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What is a B2B customer portal, and which inventory platforms include one in the UK?

Last updated By MaxInvent Editorial Team
Short answer

A B2B customer portal is a self-service ordering surface where approved trade customers can see their catalogue and pricing, place orders and review account documents. MaxInvent includes its B2B portal in Growth and above; compare current vendor documentation for other platforms.

  • Useful when recurring trade orders create avoidable re-keying
  • Per-customer catalogues + tiered pricing are the key features to check
  • Built-in portals beat add-on portals on data freshness and pricing accuracy
  • MaxInvent includes the B2B portal in Growth and above

Start with buyer and account rules

Document who may order, which products they may see, which prices and quantity rules apply, how credit is checked and which account documents are visible. A portal should enforce those rules rather than create a second catalogue and order ledger.

MaxInvent portal scope

  • Customer-specific catalogues and price context.
  • Unit, layer and pallet pricing rules.
  • Credit context and configured approval controls.
  • Self-service ordering and order-history access.
  • Orders connected to operational stock and dispatch.

The MaxInvent B2B portal belongs in Growth and above. Starter does not include it. Hardware, payments and custom branding requirements should be confirmed during discovery.

Evidence to request

  1. Demonstrate two customers with different catalogues and prices.
  2. Test an order that exceeds configured credit rules.
  3. Trace the order into stock allocation and dispatch.
  4. Check role access and tenant isolation.
  5. Price the required plan, onboarding and custom scope in writing.

Measure any administrative saving using your own before-and-after handling data. No universal customer-count threshold, time saving or return on investment is claimed.

FAQ

More questions, answered

Who actually needs a B2B customer portal?+

A portal is useful when recurring trade orders, customer-specific catalogues, prices, credit context or document requests create material admin. Measure your own handling time rather than relying on a universal customer-count threshold.

What features should a B2B portal have?+

Non-negotiables: per-customer catalogue (show each customer only the SKUs and prices they see), tiered pricing (unit, box, pallet quantities), credit terms (customer A pays on 30-day terms, customer B pays upfront), downloadable invoices and delivery notes, order history. Nice-to-haves: custom branding, reorder-from-history, stock availability visibility, PO number support.

Why are built-in portals better than add-ons?+

A built-in portal can use the same operational customer, catalogue, price and order records. An add-on may also fit, but buyers should test its data directions, update timing, retries and reconciliation rather than assuming either architecture has no failure modes.

Can customers place orders that auto-invoice them?+

In MaxInvent, portal orders use the operational customer and order records. The verified Xero scope is optional outbound GBP push for sales invoices, supplier bills and payments. Verify other vendors and add-on portals against current documentation.

What about minimum order values and order approval workflows?+

For enterprise B2B, you want order approval: customer's purchasing team drafts an order, their manager approves, then it reaches your system. Not every portal supports this. MaxInvent and Brightpearl do. Unleashed's B2B portal is more basic. Ask specifically if this is important for your buyer relationships.

How much extra does a B2B portal cost?+

MaxInvent includes the portal in Growth at £299.99/month launch pricing and above. Other vendors change packaging and prices, so verify their current plan and add-on terms directly.

Evaluating MaxInvent?

We'll walk through the relevant workflows using suitable representative data for the channels you run.

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