The verdict in three sentences
For a Toronto industrial supplies distributor with 20,000 SKUs, a B2B e-commerce portal synced with the ERP (Sage 100 or similar) costs EUR 6,100 to 22,870 excluding tax (about USD 6,600 to 24,700) with Kolonell depending on scope, over 3 to 5 months. The heart of the project is not the storefront but the ERP connector: items, customer net prices, stock every 15 minutes and orders flowing back without rekeying. Start by mapping data flows with your IT lead or ERP partner, and only then pick front-end features (online quotes, punchout, quick reorder).
What the ERP connector really has to sync
In industrial distribution, a maintenance or production buyer orders precise part numbers, at a negotiated price, and wants to know if the item ships today. If the site shows a list price or yesterday's stock, they pick up the phone and your inside sales team rekeys everything. The connector must handle five flows, in both directions.
| Flow | Direction | Recommended 2026 frequency | Typical volume (20,000 SKUs) | Watch point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item records | ERP to site | Daily, overnight | 20,000 lines | Families, sales units, pack sizes |
| Stock per warehouse | ERP to site | Every 15 minutes | 2,000 to 4,000 movements per day | Reserved stock, replenishment |
| Net prices and discounts | ERP to site | Daily + on the fly | 300 to 1,500 customer price lists | Volume tiers, contract pricing |
| Customer accounts and credit | ERP to site | Hourly | 800 to 3,000 accounts | Credit limit, account hold |
| Orders and quotes | Site to ERP | Real time | 40 to 200 per day | Tax codes (HST) and freight mapping |
| Statuses and invoices | ERP to site | Hourly | Volume dependent | Invoice PDF in the customer portal |
A connector bought separately (connector vendor or ERP partner) runs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, EUR 3,000 to 10,000 (USD 3,200 to 10,800), plus an annual subscription. At Kolonell, the connector is part of the custom application scope: developed, tested on a copy of your ERP database and documented.
PIM, net prices, online quotes, punchout: which scope for which budget
Budget depends mostly on the quality of your product data and the number of B2B features. Kolonell amounts follow the 2026 custom application grid: 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (EUR 6,100 to 10,670) for a medium application, 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA and up (EUR 10,670 to 22,870 and up) for a complex one.
| Feature | Role for the buyer | Included in medium scope (EUR 6,100 to 10,670) | Included in complex scope (EUR 10,670 to 22,870) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIM (record enrichment) | Data sheets, PDFs, filterable attributes | Import and basic attributes | Full PIM, approval workflows |
| Customer net prices | See the negotiated price on login | Yes | Yes, with contracts and tiers |
| Quick order by part number | Enter 30 lines in 2 minutes, CSV import | Yes | Yes, with reorder lists |
| Online quote | Request a price for a special quantity | Form routed to inside sales | Negotiated quote, approval, conversion to order |
| Multiple buyers per account | Requester, approver, payer roles | No | Yes, approval chains |
| Punchout (cXML, OCI) | Order from the customer's procurement tool | No | Yes, 1 to 3 key accounts |
| Payment | Card, wire, credit terms | Card and wire | Credit terms, net 30, direct debit |
Punchout makes sense when a few key accounts (automotive, pharma, energy) require it in their tenders. Below 3 such accounts, it is usually more profitable to launch without it and add it in phase 2.
Realistic 3 to 5 month plan
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Flow scoping and ERP data audit | 2 to 3 weeks | Flow map, item cleanup plan |
| Connector and test environment | 4 to 6 weeks | Item, stock, price sync |
| B2B front end and customer portal | 4 to 6 weeks | Catalogue, quick order, quotes |
| Acceptance with 10 to 20 pilot customers | 2 to 3 weeks | Fixes, inside sales training |
| Go-live and follow-up | 2 weeks | Cutover, flow monitoring |
After launch, Kolonell maintenance runs 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA per month (EUR 50 to 180) depending on the level of flow monitoring. ERP licences remain your cost.
Mini case study
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David, digital lead at an industrial supplies distributor in Mississauga, has 4 inside sales staff rekeying about 120 orders a day received by email and phone, at 6 minutes per order. That is 12 hours a day, about 2,640 hours a year. If the portal captures 50 % of orders with automatic ERP posting, the saving reaches about 1,320 hours a year. At a loaded cost of USD 42 per hour, that is roughly USD 55,000 a year. With a complex project at EUR 18,000 (about USD 19,400) and maintenance at EUR 180 per month, payback is, as an order of magnitude, under 6 months, before counting fewer keying errors.
FAQ
Do I need to upgrade my ERP to connect a B2B site?
Not necessarily: recent Sage 100 versions and most mid-market ERPs expose data through an API or SQL database. A 2 to 3 week audit confirms feasibility and the connection method before any development commitment.
Can stock be shown in real time?
A sync every 15 minutes covers 95 % of industrial supplies cases. For critical items, an on-the-fly check at cart time can be added.
How much does a B2B portal for 20,000 SKUs cost?
With Kolonell, plan EUR 6,100 to 10,670 for a medium scope and EUR 10,670 to 22,870 and up for a complex scope with punchout and approval chains. Cost depends mostly on item data quality.
Will my customers see their net prices?
Yes, ERP price lists and discounts are applied per customer account. A logged-in buyer only sees their price, delivery terms and credit balance.
Who maintains the connector after launch?
Kolonell provides maintenance from 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA per month (EUR 50 to 180), with alerts when a sync fails. ERP changes are coordinated with your ERP partner.
Let's scope your project. Send us your SKU count, ERP version and top 3 features: we will price the scope, indicative budget and a 3 to 5 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h via our quote form. 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.