The verdict in three sentences
With a catalogue of 85,000 technical SKUs, a B2B platform succeeds or fails on search by manufacturer part number and cross-reference, not on homepage design. The realistic 2026 budget is 50,000 to 120,000 EUR excl. VAT, plus about 15,000 EUR for the PIM, over 5 months. The choice between Shopify Plus B2B, Sana Commerce and custom build depends mainly on your ERP and how complex your price lists are.
What your customers are really looking for
A maintenance buyer replacing a 6205-2RS bearing does not browse categories. They type the part number stamped on the part, sometimes a competitor's (SKF, FAG, NSK, NTN), and want to see within three seconds the equivalent you stock, its negotiated net price and availability by warehouse. Four features therefore take most of the budget: a search engine tolerant of part number formats (with or without hyphens, suffixes), a cross-brand equivalence table, real-time stock display from the ERP and a quote module for orders above a threshold.
Shopify Plus B2B, Sana or custom: the 2026 comparison
| Criterion | Shopify Plus B2B | Sana Commerce | Custom (headless) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | 50,000 to 80,000 EUR excl. VAT | 60,000 to 95,000 EUR excl. VAT | 80,000 to 120,000 EUR excl. VAT |
| Annual licence or subscription | ~28,000 EUR (from 2,300 USD/month) | 25,000 to 45,000 EUR | Hosting 6,000 to 12,000 EUR |
| ERP integration | Connector to build | Native SAP B1, Dynamics | Custom, any ERP |
| Part number search and cross-references | Via Algolia or Klevu (+8,000 to 15,000 EUR/year) | Decent, needs enrichment | Optimal (Elasticsearch or Typesense) |
| Customer-specific net prices | Native B2B catalogues, limited on complex lists | Read directly from the ERP | No limit |
| Typical timeline | 4 to 5 months | 4 to 5 months | 5 to 7 months |
| Ideal profile | Clean catalogue, modern ERP | SAP B1 or Dynamics in place | 85,000+ SKUs, complex pricing rules |
For a distributor on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sana is often the shortest path. On a French vertical ERP or a heavily customised Sage X3, headless custom build pays off as soon as discounts depend on more than three criteria (customer, product family, quantity, contract).
Budget line by line
| Item | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, workshops, specifications | 5,000 to 10,000 | 3 to 4 weeks |
| PIM (Akeneo or equivalent) and attribute model | 15,000 | Diameters, loads, materials, standards |
| Migration and enrichment of 85,000 product records | 8,000 to 20,000 | Scripts + quality control |
| Search engine and cross-reference table | 8,000 to 18,000 | Import of manufacturer tables |
| ERP connector: stock, net prices, orders | 10,000 to 30,000 | Sync every 5 min |
| Customer portal, online quotes, multi-user accounts | 6,000 to 15,000 | Buyer and approver workflow |
| Front end, testing, go-live | 8,000 to 20,000 | Includes load testing |
| Total excl. PIM | 50,000 to 120,000 | Timeline: 5 months |
The PIM is the most underestimated cost. Without standardised attributes, faceted search (bore, outer diameter, width) does not work, and your sales team will keep answering the phone.
Mini case study
Thierry, CEO of a bearings and power transmission distributor near Lyon, generates 38 million EUR in revenue, 4% of it online through an old PDF catalogue. His 12 inside sales engineers handle about 220 price requests a day, 60% of which are simple part number and stock checks.
He invests 95,000 EUR excl. VAT plus 15,000 EUR for the PIM. Target at 18 months: 25% of revenue online and 50% of checks handled by the site. Gain: 130 requests a day x 6 minutes = 13 hours a day, the equivalent of 1.6 positions at 52,000 EUR fully loaded, about 83,000 EUR a year redeployed to prospecting. Adding a 0.5 point margin gain on the 9.5 million EUR ordered online (fewer discounts conceded on the phone), worth 47,500 EUR, the project pays for itself in under a year.
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FAQ
How much does a B2B e-commerce platform for 85,000 spare parts cost?
Between 50,000 and 120,000 EUR excl. VAT depending on the solution and ERP, plus about 15,000 EUR for the PIM. Then budget 25,000 to 50,000 EUR a year for licences, hosting and maintenance.
How do you handle cross-references between bearing brands?
We import manufacturer interchange tables and your own mappings into the search engine. An SKF part number typed by the customer then returns, in under 300 ms, the FAG or NTN equivalent you have in stock.
Can displayed stock really be real-time?
Yes, with a sync every 1 to 5 minutes from the ERP and an instant check when the basket is confirmed. This connector accounts for 10,000 to 30,000 EUR of the budget.
Can key accounts get a quote online?
Yes, the basket turns into a quote request above a threshold, for example 5,000 EUR. The sales rep adjusts the price in the ERP and the customer approves in one click, with an internal approval workflow if needed.
Why a 5-month timeline?
The PIM and the migration of 85,000 records alone take 6 to 8 weeks. ERP integration and load testing take another 6 weeks, the rest covers the front end and acceptance testing.
Let's scope your project. Share your ERP, SKU count and net pricing rules: we will price a B2B platform of 50,000 to 120,000 EUR excl. VAT deliverable in 5 months. 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.
