Hikashop for business webshops.

When it comes to e-commerce, you probably first think of selling to consumers. In itself not a strange thought because it is well known that consumers are buying more and more online. But B2B webshops are also becoming increasingly popular, and Hikashop has plenty of opportunities to be active in this market too.

Is Hikashop suitable as a B2B webshop?

Hikashop transforms any Joomla website into a fully-fledged eCommerce system. You can add products, categorise them, place them on your website, take orders and receive online payments. Although Hikashop is best known for customer-facing B2C websites, it is also very popular for B2B wholesale businesses. The reasons for using Hikashop are similar for both types of websites. However, B2B and wholesale websites have their own unique challenges that Hikashop can help with.

B2B web shop challenges.

Hikashop has several options to be used as a business webshop.

• Many payment methods are available (such as iDEAL, credit card) and it is possible to buy products on account.
• Hikashop can be set up to be visible only to logged-in users.
• During the registration process, a VAT number can be requested which is checked online before the account is approved. Approval can also be done manually if necessary.

• Prices can be hidden from non-logged-in users, or prices can be different for each user group.

• It is possible to show products including and/or excluding VAT, depending on the visitor. For business orders from other EU countries, it is possible to reverse VAT.

• Volume discounts are also no problem for Hikashop and can easily be set per product.

• It is possible to enter a minimum order quantity, e.g. a number of products, a minimum order amount or even weight.

• The layout is fully customisable.

And we could go on and on with possibilities that can all be created out of the box in Hikashop.

Hikashop grows with your business.

When building a website, it is important to consider your needs both in the short term and in the distant future. I always find it outrageous to build a website and replace it when your business changes. A Hikashop website is suitable for wholesalers of all shapes and sizes. There is no limit to the number of products you can enter. Some Hikashop websites report more than a million products! Hikashop is so flexible that you can update your website as often as you want. If your business decides to rebrand, you can change your template without having to change the eCommerce side of your shop.

Easy to expand.

Because Hikashop works largely on the basis of plugins, this system is easy to expand. If you need additional features, you can add them using standard or customised plugins. Meanwhile, I have experience in interfacing with an external checkout and inventory system, interfacing with the Icecat catalogue and several other customised solutions. It is much more cost-effective because you never have to start from scratch or migrate to another platform.