Business buyers order differently than consumers. A B2B web shop, or wholesale ordering portal, is not a B2C store with a login - it runs on negotiated prices, credit terms, and your ERP. Here is what actually makes it different.
In short
- Customer-specific pricing - contract prices, volume tiers, and discounts per buyer, not one public price.
- Invoice payment (“na račun”) - order now, pay on terms, alongside card.
- ERP-driven catalogue - products, stock, and prices synced live from your ERP.
- Self-service ordering - reorders, saved lists, quotes, and approval for larger accounts.
- Multiple users per account - buyers, approvers, and finance under one company.
Why a B2C store is not enough
A consumer store shows one price to everyone and expects card payment up front. B2B breaks both. Your customers have negotiated prices, buy on credit, reorder the same items every month, and often need an approval step before an order is placed. Bolting this onto a B2C template gets fragile fast - the logic belongs in a system built for it and tied to your ERP.
What a B2B portal actually does
- Live pricing and stock per customer, pulled from your ERP so nothing is stale.
- Reordering from history and saved lists - most B2B volume is repeat orders.
- Quotes and approvals for large or custom orders.
- Roles - a buyer places, a manager approves, finance sees invoices.
- Automated invoicing into your accounting.
Well-run portals cut order-processing effort sharply and free your sales team from taking orders by phone and email.
Selling to businesses online?
We build B2B ordering portals around your real pricing rules and ERP - self-service for your customers, less manual order entry for your team. See what a build involves in our web shop cost guide.
Build vs off-the-shelf
Some SaaS B2B platforms exist, but most wholesalers hit a wall at pricing rules or ERP depth. The custom vs SaaS trade-off is sharper in B2B, because pricing and integration logic is exactly where templates struggle. Map your pricing rules and ERP fields first - that decides the path.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a B2B web shop different from a B2C store? It shows each customer their negotiated prices, allows payment on invoice, syncs stock and pricing from your ERP, and supports reorders, quotes, and approval roles.
Can customers pay on invoice instead of by card? Yes. Open-invoice (“na račun”) terms are standard in B2B, usually offered alongside card payment for smaller or new accounts.
Do I need ERP integration? For real B2B, effectively yes. Live pricing, stock, and automated invoicing depend on data flowing from your ERP rather than being maintained by hand.
Can different staff have different permissions? Yes. A typical setup lets buyers place orders, managers approve them, and finance view invoices - all under one company account.
Should I buy an off-the-shelf B2B platform or build? Depends on your pricing and ERP complexity. Templates handle simple catalogues; negotiated pricing and deep integration usually push wholesalers toward a custom build.
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- How much does a web shop cost in Croatia?
- ERP integrations: SAP, Dynamics, Pantheon
- Custom software vs SaaS: which is right for you?
Ready to sell to businesses online?
We build B2B web shops and ordering portals around your pricing, credit terms, and ERP - so your customers self-serve and your team stops keying in orders.
Reach us at [email protected] or via the form on our homepage.