The verdict in three sentences
An industrial online catalogue without checkout costs EUR 18,000 to 40,000 excl. VAT for 2,400 SKUs, with a 12-week timeline. The line item that moves the bill is the PIM or ERP connection, far more than design. Done well, with faceted search and a quote request on every product page, it produces around 30% more quote requests without changing your commercial terms.
Why a catalogue rather than e-commerce
In industry, prices depend on volume, customer and lead time: publishing them creates more problems than it solves. A cart-free catalogue lets buyers and engineering offices find the right part, download the datasheet and send a qualified quote request. The sales rep takes over with an already informed lead.
| Criterion | Catalogue + quote request | Full B2B e-commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Initial budget (2,400 SKUs) | EUR 18,000 to 40,000 | EUR 60,000 to 150,000 |
| Time to launch | 12 weeks | 6 to 9 months |
| Customer-specific pricing | Not needed | Required (price lists, discounts) |
| Impact on sales organisation | Low | High (payment, logistics, T&Cs) |
| Annual maintenance | EUR 2,500 to 5,000 | EUR 12,000 to 25,000 |
| Qualified leads for sales reps | Yes, enriched with the viewed SKU | Partly |
Breakdown of the EUR 18,000 to 40,000 budget
The range depends mostly on the quality of your product data and the number of technical attributes to make filterable.
| Line item | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, product taxonomy, filterable attributes | EUR 2,000 | EUR 4,500 |
| Catalogue and product page UX design | EUR 3,500 | EUR 7,000 |
| PIM or ERP import (Akeneo, SAP, Sage X3) | EUR 3,000 | EUR 10,000 |
| Faceted search (Algolia or Meilisearch) | EUR 2,500 | EUR 5,500 |
| PDF datasheet generation and indexing | EUR 1,500 | EUR 4,000 |
| Multi-SKU quote form + CRM | EUR 2,000 | EUR 4,000 |
| Development, technical SEO, QA | EUR 3,500 | EUR 5,000 |
A nightly CSV import stays at the low end. Real-time sync with an SAP ERP, including indicative stock levels, pushes toward the top. Also budget EUR 50 to 150 a month for the hosted search engine depending on query volume.
What drives the 30% extra quote requests
The gain comes from findability. A buyer searching for "stainless hydraulic cylinder 80 bar" must reach the right page in two clicks, from Google or from your internal search. Three elements matter most: filters by technical attribute (material, pressure, diameter, standard), product pages indexable by Google with Product structured data, and a quote button that pre-fills the SKU, quantity and requested lead time. A quote basket, which groups 5 to 10 SKUs into a single request, raises average request value by about 20%.
Mini case study
Thomas, sales director of a hydraulic components manufacturer in Berlin, receives 120 quote requests a month, 25% of which convert into orders with an average basket of EUR 4,200. His 2,400-SKU catalogue is delivered for EUR 32,000 in 12 weeks. Six months later, he receives 156 requests a month (+30%). At a constant conversion rate, that is 9 extra orders a month, about EUR 37,800 of additional revenue. With a 35% gross margin, the site brings in roughly EUR 13,200 of monthly margin: it pays for itself in just under three months.
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FAQ
Our product data lives in Excel, is that a problem?
No, that is the case for many industrial SMEs. Cleaning and structuring attributes costs EUR 2,000 to 5,000 and takes 2 to 3 weeks, but it determines the quality of the filters.
Do we need a PIM before launching the catalogue?
Not necessarily under 3,000 SKUs. Beyond that, or if you manage several languages, a PIM such as Akeneo (free community licence, EUR 5,000 to 12,000 integration) becomes worthwhile.
Are PDF datasheets indexed by Google?
Yes, if they are linked from an indexable HTML page. We recommend a full HTML page for each of the 2,400 SKUs, with the PDF as a downloadable complement.
Can some information be restricted to logged-in customers?
Yes, a customer area with CAD drawings or negotiated prices adds EUR 4,000 to 8,000. That remains far cheaper than full B2B e-commerce.
Can the catalogue evolve into e-commerce later?
Yes, if the architecture is headless from day one. The product base, search and design are reused, cutting the cost of a future ordering module by 30 to 40%.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your SKU count, ERP or PIM and languages, and we will price your catalogue between EUR 18,000 and 40,000 for a 12-week launch. 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.
