A distributor’s ordering portal
B2B platform · interface prototype
LOGIKA’s own product project: the structure, design and interactions of a B2B portal for a building materials distributor. An interface prototype without server logic.
- Type
- B2B platform
- Screens
- Desktop and phone
- Related service
- B2B platforms
- Stage
- Prototype: a Python server, a PostgreSQL database and screens; market prices and automatic sending — in a real project
Prototype illustrations with sample data.
What the system is for
Building materials distributors sell to construction companies, shops and installers. Each customer has its own prices and terms, and orders come by phone and email and are entered into the ERP by hand.
We built the portal as our own product project to test how the key scenarios look before there is a specific client.
To design a portal where the business customer orders on their own terms and the distributor receives well-organised requests.
- Company prices and terms
- Repeat orders and history
- Roles in the customer’s company and approval
- Handling requests for quotes
What was done
What was done.
Structure
Scenarios, roles and navigation: order, history, quotes, price list, users.
Design
Screens for desktop and phone: quick order, repeat order from the site, quote, approval.
Interactions
How a request becomes a quote and an order; how an order above the limit waits for approval.
The scenario
A typical situation in the industry. In a real project, we verify it during the analysis.
- 01A distributor with business customers: construction companies, shops and installers.
- 02Orders come by phone and email and are entered into the ERP by hand.
- 03Each customer has its own prices and payment terms.
- 04Large quantities for sites go through a quote.
Key decisions and why they were made.
The price you see is yours
In the catalogue the customer sees their own price and terms, not the general price list. The difference is visible, so it is clear what has been agreed.
A quote in three steps
The request, the quote and the confirmation are one document with a history. The customer confirms the quote and it becomes an order without retyping.
Repeat order from the site
The site manager repeats the last order from their phone and changes only the quantities.
Approval above a limit
An order above the amount set for the company waits for approval by the person responsible. The buyer sees who has to approve what.
Technologies
The prototype is built with HTML, CSS and JavaScript: the screens, states and interactions work in the browser with sample data.
- JavaScriptscreen logic and calculations with sample data
- HTMLstructure and accessibility of the screens
- CSSlayout on desktop and phone
Components and connections
- InterfaceQuick order, repeat order, quote, approval and history — desktop and phone done
- Portalbusiness logic on the server: customers, roles, pricing rules, requests future server side
- Databasecatalogue, pricing rules, history future server side
- The distributor’s ERPexchange of customers, prices, stock and orders future server side
The result
The prototype shows the key scenarios — company prices, repeat order, quote and approval above a limit — and is the basis from which the analysis starts in a real B2B project.
What we clarify in a real project
- What interfaces the ERP provides and how often the stock can be updated.
- How the pricing rules are described today and who maintains them.
- Which customers will take part in the pilot and how we will judge that it works.
Considering a portal for your business customers?