The verdict in three sentences
Syncing an ERP and an e-commerce website costs between 8,000 and 20,000 EUR excl. VAT in 2026 for a one-way sync (catalog, stock) and 25,000 to 55,000 EUR for two-way real time (orders, customers, invoices). The real challenges are sync frequency, stock discrepancy handling and idempotency so an order is never duplicated. The ROI is direct: zero overselling and orders injected automatically into the ERP.
One-way or two-way
A one-way sync pushes catalog and stock from ERP to website: simple, robust, enough for many distributors. Two-way adds order feedback, customer creation and invoicing: an engineering project where idempotency and error recovery become critical.
| Cost item 2026 | One-way | Two-way real time |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping & mapping | 2,000 - 4,000 EUR | 4,000 - 9,000 EUR |
| Sync development | 4,000 - 10,000 EUR | 14,000 - 30,000 EUR |
| Discrepancy & idempotency | 1,000 - 3,000 EUR | 4,000 - 9,000 EUR |
| Testing & QA | 1,000 - 3,000 EUR | 3,000 - 7,000 EUR |
| Hosting / month | 50 - 150 EUR | 100 - 300 EUR |
Sync frequency changes everything
The higher the required freshness, the more complex the architecture. A nightly sync is fine for a stable catalog; stock moving by the minute demands event-driven flows with queues to avoid overselling.
| Frequency | Overselling risk | Complexity | Budget 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly (1×/day) | High if tight stock | Low | 8,000 - 12,000 EUR |
| Hourly | Moderate | Medium | 12,000 - 20,000 EUR |
| Every 5-15 min | Low | High | 20,000 - 35,000 EUR |
| Event-driven real time | Near zero | Very high | 35,000 - 55,000 EUR |
| Annual maintenance | - | - | 15 - 20 % of build |
Mini case study
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Aminata, e-commerce director of a distributor in Abidjan, sells online and in-store with shared stock. Without real-time sync, she suffers 12 oversells/month to cancel, each costing about 18,000 FCFA in refunds, fees and reputation, i.e. 216,000 FCFA/month (2.592 M FCFA/year). She invests the equivalent of 28,000 EUR excl. VAT in a two-way sync every 5 minutes, with automatic order injection into the ERP. Oversells fall to near zero and her team saves 10 h/week of order re-keying. The dispute line is cut tenfold and the project pays back in under 2 years.
FAQ
Is one-way sync enough? Often yes to start: pushing catalog and stock from ERP to website covers the essentials at 8,000-20,000 EUR excl. VAT. Two-way makes sense when you also want to automate orders and invoicing.
How do I avoid overselling? By raising sync frequency and reserving stock at order time. Event-driven real time cuts the risk to near zero but costs more; otherwise a 5-15 min sync is a good compromise.
What is idempotency and why does it matter? It is the guarantee that replaying the same message creates no duplicate (the same order twice in the ERP). Without it, a simple retry duplicates invoices and shipments. This item is 15 to 20 % of the budget.
How much is maintenance? Budget 15 to 20 % of the build per year. ERP or CMS updates can break mappings; monitoring warns you before customers do.
How long to deliver? A one-way sync takes 3 to 5 weeks, a two-way real-time sync 8 to 14 weeks, including QA and cutover.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your ERP, your CMS, the data to sync and the target frequency: we price a one-way or two-way sync with an indicative budget. 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.
