The verdict in three sentences
Over 3 years, a webshop for an industrial SMB costs about 470,000 EUR excl. VAT all-in in the median scenario, of which only 30,000 EUR is the build. The items that decide profitability are marketing (2,500 EUR a month), logistics and in-house management, far more than the site itself. With a 24% gross margin on sales to tradespeople, the monthly break-even is around 14 orders a day at a 180 EUR basket, usually reached during year two. Agency day rates in Berlin and Paris are close enough in 2026 for these figures to apply to both markets.
Three-year total cost, item by item
The amounts below are 2026 orders of magnitude for a 1,500 SKU catalogue sold to tradespeople through professional accounts, median scenario (build at 30,000 EUR excl. VAT). Ramp-up assumption: 6 orders a day in year one, 14 in year two, 20 in year three, over 264 working days, i.e. 10,560 orders and 1,900,800 EUR of cumulative revenue.
| Item | Range | Median 3-year scenario (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Build (design, B2B accounts, ERP connector) | 15,000 to 45,000 | 30,000 |
| Licences and hosting | 150 to 600 EUR/month | 10,800 |
| Maintenance and changes | 300 to 1,200 EUR/month | 21,600 |
| Payment fees (1.5% of revenue) | volume-based | 28,500 |
| Marketing (paid search, SEO, email) | 2,500 EUR/month | 90,000 |
| Non-recharged logistics (12 EUR/order) | volume-based | 126,700 |
| E-commerce management (1 loaded FTE) | 3,800 to 5,200 EUR/month | 162,000 |
| Total | 469,600 |
The build is 6.4% of the total. It is the item executives negotiate hardest, yet a poorly built site (slow SKU search, no quick order) drags conversion down for 3 years.
Break-even
The calculation rests on a margin per order and monthly fixed costs. On a 180 EUR basket, a 24% gross margin yields 43.20 EUR, minus 12 EUR of logistics and 2.70 EUR of payment fees: that leaves 28.50 EUR contribution per order.
| Monthly item | Amount (EUR excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Marketing | 2,500 |
| Licences, hosting, maintenance | 900 |
| E-commerce management | 4,500 |
| Build amortised over 36 months | 833 |
| Total fixed costs | 8,733 |
| Contribution per order | 28.50 |
| Orders needed per month | 306 |
| Orders per day (22 working days) | 13.9 |
On the median trajectory, year one loses about 60,000 EUR, year two breaks even and year three earns about 46,000 EUR. The three-year cumulative stays close to zero (about minus 13,000 EUR): online sales become clearly profitable from year four, or earlier if the average basket rises.
Levers that change the outcome
| Lever | Effect on break-even |
|---|---|
| Average basket 220 EUR instead of 180 | Break-even down to 10.6 orders/day |
| Free shipping from 250 EUR (logistics 9 EUR/order) | Break-even down to 12.6 orders/day |
| Half-time management in year one | Fixed costs cut by 2,250 EUR/month |
| 28% gross margin (web-exclusive range) | Break-even down to 11.1 orders/day |
| Build at 45,000 EUR instead of 30,000 | Break-even up to 14.6 orders/day |
Average basket is the strongest lever: one-click reorder, trade-specific kits and a well-placed free shipping threshold lift it by 15 to 25%.
Mini case study
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Philippe runs a tooling manufacturer (6 million EUR revenue, 42 staff) that sells through 120 distributors today. He wants to reach plumbers and electricians directly. He is weighing an 18,000 EUR build against a 32,000 EUR version with quick order by SKU, per-account pricing and an ERP connector.
The 32,000 EUR version costs 389 EUR more per month in amortisation, the equivalent of 14 extra orders a month. If quick order and kits lift the average basket from 180 to 205 EUR, contribution rises to 34.10 EUR per order: at 306 monthly orders, that is 1,714 EUR more margin every month. The 14,000 EUR premium pays back in just over 8 months.
FAQ
Should we fear channel conflict with distributors?
It is the first risk. Common practice is to sell online at the same list prices as distributors, or to reserve the web for tradespeople outside covered areas, which limits cannibalisation to under 5% of their revenue.
Shopify, Magento or custom for an industrial SMB?
Shopify Plus costs about 2,300 USD a month and suits simple catalogues. For 1,500 SKUs with per-account pricing and ERP, an open source or custom build at 30,000 EUR is often cheaper over 3 years.
How long until the first orders?
Allow 10 to 14 weeks of project, then 3 to 6 months of marketing ramp-up to reach 6 to 8 orders a day.
Is a 2,500 EUR monthly marketing budget enough?
For a tradespeople audience in France or Germany, it is a realistic floor in 2026 with a cost per click of 0.80 to 2 EUR. Below that, ramp-up takes more than 18 months.
Can management costs be reduced?
Yes, by giving year one to an existing employee half-time, provided other tasks are taken off their plate. Without a named owner, most industrial webshops stall below 3 orders a day.
Let's scope your project. We scope your industrial B2B webshop with a three-year profitability plan (build 15,000 to 45,000 EUR excl. VAT, ERP connector, quick order) and a 10 to 14 week 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.
