Custom Prices, Credit Limits and Reservations: How a B2B Portal Works with Accounting Systems
Contents
An online store shows everyone the same price. Wholesale works differently: each dealer has their own contract, discounts, payment terms, and credit limit. This logic makes a B2B portal a complex project, and it is often underestimated when the project is scoped.
Personalized prices
Where the price comes from
In the accounting system, a dealer’s price may depend on:
- the price type assigned to the client or contract;
- the contract discount;
- a volume discount based on the order total or quantity;
- a limited-time promotion for a product group;
- a manual price agreed by a manager;
- the contract currency and conversion rate.
The portal should not recalculate prices using its own rules. There are two valid options: it either receives the final price from 1C or MoySklad, or applies the same rules using a shared, agreed model. A third option, where the website uses “roughly the same” logic, guarantees discrepancies.
Where to calculate prices
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Calculated prices for each client are exported to the portal | Simple and fast on the portal | Large data volume with hundreds of clients and thousands of products |
| The portal requests the price from the accounting system when the order is placed | Always accurate | Load on 1C and dependence on its availability |
| Rules are exported and prices are calculated on the portal | Fast and scalable | Requires strict synchronization and verification of rules |
The choice depends on the catalog size, the number of clients, and the complexity of the rules. A combination is often used: base prices are exported in advance, and the exact price is confirmed when the order is submitted.
Credit limit and accounts receivable
A dealer buys on credit, and that credit has a limit. The portal must:
- Show available credit, the current outstanding balance, and overdue amounts.
- Warn about overdue balances before the order is placed, not after.
- Send an order that exceeds the limit for approval instead of blocking it without explanation.
- Get the exact credit limit when the order is submitted, rather than relying on day-old data.
- Take into account orders that have already been placed but not yet shipped.
The last point is often overlooked. A dealer with a limit of 10 million places three orders of 4 million each in succession, and each one passes the check on its own.
Inventory reservations
A reservation prevents goods already ordered by a dealer from being sold to another client. Decisions to make in advance:
- When to reserve: when the order is created, after manager confirmation, or after payment.
- How long to hold it: how many days before an unpaid reservation is released.
- Who releases it: automatically according to a rule, or manually by a manager.
- What other clients see: available stock accounting for reservations.
- Priorities: key dealers may have the right to reserve stock before others.
If reservations are not released automatically, after a few months the warehouse accumulates “frozen” stock that is listed as reserved but no one is waiting for.
Approvals
Not everything can or should be automated. For a nonstandard discount, an exceeded limit, a product substitution, or an urgent shipment, the portal sends the order to a manager for approval with a clear reason.
A good practice is to show the order awaiting approval in the system the manager already uses. If that is Bitrix24, a task is created there or the deal stage changes. The manager does not have to search for the order in messages or open an extra window.
Multiple legal entities and users
A large dealer often operates through several legal entities and has several employees with access:
- each legal entity has its own contract, price, and credit limit;
- a user chooses which legal entity is placing the order;
- permissions are separated: placing orders, approving orders, and viewing account balances.
What happens when a price changes
The price changed between adding a product to the cart and submitting the order. The correct response is to show the dealer the new price before submission and ask for confirmation. You cannot change the price without notice or submit the order at an old price that is no longer in the accounting system.
Frequently asked questions
Can prices be stored only on the portal?
Not if invoices are issued from the accounting system. Prices will diverge, and the client will receive an invoice for the wrong amount.
How do you handle promotions that run for a few days?
Promotions are entered in the accounting system with their valid dates and sent to the portal along with the other rules.
Is it difficult to add volume discounts?
If the rules are defined in 1C or MoySklad, they can be transferred. If they exist only in the manager’s head, they need to be documented first.
What if 1C is unavailable when an order is placed?
The order is accepted at the price from the latest synchronization, flagged for review, and confirmed when the accounting system is available again.
