The verdict in three sentences
An ERP-connected industrial spare parts B2B e-commerce site costs between 45,000 and 95,000 EUR excl. VAT in Berlin in 2026, depending on sync depth and the number of pricing rules. The core of the project is not the storefront but data quality: 38,000 SKUs with OEM cross-references, customer net prices and stock that is accurate to the minute. Well scoped, the site absorbs 25 to 35% of orders within 18 months and frees inside sales from low-value order entry.
What you are really buying: building blocks and their cost
The sales director of a power transmission parts distributor (bearings, belts, chains, gearboxes) does not sell to consumers. Customers are maintenance teams looking for an SKF, Gates or Timken part number who want their negotiated price and need to know whether the part ships today. Each block below answers that need.
| Functional block | 2026 range (EUR excl. VAT) | Share of project |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, data model, UX mockups | 5,000 to 9,000 | 10% |
| 38,000 SKU catalogue, technical attributes, filters | 8,000 to 16,000 | 17% |
| OEM part number search and cross-references | 6,000 to 14,000 | 15% |
| ERP connector (net prices, stock, orders, invoices) | 12,000 to 28,000 | 30% |
| Quick order via CSV or Excel upload and typed entry | 3,000 to 7,000 | 7% |
| Multi-user accounts, buyer approval, credit balance | 5,000 to 11,000 | 11% |
| Testing, data migration, go-live | 6,000 to 10,000 | 10% |
The ERP connector accounts for almost a third of the budget. With a recent ERP exposing an API (SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, proALPHA), you stay at the low end. With a legacy ERP without an API, you need middleware or scheduled file exchanges, which pushes this line toward 28,000 EUR.
Three project levels depending on your maturity
| Criterion | Core (45,000 EUR) | Standard (65,000 EUR) | Advanced (95,000 EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 5 months | 6 months | 7 months |
| Stock sync | Every 15 min | Every 5 min | Real time, event-driven |
| Customer net prices | Grid by product family | Grid + item discounts | Contracts, quantity tiers, project prices |
| OEM search | Exact part number | Part number + cross-references | Cross-references + fuzzy and dimension search |
| Quick order | Typed part numbers | CSV upload | Excel upload, recurring basket, punchout |
| Annual maintenance | 6,000 to 8,000 EUR | 8,000 to 11,000 EUR | 11,000 to 15,000 EUR |
| Online order share at 18 months | 20 to 25% | 25 to 30% | 30 to 35% |
For a 38,000 SKU distributor, the Standard level is the most common. Advanced is justified when more than 15% of your customers are large industrial accounts requiring punchout to their procurement tool (SAP Ariba, Coupa) or project pricing.
What derails budgets
Three issues come up on almost every project we scope. First, data migration: if technical attributes (bore, outer diameter, width) sit in free-text ERP fields, plan 4 to 8 weeks of cleanup on the distributor side. Second, pricing logic: an average distributor manages 300 to 1,500 special conditions, which must be documented before coding. Third, change management: without sales reps nudging customers and onboarding the first 50 accounts, adoption caps at 10%.
Mini case study
Claire, sales director of a power transmission parts distributor in Berlin, handles 2,400 orders a month, 70% of them small replenishment orders keyed in by 4 inside sales assistants. Each entry takes 9 minutes on average including price and stock checks.
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With the Standard level at 65,000 EUR, she targets 28% online orders at 18 months, i.e. 672 orders a month. Gain: 672 x 9 min = about 100 hours a month, the equivalent of 0.65 FTE. At a loaded cost of 42,000 EUR a year per assistant, savings reach about 27,000 EUR a year, plus 11,000 EUR of margin on orders placed in the evening and at weekends. Estimated payback: about 20 months, maintenance included. The assistants are redeployed to follow up on unconverted quotes.
FAQ
Do we need to replace our ERP before launching the site?
Not in 80% of cases. If the ERP exposes an API or accepts scheduled file exchanges every 5 to 15 minutes, we connect to it. A replacement often costs 150,000 EUR or more and should be handled separately.
Is a SaaS like Shopify Plus or Sana Commerce enough?
For fewer than 10,000 SKUs and simple pricing, yes. Above 30,000 SKUs with OEM cross-references and 500 pricing conditions, custom development or a specialised SaaS at 2,000 EUR a month and up becomes more relevant.
How long does it take to index 38,000 SKUs?
The technical import takes a few hours. The real delay is enrichment: allow 4 to 8 weeks to make attributes, photos and cross-references reliable on the 5,000 SKUs that drive 80% of revenue.
Do net prices stay confidential?
Yes. Each customer sees only their own terms after login, and the public catalogue can hide prices or show a list price. Access is logged and can be revoked in 1 click.
What adoption rate should we target in year one?
A realistic target is 12 to 18% of orders at 12 months, then 25 to 35% at 18 months if sales reps steer replenishment orders to the site.
Let's scope your project. Send us your SKU count, your ERP and your pricing rules: we will price a B2B e-commerce build with a 5 to 7 month 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.
