Worked example: a spice importer online store supplying restaurants in New York in 2026

The verdict in three sentences

For a spice importer supplying restaurants across New York City, a B2B online store costing around 42,000 USD pays for itself mainly through freed up sales time and fewer delivery errors. In our illustrative example, phone and text orders drop 55% in 9 months while the average restaurant order climbs to 340 USD. The number to watch is the 780 USD a month in running costs, which must be scoped before anyone signs.

Where the company started

The company is fictional but typical of the city. It employs 30 people in a warehouse in Long Island City, imports whole and ground spices, dried herbs and house blends, and sells to around 900 active trade accounts: restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn, caterers, delis and specialty grocers in Queens. Three inside reps took orders by phone, text and email, mostly between 6 am and 10 am while kitchens prepped, and promised next day delivery in all five boroughs for orders placed before 2 pm.

Budget, timeline and technical choices

The company chose Shopify with B2B features: price lists per customer type, minimum order values, net 30 terms for approved accounts and card payment for new ones. Bulk pack sizes became variants, and the delivery promise was coded as a cutoff timer and a borough based delivery calendar. Sales tax setup was reviewed with the company's accountant, as rules for wholesale and resale certificates differ by state.

Monthly running costs come to 780 USD: Shopify plan and apps (public pricing varies by plan), maintenance and small changes.

Results after 9 months

Chefs order after service, late at night, from their phones. That shift alone smoothed the morning rush for the warehouse team.

As a nearshore benchmark, Kolonell's prices for a comparable store: Premium e-commerce at 3,050 to 5,340 EUR (2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA), the 50 to 500 product option at 760 EUR, the client area at 230 EUR, and maintenance at 53, 114 or 183 EUR per month.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Daniel, COO of this fictional importer, runs the numbers. Saving 3.1 hours of order entry per day over 250 business days frees 775 hours a year, worth 34,900 USD at a loaded rate of 45 USD per hour. Errors fall by about 1.5 per day, each costing 35 USD in redelivery and credit, so 13,100 USD a year. Total gain: 48,000 USD, minus 9,360 USD of running costs, leaving 38,640 USD net. The 42,000 USD build pays back in about 13 months.

FAQ

Is Shopify right for restaurant wholesale?

For a few hundred SKUs with customer price lists and net terms, yes. Beyond 3,000 SKUs with heavily negotiated pricing, a dedicated B2B platform may fit better.

How do you get chefs to order online?

In our example, reps walked the top 150 accounts through their first order over 6 weeks. A 2% discount on the first online order did the rest.

Should trade prices be public?

No. Prices appear only after an approved account logs in, and new account requests are reviewed within 24 hours.

What does 780 USD a month cover?

Platform and app subscriptions, maintenance and 2 to 3 hours of small changes. That is 9,360 USD a year, which belongs in any ROI calculation.

How soon do results show?

In the example, 30% of orders were online after 3 months and 62% after 9 months. Pace depends mostly on how actively reps onboard customers.

Let's scope your project. Tell us your SKU count, trade accounts and accounting stack, and we will price the store, budget and timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.