Shopify B2B vs a custom reseller portal: 3-year cost

The verdict in three sentences

For 650 resellers with tiered price lists, minimum orders and 30-day payment terms, Shopify Plus works, but its cumulative 3-year cost often exceeds that of a custom portal. SaaS wins when you need to launch fast and B2B looks a lot like the consumer catalogue, custom wins as soon as the commercial rules are numerous and specific to the brand. The right reflex is to compare the total cost over 36 months, apps and ERP integration included, not just the first month's subscription.

The context: 650 stockists, four price tiers

The brand, based in Park Royal in west London, designs utensils and small equipment for professional kitchens. It sells to specialist shops, foodservice wholesalers and a few restaurant groups in the UK and the US. Today stockists order by email or through a spreadsheet sent by sales reps, and the order desk re-keys about 1,900 orders a month.

The rules are precise: four discount tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Distributor), a GBP 350 minimum for free carriage, case quantities, 30-day end-of-month terms for approved accounts and mandatory card payment for new stockists. That level of detail is what tips the balance.

Total cost over 3 years, line by line

Shopify Plus starts around USD 2,300 per month as a 2026 ballpark, about GBP 1,800, usually on an annual commitment. Add B2B apps (minimums, quotes, dunning, custom fields), ERP integration and the partner agency for theme and setup.

For a New York brand, read the same structure in dollars: the Shopify Plus line alone is about USD 83,000 over 36 months, and New York agencies typically quote USD 80,000 to 160,000 for a custom build.

At Kolonell, a reseller portal of this level is priced as a medium custom application, FCFA 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 (EUR 6,100 to 10,670), or a complex one, FCFA 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ (EUR 10,670 to 22,870+) once you add an ERP connector, credit limits and automatic dunning. Monthly maintenance is FCFA 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 (EUR 53, 114 or 183). Hosting and options are set in the quote.

How to decide without regret

Ask three questions. Does the B2B catalogue look like the consumer one, just with different prices? If so, Shopify Plus remains an excellent choice, especially if the brand already runs B2C on Shopify. Are payment terms, carriage thresholds and credit limits central to the relationship? If so, custom avoids stacking overlapping apps. Finally, does the team want to own the code and data? A custom portal says yes by design.

Beware the classic trap: underestimating apps. On Shopify, every missing rule becomes a USD 20 to 300 monthly subscription, and five or six apps quickly change the equation.

Mini case study

Emma, commercial director of the London brand, estimates that the order desk spends 4 minutes per re-keyed order. Across 1,900 monthly orders that is about 127 hours a month. If 70% of stockists move to the portal, the team saves nearly 89 hours monthly, about GBP 2,500 per month at a loaded cost of GBP 28 an hour.

Over 36 months the saving reaches about GBP 90,000. Against a Shopify Plus scenario of at least GBP 100,000, the move is roughly break-even. With a custom portal as a complex application of EUR 15,000 and Premium maintenance of EUR 6,588 over 3 years, hosting on top per quote, the net gain exceeds GBP 70,000. Emma goes custom, launching in waves of 100 stockists.

FAQ

Does Shopify Plus really handle B2B in 2026? Yes, with company catalogues, payment terms and minimum quantities. Limits show up in credit dunning, complex carriage rules and ERP flows, often filled by 3 to 6 apps.

Is a custom portal slower to launch? Yes, plan on 3 to 5 months versus 6 to 10 weeks for Shopify Plus. Launching in waves of 100 resellers limits the risk.

Can we start on Shopify and migrate later? Yes, but migrating 650 accounts with history and price lists often costs GBP 8,000 to 20,000 as a ballpark. Better to decide on the 3-year cost.

How do we handle 30-day terms? The portal checks each reseller's approved credit, accepts on-account orders under the limit and requires a card above it. Reminders go out automatically at day 30, 37 and 45.

Who owns the code? With a custom portal, the client owns code and data. On Shopify, data is exportable but the logic lives in the platform and its apps.

Let's scope your project. We compare your Shopify scenario with a custom portal over 36 months, then scope a launch in 3 to 5 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.