The verdict in three sentences
A brand that already sells direct to consumers and serves 400 resellers by email and spreadsheet pays a hidden monthly cost in data entry, pricing errors and chasing. A trade portal plugged into the existing store, with tiered price lists, minimum order values and 30-day payment terms funded by B2B financing, costs a 2026 order of magnitude of 15,000 to 30,000 EUR excl. VAT in Barcelona. The return comes from a 50% drop in email orders and a higher reseller basket, not from the design.
What a reseller trade portal must include in 2026
A reseller, whether a pharmacy, a beauty salon or a concept store, does not buy like a consumer. It wants to see net prices, reorder last month's basket in three clicks, download product sheets and visuals, and pay on terms. On the brand side, accounts must be validated (CIF or EU VAT number), the right discount applied per reseller tier and baskets below the minimum blocked.
| Feature | Minimum version | Full version | Budget impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade account validation | Form + manual approval | Automatic VAT number check via VIES API | 900 to 2,400 EUR |
| Price lists | 3 tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold) | Per customer, per quantity, per range | 3,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| Minimum order value | Fixed amount (e.g. 250 EUR) | Minimum per tier + free shipping threshold | 700 to 1,800 EUR |
| Quick order | Reorder list | CSV import, SKU entry, replenishment | 1,800 to 4,800 EUR |
| 30-day payment terms | Bank transfer on invoice | Integrated B2B financing with scoring | 2,400 to 6,000 EUR |
| Reseller media library | PDF folder | Visuals, POS material, INCI sheets per product | 900 to 3,000 EUR |
| ERP or stock sync | Manual export | Real-time connector (Sage, Odoo, SAP B1) | 3,600 to 8,400 EUR |
On an existing Shopify Plus, WooCommerce or PrestaShop B2C base, the minimum version lands around 15,000 EUR. The full version, with ERP connector and integrated financing, nears 30,000 EUR. A realistic timeline is 8 to 12 weeks, including 2 weeks of acceptance testing with a pilot panel of 10 to 20 resellers.
30-day terms: B2B financing, transfer or card
Payment on terms is what tips resellers toward the portal. Leaving it as open bank transfer keeps the bad-debt risk with the brand. Deferred B2B payment providers (Mondu, Hokodo, Defacto, or a regional bank's factoring) pay the brand upfront and carry the risk, for a fee.
| Payment method | Cost to the brand | Time to cash | Bad-debt risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card at checkout | 1.2 to 1.8% | D+2 | Near zero |
| Transfer on invoice | 0% | 30 to 45 actual days | Carried by the brand |
| SEPA B2B direct debit | 0.3 to 0.8 EUR per transaction | D+5 after due date | Low, signed mandate |
| Integrated deferred B2B payment | 1.5 to 3.5% depending on term | D+1 to D+3 | Carried by the financer |
| Classic bank factoring | 0.5 to 1.5% + interest | D+2 to D+5 | Carried by the factor |
For a cosmetics brand with a 60 to 70% gross margin on the reseller channel, a 2.5% fee to be paid at D+2 with no risk pays off as soon as historical bad debt exceeds 1%. It also frees the sales administration team from chasing.
Price lists: how to structure them without breaking B2C
The simplest rule starts from the recommended retail price and applies a coefficient per tier. A Bronze reseller (under 3,000 EUR a year) buys at retail divided by 2.2, Silver by 2.4, Gold by 2.6, with free shipping from 400 EUR. Trade prices must never be visible without login or indexed by Google: the portal sits on a subdomain (trade.brand.com) or behind strict authentication.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Laura, sales director of a natural cosmetics brand in Barcelona, manages 400 active resellers. Her 2-person sales admin team handles 1,100 orders a month received by email, at 12 minutes each for entry and checks, or 220 hours a month. With a trade portal at 22,000 EUR, 50% of orders move online: 110 hours saved per month, valued at 30 EUR loaded cost, or 3,300 EUR a month. Quick order and replenishment suggestions lift the average basket from 410 to 455 EUR, about +49,500 EUR of monthly revenue on 1,100 orders. The project pays back in under 7 months on data-entry savings alone, before the basket effect.
FAQ
Do we need a second site or can we use the existing B2C store?
In 80% of cases the trade portal is added to the existing store with customer groups and dedicated catalogs. A second site only makes sense if the trade catalog differs by more than 40% or the ERP requires it.
How long does it take to migrate 400 resellers?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks after launch: an invitation email, a call to the 50 largest accounts and a 3% launch discount usually reach 60% adoption by month three.
Is deferred payment compatible with e-invoicing rules?
Yes. Spain's Crea y Crece law phases in mandatory B2B e-invoicing from 2026 to 2027. The portal issues the invoice, the e-invoicing provider transmits it, and the financer relies on that flow.
What is the annual running cost?
Budget 2,400 to 5,400 EUR a year for B2B apps, hosting and maintenance, plus deferred payment fees of 1.5 to 3.5% on financed volume.
Can we set specific prices for a key account?
Yes, the full version supports a customer-specific price list with contract and validity dates. For fewer than 10 key accounts, that is about 1,200 EUR of extra configuration.
Let's scope your project. Send us your reseller count, current platform and payment terms: we will price a trade portal between 15,000 and 30,000 EUR with an 8 to 12 week plan. 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.
