9 B2B ecommerce influencers you should be following

Joe Cicman – Senior Analyst, Forrester Research

As Forrester is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world, it is only fitting that a Senior Analyst from the firm is the first to make our list. Joe Cicman helps eBusiness Professionals assess, improve and optimize both B2B and B2B2C ecommerce technologies and strategies. He is highly-focused on B2B commerce suites. Speaking of, be sure to download last year’s copy of The Forrester Wave™: B2B Commerce Suites, Q3 2018.

Ann Handley, Best-Selling Author, Partner at MarketingProfs

Handley emerged as a social media rockstar in the late 2000’s and has continued to be an influential voice in B2B marketing. Although most people view her as a content marketing expert, Handley demonstrates strong expertise in adapting marketing and content strategies to the world of B2B commerce. MarketingProfs’ B2B content marketing research and reports are a must-read for B2B commerce marketers who want to improve the B2B customer experience.

Jonathan Bein – Managing Partner, Real Results Marketing

Our friend Jonathan Bein, Ph.D., is a Managing Partner at Real Results Marketing, a B2B marketing and strategy execution firm. He is a seasoned entrepreneur who leverages his marketing, technical and sales expertise to develop clear value based on economic value. Recently, Bein published research on the Key ecommerce Trends in Manufacturing and Distribution 2019. 

Paul Demery – Writer and Editor, B2BecNews, B2B ecommerce World

Paul Demery is a writer and editor covering internet retail, B2B ecommerce technology and business strategies. Demery has been highly involved with some of the biggest ecommerce conferences as both an organizer and presenter.  Specifically, Paul Demery played a key role in the inaugural year of B2B Next.

Andy Hoar – CEO, Paradigm B2B and Co-Founder, B2B Next

Speaking of B2B Next, this list wouldn’t be complete without mention of the Co-Founder of the event, Andy Hoar. B2B Next helps industry practitioners and their vendors earn the attention of B2B buyers operating in an increasingly complex and digitally-disrupted world. Recently, Andy Hoar published the B2B Combine, a first of its kind report that assesses B2B ecommerce solutions from the bottom up with evaluation modeled after the NFL combine.

Justin King – Owner, B2X Partners

Justin King specializes in helping distributors and manufacturers navigate the B2B ecommerce software selection journey. King is an Author and a Speaker focused on ecommerce and the B2B customer experience. Last year, we were honored to welcome King to our inaugural user conference to gain his perspectives on customer adoption of B2B ecommerce websites.

Mark Brohan – Director of B2B ecommerce Research, DigitalCommerce 360

As the Director of B2B ecommerce Research at DigitalCommerce 360, Mark Brohan has published multiple research articles and thought leadership pieces on B2B ecommerce. Checkout a recent favorite of ours, Distributors View Amazon as both Friend and Foe.

Jordan Jewell – Research Manager, IDC

As IDC’s lead analyst, Jordan Jewell covers the worldwide digital commerce software market. Jordan conducts quantitative and qualitative research on digital commerce technology, online marketplaces, and numerous other international enterprise applications markets.

Cecilia Edwards, Partner, Everest Group

Although our final pick might seem a bit out-of-the-box, digital transformation is a huge part of B2B ecommerce success and Cecilia Edwards is a leader in that space. An expert on the critical components of B2B digital transformation, Edwards was formerly the Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President of Client Services at Telligent, a leader in the community and collaboration software industry.  Edwards continually holds IT departments’ “feet to the fire” in her commitment to positioning technology not as an answer, but as an enabler to B2B innovation.