The verdict in three sentences
A B2B ordering portal costs between AED 55,000 and 140,000 (about USD 15,000 to 38,000) in Dubai in 2026, depending on how deeply it integrates with your accounting or ERP system. The features that pay for the project are customer-specific pricing, credit limit checks before order confirmation and reorder from history, because they remove re-keying and disputes. Start with your top 80 customers, then roll out over 3 to 4 months.
What a wholesaler portal must do, and what it costs
The typical wholesaler distributes hygiene and cleaning products to grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels and facility management companies across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Each customer has its own price list, payment terms (cash, 30 or 60 days, post-dated cheques) and a credit limit. Today, 400 orders a week come in by phone and WhatsApp, are written down by hand, then keyed into Tally, Zoho or a local ERP.
| Feature | What it does | Indicative cost (AED, excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue with photos, pack sizes, EAN codes | Customer orders the right carton, not the unit | 9,000 to 17,000 |
| Customer and family pricing | Each reseller sees its net price | 7,500 to 18,500 |
| Credit limit check and hold | Order rejected or sent to credit control if over limit | 5,500 to 13,000 |
| Reorder from history | Cart filled in 30 seconds | 3,700 to 7,400 |
| Mobile app for sales reps | Order taking on the road, offline | 13,000 to 30,000 |
| Integration with Tally, Odoo, Zoho or ERP | Order lands in the system, no re-keying | 11,000 to 40,000 |
| WhatsApp and SMS notifications | Confirmation, delivery, reminders | 3,000 to 7,400 |
| Online card payment | Collect from cash customers | 4,500 to 9,000 |
The core (catalogue, pricing, credit limits, history, simple integration) sits around AED 55,000. With the sales-rep app, two-way ERP integration and card payment, you reach AED 110,000 to 140,000.
Three options compared
| Criterion | Standard B2B ecommerce module | Custom portal, core | Custom portal, full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront investment | AED 15,000 to 33,000 | AED 55,000 to 80,000 | AED 103,000 to 140,000 |
| Subscription or maintenance | AED 900 to 2,200 / month | AED 1,100 to 1,850 / month | AED 1,850 to 3,300 / month |
| Customer pricing | Limited (price groups) | Full | Full + targeted promotions |
| Credit limits and holds | Rarely | Yes | Yes, with override workflow |
| System integration | CSV export | Daily sync | Real time |
| Timeline | 4 to 6 weeks | 10 to 14 weeks | 16 to 22 weeks |
| 3-year cost | AED 48,000 to 110,000 | AED 95,000 to 148,000 | AED 170,000 to 260,000 |
The standard module looks cheap, but without credit control and with rough price groups, the team keeps fixing orders by hand. For 400 orders a week, the custom core is usually the best cost-to-gain ratio.
Measurable gains
- Picking errors halved: orders entered by the customer, with item codes and pack sizes, remove verbal mix-ups (typical order of magnitude: from 4% to 2% of lines).
- Sales time freed: 3 to 5 minutes saved per call.
- Average basket up 8 to 15% thanks to suggestions and promotions visible 24/7.
- Customer risk under control: no more deliveries to a customer above an AED 18,500 limit without credit approval.
Mini case study
Omar, managing director of a hygiene products wholesaler in Al Quoz, employs 4 order-desk staff handling 400 orders a week at 7 minutes on average. Handling time: 400 × 7 min = 47 hours a week. With 60% of orders on the portal by month 6, he frees 28 hours a week, about 0.7 of a position, roughly AED 3,000 a month of payroll redeployed to sales follow-up.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Picking errors cost AED 6,600 a month (returns, credit notes, transport). Halving them saves AED 3,300 a month. Total gain: about AED 6,300 a month, plus the basket increase. For a core portal at AED 70,000 plus AED 1,500 monthly maintenance, payback comes around month 15, sooner if the average basket rises by 10%.
FAQ
Will my grocery customers really order online?
Not all at first. Typically 30 to 40% of regular customers adopt it by month 3, and over 60% by month 6 when the portal offers an incentive (1 to 2% discount, priority delivery).
Can we keep WhatsApp as an ordering channel?
Yes. A portal link in every message and a cart pre-filled from history ease the transition. WhatsApp notifications cost AED 3,000 to 7,400 to integrate.
How do we handle customers paying by post-dated cheque?
The portal does not replace collections: it reads the open balance from your system and holds or escalates the order if the limit is exceeded. Online card payment stays optional for cash customers.
What hosting should we plan?
Managed cloud hosting costs AED 300 to 900 a month for this volume, backups included. Factor in the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and 5% VAT on invoices.
How quickly is a customer up and running?
Account activation takes 5 minutes with a login sent by SMS. Allow 2 to 3 weeks of rollout to train your sales reps and onboard the first 80 customers.
Let's scope your project. We scope your wholesale ordering portal (customer pricing, credit limits, integration with your system, budget AED 55,000 to 140,000, live in 10 to 22 weeks). 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.
