How manual B2B orders are stalling your wholesale growth (and how to automate them)

How manual B2B orders are stalling your wholesale growth (and how to automate them)

In today’s fast-moving wholesale environment, many brands are still processing B2B orders manually through phone calls, emails, spreadsheets, and even fax. While these methods may feel familiar, they quietly hold back growth, creating inefficiencies, and frustrating retail partners.

Despite the wide availability of digital tools, manual B2B ordering remains surprisingly common and costly.

The problem with manual B2B orders

While B2C commerce has embraced automation, many wholesale businesses are stuck using outdated workflows. What once worked at lower volumes now creates friction at scale. Common examples of manual B2B order handling include:

• Phone and email orders: Sales reps take orders in person or over the phone, then re-enter them into ERP or back-office systems

• Showroom and tradeshow sales: Orders are written by hand or saved in spreadsheets, later inputted manually often with errors or delays

• Dropshipping requests: Retailers send forms, PDFs, or Excel files that require duplicate data entry

• Reorders and backorders: Managed through long email threads, WhatsApp, scanned documents, or even faxes

• Cash-and-carry transactions: Often lack product-level tracking and proper inventory reporting

These methods may be the status quo, but they come at a high cost in both time and accuracy. The result is slower operations, reduced customer satisfaction, and limited ability to scale.

Insights from our B2B supplier survey: 

Why manual B2B ordering still exists

Why do so many brands still rely on manual processes if automation tools are available?

Here are some common reasons:

• High cost of traditional platforms: Many digital B2B tools are built for large enterprises, with long onboarding cycles and expensive licenses

• Low retailer adoption: If the platform doesn’t match how buyers prefer to order, they often default to manual methods like email or spreadsheets

• Fragmented systems: Juggling tools for sales reps, B2B marketplaces, and direct orders without a centralized backend can stall digital adoption

• Fear of change: For smaller teams, switching to a new system can feel risky or overwhelming, especially during peak seasons

But the reality is that the cost of keeping processes manual is starting to outweigh the perceived complexity of going digital.

The impact on wholesale growth

Manual order processing may have worked in the past, but it is no longer a viable strategy for scalable growth. With rising expectations around speed, accuracy, and service, brands must evolve to stay competitive. These manual B2B workflows do more than slow you down - they quietly erode your bottom line, by:

• Slower fulfillment caused by wrong or duplicate data entry and frequent communication lags

• Increased order errors due to manual data input

• Limited scalability as teams struggle to keep up with growing demand

• Poor data visibility, making it harder to track performance, customer behavior, or inventory

• Frustrated retail buyers who expect a streamlined, self-service experience

In a world where speed and customer experience matter more than ever, brands that continue relying on manual processes risk falling behind.

The solution: digitize & automate your B2B orders

Digitizing B2B orders does not have to be complex. The right wholesale platform can streamline operations without disrupting existing relationships.

A modern B2B order management solution should offer:

• Simple and intuitive ordering for retailers across devices

• Elimination of manual data entry across all sales methods & channels

• Real-time inventory visibility and order tracking

• Native support for dropshipping, mobile, pre-orders, and reorders

• Seamless integration with your ERP, CRM, or marketplace systems

Automation does not mean sacrificing the human touch. Instead, it gives your team more time to build relationships, develop products, and grow strategically.

How Orderchamp Cloud makes it easy

Orderchamp Cloud is a modern B2B ecommerce platform built to eliminate friction from wholesale ordering, allowing you to sell smarter, faster and more efficiently. Whether you manage sales via B2B marketplaces, dropshipping, or your own branded portal, our platform is here to help you digitize.

Our B2B sales suite offers several solutions that can eliminate manual orders, from a B2B webshop solution to dropship automation to an upcoming sales app. No more retyping spreadsheets or chasing down order details. Just clean, connected, and scalable wholesale operations. Learn more through the solution pages below.

Ready to simplify your B2B sales process and grow faster?

Explore how Orderchamp Cloud helps modern brands automate wholesale orders and deliver a premium buyer experience.

Digitize wholesale with your turnkey B2B shop

Set up your own branded wholesale portal in no time. Automate ordering to reduce manual tasks and sell effortlessly to your business customers.