Ballpark Pricing For B2B eCommerce Projects

By Lori McDonald

In the world of B2B eCommerce sites, there is a wide range of project sizes and budgets. You could see quotes that differ by 6 figures! What causes the big discrepancy? When you start planning for your site, how can you know if you are even in the right ballpark?

It’s baseball season. Thousands of people are filing into stadiums around the country to see their favorite Major League team. Just as many are cheering on their kids at the local little league field. Both experiences are enjoyable in different ways. 

I attended countless baseball games as my sons were growing up. I loved the chance to cheer our kids on as a family. When one child was playing ball, the other was playing nearby or taking multiple trips to the concession stand. There were always many games going on at once and we would often see other families we knew. There was a sense of community.

Meanwhile, here in Milwaukee, Miller Park is a fantastic stadium with its own unique attractions, like the slide our mascot goes down when the Brewers score a home run. And, of course, the infamous sausage races during the seventh inning. My brother-in-law has been to games in 15 different Major League stadiums. He has unique stories about everyone – from viewing the St. Louis skyline at Busch Stadium to singing “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway Park.

Each venue is built to accommodate the games they host. It doesn’t make sense to play a little league game at Wrigley Field. At the same time, it would be ridiculous to expect a Major League team to play in your neighborhood park.

So, what ballpark does your business need to be in when it comes to your eCommerce site? 

There is a lot of work that goes into creating a detailed budget for a B2B eCommerce project, but early on it’s important to know that everyone’s expectations are in the right range.

Here are a few guidelines to help get you thinking in the right direction.

Little League: ($25,000 - $50,000)

  • Products: Fewer than 500 SKUs
  • Pricing: Simple pricing
  • Integration: No integration with accounting or fulfillment software
  • Content: Less than 20 pages of non-store content
  • Localization: 1 Locale/Language/Currency


This ballpark is appropriate you if you have a startup or if you are just trying eCommerce out to see how it will work for you. The majority of dollars spent here will be on branding, design, usability and the marketing plan for your site.

Minor League: ($35,000 - $150,000)

  • Products: 500 – 10,000 SKUs
  • Pricing: Moderate pricing rule complexity (i.e. every customer has their own price)
  • Integration:Integration with ERP/fulfillment system
  • Content: Tech specs and product content are updated infrequently (once a year)
  • Localization: 1 Locale/Language/Currency

This ballpark is appropriate for you if you have an established business that is starting to use eCommerce. You most likely have a dedicated staff person in marketing, although sometimes the IT department is leading this initiative. You are using eCommerce to supplement your business, but you have not yet demonstrated its effectiveness as a key channel overall. While you do have some technical specs and product content, it doesn’t change more than once a year. The content management features of this solution are still limited.

Major League: ($150,000 - $750,000)

  • Products: 10,000+ SKUs
  • Pricing: Complex pricing
  • Integration: Integration with multiple systems
  • Content: Integrated content and commerce with strong content management capabilities
  • Localization: Multiple Locales/Languages/Currencies

This ballpark is appropriate for you if there are multiple parties working on your website from different areas of your business (i.e. marketing, customer service, IT, etc.) You have a commitment to using content marketing to provide helpful resources to your customers, and you have resources in place to create this content. Your website is used by many different types of customers and is set up to serve all of their unique needs. If you can demonstrate that a lead coming through your website has a significant lifetime value (i.e. $10,000+), then this solution is particularly appropriate for you.

Looking into the Future

When planning for your solution, you need to weigh the considerations of where your business is today, as well as where you expect to be 5 years from now. Consider how you can make the best investment in the long run.

Planning for a project of any size can be tricky. How can you know when it is time to move to the next level? We would be happy to talk with you about it. Give us a call at 414-425-4069 x150 for a free consultation. We will help you knock it out of the park!

About Lori McDonald

Lori graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer-Electrical Engineering and leads Brilliance Business Solutions with over 20 years of computer engineering and software development experience.  She is an Episerver EMVP, a Microsoft Certified Professional and a regular contributor on Practical eCommerce. Her status as a recognized industry expert has resulted in regular speaking engagements at business conferences.

Follow Lori McDonald on Linkdin

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