The verdict in three sentences
A dealer extranet with online ordering, customer-specific pricing and ERP sync costs EUR 35,000 to 90,000 (roughly GBP 30,000 to 77,000) for a Manchester manufacturer in 2026. The return on investment rests on two measurable levers: 70 to 90% fewer data-entry errors and processing time cut from 2 days to 2 hours. Above 200 active resellers, the project typically pays for itself within 12 to 20 months.
What a B2B extranet costs by scope
Price depends less on the number of pages than on the complexity of commercial rules: customer price lists, volume discounts, free-shipping thresholds, credit limits. Here are typical 2026 ranges for a mid-sized manufacturer.
| Scope | Key features | Budget (excl. VAT) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core catalogue + ordering | Catalogue, cart, history, order PDF | EUR 35,000 to 45,000 | 10 to 12 weeks |
| Customer-specific pricing | Dedicated price lists, discounts by family, minimum order | +EUR 8,000 to 15,000 | +2 to 3 weeks |
| ERP synchronisation | Customers, items, stock, orders, invoices | +EUR 10,000 to 25,000 | +3 to 6 weeks |
| After-sales and documents | Returns, claims, data sheets, PDF invoices | +EUR 5,000 to 10,000 | +2 weeks |
| Multi-site and multi-language | Subsidiaries, extra languages for EU dealers | +EUR 6,000 to 12,000 | +2 to 4 weeks |
| Sales rep mobile app | Offline order taking on the road | +EUR 12,000 to 20,000 | +4 to 6 weeks |
A full project for 500 resellers with ERP and customer pricing usually lands around EUR 60,000 to 75,000. Add hosting and maintenance: EUR 600 to 1,500 per month depending on service level.
Email orders vs extranet: the day-to-day numbers
Ordering by email or PDF is expensive without ever showing up as a budget line. Each order is re-keyed by sales admin, checked, then confirmed by hand. The table compares both modes for 1,200 orders a month.
| Indicator | Email orders | B2B extranet |
|---|---|---|
| Entry time per order | 12 to 18 min | 0 to 2 min (check) |
| Error rate (item, quantity, price) | 4 to 8% | 0.5 to 1% |
| Processing time | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 hours |
| Sales admin FTEs (1,200 orders/month) | 3 to 4 | 1 to 1.5 |
| Cost of a dispute or credit note | EUR 80 to 250 | rare |
| Availability for resellers | office hours | 24/7 |
Resellers adopt the tool when it saves them time: one-click reorder, visible stock, delivery tracking. Expect 3 to 6 months to reach 60 to 80% of orders placed online, with hands-on onboarding for the 50 largest accounts.
Technical points that move the quote
ERP synchronisation is the riskiest line. A recent ERP with a documented API (Sage X3, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo) connects in 3 to 4 weeks; an older ERP without an API requires scheduled file exchanges and one or two extra weeks. Customer prices must be computed server-side and never exposed in the browser. Finally, plan fine-grained permissions: a multi-branch reseller should be able to give each buyer an order ceiling.
| Watch point | Budget impact | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| ERP without API | +15 to 25% | Scheduled CSV exchanges every 15 min |
| More than 20,000 SKUs | +5 to 10% | Dedicated search engine (Meilisearch, Algolia) |
| Cascading discount rules | +10 to 20% | Document the rules before development |
| Reseller SSO login | +EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | Worth it above 300 accounts |
| UK GDPR compliance and logging | included | UK or EU hosting, 12-month logs |
Mini case study
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Tom, sales director of a hardware manufacturer in Manchester, serves 450 resellers and receives 1,100 orders a month by email. His sales admin team has 4 people, about EUR 180,000 fully loaded per year, and errors generate 60 credit notes a month at EUR 120 on average, or EUR 86,400 per year.
With an extranet at EUR 68,000 and EUR 1,000 monthly maintenance, he reassigns 2 FTEs to sales follow-up (EUR 90,000 annual value) and cuts credit notes by a factor of 6 (EUR 72,000 saved). Estimated annual gain: EUR 162,000 for a running cost of EUR 12,000 per year excluding the build. Break-even after 5 to 6 months of real usage, about 9 to 12 months after project kick-off, adoption included.
FAQ
How much does a dealer extranet cost in 2026?
Budget EUR 35,000 for a core catalogue and ordering portal, and EUR 60,000 to 90,000 with customer pricing and ERP sync. Maintenance runs EUR 600 to 1,500 per month.
How long does it take to go live?
A standard project takes 12 to 20 weeks, scoping included. ERP synchronisation alone often accounts for 3 to 6 weeks.
Off-the-shelf platform or custom build?
B2B SaaS platforms start around EUR 500 to 2,000 per month but handle cascading discounts poorly. Above 300 resellers with specific pricing rules, custom usually wins over 5 years.
Will resellers actually order online?
Yes if the tool saves them time: 60 to 80% of orders move online after 3 to 6 months. An onboarding call with the 50 largest accounts speeds adoption considerably.
Can we keep email orders in parallel?
Yes, during a 3 to 6 month transition. Sales admin can enter remaining orders directly in the extranet to keep a single order history.
Let's scope your project. Send us your reseller count, your ERP and your pricing rules: we will price an extranet between EUR 35,000 and 90,000 with a 12 to 20 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.
