The verdict in three sentences
For an industrial distributor with 2,000 customers and 25,000 SKUs, an ERP-connected B2B customer portal costs between EUR 35,000 and 80,000 excl. VAT and ships in 4 to 6 months. The main gain comes from the order desk: 30 to 45% fewer calls on low-value requests (invoices, delivery notes, availability, net prices). With a well-prioritised scope, payback lands between 12 and 18 months, before even counting replenishment orders placed online.
What a B2B customer portal really costs in 2026
Price depends less on page count than on how deeply the portal integrates with the ERP (SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage X3, proALPHA, abas). A portal that only displays invoice PDFs has nothing in common with one that computes customer-specific net prices, family discounts and multi-warehouse availability in real time.
| Item | 2026 range (excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and order desk workshops | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | 2 to 3 weeks, mapping of actual requests |
| UX design and mock-ups | EUR 4,000 to 9,000 | Buyer, customer accountant, storekeeper journeys |
| Front-end and back-end development | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | Customer area, multi-user accounts, permissions |
| ERP connector (API or data feeds) | EUR 8,000 to 20,000 | Invoices, delivery notes, orders, stock, net prices |
| Testing, security, go-live | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | Load tests, GDPR, authentication |
| Hosting and maintenance | EUR 600 to 1,500/month | Managed hosting, updates, fixes, support |
| Total project | EUR 35,000 to 80,000 | 4 to 6 months |
A SaaS B2B e-commerce tool (EUR 800 to 2,500/month licence) may look cheaper at entry, but it often forces you to duplicate the ERP pricing logic, which creates price discrepancies and disputes. For a 25,000-SKU catalogue with customer-by-customer negotiated terms, a custom build plugged directly into the ERP remains the most reliable option.
Features to prioritise, in order
The classic mistake is trying to ship everything in V1. A 4-week analysis of incoming order desk calls and emails almost always shows the same split: most requests concern information already in the ERP.
| Priority | Feature | Share of order desk requests handled | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice and credit note download | 18 to 22% | Low |
| 1 | Order tracking and signed delivery notes | 15 to 20% | Medium |
| 1 | Stock availability per warehouse | 10 to 15% | Medium |
| 2 | Net prices and customer discounts | 6 to 10% | High |
| 2 | Quick replenishment (order by SKU or file) | 5 to 8% | Medium |
| 3 | Account statement and online payment | 3 to 5% | Medium |
| 3 | After-sales requests and returns | 2 to 4% | Medium |
Batch 1 alone covers 43 to 57% of requests and can go live after 3 months. Batches 2 and 3 follow within the next 2 to 3 months, once initial customer feedback is in.
18-month ROI calculation
ROI is measured on three levers: freed order desk time, fewer data entry errors and the value of replenishment orders placed online.
| Lever | 2026 assumption | Estimated annual gain |
|---|---|---|
| Order desk calls avoided | 6 FTE, 35% of time freed, loaded cost EUR 48,000 | EUR 100,800 |
| Data entry errors avoided | 1.5% of orders, EUR 120 cost per error | EUR 12,000 to 18,000 |
| Online replenishment orders | +4% purchase frequency on 20% of customers | EUR 25,000 to 60,000 margin |
| Recurring cost | Maintenance EUR 1,000/month | -EUR 12,000 |
Freed time does not necessarily mean reducing headcount: it is usually reassigned to chasing pending quotes and reactivating dormant accounts, which generates additional revenue.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Thomas, sales director of an industrial supplies distributor in Berlin-Spandau, manages 2,000 accounts and a 6-person order desk. The selected project costs EUR 58,000 excl. VAT (batches 1 and 2) plus EUR 1,000/month maintenance. After 6 months in production, inbound calls drop from 420 to 260 per week, a 38% decrease. Based on a loaded cost of EUR 48,000 per FTE, freed time represents about 2.1 FTE, or EUR 100,800 per year. Total cost over 18 months: 58,000 + 18,000 = EUR 76,000. Gain over the same period (12 effective months after go-live): about EUR 100,000. Break-even is reached around month 14.
FAQ
Do we need to change ERP to launch a customer portal?
No. In 80% of cases, the existing ERP exposes APIs or tables usable through a dedicated connector, budgeted at EUR 8,000 to 20,000 excl. VAT. Only very old ERPs with no reliable export justify a heavier middleware layer.
How long until a first version is live?
A batch 1 (invoices, order tracking, availability) ships in 10 to 14 weeks. The full portal with net prices and replenishment takes 4 to 6 months in total.
Will customers actually use it?
Adoption typically reaches 40 to 60% of active accounts after 6 months if the order desk consistently redirects to the portal and login is simple (magic link or SSO). Without that support, it often stays below 20%.
How do we secure access to net prices?
Each customer account has users with roles (buyer, accountant, storekeeper) and two-factor authentication is available. Data stays hosted in the European Union, in line with GDPR.
What budget should we plan after go-live?
Allow EUR 600 to 1,500 excl. VAT per month for hosting, maintenance and minor improvements, that is EUR 7,200 to 18,000 per year depending on volume and expected service level.
Let's scope your project. Send us your ERP, your number of customer accounts and your three most frequent order desk requests: we will price a batch 1 between EUR 35,000 and 50,000 excl. VAT with a go-live schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
