The verdict in three sentences
For a manufacturer selling to 3,000 resellers, Shopify Plus is the right choice if the catalogue is standard and pricing fits in group price lists: launch in 3 to 5 months, for EUR 30,000 to 80,000 of integrator work plus a subscription from USD 2,300 per month. Custom at EUR 70,000 to 150,000 becomes more cost-effective as soon as you need a product configurator, negotiated quotes or pricing rules that Shopify only models through apps. Decide on 5-year total cost, not on the entry ticket.
What Shopify Plus covers in B2B, and where it hits limits
Shopify Plus has come a long way in B2B: company accounts with multiple delivery locations, catalogues and price lists per customer, net 30 or 60 payment terms, minimum quantities. For a furniture or equipment manufacturer whose resellers order fixed SKUs, it is often enough.
Limits appear on three topics: configurable products (dimensions, options, finishes with calculated price), quotes with sales approval and negotiated margin, and pricing driven by cross rules (discount by family, annual volume, region, framework contracts). Each limit can be worked around with a third-party app or custom development, which pushes up the recurring bill.
| B2B need | Shopify Plus | Custom platform |
|---|---|---|
| Company accounts and multiple buyers | Native | Built around your roles |
| Price lists per customer | Native, per catalogue | Unlimited rules, computed in real time |
| Product configurator with calculated price | Third-party app, USD 100 to 500 per month | Built in, EUR 15,000 to 35,000 |
| Quotes and sales approval | Draft orders, apps | Dedicated workflow, EUR 8,000 to 20,000 |
| ERP integration (SAP, Sage X3, Dynamics) | Integrator connector, EUR 10,000 to 30,000 | Dedicated connector, EUR 12,000 to 30,000 |
| Specific enhancements | Limited by the platform | No technical limit |
| Hosting, security, scaling | Included | EUR 400 to 1,200 per month |
5-year total cost: the figures
Assumptions: 3,000 active resellers, EUR 8M online revenue at maturity, one configurator, one ERP to connect. Exchange rate used: USD 1 = EUR 0.93.
| Item | Shopify Plus | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Setup (integrator or development) | EUR 30,000 to 80,000 | EUR 70,000 to 150,000 |
| Platform subscription over 5 years | EUR 128,000 minimum (USD 2,300 per month) | EUR 0 |
| Third-party apps over 5 years | EUR 30,000 to 90,000 | EUR 0 |
| Hosting and maintenance over 5 years | Included in subscription | EUR 60,000 to 120,000 |
| Annual enhancements (5 years) | EUR 40,000 to 75,000 | EUR 40,000 to 75,000 |
| Estimated 5-year total cost | EUR 228,000 to 373,000 | EUR 170,000 to 345,000 |
The two ranges overlap: a simple catalogue leans towards Shopify Plus, which reduces project risk and lead time. A configurable catalogue with quotes leans towards custom, which avoids dependency on five or six paid apps and becomes a company asset.
Questions to settle before choosing
How many SKUs are configurable, and what share of revenue do they represent? If it is above 30%, the configurator is at the heart of the project. Can your pricing be described as price lists, or as rules? Beyond three stackable discount levels, Shopify forces workarounds. Finally, who will maintain the platform? Custom requires a long-term partner, with a maintenance contract and handed-over documentation.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Daniel, digital director of a professional lighting manufacturer in Toronto, sells to 3,000 resellers, with 40% of sales in made-to-order products (lengths, colour temperatures, finishes). The Shopify Plus quote reaches EUR 65,000 of integration, USD 2,300 per month and EUR 1,400 per month in apps, about EUR 278,000 over 5 years before enhancements. Custom is quoted at EUR 120,000 plus EUR 1,500 per month for maintenance and hosting, EUR 210,000 over 5 years. Gap: EUR 68,000 in favour of custom, with a configurator that cuts quoting errors estimated at 2% of orders, about EUR 64,000 per year on EUR 3.2M of configured sales.
FAQ
Is Shopify Plus really suitable for industrial B2B?
Yes for standard catalogues with group price lists and payment terms. Once more than 30% of revenue comes from configurable products, third-party apps add USD 100 to 500 per month each.
What is the timeline for each option?
Allow 3 to 5 months for Shopify Plus with ERP integration, and 5 to 8 months for a custom platform with a configurator. A two-phase launch can open simple ordering from month 4.
Can we migrate from Shopify Plus to custom later?
Yes, customer, product and order data can be exported. Plan EUR 10,000 to 25,000 for data migration and SEO redirects.
Does custom cost more to maintain?
Plan EUR 400 to 1,200 per month for hosting and 10 to 15% of the initial cost per year for maintenance. In return, there is no platform subscription and no paid apps.
How do we avoid lock-in with a custom vendor?
Require code ownership, a Git repository in your name and technical documentation. A standard stack (Next.js, PostgreSQL) makes handover to another team easier.
Let's scope your project. We compare Shopify Plus and custom on your catalogue, pricing and ERP, with a costed 5-year total and a 3 to 8 month timeline. 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.
