What does a B2B ordering portal cost in New Zealand?

It's the first question every distributor asks and the one most vendors dodge: what does a B2B ordering portal actually cost in New Zealand? The honest answer is "it depends on what's underneath it" — but the factors are predictable, so here's a straight guide to what drives the number.

The four things that drive cost

1. ERP integration depth. The portal itself is the visible 20%. The expensive, valuable part is live two-way sync with your ERP — customer pricing, stock, orders. A portal with stale or generic pricing is cheap and worthless; one your customers trust runs on real-time integration.
2. Pricing complexity. Flat trade pricing is simple. Contract prices, volume breaks, customer groups and units-of-measure rules take real engineering — and they're exactly what B2B customers expect.
3. Operational scope. Just ordering? Or credit limits, pay-on-account, approval workflows, a sales-rep app, multi-warehouse stock? Each adds capability — and cost.
4. Who runs it. Software needs operating: monitoring, updates, support when an order misbehaves at 7am. Factor in the ongoing relationship, not just the build.

The pricing models you'll meet

Off-the-shelf SaaS

Global products charge per month, often per user, with B2B features gated behind premium tiers. The catch for NZ businesses: integration with local systems like Accredo or Attaché usually isn't on their menu — you'll pay a consultant to bridge the gap, and own the seam between two vendors forever.

Custom build

A bespoke portal fits perfectly but carries a six-figure build and you carry the maintenance. Right for very particular requirements; overkill for most.

Platform + subscription (the middle path)

A proven platform configured to your business, with deep local-ERP integration, charged as a monthly subscription. This is the model we run: the Zeabyte Platform starts from NZD $499/month for a full ordering portal with modules added to fit your needs, and from NZD $1,400/month for the shop portal plus purchasing and inventory modules, deep real-time integration (Accredo, CSB-System, SAP, NetSuite), multi-warehouse and advanced pricing. General ledger and business reporting come as a custom offer. Enterprise scope is priced to fit. No per-user fees punishing your growth.

The hidden costs to ask about

• Per-user licensing — does the price double when your team does?
• Integration "extras" — is ERP sync included or a per-connector add-on?
• Rebuild traps — who owns the configuration if you ever leave?
• Support reality — NZ business hours, or a ticket queue overseas?

The real cost question: what does manual ordering cost you now?

Add up the hours your team spends keying phoned and emailed orders, the error rate, the missed after-hours orders, and the customers who quietly drift to competitors with easier ordering. For most distributors that number dwarfs a platform subscription. Talk to us — we'll scope your situation honestly, and if a portal isn't worth it for you yet, we'll say so.