B2B wholesale e-commerce with customer-specific pricing in London

The verdict in three sentences

A wholesaler serving 2,000 business customers and still taking 70% of orders by phone loses hundreds of hours of order entry every month and lets pricing errors slip through. A B2B e-commerce platform with customer-specific pricing costs EUR 6,100 to 10,670 excl. VAT as a Kolonell custom build (4 to 7 M FCFA), versus EUR 500 to 2,500 per month for a B2B SaaS solution. With a 10 to 14 week timeline and an average B2B basket of EUR 400 to 1,500, the project pays off once 30% of orders move online.

What a trade customer expects from an ordering portal

A professional buyer does not want a consumer website. They want their negotiated prices, their usual SKUs, their approved credit limit and their 30 or 45 day payment terms. They want to repeat last week's order in two clicks and download invoices without calling customer service. These rules are the core of the project: they must come from the ERP, not be re-keyed by hand.

B2B SaaS or custom platform: 3-year cost

B2B SaaS solutions handle price lists and multi-user accounts well. They often charge by active customers, orders or ERP connectors, and a connector to a legacy or niche ERP still has to be built. A custom build follows your exact rules and you own the code.

SaaS remains relevant if your pricing rules are simple and your ERP is already covered by a standard connector. Once you manage several thousand net prices, stacked discounts or a blocking credit limit, a custom build becomes cheaper over 3 years.

The 10 to 14 week schedule

Rolling out in waves is decisive: reps onboard their best customers first, then occasional buyers follow. A realistic target is 30% of orders online at 6 months and 50% at 12 months.

Mini case study

Emma, sales director of a hospitality supplies wholesaler in London, handles 3,000 orders per month, 2,100 of them by phone. Each phone order takes 8 minutes to enter, or 280 hours per month. If 30% of orders move online within 6 months, 900 orders leave the phone channel and free up 120 hours. Valued at EUR 35 per loaded hour, that is EUR 4,200 per month. For a EUR 9,000 platform with EUR 330 of monthly costs, the investment is covered in just over 2 months after the switch, according to this estimate, before counting fewer pricing errors.

FAQ

How much does a B2B e-commerce platform for a wholesaler cost in 2026?

As a Kolonell custom build, plan EUR 6,100 to 10,670 excl. VAT (4 to 7 M FCFA) depending on connectors and pricing rules. A B2B SaaS solution costs EUR 500 to 2,500 per month, plus integration.

Can each customer see a different price?

Yes, the platform reads commercial terms from the ERP and shows the logged-in customer's net price. Price lists can combine group pricing, volume discounts and specific prices across several thousand SKUs.

How are credit limits and 30-day terms handled?

The customer account shows available credit and blocks or routes for approval any order above the ceiling. Card payment can remain optional for new customers without a credit line.

Do we need to change ERP?

Not in most cases. The connector syncs prices, stock, customers and invoices every 5 to 15 minutes, or in real time if the ERP exposes an API.

How long before customers order online?

Launch takes 10 to 14 weeks, then adoption is gradual. A target of 30% of orders online at 6 months is realistic if reps support the first customers.

Let's scope your project. Send us your number of active customers, your ERP and your pricing rules: we will price a B2B platform between EUR 6,100 and 10,670 excl. VAT, delivered in 10 to 14 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h via our quote form. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.