What Is a B2B Dealer Portal? How to Choose a Dealer Ordering System and What It Costs
What a B2B dealer portal is, how it replaces WhatsApp and Excel ordering, how to choose between an off-the-shelf package and custom software, and what drives the cost.
Do your dealers send orders as photos over WhatsApp? Does your sales team spend evenings updating a price list in Excel and emailing it out one by one? When a dealer asks "what's my balance?", do they have to wait for accounts to pull a statement? Most manufacturers and wholesalers will recognise this picture. A B2B dealer portal exists to bring all of that scattered work onto a single screen.
In this guide we explain what a dealer portal is, the real difference between an off-the-shelf package and custom software, why ERP integration is the deciding factor, and which line items drive the cost. At the end you will find a selection checklist and an example scenario based on a furniture manufacturer in İnegöl, Türkiye's best-known furniture production hub.
Our aim is not to sell you a product but to give you a framework, so you can ask software vendors the right questions.
What is a B2B dealer portal and what does it do?
A B2B dealer portal is an ordering and account management platform that only the dealers you authorise can access with a username and password. From the outside it looks like an online shop, but the logic is different. Each dealer who logs in sees the prices, discounts, payment terms and stock information assigned to them.
A typical dealer management system handles the following:
- Order taking: The dealer picks products, adds them to the basket and confirms. The order lands straight in the system and nobody has to retype it.
- Price and discount management: Price lists specific to a dealer group, region or individual dealer are applied automatically.
- Account tracking: Balance, invoices falling due and past transactions are shown to the dealer in real time.
- Online payment: The dealer can settle their balance by card or by submitting a bank transfer notification.
- Order status: Stages such as in preparation, dispatched and delivered are visible to the dealer.
- Document sharing: Catalogues, technical sheets and campaign announcements can be downloaded from one place.
The biggest win is that the same information stops being kept by four different people in four different places. Phone traffic drops, order errors are prevented at the source, and your sales team spends its time finding new dealers instead of typing up orders.
Off-the-shelf package or custom software?
There are two main routes: off-the-shelf B2B ecommerce software on a monthly or annual subscription, and custom software built for your business, either from scratch or on top of an existing framework. Both can be the right choice; what matters is which one fits your workflow.
| Criterion | Off-the-shelf (SaaS) | Custom software |
|---|---|---|
| Time to go live | Usually short | Longer, depending on scope |
| Upfront cost | Low, subscription-based | High, project-based |
| Pricing rule flexibility | As far as the package allows | Designed around your business rules |
| ERP integration | Easy if a ready connector exists, limited if not | As deep as you need |
| Data and code ownership | With the provider | With you, depending on the contract |
| Long-term cost | Rises as users and modules increase | Limited to maintenance and hosting |
In short: if your product range is manageable, your pricing is simple and your ERP is on the package's supported list, starting with an off-the-shelf solution makes sense. If you have special rules such as dealer-level product restrictions, made-to-measure pricing, tiered discounts or lead times tied to production planning, forcing a package to fit tends to cost more over time. For a wider view of this decision, see our article on website builders vs WordPress vs custom builds.
Dealer-specific pricing, discounts and campaign rules
The heart of any dealer ordering system is its pricing engine. For most manufacturers, pricing is not a single list. Consider scenarios like these:
- Group A dealers get a set discount off list price, Group B a different rate.
- A freight surcharge is added for dealers in a particular region.
- An extra discount kicks in above a certain order quantity.
- Prices differ for upfront payment and for payment on terms.
- Some dealers cannot see certain product groups at all (regional or brand exclusivity).
- Prices set in a foreign currency are converted to the local currency (Turkish lira, if you sell in Türkiye) at the daily exchange rate.
You can manage these rules in Excel, but it is very error-prone. When choosing a portal, asking "does it support dealer-specific pricing?" is not enough. Write down three or four of your real pricing scenarios and have the vendor reproduce them exactly during the demo.
Account statements, credit limits and online payments
The questions dealers ask most often are usually "what's my balance?" and "which invoice is due?". Good B2B software shows that information to the dealer directly, which cuts down the routine phone calls your accounts team handles every day.
Account statements
Dealers should be able to filter invoices, returns, payments and cheque transactions by date range and download them as PDF or Excel. This data usually comes from your ERP; the portal simply displays it. Always ask how often it is refreshed: in real time, hourly or in an overnight batch.
Credit limits
You should be able to set a credit limit for each dealer and have orders that exceed it automatically routed for approval. Whether a dealer with overdue debt can still place orders should also be a rule you decide.
Online payments
Taking card payments requires integration with a virtual POS or a payment provider. Instalment options, whether the processing fee is passed on to the dealer or absorbed by you, and automatic posting of payments to the ERP all need to be agreed in advance. For dealers who pay by bank transfer, a payment notification form with a space to upload the receipt also makes life easier.
ERP integration for your B2B dealer portal: Logo, Mikro, Netsis and e-invoicing
ERP integration is what makes a dealer portal truly efficient. Without it, orders arrive in the portal but someone still has to re-enter them into the ERP, which is exactly the double work you wanted to get rid of.
In Türkiye, most manufacturers and wholesalers use Logo, Mikro, Netsis (part of the Logo group) or similar local ERPs; companies elsewhere will be running their own systems, but the principles are the same. Integration usually synchronises the following data:
- Stock records, product information and stock levels
- Customer accounts, balances and credit risk data
- Price lists and discount definitions
- Orders from the portal, transferred into the ERP as sales orders
- Invoice and payment transactions flowing back to the portal
The critical questions are whether the integration is one-way or two-way, and which system counts as the "source of truth" for each type of data. Will prices be updated in the ERP or in the portal? If both, who resolves conflicts? If these questions are not answered upfront, even the best software will create chaos.
