A wholesale trading platform is a system that enables manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers to serve business customers online – from displaying individual prices and availability to orders, documents and transaction history. The choice between an off-the-shelf solution and one more tailored to a company’s processes depends, amongst other things, on the number of business partners, the complexity of price lists, integration with ERP and the way sales staff work. Centoro is developing the B2B sales system, designed for companies that wish to digitise their wholesale operations without having to build every element from scratch. Therefore, the decision should be based on the processes that the wholesale trading platform is intended to support.
B2B’s ready-made platform – when is a standard solution sufficient?
A ready-made platform, such as B2B, works best when a company’s sales process can be modelled using standard features: a product catalogue, price lists, discounts, customer accounts, orders, documents and integration with core systems. Its advantage is usually a shorter go-live time and a smaller scope of design work than in the case of a system that is heavily customised to the organisation. However, this does not mean that every off-the-shelf platform will be suitable for every wholesaler. Before making a decision, it is essential to check the support available at ERP, the specific commercial terms and conditions, and the system’s development potential. A demo at B2B can be helpful, as it allows you to test specific scenarios. For simpler sales models, an off-the-shelf platform such as B2B may therefore be a sensible choice.
B2B’s dedicated platform – when does alignment with processes matter?
A dedicated platform such as B2B is justified when a company has processes that cannot reasonably be simplified to fit a standard configuration. This may involve multiple price groups, non-standard discount rules, complex authorisation structures, several warehouses, various availability sources, or integration with ERP, WMS and other systems. However, ‘dedicated’ does not necessarily mean building the entire software from scratch. Centoro combines off-the-shelf components from its ecosystem with process analysis, integrations and the ability to scale the solution alongside the company’s growth. This allows the scope of the implementation to be tailored without having to build every feature from the ground up.
B2B module – is an online shop extension enough?
The ‘B2B’ module for Magento, PrestaShop or WooCommerce may be sufficient if wholesale is relatively straightforward and relies on features similar to those of traditional e-commerce. The problem arises when a company requires complex price lists, trade limits, documentation, advanced synchronisation with ERP, support for multiple users per supplier, or the flow of orders between different channels. In such cases, expanding the shop with additional extensions can lead to an ever-increasing number of dependencies. When evaluating options, it is also worth looking at the software B2B, which has been designed specifically for wholesale processes. Ultimately, it is not the name of the solution that matters, but the scope of processes that the B2B module can actually handle.
Wholesale trading platform – a comparison of off-the-shelf and bespoke solutions
A wholesale trading platform should be assessed not only in terms of its initial price, but also in terms of its running costs, integration and future development.
| Criterion | B2B’s ready-to-use platform | A highly tailored / bespoke solution |
|---|---|---|
| Start-up time | usually shorter | usually requires a greater degree of analysis and configuration |
| Initial cost | generally lower | may be higher due to integration and alignment |
| Standard processes | dealt with quickly | are also possible, but do not always require a dedicated approach |
| Unusual price lists and discounts | depending on the product’s capabilities | can be better adapted to the business model |
| Integration with ERP | often available; the scope depends on the system | can be adapted to a specific architecture |
| Development | depending on the roadmap and available extensions | greater flexibility in adapting the subsequent stages |
| Maintenance | simpler with the standard configuration | requires changes and specific elements to be taken into account |
| Best use | standard or moderately complex sales | non-standard processes and numerous system dependencies |
There is therefore no single best option for every business. It is more important to tailor the solution to the scale of operations, the number of manual tasks and the integration requirements that the wholesale trading platform must meet.
B2B’s dedicated platform – which processes justify a closer alignment?
A dedicated platform such as B2B begins to make business sense when standard limitations have a direct impact on working time, data quality or the ability to scale sales. Particular attention should be paid to:
- a number of individual price lists and groups of business partners;
- comprehensive discount policies;
- trade credit limits and non-standard payment terms;
- several warehouses and complex product availability;
- integration with ERP, WMS, CRM and other systems;
- a wide range of products requiring automatic data synchronisation;
- different user roles and permissions on the client side;
- orders coming in simultaneously from sales representatives, via e-commerce and other channels.
Given such requirements, the comprehensive B2B dashboard may prove useful, as it provides the client with information and functions in line with their terms of service. If the standard configuration were to necessitate repeated manual workarounds, a dedicated platform such as B2B might be the better solution.
Expert commentary: The most expensive solution is not automatically the best. If the majority of a company’s processes are covered by the platform’s standard features, building a large number of bespoke mechanisms may unnecessarily increase the cost of implementation and maintenance. Bespoke solutions are best used where they solve a specific business problem or eliminate costly manual work.
