven initiatives that are designed to test, validate, and scale quickly. This agile, test-and-learn method enables early proof of ROI and creates momentum across the organisation.

Foundational enabler: AI & Data 

To make these pillars work in practice, companies need to become truly data-driven. That starts with integrating and unlocking customer, product, and operational data from across the business. But it doesn’t stop there.

We apply AI and predictive analytics to enable smarter decisions, personalised recommendations, dynamic pricing, churn prediction, and more. AI also plays a critical role in automating routine processes, allowing your teams to focus on higher-value work while customers benefit from faster, more relevant interactions and reduced errors.

Foundational enabler: Technology & Systems 

None of this is possible without the right infrastructure. We help companies build scalable digital architecture that connects previously fragmented systems, supports real-time visibility, and enables true omnichannel commerce. This is not about adding new platforms in isolation. It’s about creating a connected technology backbone that allows data to flow, systems to talk, and capabilities to scale. This foundation is what makes lasting change possible, rather than one-off pilots or disconnected tools.

More than a theoretical framework

This is a practical engine for commercial performance. By aligning how you serve customers with what actually drives value and supporting it with the right data, systems and execution capabilities, the eB2B Value Framework creates tangible impact where it matters most.  It brings in new customers by unlocking digital reach and enabling scalable sales models. It improves the profitability of your existing base by aligning service levels with real contribution. And it frees up cash by inventory position improvements, faster cash collection and removing inefficiencies across the commercial engine. 

In short, it sets the foundation to deliver measurable outcomes across three critical areas: revenue growth, cost efficiency and working capital improvement. 

Putting the eB2B framework into practice 

To show how the eB2B Value Framework translates into real business impact, here are three use cases that demonstrate how we help B2B companies accelerate growth, improve commercial execution and increase efficiency across sales and operations. These are not theoretical models, but examples of real-world execution. 

Use case 1:

Activating the eB2B value framework to scale customer acquisition

A leading global energy company partnered with us to strengthen their commercial engine by reaching and converting new customers through digital channels. 

As part of the eB2B Omnichannel Execution pillar, we designed and implemented a scalable lead generation model that combined SEO, SEA, content, conversion-optimised landing pages, and targeted outreach. Rather than treating each element in isolation, we built an integrated system where data flows, customer signals are captured early, and every euro spent is linked to measurable outcomes.

The result was a commercial capability that delivers €5 of value for €1 invested. This marked a significant shift from previous efforts, which had been fragmented, inefficient, and lacked visibility.

What made the difference was the structured approach of omnichannel execution, which delivers end-to-end orchestration across content, targeting, CRM integration, and conversion. Campaigns were aligned with segment-level value drivers. Journeys were built to convert, not just inform. CRM and content operations were tightly connected. And best practices such as value-based messaging, simplified CTAs, and continuous testing ensured that results improved over time.

This is how omnichannel execution enables real customer acquisition, not just digital marketing enhancement.

Use case 2:

Driving efficiency and profitability with self-service eB2B

A global fashion and apparel group worked with us to modernise how they serve their long-tail customers by launching a scalable self-service eB2B platform. With a customer base heavily weighted toward smaller accounts; 88% of customers representing just 12% of revenue. The existing model placed an outsized operational burden on the sales organisation.

We helped implement a tiered service model aligned to customer value and potential. Large accounts continued receiving high-touch support, while long-tail clients shifted to a fully digital experience — from product discovery to ordering and service support.

The eB2B platform created a single access point for customers, streamlining tasks like reviewing assortments, tracking orders, downloading support materials, and resolving service issues. For customers, this meant greater independence and convenience. For the business, it meant sales and operations teams could redirect focus to higher-value accounts.

The impact was measurable: a 2% increase in EBIT, driven by cost-to-serve reductions, improved revenue per rep and better customer data to enable upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

This real-life implementation shows how the eB2B Value Framework particularly the Customer Contribution and Omnichannel Execution pillars can be deployed to reduce friction, increase profitability, and improve customer experience at scale.

Use Case 3:

Creating operational and commercial value by understanding customer contribution 

A multi-billion-euro agri company partnered with us to become the data-driven partner of its customers and unlock commercial value through smarter collaboration. Together, we translated that ambition into a programme focused on improving customer contribution and driving both operational and commercial excellence.

The starting point was order predictability. By improving visibility into customer order behaviour, we aimed to reduce last-minute operational disruptions while also improving service. We analysed historical ordering patterns, clustered customers based on behaviour and business characteristics, and defined tailored strategies per group. This included deploying tools like a next-order prediction model, feed silo sensors, and smarter commercial incentives to steer ordering behaviour in a more predictable, mutually beneficial direction.

This data-led approach enabled two key outcomes. First, it helped reduce cost-to-serve by improving planning and logistics, cutting down on last-minute production changes and external carrier costs. Second, it opened the door to deeper customer engagement through improved advice, transparency, and digital ordering journeys – ultimately increasing customer satisfaction and commercial value.

One important improvement stood out. By increasing the time between order confirmation and delivery, the company gained more flexibility to optimise logistics planning (both in terms of kilometres and own fleet utilisation) as well as production planning, significantly reducing both switching time on the lines and overtime.

This is how the eB2B Value Framework comes together in practice. It combines customer-level insights, operational improvements, and digital execution to create measurable impact for both the company and its customers.

Why execution matters now 

A well-designed framework is essential, but it’s only part of the equation. In practice, the biggest barrier to success isn’t the strategy, it’s what happens next. Many B2B companies struggle to turn ambition into execution. Pilots stay isolated, data remains fragmented, systems don’t scale, and internal teams are often unprepared to carry the transformation forward. As a result, even strong initiatives fall short of delivering business impact.

The stakes are rising fast. Buyer expectations continue to grow. Margins are under pressure. Cash is locked up. Competitors are moving faster. For B2B leaders, acting now is not optional.

eB2B is not just a channel shift. It is a new operating model for how commercial growth, cost efficiency, and working capital improvement come together. When implemented well, its impact is measurable in EBIT, in speed, and in resilience.

That’s why we work side by side with our partners in an integrated model that brings the capabilities, tools, and people needed to turn plans into performance. To stay competitive in today’s evolving B2B landscape, it’s time to embrace the eB2B transformation. Let us guide you in turning digital into measurable results.