B2B online, a leading event for the industry, discussed customer-centric strategies to future-proof businesses in the B2B ecommerce space. Manufacturers and distributors are investing in digital transformation, elevating the holistic customer experience through frictionless buying experiences across channels. A robust self-service buying portal promotes operational excellence by automating non-revenue generating tasks, while personalization is key to meeting individual buyer needs. To achieve this, companies must centralize critical data sources and use AI to analyze large amounts of data, predict future outcomes, and connect with more data pockets. The choice between hosted or open-source solutions depends on cost, capabilities, maintenance, and the search experience delivered to customers. Ultimately, businesses that put the customer at the heart of their strategy are on the right track, adopting headless architectures to leverage AI-powered tools and drive growth.