The industrial automation industry has only recently begun to seriously embrace systems. For years, relationships with salespeople and phone orders were sufficient – today, that's not enough. Distributors who are implementing e-commerce platforms are already building a competitive advantage that's difficult to match. The problem is that not every solution can handle the specifics of this industry. In this article, we'll show you which features are absolutely essential, what to look for when choosing a platform, and what successful implementation looks like in practice.
Why does industrial automation need e-commerce different than other industries?
The digitalization of purchasing processes has reached the technical departments of manufacturing companies. Maintenance managers, design engineers, and purchasing departments are increasingly starting their purchasing process on search engines. A company without an online presence—with its catalog, availability, and pricing—is eliminated from the decision-making process before the phone even rings.
What sets automation apart from other industries? A few key specifics that completely change the requirements for e-commerce platforms.
Availability is a matter of life. In electrical engineering or the construction industry, a delivery delay of several days is "inconvenient" but bearable. In industrial automation, it can mean a production line shutdown and losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of zlotys per hour. This isn't a metaphor – we know the story of a customer who had 12 hours to deliver a specific component because, if he hadn't, two tons of food would have ended up in the trash. An e-commerce platform that doesn't display inventory and delivery times in real time will have a serious problem building customer trust in this industry.
Trading new and used automation equipment in one place. Unlike most industries, the automation market trades new and used equipment simultaneously. Distributors are increasingly trading both categories simultaneously. An e-commerce system must distinguish between these categories, clearly communicate product status to the customer, and build trust—even when the product is not factory-sealed.
International sales with geographic restrictions. Industrial automation is an industry with a strong cross-border market – some products are expensive, and availability is crucial, so companies source them from across Europe and the world. At the same time, manufacturers impose geographic restrictions on distributors – a given partner can only sell in selected countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic. An e-commerce platform must be able to manage these restrictions: block purchases for customers outside the authorized area, support multiple currencies and languages, and validate customer VAT numbers.
The biggest challenges e-commerce in industrial automation
No visual materials
This is one of the biggest problems in the industry. Industrial automation catalogs are full of products for which the manufacturer provides only a technical diagram and a scanned datasheet. Product photos are either nonexistent or of very low quality. This presents a huge challenge for e-commerce platforms , as customers – even business customers – are accustomed to B2C-style product presentation standards.
An example solution to this problem could be intelligent placeholders – visualizations built dynamically based on the technical parameters of the product – and rigorous standards of product cards, which, even without a photo, give the customer certainty about what they are ordering.
The enormous complexity of the commodity base
The automation distributor's catalog contains hundreds of thousands of SKUs—from screws and connectors costing just a few zlotys to controllers and drive systems worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of zlotys. These products have complex relationships: an inverter is only compatible with a machine if it meets specific electrical and mechanical parameters.
An operator panel might have a replaceable glass, a new touchscreen, or a replaceable housing – each of these spare parts is a separate catalog item that the customer should be able to find even when searching for the main product. Furthermore, providing a replacement makes sense even if the part isn't available – a customer who receives "here's what will solve your problem" instead of a "we don't have it" response stays with the purchasing process and builds trust in the supplier.
The complexity of pricing policy
The automation industry is primarily B2B, and B2B is governed by completely different pricing rules than B2C. Each customer has a different price list, different discount levels, and different trading terms. With a catalog containing hundreds of thousands of SKUs, managing such prices becomes a significant technological challenge. The standard "percentage discount on everything" function is insufficient here.
The answer is a dedicated Pricing Application that operates outside the e-commerce engine and manages individual prices efficiently and scalably, regardless of the number of products and customers. You can read more about how the Pricing Application solves this problem on the dedicated product page.
Don't miss out on more valuable content about the digitalization of B2B trade!
Key Platform Features e-commerce for industrial automation
Before you look at specific platforms, determine what you actually need. Below is a list of features that an industrial automation e-commerce platform simply won't work without.
Managing a large technical catalog:
- support for hundreds of thousands of SKUs without performance degradation,
- rich structure of technical attributes (parameters, measurement data, manufacturer numbers, replacement codes),
- filtering and searching by technical parameters,
- documentation management (PDF catalog cards, technical drawings, instructions),
- mechanism of links between products (accessories, substitutes, components).
Real-time availability:
- synchronization of inventory with ERP (real-time or quasi-real-time),
- clear information about the order processing time,
- Availability alerts (notify me when the product is back in stock),
- backorder processing,
- information about the next product delivery date.
B2B Features:
- individual price lists and discounts per contractor,
- managing multiple users from one company account (with different purchasing permissions),
- credit limits and deferred payment terms,
- quick repetition of previous orders,
- ability to import orders from a file (CSV, XLS, EDI).
Integration with ERP:
- two-way synchronization of products, stocks, prices, orders and invoices,
- flexibility – platform e-commerce it should not impose the choice of ERP – it must integrate with what the client already has (SAP, Comarch Optima, Comarch XL, Subiekt, dedicated systems)
- reliability and monitoring of integration with error notifications.
Sales in multiple markets:
- support for multiple languages and currencies,
- validation of VAT numbers for B2B transactions in the EU,
- product geoblocking – sales restrictions per country or region,
- integration with marketplaces (eBay, Amazon Business).
For a complete discussion of B2B systems architecture and how these features translate into commercial processes, please visit the dedicated section on our website.
How to evaluate a supplier and estimate the cost of implementation?
Choosing a platform is only half the decision. Choosing an implementation partner is equally—or perhaps even more—important. Here are some questions worth asking any provider.
