The verdict in three sentences
A B2B order portal integrated with an ERP costs between 12,000,000 and 55,000,000 FCFA in 2026 for a West African distributor, depending on the depth of real-time stock and the exchange mode with the management system (API, EDI or files). The heaviest line item isn't the customer interface but the catalog-price-stock synchronization: it's what prevents falsely displayed stock-outs and orders on unavailable SKUs. Return on investment shows first in eliminated manual keying hours and order errors, which cost on average 3 to 5% of the revenue processed by hand.
2026 price ranges by integration level
An order portal quote depends mostly on the level of synchronization with the ERP. A static catalog refreshed overnight costs far less than real-time stock with reservation at order time. Here are the 2026 orders of magnitude for the Senegalese and West African market.
| Level | Price (FCFA) | Timeline | Stock sync |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog + e-mail order | 12,000,000 – 20,000,000 | 6 – 10 wks | overnight export |
| Portal + daily stock | 20,000,000 – 32,000,000 | 10 – 16 wks | 1 to 2 times/day |
| Real-time stock API | 32,000,000 – 45,000,000 | 14 – 22 wks | real-time |
| EDI + stock reservation | 45,000,000 – 55,000,000+ | 20 – 30 wks | real-time + EDI |
Cost also varies with the ERP in place and the connection mode. Here is the order of magnitude for the integration line alone, excluding the customer interface, in 2026.
| ERP / connection | Integration (FCFA) | Complexity |
|---|---|---|
| Sage 100 / standard API | 4,000,000 – 8,000,000 | Medium |
| Odoo / native API | 3,000,000 – 6,500,000 | Low |
| SAP Business One | 8,000,000 – 15,000,000 | High |
| In-house ERP / files | 6,000,000 – 12,000,000 | Variable |
| EDI (standard formats) | 9,000,000 – 18,000,000 | High |
The ROI of automated order entry
The gain is measured on three items: eliminated keying hours, avoided order errors, and extended ordering hours (the portal takes orders 24/7). Here is a typical estimate for a distributor processing 20,000 orders per year.
| Gain item | Before portal | After portal | Annual gain (FCFA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keying hours | 3,000 h | 900 h | ≈ 6,300,000 |
| Order error rate | 4.0% | 0.8% | ≈ 9,500,000 |
| Off-hours orders | 0% | 22% | basket +14% |
| Avg processing time | 6 h | 45 min | satisfaction |
Mini case study
Mr Ndiaye runs a hygiene and cleaning products distributor in Dakar: 240 reseller customers, 1,800 SKUs, about 18,000 orders/year keyed by hand by 3 sales assistants. The keying error rate is around 4%, i.e. ~720 orders to fix (credit notes, returns, re-deliveries) at an estimated cost of 11,000,000 FCFA/year. An order portal with daily stock integrated into his Sage 100, budgeted at 27,000,000 FCFA, brings the error rate below 1% and frees up the equivalent of one full-time assistant. Estimated cumulative savings: ~15,000,000 FCFA/year, i.e. payback in under 22 months.
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FAQ
What's the most expensive part of a B2B portal?
The ERP synchronization: between 3,000,000 and 18,000,000 FCFA depending on the ERP and exchange mode. It often represents 30 to 40% of the total budget of a real-time-stock portal.
Can we show real-time stock without overloading the ERP?
Yes, via a cache layer synced every few minutes rather than a direct call on every display. Expect 5,000,000 to 9,000,000 FCFA for this architecture, which prevents saturating the ERP at peak hours.
How long to go live?
Between 6 and 30 weeks depending on the level. A catalog portal with ordering ships in 6 to 10 weeks; a real-time EDI integration needs 5 to 7 months, testing included.
What recurring costs should we plan?
Hosting, maintenance and sync supervision: 200,000 to 700,000 FCFA/month depending on traffic and criticality. Supervising the ERP integration is essential, since a broken sync blocks orders.
Do customers need a mobile app?
A responsive web portal is enough in 80% of cases. A PWA (installable, partial offline mode) adds 4,000,000 to 8,000,000 FCFA and is justified if your resellers often order on the move, in the field or in low-connectivity areas.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your ERP, your number of SKUs and the stock level you want (daily or real-time), and we'll quote the portal as tightly as possible. 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.