B2B E-Commerce for the Food Industry

The food industry places demands on a B2B shop that are more heavily regulatory-driven than in any other segment. EU Regulation 178/2002 requires complete traceability of all food products across the entire supply chain. This means: every order must be linked to batch and lot numbers so that in the event of a recall, it can be determined within hours which customers received which batches.

The best-before date (BBD) is a central control element. Restaurateurs and retailers expect a remaining shelf life of at least 50 to 75 percent of the total shelf life. A shop that does not transparently display BBD information per batch and does not specially handle products with short remaining shelf life generates complaints and returns. Our BBD module displays the remaining shelf life per available batch and allows configuration of minimum remaining shelf life per customer group. Batches with reduced remaining shelf life can be offered at special conditions through a clearance platform, which reduces food waste while increasing revenue with price-sensitive customer groups.

The cold chain is another critical dimension. Temperature-sensitive products must not leave defined temperature ranges during the entire logistics process. The shop must classify products by temperature zone (frozen, chilled, ambient) and control ordering logic accordingly: minimum order quantities for refrigerated deliveries, automatic assignment to the correct refrigerated vehicle and delivery time windows that ensure an unbroken cold chain.

Food traceability is not merely a legal requirement but an existential risk management tool. In the event of a product recall, affected batches must be identified within hours and all recipients notified. Our batch module links every delivered item to the corresponding batch, supplier, receipt date and best-before date.

Batch data is automatically synchronized via the ERP interface. During order picking in the warehouse, the actually picked batch is assigned to the order and updated in the shop. In the customer portal, every buyer can trace which batches they received. In case of a recall, the system automatically generates a list of all affected customers, orders and delivery quantities. This functionality dramatically shortens reaction time during a food recall and protects both your customers and your company.

Shelf life management goes beyond simple display. Our BBD module implements the FEFO principle (First Expired, First Out): during picking, batches with the shortest remaining shelf life are automatically prioritized, provided the remaining life meets the customer-side minimum requirement. Batches whose remaining shelf life falls below the configured threshold are automatically removed from regular sale and can be offered at reduced prices on a separate clearance platform.

Different customer groups have different shelf life requirements. A restaurant that processes products within a few days accepts shorter remaining shelf life than a retailer who needs the goods on shelves for several more weeks. Our system allows configuration of individual BBD thresholds per customer group, so each customer only sees batches that meet their remaining shelf life requirements. This differentiated control reduces complaints and food waste equally.

In the food industry, recurring orders are the norm. A restaurant orders the same staple ingredients weekly, a caterer has a fixed delivery rhythm and a retailer replenishes based on sales statistics. Our subscription module supports configurable order intervals (daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly) and automatically generates order suggestions based on past orders.

Order suggestions factor in seasonal fluctuations and can be adjusted by the customer before approval. When a product is temporarily unavailable, the system suggests alternative articles from the assortment with comparable properties. After adjustment, the order goes through the standard approval process and is transmitted to the ERP. For customers who prefer not to review their orders regularly, fully automatic triggering with a confirmation email is available as an option.

The HACCP concept (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is mandatory for food businesses. The shop supports documentation obligations by automatically providing relevant documents with every order: product specifications with complete ingredient lists and allergen declarations, analysis certificates for microbiological and chemical parameters, hygiene data sheets and origin documentation. These documents are archived in the customer portal and are permanently available for regulatory inspections and internal audits.

For temperature-sensitive products, the system additionally documents cold chain requirements. Each article is classified with a temperature zone, and delivery documentation includes the target temperature during transport. In conjunction with temperature data loggers, the actual transport temperature can be stored in the portal, giving your customers a complete record of cold chain integrity.

The IT landscape in food wholesale includes specialized components for product traceability, quality assurance and cold chain logistics alongside the ERP system. Integration work must incorporate these food-specific systems and ensure seamless data supply to the shop.

The central challenge in food trade is perishability. Unlike technical trade or wholesale for industrial goods, food products have a limited shelf life that influences the entire ordering process. Stock information must account not only for quantity but also the BBD of each available batch. Order quantities must match the customer's consumption patterns to minimize food waste.

Fluctuating availability and seasonal assortments demand a flexible ordering platform. Fruit and vegetable products are subject to natural supply fluctuations that affect prices and availability at short notice. The shop must be capable of displaying daily prices for volatile product groups, showing alternatives when items are unavailable and proactively informing buyers about assortment changes. Performance optimization ensures stable page load times even with daily price updates and high order volumes. Our references demonstrate how we have solved these challenges in practice. Long-term support ensures seasonal shop adjustments are prepared in advance.

Order cut-off times and delivery rhythms are particularly critical in food trade. Fresh goods orders must be received by a defined cut-off to ensure picking and delivery the next day. Our shop implements order cut-off times per product group and delivery area, visually informs the buyer about remaining order time and suggests alternative delivery dates when time is short. This functionality significantly reduces late orders and the associated special delivery runs. For urgent orders after cut-off, the system offers a dedicated workflow that transparently displays the additional costs and enables express processing by dispatch.

The EU Food Information for Consumers regulation mandates complete declaration of the 14 main allergens. In the B2B shop, this information must be correctly displayed on the product detail page, in the cart and on delivery documents. Our allergen module imports allergen data from the PIM or recipe database and presents it in a standardized, color-coded format.

Hospitality businesses that must create menus with allergen labeling particularly benefit from a filterable search for allergen-free products. The buyer can exclude allergens and only sees products meeting the criteria. When suppliers change recipes that introduce new allergens, affected regular customers are automatically notified. This functionality protects your customers and their end consumers while reducing liability risks for all parties.

In addition to allergen declaration, the FIC regulation requires provision of complete nutritional information (Big 7): energy value, fat, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt. In the B2B shop, this data is displayed on the product detail page in the prescribed table format and included in delivery documentation upon ordering. For restaurateurs who need to calculate nutritional information for their menus, the shop offers an export function that provides all relevant product data as a structured file.

Product transparency in practice extends beyond the legal minimum requirements. Many restaurateurs and retailers expect information about origin (country of origin, region), production method (organic, conventional, regional), quality labels (organic, Fairtrade, MSC) and packaging unit. Our product data model supports all these additional attributes and enables differentiated filtering by origin, certification and production method. This way, buyers can specifically find regional organic products or Fairtrade-certified raw materials without manually searching through product descriptions.

Food wholesale works intensively with reusable systems: Euro pallets, deposit crates, reusable bottles and returnable transport containers. Deposit logic must be correctly mapped in the shop so the buyer can distinguish the actual product price from the deposit value. Our deposit module manages deposit accounts per customer, automatically calculates deposit amounts in the cart and offsets returns against the next order. The current deposit account balance is always visible in the customer portal.

For key accounts with regular pallet traffic, we offer automated pallet exchange processing: the driver records the number of delivered and collected pallets via a mobile device during delivery, and deposit accounting happens automatically. This digital deposit management replaces the error-prone manual tracking on paper pallet notes and significantly reduces complaints about disputed pallet balances. Synchronization with the ERP ensures deposit accounts match between shop and inventory management system.