- For experience and understanding of the industry: Have you implemented e-commerce for companies in the automation or similar industry (electrical engineering, mechanics, industry)?
- About technology and integration: How do you handle integration with our ERP system – a ready-made connector or a custom design?
- About costs and schedule:
- What needs to be there at the start (MVP) and what can we develop gradually?
- What is the billing model – Fixed Price, T&M, or hybrid?
- What does post-launch care and support look like?
- Approximate implementation cost ranges:
|
Scope of implementation |
Approximate cost |
|
Sellina + additional functionalities and integrations |
start from PLN 69, most projects PLN 150-300 |
|
Optional: PIM System, Price Application |
from approximately PLN 40 |
|
SLA, Warranty and related services |
4400 PLN net / month |
|
Maintenance and development |
from PLN 1,000 / month |
Remember that the cost of the platform is only part of the investment. Other costs to consider include enriching and normalizing product data, integration with external systems, training, and internal change management.
Case study: e-commerce for industrial automation in practice
Adegis
Adegis is a company that has long been known primarily for its service and repair of industrial automation equipment. Entering e-commerce marked a strategic shift: from a service company to an online distributor of both new and used equipment.
Challenge: The company wanted to launch online sales of its catalog, digitize availability and pricing information, and enter foreign markets – as quickly as possible and without disrupting existing processes.
Solution: Cognize implemented Sellina ( a B2B + B2C e-commerce system ) based on the Magento 2 engine with a headless frontend architecture. Key elements of the implementation included:
- integration with the Baselink platform, enabling the publication of selected products on eBay with synchronized prices and stocks,
- handling new and used products in one system,
- multilingualism and service to foreign markets from day one.
Effects: Launching a new online sales channel, opening foreign markets and entering marketplaces – while maintaining full consistency with existing ERP processes and the distribution model.
The full case study is available at cognize.pl/adegis.
FAQ – most frequently asked questions about e-commerce in industrial automation
It depends on the scale and plans. SaaS offers a faster start and a lower entry threshold – a good solution if you want to launch e-commerce in a few months without a large IT team. Open source (Magento 2) offers full control and unlimited expansion possibilities – but it requires an experienced partner and a higher budget. You can also choose a hybrid solution, like Sellina, which combines the advantages of SaaS and open source. Learn more about Open-SaaS.
In typical implementations, ERP integration takes between 4 and 12 weeks, depending on the complexity of the ERP system, the quality of its API, and the scope of data to be synchronized. Early involvement of the IT team and clear definition of data flows in both directions are crucial.
No – although their absence will impact conversion. You can launch a store with technical descriptions, diagrams, and parameters. More important than photos are: availability, price, and ease of ordering. Photos can be added gradually.
A well-configured platform should enable: communicating lead times for products ordered directly from the manufacturer, setting availability alerts, and—most importantly—identifying substitutes or complementary products. A customer who lands on an unavailable product page should be provided with an alternative, not a dead end.
Yes. Modern platforms like Sellina , powered by Magento 2, allow for granular control over product visibility and purchasing options based on customer country. This is a key feature for distributors operating under distribution agreements with manufacturers that limit their geographic sales reach.
A standard e-commerce engine isn't optimized for this. The solution is a dedicated Pricing Application that runs alongside the platform, efficiently managing individual customer prices, regardless of data volume. Sellina offers this integration as a complementary element of the B2B commerce ecosystem.
Technology is only half the way
Systems that achieve their intended effect have at least one thing in common – someone took care of what happens after the platform is launched.
Before your customers place their first online order, your salespeople must do the same. They will be the first line of contact with the new tool, and their concerns, questions, and habits will determine whether the platform is adopted or avoided. Team training isn't a schedule item—it's a project in itself: how to present the change internally, how to conduct initial tests with salespeople before the system is rolled out to customers.
The same applies to selecting your initial audience. Instead of opening the platform to your entire database at once, it's worth starting with a group of customers who are ready – loyal, open to new solutions, with whom you have direct contact and the ability to quickly respond to issues. This "friends and family" group allows you to gather real feedback before everyone sees the areas that need improvement.
It's also worth taking a look at the competencies within the organization beforehand. Who will manage the platform day-to-day? Do you have someone to manage the product catalog, customer account management, and reporting? If not, it's not a reason to halt the project, but to incorporate it into the plan. Sometimes training the existing team is enough, sometimes it's worth recruiting a suitable person before launch.
For clients who are open to such support, we do it together. We conduct internal onboarding, train salespeople, help plan communication with early adopters, select a test group, and identify skills gaps within the organization—and how to build or recruit them. These are things that go beyond traditional technological implementation, but in our experience, they determine whether a platform generates orders after a year or merely generates maintenance costs.
Conclusions – how to choose the best one e-commerce for industrial automation?
The industrial automation industry is at the beginning of a long journey of digitalizing its sales channels. Companies that take this step consciously—with a well-chosen platform, thoughtful integration with ERP, and a consistent product catalog development strategy—will build a real, difficult-to-match advantage.
A few takeaways from this article: there's no single "best" platform for an entire industry—there's a platform that's best for your business model and scale. Product availability and reliable technical information are more important than eye-catching graphics. Choose a partner who understands your industry, not just the technology—and who starts with diagnosis, not implementation. Start with an MVP and develop the system iteratively, rather than trying to implement everything at once.
If you want to see what solution will work for your company, we'll start by talking about your processes, not with an offer.
This article was developed by the Cognize team based on their experience with B2B e-commerce implementations for manufacturers and distributors in the industrial automation, electrical engineering and industrial sectors.
