The verdict in three sentences
For a wholesaler in the Lille area serving 1,500 trade customers, a B2B e-commerce platform costs between 30,000 and 80,000 EUR excl. VAT (about 32,000 to 86,000 USD), depending on pricing complexity and the ERP to connect. The features that make the difference are customer-specific pricing, quick order by SKU and built-in 30-day payment terms. With a 4 to 6 month timeline, the project pays back mainly through higher order values (+18% as an order of magnitude) and the end of manual order re-entry.
Fax and phone: the real cost of the status quo
Many wholesalers in northern France (food, hardware, supplies, beverages) still take 60 to 80% of their orders by fax, phone or email. Each order is re-keyed into the ERP by a sales administration assistant, with a 2 to 4% error rate (wrong SKU, quantity or delivery address). Customers call to check a price or stock level, which ties up inside sales reps.
| Indicator (2026 order of magnitude) | Fax and phone orders | B2B platform |
|---|---|---|
| Handling time per order | 8 to 12 minutes | 1 to 2 minutes (check) |
| Data entry error rate | 2 to 4% | under 0.5% |
| Orders placed after hours | 0% | 25 to 35% |
| Average order value | 620 EUR | 730 EUR (+18%) |
| "Price and stock" calls per day | 80 to 120 | 20 to 30 |
| Annual sales admin cost (3 FTE) | 135,000 EUR loaded | 90,000 EUR (2 FTE) |
The higher basket comes from three simple mechanisms: complementary product suggestions, one-click reorder from history, and visibility of the whole catalogue, whereas on the phone customers only mention what they already know.
The detailed 30,000 to 80,000 EUR budget
| Item | Standard build | Full build |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping, sales admin and sales workshops | 3,000 EUR | 6,000 EUR |
| Catalogue, search and quick order by SKU | 8,000 EUR | 15,000 EUR |
| Negotiated prices, discounts by customer and family | 6,000 EUR | 14,000 EUR |
| 30-day terms, credit limits and card payment | 4,000 EUR | 10,000 EUR |
| ERP connector (Sage, Cegid, Divalto, SAP B1) | 6,000 EUR | 20,000 EUR |
| Customer area (invoices, delivery notes, backorders) | 3,000 EUR | 8,000 EUR |
| Testing, training, customer account migration | 0 to 2,000 EUR | 7,000 EUR |
| Total excl. VAT | 30,000 EUR | 80,000 EUR |
The standard build is enough for a single-warehouse wholesaler with 5 to 10 price levels. The full build targets annual contracts, net prices per customer across thousands of SKUs, multiple warehouses and near real-time stock sync. Recurring costs (hosting, maintenance, enhancements) run 600 to 1,500 EUR excl. VAT per month.
Must-have B2B features and their lead time
| Feature | Why it matters | Development time |
|---|---|---|
| Net prices per customer | Customers see their own price, not a list price | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Quick order by SKU or CSV upload | A buyer enters 40 lines in 2 minutes | 2 weeks |
| 30-day end-of-month terms | Matches trade practice and French law (60 days max) | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Multi-user accounts with approval | The buyer prepares, the owner approves | 2 weeks |
| Two-way ERP connector | No more re-keying | 4 to 8 weeks |
| E-invoicing | Mandatory reception in France from September 2026 | 2 to 3 weeks |
The overall 4 to 6 month timeline is driven mostly by the ERP connector and the migration of pricing conditions, which are rarely clean in existing files.
Mini case study
Claire, sales director of a catering supplies wholesaler in Lille, manages 1,500 customers and 9.5 million EUR in annual revenue. She selects a platform at 55,000 EUR excl. VAT plus 1,000 EUR per month for maintenance.
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- Target: 50% of revenue online in year two, i.e. 4.75 million EUR.
- Average order value up 18% on that channel, half of it truly incremental: about 430,000 EUR of extra revenue, or 107,000 EUR of margin at 25%.
- One sales admin role redeployed to sales follow-up: 45,000 EUR per year.
Estimated annual gain: 152,000 EUR against a first-year cost of 67,000 EUR. Payback comes after 5 to 6 months of operation, provided customers are actively guided to the portal.
FAQ
How long does it take for customers to adopt the platform?
Typically 20 to 30% of customers order online after 3 months and 50 to 60% after a year. Adoption speeds up when sales reps onboard the top 100 accounts personally.
Can we keep phone ordering for older or reluctant customers?
Yes, and we recommend it. Sales admin then enters orders directly in the portal, which removes double entry and cuts handling time from 8 minutes to about 3 minutes.
How do 30-day terms work online?
The portal reads the approved credit limit from the ERP and blocks orders above it. For new customers, card payment or a B2B buy-now-pay-later service (1.5 to 3% fees) avoids bad-debt risk.
Wouldn't an off-the-shelf B2B SaaS be cheaper?
SaaS tools start around 500 to 2,000 EUR per month, but complex negotiated pricing and the ERP connector are often billed on top. Over 3 years, the gap with a 55,000 EUR custom build narrows to 10 to 20%.
Is e-invoicing included?
It should be: all French companies must be able to receive electronic invoices from September 2026. The portal pulls invoices issued through the certified platform and makes them available to customers.
Let's scope your project. We define your scope (customers, SKUs, price lists, ERP), an indicative budget between 30,000 and 80,000 EUR excl. VAT and a 4 to 6 month plan. 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.