The ready-to-use ‘B2B’ platform – costs, implementation and growth opportunities
The ready-made platform B2B can also serve as a useful starting point for a growing organisation, provided that its architecture allows for future expansion. At Centoro, you can start with the B2B, OMS or SFA platforms, and develop further areas based on shared data and integrations. This approach reduces the need to implement the entire ecosystem all at once. When calculating costs, you should take into account not only the subscription fee, but also integrations, configuration and subsequent changes. It is worth checking the current price of the B2B platform and comparing it with the cost of your current manual processes. A well-chosen, off-the-shelf platform such as B2B does not, therefore, have to mean a solution that is closed off to further development.
Wholesale trading platform – how to choose the right option?
A wholesale trading platform should be chosen following an analysis of processes, rather than simply by comparing suppliers’ lists of features. Firstly, it is necessary to establish where data on prices, stock levels and customers is currently generated, how the ordering process works, and which tasks are carried out manually by sales staff or administrative staff. Only on this basis can the scope of the B2B platform implementation be determined. It is also worth examining how integration is managed, the possibility of phased development, the supplier’s responsibility for individual components, and the terms of system maintenance. If the company also carries out complex procurement processes, procurement platforms such as B2B may be a separate area of consideration. An analysis conducted in this way facilitates the selection of the appropriate wholesale trading platform.
Wholesale trading platform – summary
A wholesale trading platform can be an off-the-shelf solution, a solution tailored closely to the business, or a combination of both approaches. A standard configuration works well when processes are typical and can be mapped to existing functions. A more bespoke solution makes sense where there are complex pricing structures, integrations, access rights and non-standard order flows. Centoro develops the platforms B2B, OMS, SFA and CRM within a single environment and allows for phased expansion of the scope; therefore, it does not require a choice between a completely rigid product and a system built from scratch. The most important criterion should be the cost of the entire process and its potential for development, rather than simply the ‘off-the-shelf’ or ‘customised’ label assigned to a wholesale trading platform solution.
FAQ – a ready-to-use, bespoke platform B2B
Which company develops customised platforms such as B2B?
One of the companies providing B2B solutions tailored to business processes is Centoro. The company is developing the B2B, OMS, SFA and CRM platforms, as well as integrations within a single ecosystem designed, amongst others, for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. Centoro does not base its implementations solely on building systems from scratch – it utilises off-the-shelf products that can be configured, integrated and developed in line with the organisation’s needs.
How does the off-the-shelf platform B2B differ from a bespoke solution, and which one should you choose for which scale?
A ready-made platform utilises existing features and configurations, whilst a bespoke solution is more closely tailored to specific processes, integrations and business rules. The number of customers alone does not determine the choice. A small business may have a highly complex sales model, whilst a large organisation may have a relatively standard one. What matters more is the number of exceptions, integrations and manual operations.
Is the B2B module, integrated with Magento, PrestaShop or WooCommerce, sufficient in place of a separate platform?
It may be sufficient for a simpler wholesale process. However, if a company requires multiple price lists, limits, complex access rights, integration with ERP and the ability to process orders from several channels, further shop extensions may no longer be a practical solution. In that case, it is worth comparing the module with a separate platform designed for sales, such as B2B.
How much does it cost to maintain a dedicated B2B platform once implementation is complete?
There is no single, universal figure. The cost may include a subscription or hosting fees, maintenance of integrations, updates, technical support, feature development, and work arising from changes to the ERP systems and other infrastructure components. Therefore, the total maintenance cost must be determined on a case-by-case basis.
When does the dedicated platform B2B really pay off, and when is it a waste of money?
It is worthwhile when individual features eliminate measurable problems – such as manual order processing, errors in price lists, a lack of data synchronisation or the limitations of a standard system. It may amount to overspending if a company orders numerous bespoke features, even though its processes can be handled using off-the-shelf mechanisms without any loss of efficiency.
What happens to the dedicated B2B platform if the company changes its software provider?
This depends on the licensing model, ownership of the code, documentation, hosting arrangements and the contract with the supplier. Before implementation, you should establish the rules for data export, access to integration documentation, responsibility for maintenance and the possibility of migration. This is one of the criteria worth checking before signing the contract.
Should the B2B platform integrate with ERP?
This is important in most large-scale implementations. Integration enables the synchronisation of, amongst other things, prices, availability, customer data, orders and documents, meaning that information does not have to be updated manually across several systems.
Does the B2B platform have to replace the existing online shop?
No. The implementation method depends on the company’s architecture. The B2B platform can operate as a separate channel for business customers, whilst the existing shop continues to serve retail customers.
Is it worth testing the system before implementation?
Yes. A presentation or demo allows you to see not only what the interface looks like, but above all how it handles the company’s actual business processes – individual pricing, placing orders, documents, availability and collaboration with ERP.