The verdict in three sentences
A B2B shop that is not connected to the ERP shows wrong stock and prices, and every error costs a complaint, a call and sometimes a customer. Connecting the site to SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics or Sage 100 costs between 10,000 and 30,000 EUR excl. VAT in 2026, depending on the number of flows and data quality. With synchronisation every 5 to 15 minutes, complaints are usually divided by 4 and order re-keying disappears.
Which flows to sync and how often
A serious integration goes beyond stock. For an electrical equipment distributor, six flows structure the link between site and ERP. Frequency depends on how sensitive each piece of data is.
| Flow | Direction | Recommended frequency | Risk if missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Items and technical sheets | ERP to site | Daily or on change | Obsolete SKUs online |
| Stock per warehouse | ERP to site | Every 5 to 15 minutes | Selling unavailable products |
| Customer prices and discounts | ERP to site | Hourly or on change | Disputed prices, credit notes |
| Orders | Site to ERP | Real time or every 5 minutes | Manual re-entry, errors |
| Statuses, delivery notes and invoices | ERP to site | Every 15 to 30 minutes | 'Where is my order?' calls |
| Credit exposure and limit | ERP to site | Hourly | Orders accepted despite overdue invoices |
Displayed stock must be available-to-sell stock: physical stock minus reservations and orders being picked. Many discrepancies come from this, not from sync frequency.
Integration cost with common German ERPs in 2026
Cost depends on the ERP, version, API availability and data volume. SAP Business One exposes a Service Layer API, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers standard APIs, Sage 100 often requires a connector. Figures are 2026 orders of magnitude, excluding VAT.
| Scenario | ERP | Flows covered | Budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard connector | Sage 100 or Business Central | Items, stock, orders | 10,000 to 15,000 EUR | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Full integration | Business Central | All 6 flows, customer prices included | 15,000 to 25,000 EUR | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Full integration | SAP Business One | All 6 flows, multi-warehouse | 18,000 to 30,000 EUR | 8 to 12 weeks |
| Prior data cleanup | All | Item codes, units, prices | 2,000 to 6,000 EUR | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Monitoring and maintenance | All | Alerts, replay of failed flows | 150 to 400 EUR/month | Ongoing |
| Connector or middleware license | Depends on solution | Integration bus | 0 to 300 EUR/month | Ongoing |
The most underestimated item is monitoring. A flow that fails on a Friday evening must trigger an alert, otherwise the site sells missing products all weekend. Require a sync dashboard and email alerts.
Mistakes that sink an integration project
Three mistakes come up often. The first is syncing dirty data: inconsistent units, duplicate items, outdated prices. The second is letting the site compute its own prices instead of taking them from the ERP. The third is having no rule for conflicts, for example an online order on an item a rep just sold by phone. A good integration reserves stock as soon as the cart is confirmed and sends the order to the ERP in under five minutes.
Mini case study
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Lukas, IT manager at an electrical equipment distributor in Berlin, handles 12,000 online orders a year. One in ten shows wrong stock, and 30% of those 1,200 orders trigger a complaint costing 45 EUR to handle, i.e. 16,200 EUR a year. Re-keying takes 4 minutes per order, i.e. 800 hours at 32 EUR loaded cost, so 25,600 EUR. After a full Business Central integration at 22,000 EUR, complaints fall to 4,050 EUR and re-keying disappears. The annual saving reaches 37,750 EUR, and the project pays back in 7 months.
FAQ
Is syncing every 15 minutes enough?
For most distributors, yes, provided stock is reserved at order time. For fast-moving items, a 5-minute frequency or an update on every movement is better.
Do we need to change ERP to do B2B e-commerce?
Rarely. SAP Business One, Business Central and Sage 100 integrate well if data is clean. An ERP change often costs 50,000 EUR or more and is only justified if the current tool is end of life.
Who should be the master of the data?
The ERP remains the reference for stock, prices, customers and invoices. The site is the reference only for marketing content, visuals and user accounts.
How much does integration maintenance cost?
Plan 150 to 400 EUR a month for monitoring and fixes, plus 1,000 to 3,000 EUR when the ERP gets a major upgrade.
Can we show customer-specific prices?
Yes, the price flow takes lists and discounts from the ERP. A logged-in customer sees their net price, which removes most disputes.
Let's scope your project. We price the integration of your B2B shop with your ERP, flow by flow, for an indicative budget of 10,000 to 30,000 EUR and a 4 to 12 week timeline. 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.
