eCommerce Business Model Consulting Services

Strategic thinking for digital commerce growth

Your eCommerce business strategy

Designing a successful eCommerce business isn’t simply about choosing the right technology — it starts with defining the right business model. Whether you’re launching a digital-first brand, extending an established retail presence, or transforming a traditional B2B operation, your business model underpins every decision — from customer experience to revenue generation.

At DeeperThanBlue, we work with ambitious organisations across both B2B and B2C sectors to define, validate, and optimise eCommerce models that are grounded in commercial reality and built for sustainable growth.

With deep experience across multiple platforms — including Shopify, BigCommerce, HCL Commerce, and their associated managed services — we help you move from business model theory to digital execution, with confidence.

How We Help You Define and Refine Your eCommerce Strategy

Every successful commerce model is tailored — not templated. We start by analysing your existing operations, market landscape, and commercial goals. From there, we collaborate to shape a business model that balances ambition with executional practicality.

Strategic Business Model Assessment

We deliver an objective view of your current model and its market fit, identifying where there’s room to innovate, optimise, or pivot. Our work typically includes:

Reviewing your existing digital commerce operation
Analysing your market position and competitor strategies
Evaluating your revenue model against growth objectives
Mapping your customer journeys to pinpoint pain points and opportunities
Assessing your organisation’s digital maturity and readiness for change

Business Model Transformation

For businesses evolving from legacy operations or offline-first sales, we help design the roadmap for transformation. This might include:

Migrating from traditional sales channels to a scalable digital-first model
Developing hybrid business models that combine B2B and B2C components
Introducing subscription or recurring revenue streams
Planning and executing a marketplace strategy
Preparing for international expansion with localisation support

Common eCommerce Business Model Challenges We Solve

Even with the right technology, many organisations struggle to align their eCommerce model with customer needs, operational realities, or growth targets. At DeeperThanBlue, we work closely with clients to resolve the most persistent and complex challenges that prevent digital commerce from reaching its full potential.

Tackling B2B Complexity

B2B eCommerce is rarely straightforward. Account hierarchies, custom pricing, long sales cycles, and integration with ERP systems can create significant barriers. We help B2B organisations design and implement business models that support:

Bulk ordering and negotiated pricing
Contract-specific catalogues and approval workflows
Multi-tiered customer management
Seamless integration with backend systems like ERP and CRM

This often involves leveraging platforms such as BigCommerce B2B Edition or HCL Commerce to support complex business logic at scale.

Competing Effectively in B2C

For B2C brands, standing out in a crowded market is no longer just about product. We help you define a model that’s customer-centric, agile, and commercially sound — combining acquisition strategy, retention planning, and operational efficiency. This includes:

Articulating a clear value proposition
Designing frictionless customer journeys
Creating loyalty mechanisms within the business model
Testing subscription or D2C approaches where relevant

We often pair this strategic work with technical delivery via Shopify Plus or BigCommerce, depending on your scale and priorities.

Bridging Channels Without Conflict

Retailers and wholesalers expanding into digital often worry about channel conflict — cannibalising existing sales or alienating partners. We specialise in designing omnichannel business models that complement, not compete with, your broader sales strategy. Our support covers:

Channel mapping and strategy alignment
Inventory and fulfilment integration across physical and digital
Ensuring consistent pricing and experience across touchpoints
Creating B2B2C workflows that preserve relationships

Planning for Scale — Before You Need It

Growth is a good problem — until your model starts creaking. We help organisations design eCommerce business models that are built to scale. Whether it’s handling increased traffic, expanding product ranges, or launching in new regions, we make sure your business model can evolve with you.

Our team ensures the strategy you commit to today won’t limit your opportunities tomorrow. Where required, we offer long-term managed commerce support across BigCommerce and HCL Commerce to help you scale confidently.

Understanding eCommerce Business Models: Strategic Framework

Selecting the right eCommerce business model isn’t just a commercial decision — it’s a strategic one. It impacts how you reach your customers, how you monetise your offering, and how your operations are structured behind the scenes. Below, we outline the key categories and strategic considerations that shape successful eCommerce ventures.

Core eCommerce Business Model Categories

Business-to-Business (B2B) eCommerce Models

B2B eCommerce is one of the fastest-growing areas in digital commerce, but its requirements differ significantly from consumer-focused models. It typically involves longer buying cycles, negotiated pricing, approval workflows, and deep integrations with business systems.

Common B2B model types include:

B2B Wholesale Marketplaces: Connecting manufacturers and distributors with trade buyers via centralised platforms
B2B Service Marketplaces: Facilitating procurement of professional services between organisations
B2B Subscription Models: Driving recurring revenue through ongoing software, services, or supply arrangements
B2B Direct Sales: Manufacturers selling directly to business customers, bypassing intermediaries and enhancing margins

Business-to-Consumer (B2C) eCommerce Models

B2C models focus on end-customer transactions, with success often hinging on user experience, brand engagement, and retention. While sales cycles are shorter, customer expectations are higher, and competition is fierce.

Popular B2C model types include:

Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Brands owning the full customer relationship by selling direct through owned channels
Retail eCommerce: Traditional retailers extending into digital via their own online stores
Subscription Commerce: Building recurring relationships through subscription boxes, content access, or services
Social Commerce: Enabling purchases directly within social platforms, combining content and commerce in one place

Hybrid and Emerging eCommerce Business Models

B2B2C Models

This model involves selling to business partners who then sell to end consumers. While layered and complex, it’s ideal for manufacturers or wholesalers who want to support partners while maintaining brand consistency and customer insight.