For e-invoicing, invoices are usually issued through your ERP and your e-invoicing provider, and the portal shows them to the dealer or makes them available as PDFs. E-invoicing rules differ by country and change over time. If you operate in Türkiye, always confirm current obligations, deadlines and technical requirements on the Turkish Revenue Administration's e-Document portal and with your accountant; elsewhere, check with your local tax authority and adviser.
Mobile use for sales reps and field teams
A dealer portal should serve not only your dealers but also your field sales reps. When a rep visits a dealer, they should be able to enter orders on that dealer's behalf from a tablet or phone, see the dealer's balance and record a payment.
Points to watch for mobile use:
- Ordering on the dealer's behalf: The rep logs in with their own account, selects the dealer and places the order; the system should record who entered it.
- Mobile-friendly interface: A separate app is not essential; a well-designed web interface that works comfortably on a phone is often enough.
- Visit and note logging: Meeting notes and the next visit date should be recordable. As this need grows, it makes sense to plan the portal alongside a CRM system.
- Targets and performance tracking: Order totals per rep and regional reports make the manager's job easier.
Dealer portal cost: what drives the price?
It is hard to give a firm figure for dealer portal pricing, because the gap between two projects can be huge. Still, here is a rough framework. The ranges below are Turkish-market observations for 2026 and are only broad indicators, not fixed prices; they vary significantly with exchange rates, scope and provider.
- Off-the-shelf packages: Subscription models that typically start from a few thousand TL per month and can reach tens of thousands of TL depending on users and modules.
- Custom software: Project fees starting in the hundreds of thousands of TL depending on scope, rising as integrations and special rules increase, plus annual maintenance and hosting.
The items that really determine the cost are:
| Factor | How does it affect cost? |
|---|---|
| ERP integration | There is a big difference between a simple one-way transfer and real-time two-way sync. |
| Pricing rules | A single list with fixed discounts is cheap; tiered, regional and currency-based rules add development work. |
| Product structure | Products with variants, custom sizes or configurable options need more development. |
| Payment infrastructure | Virtual POS, instalments and automatic payment posting mean extra integration. |
| Number of users and dealers | Directly sets the price on a subscription; affects server capacity with custom software. |
| Languages and currencies | Multi-language and multi-currency support for overseas dealers adds workload. |
When comparing quotes, look at the three-year total cost of ownership, not just the initial fee. For subscriptions, factor in rising per-user charges; for custom software, include maintenance, updates and hosting.
B2B dealer portal selection checklist
Fill in the list below before meeting software vendors. Every item you cannot answer is a potential surprise cost later.
- How many dealers and how many sales reps will use the system?
- Which ERP do you use, and which version? Does integration require an extra licence?
- Can you describe your pricing and discount rules in writing?
- Will dealers see exact stock levels in real time, or just "in stock / out of stock"?
- Do you want online payments? Which bank or payment provider do you work with?
- What is your order approval process? Who approves when a credit limit is exceeded?
- Do you have overseas dealers? Do you need multiple languages and currencies?
- Who will own the source code and data? How do you get your data back when the contract ends?
- How are support and maintenance provided, and are response times written into the contract?
- Can the system later be extended with CRM, quote management or retail ecommerce?
A good dealer portal project does not start with software; it starts with putting your business rules on paper. Any quote you get before those rules are clear is an incomplete quote.
Example scenario: a furniture manufacturer in İnegöl
To make this concrete, picture a mid-sized furniture manufacturer in İnegöl selling to dealers across Türkiye. This is a purely illustrative scenario, but it reflects a situation we see often in the sector.
Current situation: Dealers send orders over WhatsApp with product photos and typed fabric codes. The sales team enters them into Excel, then into the ERP. A single sofa set turns into dozens of combinations of fabric, colour and leg options; when a wrong fabric code is typed, the mistake is only noticed in production. Dealers phone in to ask about lead times and balances.
What changes with a portal:
- Products are set up with variants; the dealer selects fabric, colour and modules from a list, and free-text entry disappears.
- Each dealer group's discount is applied automatically, and during campaigns the rule is changed centrally.
- Approved orders are transferred to the ERP as sales orders and feed into production planning.
- Dealers see from their own panel whether an order is in production or dispatch, along with their up-to-date account statement.
- At trade fairs and showroom visits, reps enter orders on the dealer's behalf from a tablet.
In variant-heavy sectors like furniture, it is especially important to test whether an off-the-shelf package can handle your product structure. We see these sector-specific needs up close in our work with furniture brands. If the same manufacturer later wants to sell to retail customers too, the portal can share product and stock data with an ecommerce website.
At Fietto Creative, we design dealer portals and quote and order management systems around a company's existing ERP and workflow. If you would like to discuss which route makes sense for your processes, take a look at our custom business software page or get in touch with us directly. Bring the checklist above, filled in, and you will leave the first meeting with a much clearer roadmap.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between B2B and B2C ecommerce?
On a B2C site everyone sees the same price and pays by card. In B2B, each logged-in dealer sees their own price list, discounts, account balance and credit or deferred payment options.
Do I need an ERP to run a dealer portal?
No. Smaller businesses can keep stock and customer accounts inside the portal itself. But if you already use an ERP (in Türkiye that is often Logo, Mikro or Netsis), integrating it removes double data entry and the errors that come with it.
How do you get dealers to actually use the portal?
Start with a pilot group of your most active dealers, record a short video walkthrough, and give orders placed through the portal faster approval or a small incentive. For a transition period, having your sales reps enter phone orders into the portal on the dealer's behalf also makes the switch easier.
How long does it take to set up a B2B dealer portal?
Off-the-shelf packages can usually go live within a few weeks. Custom builds with ERP integration and dealer-specific pricing rules can take a few months, depending on scope.
