Inside B2B’s AI Shift with Marc Vasquez

For years, the focus was on platforms, features, and transactions. Today, the conversation has shifted toward how digital tools actually support people, sales teams, customer service, distributors, and customers navigating complex industrial buying journeys.

That shift was front and center in a recent conversation with Marc Vasquez, Head of Digital Commerce at Ideal Tridon Group, a global manufacturer supporting electrical, plumbing, fluid power, data center, and industrial markets.

What emerged was a clear picture of where B2B eCommerce is headed:
not toward replacement of people, but toward augmentation, efficiency, and smarter use of data and AI.

The Inflection Point: Why AI Is Changing the Pace of B2B eCommerce

According to Marc Vasquez, B2B eCommerce has reached an inflection point driven largely by accessibility to AI tools. What once required large budgets, long development cycles, and specialized teams can now be tested, validated, and refined quickly.

At Ideal Tridon Group, this shift became clear through practical use cases, not theoretical experiments.

One example was invoice access. Internal teams and sales agents repeatedly requested easier access to invoices through digital portals. By addressing this specific operational need, Marc’s team reduced inbound emails and support calls almost immediately. The result was measurable internal efficiency, not just a better interface.

This pattern shows up repeatedly in modern B2B organizations:
AI and automation create value fastest when they solve specific, recurring problems, not when they are deployed as abstract innovation initiatives.

From B2C Lessons to B2B Reality

Marc’s path into B2B eCommerce did not begin in manufacturing. He spent years in IT, ran his own technology business, and later helped grow a B2C brand significantly. That background shaped his approach when he moved into the manufacturing and distribution space.

Many experiences that B2C buyers have expected for years, such as personalization, SMS notifications, and self-service portals are now becoming expectations in B2B. The difference is complexity.

B2B transactions often involve:

• specialized products
• technical requirements
• multi-step approval workflows
• distributor-based sales models

The challenge is not whether these experiences belong in B2B, but how to introduce them without disrupting existing relationships.

Marc emphasized that digital leaders must spend time with sales teams, customer service teams, and distributors to understand pain points before deploying solutions. When digital tools reduce friction for internal teams, external adoption follows naturally.

Supporting Distribution Without Competing With It

Ideal Tridon Group sells entirely through distribution, which shapes every digital decision they make. Their goal is not to replace distributors, but to strengthen the distributor relationship through better data, better tools, and better access.

This includes:

• distributor portals with customer-specific pricing and order history
• agent portals supporting one-to-many relationships
• standardized product data templates for large distributors and buying groups
• ongoing collaboration to support downstream ecommerce efforts

Marc highlighted a long-standing industry challenge: providing product content is one thing, but ensuring it is actually used by distributors is another. This is where AI is beginning to change the equation.

With AI-assisted content creation, manufacturers can now generate tailored product descriptions, use-case narratives, and market-specific content more quickly, allowing distributors to present products more effectively across different verticals.

Product Data, AI, and the Next Phase of Syndication

Product content syndication has been a topic in B2B for over a decade. The difference now is scale and adaptability.

Historically, manufacturers produced static product data and sent it downstream. Today, AI makes it possible to:

• maintain a core set of technical attributes
• adapt messaging by industry or application
• fill content gaps faster
• maintain consistency across channels

Marc sees a future where structured product data forms the foundation, and AI layers on contextual content depending on how and where the product is sold. This approach reduces manual effort while increasing relevance for buyers.

Executive Alignment and Digital Enablement

One of the strongest themes in the conversation was executive support.

Marc credits Ideal Tridon Group’s leadership team with understanding that digital commerce is not a side project, it is a growth lever. That support has allowed digital initiatives to move forward quickly, with visibility into real outcomes.

By regularly engaging with executive teams and business-unit leaders, Marc’s team identifies opportunities where digital tools can remove friction. Invoice access, self-service portals, and internal automation are not framed as “eCommerce features,” but as business enablers.

This framing matters. When executives see fewer calls, faster workflows, and better internal alignment, digital investment becomes easier to justify.

AI Agents, Productivity, and Responsible Adoption

The conversation also explored the rise of AI agents, both internal and external, and where they make sense in B2B manufacturing.

Marc uses AI today to:

• support code review and documentation
• standardize internal technical documentation
• assist with debugging and development
• consolidate product knowledge from PDFs, catalogs, and internal materials

These tools reduce dependency on individual knowledge holders and make teams more resilient. However, Marc was clear about one thing: AI must be applied thoughtfully.

He cautioned against relying on AI without foundational expertise, especially in technical and engineering contexts. AI works best when it augments skilled professionals, not when it replaces understanding.

This perspective aligns closely with the view that in an AI-saturated world, human expertise becomes more valuable, not less, especially in high-impact customer interactions.

Building Community, Not Just Technology

Beyond tools and platforms, the discussion touched on something often overlooked in B2B eCommerce: community.

Marc shared how building a personal presence on LinkedIn helped him connect with peers, learn from others, and stay current in a fast-moving space. Conferences, peer relationships, and open conversations remain critical sources of insight, especially in an industry where many teams work in isolation.

This sentiment echoed by reflecting on B2B Commerce World and the intentional design choices that encouraged authentic conversations between practitioners and vendors alike.

Key Takeaways for B2B Digital Leaders

The conversation with Marc Vasquez reinforces several important realities about modern B2B eCommerce:

• AI delivers value fastest when applied to real operational problems
• Product content remains a major lever for distributor success
• Digital tools should support existing relationships, not disrupt them
• Executive alignment accelerates digital progress
• AI augments people; it does not replace them
• Community and shared learning are still essential

B2B eCommerce is no longer about catching up. It is about operating better, serving customers more effectively, and enabling teams to focus on higher-value work.

As manufacturers and distributors navigate this next phase, the organizations that succeed will be the ones that combine strong data foundations, thoughtful AI adoption, and a clear focus on people.

That is where real progress happens.

Contact Marc Vasquez

Marc Vasquez