The verdict in three sentences
For a pharmaceutical wholesaler in London, the phone has become the bottleneck: when 350 pharmacies call between 8 and 10 am for the first delivery run, keying errors and stock-outs announced too late cost sales. A B2B ordering portal with real-time stock, batch and expiry date management and credit limit control costs 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) at Kolonell as a medium-complexity application. It pays back through fewer errors, a higher average basket and freed-up customer service time.
Phone or portal: what changes day to day
The figures below are 2026 orders of magnitude for wholesalers serving 200 to 500 pharmacies.
| Indicator | Phone ordering | Online ordering portal |
|---|---|---|
| Average time per order | 6 to 10 minutes on the phone | 2 to 4 minutes, entered by the pharmacist |
| SKU or quantity errors | 3 to 6% of lines | under 0.5% |
| Stock visibility | announced by the operator | live, with alternatives |
| Equivalent generics offered | rarely | automatically on stock-out |
| Orders received after cut-off | 10 to 15% | under 3%, automatic reminder 30 minutes before |
| Credit check before approval | manual, often after delivery | blocking, with alert to the account manager |
| Average basket | baseline | +8 to 15% thanks to suggestions and history |
The portal does not kill the phone: some pharmacies will keep calling. A realistic target is 60 to 80% of orders through the portal within 6 months, starting with the most active independent pharmacies.
Functional scope and budget
Amounts follow the Kolonell grid of 11/10/2026 for a medium-complexity application.
| Module | Content | Version at 6,100 EUR | Version at 10,670 EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalogue | 6,000 SKUs, active ingredient, form, strength | yes | yes, with generic equivalents |
| Batches and expiry | batch, expiry date, first expired first out | display | display + blocking of short-dated stock |
| Real-time stock | sync with the warehouse system | every 15 minutes | real time via API |
| Delivery runs | 2 runs a day, cut-off times | yes | yes, with driver tracking |
| Customer credit | limit, overdue, blocking | simple control | rules per pharmacy and reminders |
| Payment | invoice on terms, card, direct debit | invoice + card | invoice + card + debit + credit notes |
| Mobile access | responsive web | yes | installable PWA, offline mode |
| Reporting | sales per pharmacy, per molecule | simple dashboards | dashboards + management export |
Go-live takes 3 to 4 months: scoping and data mapping (3 weeks), development and connection to the warehouse system (8 to 10 weeks), pilot with 20 to 30 pharmacies (2 to 3 weeks). Kolonell maintenance then costs 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA a month (50, 110 or 180 EUR).
Requirements specific to the pharmaceutical supply chain
The portal must fit MHRA wholesale rules: the wholesaler holds a wholesale dealer's licence (WDA(H)), works under Good Distribution Practice and names a Responsible Person. Only verified customers, such as GPhC-registered pharmacies, may order, so account approval must check registration. Batch traceability lets you find every pharmacy supplied within minutes during a recall. Finally, products with special conditions (cold chain, controlled drugs) require separate ordering and delivery rules, to be defined at scoping.
Mini case study
James, managing director of a pharmaceutical wholesaler in London, supplies 350 pharmacies placing an average of 1.5 orders a day, i.e. about 525 daily orders. Eight operators take them by phone, at a loaded cost of about 3,500 EUR a month each, i.e. 28,000 EUR monthly.
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If 70% of orders move to the portal, he can redeploy 5 operators to credit control and customer advice, i.e. 17,500 EUR a month of freed time. By cutting errors from 4% to 0.5% of lines, he also avoids an estimated 6,000 EUR a month of returns and redeliveries. With a project at about 9,150 EUR, payback takes less than a month on these assumptions.
FAQ
Does the portal work with patchy connectivity in the pharmacy?
Yes, the 10,670 EUR version is a PWA that caches the catalogue and sends the order as soon as the network returns. An order page weighs under 300 KB.
Do we have to change our warehouse management system?
No, the portal connects to your existing system via API or file exchange every 15 minutes. Allow 1 to 2 weeks of analysis if the system has no documented API.
How do we stop pharmacies exceeding their credit limit?
The portal checks outstanding balance before each approval and blocks the order above the limit, alerting the account manager. Rules can vary per pharmacy, for example 30 days or 15,000 EUR.
Can pharmacies pay by direct debit?
Yes, monthly Bacs Direct Debit on statement is common in the UK and costs well under 1% per collection. Card payment remains available for cash-on-order customers.
How many pharmacies do we need for the pilot?
A pilot with 20 to 30 pharmacies over 2 to 3 weeks is enough to fix the journeys. Rollout to all 350 customers then happens in waves of 50.
Let's scope your project. We scope your ordering portal (catalogue, batches, credit, delivery runs, payments) with a budget of 6,100 to 10,670 EUR and go-live in 3 to 4 months. 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.
