These companies were ahead of you
Benchmark
Where is your wholesale business located?
Six statements that show how far along your wholesale business is with online ordering. Check what already applies to see your next step right away. If you'd like to know what that step looks like for you, we can discuss the results in a 30-minute consultation.
Definition
What is a B2B webshop for a wholesaler?
A B2B webshop for wholesalers is a private online store where business customers log in to view their custom product catalog, personalized pricing, and real-time inventory. They place orders independently, even in bulk and by SKU. Orders are automatically synced with your ERP system, eliminating the need for your sales support team to enter data manually.
The difference with a standard webshop lies in the scale and the agreements. A wholesaler often has tens of thousands of items, hundreds of customers with their own pricing agreements, and multiple warehouses. Your ERP remains leading for price and stock, the webshop for the order.
Background
Why wholesalers are going online.
At many wholesalers, a large portion of orders still comes in via phone, email, or an Excel spreadsheet. The back office looks up the item number, checks the agreed price, and retypes the order into the ERP system. With ten orders a day, that works fine. With a hundred orders a day, things go wrong: an incorrect quantity, a forgotten discount, or an item that is out of stock.
Your customers are now used to ordering whenever it suits them. An installer orders in the evening after work, a procurement officer wants to repeat their regular order with a single click, and a large customer wants to order directly from their own procurement system. If they can't do that with you, they'll order from a wholesaler where they can.
A B2B webshop eliminates manual data re-entry and gives your back office time back for advice and complex questions. We build these webshops on Magento, using the Hyvä B2B Suite for business features and Conneqt for integration with your ERP. We work for wholesalers in construction and engineering, food, office and facilities, and apparel and personal protective equipment. You speak directly with the people who build your webshop.
What it should be able to do
What a wholesale webshop should be capable of.
Large selection, quickly found
Your customer searches by item number, their own product code, or part of the description, and filters by specifications such as size and material. This allows them to find the right item within seconds, even among tens of thousands of products. Product data and specifications are sourced directly from your ERP or PIM.
Stock and delivery time per warehouse
If you work with multiple warehouses or locations, your customer can see per item what is in stock where and when it will be delivered. We synchronize fast-moving items more frequently than the rest. This ensures no one orders what isn't available, and no one calls to ask where their order is.
A custom price per customer
Price lists, discounts, tiered pricing, and contract prices are stored in your ERP. Once logged in, the webshop shows each customer their own specific price and product range. If you change an agreement in the ERP, your customer will see the new price after the next synchronization. If your pricing logic is complex, we retrieve the price live.
Order by item number and from Excel
A regular buyer knows what they need. They enter item numbers and quantities into a quick order form or upload their list from Excel. The webshop adds everything to the shopping cart in one go and indicates which items are out of stock. This way, they can order fifty items in just a few minutes.
Order lists, roles and punchout
Many orders are recurring. Your customer can save their regular order as a requisition list—per department or project—and add it to the shopping cart with a single click. Companies with multiple buyers are assigned roles, budgets, and approval workflows. Large customers can order via OCI punchout directly from their own procurement system.
Your field service orders along
Your field staff logs in on behalf of a customer and places orders using that customer's specific pricing and product range—right on the construction site or in the store. The order enters your ERP system as if the customer placed it themselves. This ensures that inside sales, field staff, and the webshop all work with the same data.
Method
This is how we build your wholesale webshop.
A B2B webshop impacts your entire order process. That is why we start with your pricing agreements and your ERP, not with the design. You know upfront what it will cost and when you will go live.
Comparison
Magento, Shopware or Shopify Plus?
Three platforms you often encounter as a wholesaler. We only build on Magento, so we're not neutral. That's why we'll also tell you when another platform is a better fit. For Shopware, we're happy to refer you to a Shopware agency.
What it is
Open source; B2B features via the Hyvä B2B Suite or Adobe Commerce
Open source; B2B features in the paid editions
SaaS platform; B2B features in the Plus plan
Price per customer
Per company or price group, directly from your ERP
Customer prices in the paid editions
Per company via B2B catalogs
Wide range
Tens of thousands of articles, search via OpenSearch
Tens of thousands of items, search via Elasticsearch or OpenSearch
Possible; complex product structures require apps
ERP integration
Via Conneqt, with connectors for Exact, AFAS, SAP and Dynamics 365
Via the API or middleware
Via apps or middleware
Custom work
Completely free, with custom modules
Plenty of space via plugins
Within the boundaries of the platform
Costs
No license; you only pay for development, hosting, and maintenance
Free base; license for the B2B features
Monthly license plus apps
Choose this if
You have your own price agreements, many items, and a leading ERP
You want open source and work with a Shopware partner
You want to go live quickly with simple B2B agreements
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about a wholesale webshop.
Is your question not listed? In a 30-minute consultation, you'll get an honest answer from a developer who builds integrations.
How much does a B2B webshop for a wholesaler cost?
With us, between €25,000 and €250,000. The difference lies in your pricing logic, the number of products, integrations with ERP and PIM, and custom development. After the discovery phase, you will receive a fixed cost estimate upfront, so you know exactly what to expect.
Magento, Shopware or Shopify Plus: which is the best fit for a B2B wholesaler?
If you have custom pricing agreements per customer, tens of thousands of products, and an ERP that is leading, then Magento with the Hyvä B2B Suite is a great fit. Shopware is also open source and offers B2B features in its paid editions. Shopify Plus suits simple B2B agreements. We exclusively build on Magento.
Can a B2B webshop handle tens of thousands of products?
Yes. Magento is built for large catalogs and searches via OpenSearch by item number, description, and specifications. Product data comes from your ERP or a PIM like Akeneo. At Lankhorst-Taselaar, the entire product range runs in a single B2B ordering platform on the Hyvä B2B Suite, connected to SAP.
How do I show different prices and a custom product range per customer?
Your ERP remains leading. We prepare price lists, discounts, tier pricing, and contract prices per customer or price group. After logging in, your customer only sees their own assortment at their own price. If your pricing logic is too complex to prepare in advance, we retrieve the price live from the ERP.
Which ERP systems can you integrate?
We connect via Conneqt, our group's integration platform. Conneqt offers standard connectors for systems including Exact, AFAS, SAP, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Orders, stock, products, customer-specific pricing, and company data then sync automatically between the ERP and the webshop.
How quickly can a wholesale webshop go live?
With the Hyvä B2B Suite, the foundation is ready in weeks: customer prices, quick ordering, order lists, and roles come standard. The total turnaround time depends on your integrations and custom work. In the plan following the discovery phase, you will receive a timeline with the go-live date.
Can large customers order from their own procurement system?
Yes, via OCI punchout. Your customer opens your webshop from their procurement system, such as SAP, fills their shopping cart, and sends it back for approval. Once approved, the order simply enters your ERP, with the prices that apply to that customer.
Why do wholesalers choose Epartment?
We only do Magento and specialize in B2B. You work with a dedicated team, hosting and support are handled through Corebox with a fixed SLA, and we integrate your ERP via Conneqt. You talk directly to the people building your webshop, from our office in Hengelo.
