The verdict in three sentences
For a distributor of cement, rebar and tiles serving 900 construction firms in Singapore, a B2B webshop costs USD 15,000 to 30,000 in 2026 (about SGD 20,000 to 40,000, or 9 to 18 million FCFA at our Dakar studio rates), delivered in 10 to 16 weeks. That budget covers what a consumer store cannot do: negotiated job-site pricing, ordering by pallet or tonne, zone-based delivery from Tuas to Changi, online deposits by card, PayNow or bank transfer and customer account tracking. The realistic goal is to move 30% of orders to self-service and group deliveries to cut truck trips.
Why construction B2B needs a dedicated webshop
Today, the typical order is a phone call or WhatsApp message from the site supervisor to the sales rep, who checks stock, recalculates the customer's negotiated price, sends a proforma invoice, waits for the deposit and then schedules delivery. Each order takes 20 to 40 minutes, and pricing or quantity errors trigger costly returns on heavy goods.
A B2B webshop moves this journey online: the customer logs in, sees contract prices and outstanding balance, orders 300 bags of cement and 2 tonnes of 12 mm rebar for the Jurong site, pays a 30% deposit online, picks a delivery slot, and the rep only handles exceptions.
| B2B feature | Standard store (Shopify, WooCommerce) | Custom B2B webshop |
|---|---|---|
| Price per customer and job site | no or limited plugin | contract price lists, volume discounts |
| Sales units (bag, pallet, tonne, m²) | single unit | automatic conversions |
| Delivery by zone and tonnage | flat rate | rate per zone and truck (10 t, 20 t) |
| Deposit and balance on delivery | full payment | 30 to 50% deposit by card, PayNow, transfer |
| Credit limit and outstanding balance | no | visible, blocked above the limit |
| Proforma and PO for contracts | no | automatic PDF in the job site's name |
| Several buyers per company | no | multi-user accounts with approval |
Detailed 2026 budget
| Module | Indicative budget (USD) | FCFA equivalent | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalogue of 800 to 2,000 SKUs, units and conversions | 2,500 to 4,700 | 1,500,000 to 2,800,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Company accounts, multi-user, job-site pricing | 3,300 to 6,700 | 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 | 3 weeks |
| Bulk cart, proforma, online deposit | 3,000 to 5,800 | 1,800,000 to 3,500,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Zone delivery, slots, route grouping | 2,500 to 5,300 | 1,500,000 to 3,200,000 | 2 weeks |
| Connection to ERP (stock, invoicing) | 2,300 to 5,000 | 1,400,000 to 3,000,000 | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Sales dashboard, balances, reminders | 1,400 to 2,500 | 800,000 to 1,500,000 | 1 week |
| Total | 15,000 to 30,000 | 9,000,000 to 18,000,000 | 10 to 16 weeks |
Recurring costs stay modest: hosting and maintenance USD 250 to 600 a month, card processing around 3% on Stripe, PayNow and bank transfers far cheaper. For large amounts, bank transfer stays available, with automatic reconciliation when the bank provides a usable statement feed. In West Africa the same build uses Wave (around 1% per merchant transaction) and Orange Money instead.
What you gain: self-service and grouped deliveries
| Indicator | Before | After 6 months (realistic target) |
|---|---|---|
| Share of self-service orders | 0% | 30% |
| Sales time per order | 30 min | 8 min (exceptions only) |
| Price or quantity errors | 4 to 6% of orders | under 1% |
| Average truck fill rate | 60 to 65% | 75 to 85% |
| Time to collect the deposit | 1 to 3 days | immediate |
| Orders outside office hours | 0 | 15 to 20% of online total |
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Route grouping is often the most underestimated gain: by knowing orders per zone in advance (Woodlands, Punggol, Jurong, Tuas), the planner fills each truck better and removes trips costing USD 100 to 200 each.
Mini case study
Wei Ming, sales director of a building supplies distributor in Singapore, handles 1,100 orders a month for 900 contractor accounts with 7 reps. He accepts a USD 22,500 quote. If 30% of orders go online, i.e. 330 orders, saving 22 minutes each, he frees 121 hours a month, close to one sales role at USD 3,800 a month, redeployed to prospecting developers. On logistics, 25 avoided truck trips a month at USD 130 add USD 3,250. Total monthly gain: about USD 7,050, minus USD 420 of maintenance. Payback in under 4 months.
FAQ
Can we show different prices per customer and job site? Yes, that is the core of a B2B webshop: each account sees its contract price list and volume discounts. The module costs USD 3,300 to 6,700 depending on the number of rules.
How does the deposit work? The customer pays 30 to 50% by card, PayNow or transfer when ordering, and the balance on delivery or at 30 days depending on the approved credit line. Card fees run around 3%, PayNow much less.
Does the webshop connect to our ERP? Yes, through an API or scheduled export, to sync stock, prices and invoices. Budget USD 2,300 to 5,000 depending on the system.
Will our customers really order online? Younger site supervisors and developers adopt it fast. A 30% target in 6 months is realistic if reps onboard the first 100 accounts and ordering by WhatsApp stays possible in parallel.
How long until launch? 10 to 16 weeks. A first version with catalogue, customer pricing and online deposit can open to 50 pilot customers from week 8.
Let's scope your project. Send us your SKU count, customer count and delivery zones: we will price the B2B webshop, job-site pricing and online deposits, for an indicative budget of USD 15,000 to 30,000 and launch in 10 to 16 weeks. 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.
