Bharat Sharma, founder and CEO of Apex B2B, recently spoke with Drinks Industry Ireland (July/August 2026) on the topic of AI in B2B commerce and why it has evolved from ‘nice to have’ to competitive necessity. Here are the key points from that conversation: Recent figures show that 77% of B2B buying processes involved AI …
Read more “Why AI Is Now a Competitive Necessity for the Drinks Trade, Not a “Nice-to-Have””
Ask a wholesaler what a product costs, and you will not get a number. You will get a question back: for whom? That answer is the whole of B2B pricing. The pallet that leaves the warehouse at one price for a national account leaves at another for a regional independent who has been buying for …
Read more “Pricebooks Explained: Customer-Specific Pricing at Scale”
There is a meeting that happens in mid-market distribution businesses with almost predictable regularity. The ERP vendor, or sometimes the internal IT lead, walks in with a slide deck. It shows a web portal module sitting neatly on top of the existing ERP. It promises online ordering, account self-service, and a reduction in inbound calls …
Read more “ERP Limitations for B2B eCommerce: Why Your Back-Office System Can’t Face Your Buyers”
The UK wholesale sector is under a kind of pressure it has never quite felt before. Margins were always thin. Volatility was always present. But the combination of post-pandemic supply disruption, retail consolidation and rising operational complexity has created a different kind of challenge, one that now sits inside the business, not just outside it. …
Read more “Why Mid-Market B2B Commerce Can No Longer Afford Manual Wholesale Operations”
Most wholesalers recognise the moment. You’ve outgrown spreadsheets and phone orders. Your buyers expect a digital experience. You start exploring the market, and quickly realise nothing quite fits. Consumer-first platforms feel too lightweight for the operational complexity you manage every day. Enterprise solutions look powerful, but come with costs, timelines, and internal requirements that simply …
Read more “What B2B Commerce Platform Works for Mid-Market Wholesalers?”
There’s a moment most operations managers in wholesale distribution know well. It’s 4:45 on a Friday afternoon. Three order emails came in during lunch. One has an attachment with a half-filled spreadsheet. Another is a reply to a reply to a reply, somewhere deep in a thread from Tuesday. The third just says “same as …
Read more “Still Taking Orders by Email? Here’s What It’s Costing Mid‑Sized Wholesale”
When a busy restaurant manager logs in at 10pm to check invoice history, reorder her staple pantry items, or apply a custom discount, she’s not hoping someone from your sales team is online. She expects the platform to handle it. Quietly, accurately, instantly. This expectation isn’t a trend. It’s how modern B2B commerce operates. …
Read more “Why Self-Service Isn’t Just a Feature—It’s the New Standard in B2B”
The Apex team is launching a powerful new quoting tool designed to make pricing and order conversion easier than ever for B2B businesses. Built directly into the eCommerce platform, this feature empowers sales reps to issue quotes in just a few clicks—turning negotiations into orders with zero friction. Smarter Quoting, Better Conversions At Apex, we’re …
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In B2B eCommerce, efficiency isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity. Whether your business operates in wholesale, manufacturing, or distribution, Apex’s “Recent Purchases” feature is designed to simplify the reordering process, save time, and enhance the user experience. This innovative Favourites function is a game-changer for businesses managing recurring orders and working under time-sensitive conditions. What …
Read more “Streamlining Reordering with Apex’s “Recent Purchases” Feature”
In B2B eCommerce, pricing flexibility is essential. Companies often have unique pricing agreements for different customers—whether based on volume, loyalty, or special deals. Apex’s “Pricebooks” feature offers a solution designed to empower businesses with the flexibility to customise pricing for each client, creating a seamless experience that respects individual agreements without the need for manual …
Read more “Maximising B2B Flexibility with Apex’s ‘Pricebooks’ Feature”