Why discounts failed, and calls worked.
B2B eCommerce adoption does not fail because buyers hate discounts. It fails because buyers do not trust the process, cannot see the path, or hit friction they cannot solve fast enough.
Here’s a real example we see all the time.
The setup: a pilot site and three rounds of discounts
A client launched a pilot website with one clear goal: net-new customers ordering cases online.
They tried to drive adoption with email blasts offering:
- 10% off and got zero orders
- 20% off and got zero orders
- 30% off and got zero orders
At that point, the takeaway was simple. Price was not the blocker.
What we changed? We pivoted from “broadcast” to “guided adoption”
We recommended a practical, human-assisted adoption path:
- The client provided the prospect list
- We called the prospects
- We introduced the site and the offer
- We educated them on how to use it
- We helped facilitate the first order when needed
This is the part most teams skip. They assume a prospect will do all the work alone.
In reality, even in a digital-first buying world, buyers still want the option of a low-friction human assist, especially when something feels new, unfamiliar, or operationally risky.
Gartner found that a large share of B2B buyers prefer to order and pay through digital commerce. That preference does not remove the need for confidence-building and support when adoption is early.
The results from 41 prospect calls
From 41 calls using the process above, we saw:
- 9 leads (22%)
- 6 online purchases (15%)
- These buyers needed facilitation help or technical assistance to complete the purchase
- 10 not applicable (24%)
- Fictitious business names or residential
This is what “real pipeline” looks like. Not inflated lists. Not click metrics. Progress that can be traced to conversations, clarity, and reduced friction.
Why discounts did nothing
Discounts can amplify demand that already exists. They rarely create trust where it is missing.
In this case, the buyer had unanswered questions like:
- “Is this legitimate?”
- “Will my order go through?”
- “What happens if something is wrong?”
- “How does delivery work for case loads?”
- “Who do I contact if the site breaks mid-order?”
Buyers often need multiple touchpoints across channels to get comfortable. Forrester reported that B2B purchases can involve many interactions across stakeholders and touch points before decisions settle.
So if your only move is “send another email with a bigger discount,” you are solving the wrong problem.
What actually drove B2B ecommerce adoption
1) List quality came first
A full 24% of records were not usable. That is a data problem, not a sales problem.
If your list includes fake businesses and mismatched contacts, your campaign will always look worse than it is.
2) The first order is an onboarding moment
Those 6 purchases (15%) did not need more incentive. They needed help completing the process.
Your first order experience is product onboarding in disguise.
3) Trust gets built in the “small moments”
These calls gave prospects space to share concerns, ask questions, and offer feedback. Once concerns were addressed, they were more willing to place an order and opt in.
That is how trust becomes operational.
A simple playbook you can steal
If you are trying to drive adoption of a new ordering motion, portal, or pilot site, run this sequence:
- Validate the list (remove non-business records, confirm fit)
- Call to introduce (context, why it exists, what’s in it for them)
- Teach the path (how ordering works, what to expect)
- Assist the first conversion (live help, fast fixes, escalation path)
- Capture feedback and consent (objections, friction points, opt-in)
What to measure instead of “email performance”
Track metrics tied to adoption reality:
- Assisted conversion rate (how many needed help to complete)
- Time to first order
- Invalid record rate (data quality)
- Top friction points (what stopped checkout)
- Lead-to-order progression after a call
The takeaway
If you are trying to launch a new B2B ordering channel, your job is not to push harder. Your job is to reduce uncertainty and remove friction until the first order feels easy.
Discounts are not a strategy. Adoption is.
If you want to replicate this kind of assisted adoption motion, explore our lead generation and outbound calling approach here.
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