Five things to resolve before designing a B2B ordering screen

1. Not every dealer sees the same price

It is tempting to begin a B2B project with screen design. The first question should be: which price will the dealer see? List prices, negotiated prices, promotions and payment-related discounts may all apply.

Decide which application owns these rules. If different people update prices in ERP and the portal, two competing versions of the truth can emerge. The source of data and update permissions must be clear.

2. A stock quantity is not a delivery promise

Stock in the warehouse may differ from stock available to sell. Allocated orders, quality checks or quantities held elsewhere can change the picture.

Whether the portal shows a quantity or an availability indicator depends on your business model. Define how often the data is refreshed and whether availability is checked again when an order is placed.

3. Clarify units and pack sizes

If a dealer orders cartons while ERP tracks individual items, a conversion rule is needed. Minimum quantities and pack multiples belong in the same review.

Do not test with just one product. Include different sales units, fractional quantities and variable pack sizes. A seemingly small unit discrepancy can affect both price and dispatch quantity.

4. Write down when an order needs approval

Not every order should necessarily flow straight into ERP. A credit check, exceptional price or special delivery request may need review. What will the dealer see, and how will the sales team be notified?

These behaviours should not be assumed to be identical in every product version. Verify them within the selected product, integration and customisation scope.

5. A retry should not create a second order

When a connection fails, a user may press Send again. Retrying a transfer and creating a duplicate order are different things. Record identifiers and duplicate checks need to be planned.

There should also be an owner for failed transfers and a readable error log. A dealer believing an order is placed while the team has no record is precisely the gap to prevent.

Starting the ER-TE B2B discussion with these five topics helps make both product selection and project scope concrete.