New research from commercetools exposes a critical challenge dubbed “The 52% Problem,” revealing that over half of B2B enterprises in the U.S., U.K., and Canada are simultaneously struggling with inefficient manual commerce processes, aging technology stacks nearing end-of-life, and the late involvement of financial leaders in technology decisions. This trio of issues is creating a significant drag on business growth and operational resilience.
The study, conducted with Cascade Insights and surveying leaders in finance, operations, and procurement, found that 52% of respondents still rely on manual, error-prone commerce processes that drain resources. An equal proportion reported that their technology stacks are expected to become obsolete within two years, with 16% facing this risk within the next 12 months. Moreover, 52% of financial leaders indicated they are involved too late in technology decision-making to effectively guide investments toward business goals and ROI.
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Dirk Hoerig, Founder of commercetools, emphasized that this is not merely a technology issue but a strategic business crisis. The combination of outdated systems, inefficient workflows, and sidelined financial input creates a “perfect storm” of operational limitations and missed opportunities for growth.
The consequences of inaction are stark. Legacy systems are cited by 64% as the greatest barrier to digital success, while 51% suffer from costly integrations and 49% face high operational expenses. With 79% saying that economic uncertainty has raised the urgency for future-proofing, the pressure to modernize is intensifying.
Yet, the research also highlights how companies can turn this challenge into an advantage. Coflex, a Mexican manufacturing leader, revamped its commerce operations in 90 days by adopting commercetools’ composable platform and aligning cross-departmental priorities. This modernization enabled them to launch a B2C-style portal reaching over 80% of customers and was actively used by nearly 90% of their sales force, resulting in significant revenue growth and enhanced customer engagement. Omar Martinez, Coflex’s Commercial Director, noted that IT has evolved from a support role into a strategic partner driving cost optimization, connectivity, and customer engagement through collaborative digital transformation.
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B2B leaders anticipate that modernization efforts will boost employee productivity (61%), increase revenue through improved customer experience (57%), and enhance financial forecasting and cash flow predictability.
To directly address these issues, commercetools offers innovations tailored for B2B needs. Their Recurring Orders feature automates repeat purchases on flexible schedules, reducing manual effort and improving loyalty. Large Carts cater to complex, high-volume transactions with support for thousands of line items and intricate pricing, shipping, and tax rules, solving complications reported by 48% of respondents. Inventory Management at Scale provides real-time control over inventory with the capacity to handle over 100,000 reservations per minute, tackling complexity issues faced by 45% of companies.
Overall, “The 52% Problem” research underscores the urgent necessity for B2B companies to modernize their commerce platforms, integrate financial leadership early in decision-making, and adopt flexible, scalable solutions to transform operational drag into sustainable growth and resilience.
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