The verdict in three sentences
A packaged B2B e-commerce platform starts around 20,000-60,000 EUR plus annual licences, while custom development sits between 60,000 and 160,000 EUR for a full scope. The choice depends less on budget than on pricing complexity (per-customer prices, volume discounts, credit terms) and the number of ERP/stock integrations. Below 40 trade customers with simple pricing rules, packaged wins; beyond that, custom pays off over three years.
Packaged vs custom: the real comparison
Both deliver a catalogue, a cart and a back office. The difference is B2B depth: negotiated per-account pricing, approval workflows, quotas, and above all openness to integrations. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude for a London-area manufacturer.
| Criterion | Packaged solution | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | 20,000-60,000 EUR | 60,000-160,000 EUR |
| Annual licences | 6,000-30,000 EUR/yr | 0 (owned) |
| Time to launch | 3-6 months | 6-12 months |
| Per-customer pricing | Standard, limited | Unlimited, fine-grained |
| ERP/stock integration | Paid connectors | Native custom |
| Multi-user accounts | Yes, basic | Advanced roles & quotas |
| Monthly maintenance | 700-1,200 EUR/mo | 900-1,600 EUR/mo |
The B2B functions that drive price
What is expensive in B2B is not the storefront but the commercial logic. Each function below adds person-days and must be quoted separately.
| Function | Indicative effort | Business impact |
|---|---|---|
| Per-customer price lists | 8-15 days | Retains large accounts |
| Quick order by SKU | 5-10 days | -30% entry time |
| Multi-user accounts + roles | 10-18 days | Buyers + approvers |
| Credit terms & deferred payment | 8-14 days | Matches B2B habits |
| Real-time ERP integration | 15-30 days | Reliable stock & price |
| Online quotes + follow-up | 6-12 days | +20% conversion |
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Claire, sales director of a 45-person industrial SME in Greater London, handles 60 trade customers and 900 SKUs. Her reps spend three hours a day keying in orders received by email and phone. A custom platform at 95,000 EUR with per-customer pricing and ERP integration shifts 55% of orders to self-service. The gain: two sales FTEs freed from data entry, roughly 80,000 EUR/year of capacity redeployed to prospecting. With maintenance at 1,300 EUR/month (15,600 EUR/year), payback lands in under 18 months.
FAQ
Packaged or custom to start? If your pricing rules fit in a simple table and you have fewer than 40 trade customers, a packaged solution at 25,000-40,000 EUR is enough. As soon as prices vary by customer and volume, custom avoids costly workarounds.
How much is ERP integration? Budget 15,000 to 40,000 EUR depending on the ERP (Sage, SAP Business One, NetSuite) and the data freshness required. Real-time stock and price sync costs more than a nightly export.
What is a realistic timeline? A full custom project takes 6 to 12 months across scoping, build and catalogue migration. A first sellable increment (catalogue + ordering + pricing) can ship in 4 months.
Do I need a maintenance contract? Yes: 900 to 1,600 EUR/month for fixes, evolutions and security. Without it, a B2B platform degrades within 12-18 months.
Can I move to custom later? Yes, but budget the data migration and SEO redirects. Going custom directly above 60 customers often avoids a double investment.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your catalogue, your ERP and the number of trade customers to onboard, and we will price packaged vs custom with a precise scope. 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.