Marketplace Models

Whether B2B or B2C, marketplaces remain a powerful model for scaling quickly, provided you can manage supply-demand balance, quality control, and user experience. Vertical or niche marketplaces continue to gain traction as buyers seek curated value.

Omnichannel Commerce

Modern commerce increasingly transcends online and offline boundaries. From click-and-collect to mobile POS to real-time inventory, omnichannel models demand cohesion across all customer touchpoints — not just presence.

B2B eCommerce is coming for B2C

Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce sales will have explosive growth in coming years and will soon be competing with the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, according to industry forecasts. B2B buyers want to make business purchases online, and B2B companies continue to see the benefits of using eCommerce to supplement their existing buying mechanisms and channels to market.

See how BigCommerce view The Key Distinctions Between B2B and B2C Ecommerce Success.

Strategic Considerations for eCommerce Business Model Selection

Choosing the right eCommerce business model requires more than inspiration — it demands insight. We help clients balance ambition with feasibility by grounding decisions in market intelligence, behavioural understanding, and operational reality.

Market and Competitive Analysis

Your business model needs to fit your market — not fight it. That means understanding where you sit competitively, where gaps exist, and how customer needs are evolving. This work forms the backbone of informed model selection.

What we consider:

Current market trends and emerging disruptors
How purchase decisions are influenced within your target audience
Where your competitors are focusing — and where they’re vulnerable
Opportunities for new market entry or differentiation

Customer Behaviour Assessment

Every business model ultimately lives or dies on customer behaviour. We dig into the detail of how your customers research, buy, and engage — and what they expect from a modern digital experience.

Our approach includes:

Mapping decision-making processes across segments
Understanding channel preferences and multi-device behaviours
Evaluating price sensitivity, perceived value, and loyalty potential
Modelling lifetime value across different customer types

Competitive Landscape Evaluation

Your model should give you room to move — not put you in a race to the bottom. We assess the business models your competitors are using and help you position for long-term advantage.

This typically covers:

Direct and indirect competitor model analysis
Identifying underserved segments or product/service gaps
Understanding how sustainable each competitor’s approach really is
Defining your own differentiation strategy with clarity and confidence

Operational and Technical Requirements

Behind every successful eCommerce business is an operational model that delivers. We help assess the technical and logistical realities behind each business model — from systems and staffing to fulfilment and financials.

Key technical considerations:

Platform scalability for projected volumes
Complexity of integration with ERP, CRM, PIM or OMS
Self-service and portal functionality for B2B or account-based models
Mobile commerce support and omnichannel compatibility

Operational alignment:

Fulfilment strategy and warehousing requirements
Customer service and support expectations
Inventory management and stock visibility
Billing, taxation, and finance process integration

We tailor this thinking to the platforms you’re working with — whether that’s Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, HCL Commerce, or others.

Revenue Model Optimisation

A solid revenue model doesn’t just support growth — it sustains it. We help you assess your current revenue streams, identify untapped opportunities, and build monetisation into your business model from day one.

Revenue stream development:

Increasing value per transaction
Introducing subscriptions or recurring models
Layering in value-added services or upsells
Exploring partner and affiliate revenue opportunities

Pricing strategy:

Implementing dynamic pricing where appropriate
Segmenting pricing based on customer type or region
Aligning pricing with perceived value, not just cost
Maintaining competitive positioning without eroding margins

Implementation and Optimisation Support

A well-designed business model is only the beginning. The real test is in execution — and in your ability to adapt once your model hits the market. That’s why we don’t just help define your eCommerce model — we stay with you through implementation, testing, and continuous optimisation.

Business Model Validation and Testing

Before going all-in, it pays to test. We help clients validate their business models through structured pilots, ensuring every assumption holds up in the real world.

What this includes:

Limited-scope testing with selected products, geographies, or customer groups
Definition and tracking of key success metrics
Gathering structured feedback from users and internal teams
Rapid iteration based on results and insight

Market Entry Strategy

Launching a new business model is not just about technology — it’s about timing, messaging, and managing risk. We help you enter the market with control and confidence.

Our support covers:

Phased go-to-market planning
Internal capability mapping and training
Risk mitigation and fallback planning
Defining clear success criteria from day one

Ongoing Optimisation and Evolution

No eCommerce business model stays still for long. Customer expectations change, competitors evolve, and new technologies emerge. We work with clients to keep their models fresh, relevant, and high-performing.

This includes:

Ongoing analysis of performance across acquisition, conversion, and retention
Revenue model refinement and diversification over time
Customer satisfaction tracking and experience optimisation
Competitive re-evaluation and strategic repositioning

For organisations looking for continued support beyond go-live, we offer BigCommerce Managed Services and HCL Managed Commerce to help keep your business running smoothly and scaling effectively.

Digital Transformation with DeeperThanBlue

Next Steps: Partnering with DeeperThanBlue

The right eCommerce business model can unlock new revenue streams, improve customer satisfaction, and future-proof your digital operations — but getting there requires more than good intentions. It demands clarity, commercial insight, and technical follow-through.

That’s where we come in.

Our business model consulting services are designed to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. Whether you’re entering the market for the first time, looking to modernise an outdated model, or exploring a complex B2B2C or omnichannel strategy, we’ll help you navigate the path with confidence.

If you’re ready to explore what a better eCommerce business model looks like for your organisation — or want to talk through your current challenges — get in touch with us today.

Let’s build a smarter digital commerce future together.

+44 (0)114 399 2820

info@deeperthanblue.com