Integrated B2B Payments: The Key to Marketplace Success

Integrated B2B Payments: The Key to Marketplace Success

B2B commerce is undergoing a major shift. Where transactions once relied on face-to-face negotiations, paper invoices, and long payment terms, digital marketplaces are now setting new standards. Payments, long seen as a back-office function, are becoming a strategic lever at the heart of this transformation.

As B2B marketplaces gain momentum, it’s not just the way buyers and sellers connect that is changing. The entire approach to building trust, improving cash flow, and managing complex multi-party transactions is evolving too.

The Rise of B2B Marketplaces and Embedded Payments

B2B marketplaces are no longer a niche. Whether in distribution, manufacturing, or professional services, they are becoming a must-have sales channel. McKinsey estimates that B2B marketplaces could reach $3.6 trillion in global revenue by 2025, up from $680 billion in 2018[^1].

At the center of this growth is embedded payments. They let buyers pay directly on the platform—by card, bank transfer, direct debit, or deferred payment—without having to go through an external bank or ERP system.

A Concrete Example :

Mirakl, one of the world’s leading B2B marketplace providers, integrates Adyen’s payment solution to deliver a seamless experience, including fraud prevention, real-time tracking, and payment due date management.

The benefits are clear:

• Fewer cart abandonments thanks to a simplified checkout experience

• Better cash flow visibility for sellers

• Leaner processes, without the burden of traditional billing systems

By reducing friction, B2B marketplaces are getting closer to the standards of B2C e-commerce—while still meeting the complexity of B2B.

Building Trust with Escrow and Instant Settlements

One of the biggest barriers to B2B marketplace growth is trust. Buyers are reluctant to pay upfront for sellers they don’t know. Sellers, meanwhile, worry about late payments. To address this, platforms are adding financial mechanisms designed to secure every transaction.

One of the most effective is escrow: a holding system where funds are locked until certain conditions are met, such as order receipt or product compliance.

Example :

Faire, a B2B marketplace focused on wholesale, uses an escrow system to release funds only after delivery and customer approval. This reduces disputes and reassures both sides.

Academic support :

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Business Research shows that escrow-like services significantly reduce perceived risk on B2B platforms and increase conversion rates[^2].

Another major shift is instant settlements. While B2B still largely relies on 30-, 60-, or even 90-day payment terms, some platforms now let sellers get paid immediately, regardless of the buyer’s terms.

Example :

With Stripe Connect, marketplaces can transfer funds to sellers in real time, even when the buyer is on deferred payment terms. It’s a game-changer for supplier cash flow.

Managing Payment Complexity in a Multi-Vendor Ecosystem

As they scale, B2B marketplaces become complex ecosystems involving multiple sellers, currencies, tax regimes, and jurisdictions. That makes payment management more difficult: how do you split a single order across multiple suppliers? How do you ensure taxes are handled correctly? How do you balance regulatory compliance with a smooth user experience?

The main challenge is split payment management. One order may involve several sellers with different commissions, contracts, and currencies. It also requires automatic reconciliation of transactions, KYC (Know Your Customer) management, and compliance with local regulations.

What you need is intelligent payment orchestration that can:

• Automatically split payments between sellers, taking platform commissions or fees into account

• Handle local tax rules and currency conversion

• Reconcile every transaction across the buyer, sellers, and the platform

A Concrete Example :

Djust offers a modular architecture that can handle advanced payment logic in multi-vendor environments. That includes configuring payment terms by supplier and automating accounting reconciliation.

Deloitte calls this trend the rise of “orchestrated payment infrastructures”[^3]. A model where payments are no longer a post-transaction task, but a core part of the commerce experience.

From Operational Burden to Strategic Advantage

What was once seen as a purely administrative function is now a source of differentiation. By mastering the payment experience, B2B marketplaces build a lasting competitive edge: they create trust, shorten sales cycles, and free up capital for their sellers.

In a context where supply chain agility, cash flow health, and customer satisfaction are critical, payments have become a performance driver in their own right. And in this new era of B2B commerce, how you get paid matters just as much as what you sell.

Explore Djust Pay

At Djust, we believe B2B payments can become a real growth driver for businesses. That’s why we created Djust Pay, a solution designed to simplify and optimize every step of the business payment process.

Djust Pay starts with:

• Native API integration for a unified payment journey across web, mobile, and app;
• Multi-currency, localized support to cover all your markets;
• Enhanced security, with virtual IBANs and ultra-fast onboarding.

By centralizing your transactions, Djust Pay gives you real-time cash flow visibility, automated analytics, and custom reports. The result: reliable payment reconciliation, lower operating costs, and tighter control over cash flow.

For finance leaders, that translates into:

• More flexibility in managing payment terms (dynamic discounting, virtual cards, and more);
• Stronger supplier relationships, thanks to smoother settlements;
• Time savings and fewer errors through automation.

By integrating Djust Pay, you go beyond a simple administrative task: you turn payments into a true engine for performance and loyalty.

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References

[^1]: McKinsey & Company. (2023). How B2B marketplaces are reshaping industries. mckinsey.com

[^2]: Lins, S., & Sunyaev, A. (2021). Escrow services in digital platforms: A trust-building mechanism? Journal of Business Research, 124, 456–464.

[^3]: Deloitte. (2022). The future of payments: Building a modern B2B payments infrastructure. deloitte.com