The verdict in three sentences
For a wholesaler selling to electrical contractors and builders, contractor accounts plus a quote request list turn scattered phone calls into priced, trackable opportunities. In this illustrative example, a USD 38,000 rebuild delivered in 11 weeks took online quote requests from 22 to 74 a month in six months. What mattered most was letting a foreman send a material list from a job site in under three minutes.
Starting point
The company is fictional but typical: an independent electrical distributor in north Austin, 35 staff, two counters, selling wire, breakers, panels, conduit and lighting to licensed contractors, homebuilders and facility managers. Austin's construction pipeline (data centres, multifamily, commercial fit outs) keeps demand high, and competition from national chains is intense.
The old site was a 2018 brochure with a PDF line card and a phone number. Contractors called, sales reps rekeyed lists from texts and photos, and quotes took a day or more.
| Metric | Before the rebuild |
|---|---|
| Pages | 7 |
| Products searchable online | 0 |
| Online quote requests per month | 22 |
| Mobile share of visits | 64 % |
| Mobile load time | 6.1 s |
| Average quote turnaround | 26 hours |
Budget line by line
| Item | Amount (USD) | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and information architecture | 3,500 | Interviews with 6 contractors and 4 reps |
| Mobile-first design | 6,000 | Job site readable, large tap targets |
| Catalogue of 2,500 SKUs | 9,500 | Import from the ERP export, filters by brand, amperage, voltage |
| Contractor accounts | 7,000 | Login, saved lists, account specific pricing shown after sign in |
| Quote request list | 5,500 | Send list with quantities and job name to the branch |
| Bid upload page | 2,000 | Commercial bids with drawings attached |
| QA, ADA accessibility, launch | 4,500 | WCAG 2.1 AA checks, speed tuning |
| Total | 38,000 | Paid in three milestones |
Support runs at USD 600 a month, including a weekly product feed refresh. Accessibility work matters here: web accessibility lawsuits under the ADA remain common in the US, and Texas businesses are not exempt.
Choices that made the difference
No public pricing for anonymous visitors. Contractor pricing depends on volume and account tier. Signed in contractors see their own prices; everyone else gets a quote button.
Lists that travel. A quote list can be sent to the branch, shared by text with the office manager or saved for the next phase of the job.
A separate bid path. General contractors upload bid packages, which route to the commercial desk instead of the counter.
Results over six months
| Metric | Before | Month 3 | Month 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online quote requests per month | 22 | 47 | 74 |
| Active contractor accounts | 0 | 140 | 310 |
| Mobile load time | 6.1 s | 1.9 s | 1.8 s |
| Average quote turnaround | 26 h | 6 h | 4 h |
| Quote to order conversion | 24 % | 29 % | 31 % |
| Orders from the site per month | 5 | 14 | 23 |
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Mini case study
Illustrative calculation: Mike, the wholesaler's sales manager, sees an average web-originated order of USD 4,200 at a 21 % gross margin, about USD 880 per order. At month 6, 23 orders a month against 5 before means 18 extra orders, or roughly USD 15,800 of additional gross margin each month.
At that pace the USD 38,000 build plus USD 600 monthly support pays back in under three months.
FAQ
Should a B2B electrical distributor show prices online?
Show account pricing to signed in contractors and a quote button to everyone else. In this example that combination took quote requests from 22 to 74 a month.
What does a 2,500 SKU catalogue cost to build?
About USD 9,500 here, assuming a clean ERP export. Real time inventory sync with the ERP would add USD 8,000 to 20,000.
How long does a rebuild like this take?
Eleven weeks in this case, because the product data was usable from day one. Messy data typically adds 3 to 5 weeks.
Do we need ADA accessibility work?
It is strongly advisable. An accessibility pass to WCAG 2.1 AA costs roughly USD 2,000 to 6,000 and lowers legal exposure.
Are these results guaranteed?
No, this is an illustrative example built from realistic ranges. Your results depend mostly on how fast your reps answer, here down from 26 hours to 4.
Let's scope your project. Send us your SKU count, current quote volume and ERP, and we will price the rebuild with a firm 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.
