B2B ordering platform

For many distributors, the day starts on the phone. A customer dictates an order, a sales rep writes it down, someone re-enters it into the management software. Between calls, WhatsApp messages and order slips sent as photos, every re-entry adds a risk of error.

A B2B ordering platform changes the way this works. It is a private portal, reserved for your business customers. Each one logs in, browses the catalogue on their own terms, orders and tracks progress. Your management software remains the single source of truth: the platform plugs into it, it does not replace it.

SADIS, a Moroccan company based in Laâyoune and Casablanca, designs and operates such a platform for a Casablanca-based automotive parts distributor.

What a distributor expects

A B2B portal is not a consumer shop behind a password. Distributor portal, reseller portal or B2B ordering site: the tool must let your customers order at any hour, on their own terms.

• A reliable catalogue. Items and availability come from the management software, not from a copy updated by hand.
• Each customer's terms. Negotiated prices, discounts by product family, authorised credit: each customer sees their own, and only their own.
• Ordering without calling. The customer builds a basket, reuses past orders or imports a list of part numbers.
• Tracking without chasing. Picking, shipping, ready for collection: the status is displayed without tying up a sales rep.
• A searchable history. Invoices, credit notes and outstanding balances remain accessible, which reduces calls to the accounts department.
• Controlled permissions. You decide who sees what: account opening, blocking when the credit limit is exceeded, restricted catalogue.
• Multiple warehouses. The availability shown takes into account the warehouse that will serve the customer, according to your fallback rules.

Each point rests on a business rule specific to your company. The portal is therefore designed from the way you actually work.

Finding the right part

In technical distribution, search is the heart of the portal. A mechanic does not browse a catalogue: they look for a specific part, for a specific vehicle.

• By part number. Search tolerates input variations (spaces, hyphens, prefixes) and suggests cross-references between manufacturers.
• By chassis number. It identifies the model, engine and year, then points to compatible parts. On the platform SADIS operates for an automotive spare parts distributor in Casablanca, this feature is in production.
• By registration number. Its feasibility depends on the data available for the target vehicle fleet. It is assessed case by case during scoping.

Compatibility is checked before the order, not after delivery. Returns and disputes decrease accordingly.

What changes for your teams

The portal does not replace sales reps. It absorbs the part of their day that was never selling: taking dictated orders, checking availability, resending an invoice.

• The sales rep visits customers, follows up with those ordering less and opens new accounts. They also see who orders, how often and what was viewed.
• The warehouse receives written, structured orders. Entry errors disappear, and every dispute is settled by checking the original order.
• Management follows the day's orders, outstanding balances and fast-moving items in real time, instead of Excel sheets filled in by hand.

Adoption is organised. Sales reps open the accounts and present the portal during visits. The most eager customers start first and bring the others along.

Connected to your management software

The platform does not create a second version of the truth. Sage, Odoo or another ERP remains the reference for items, prices, stock and customers. SADIS deploys, configures and integrates these tools; SADIS is neither an official partner nor a reseller of Sage or Odoo. We build the connectors that move data in both directions:

• From management software to portal: items, prices and terms per customer, availability per warehouse, outstanding balances and credit limits.
• From portal to management software: confirmed orders, new customer accounts, special requests, with no re-entry.

The connection method depends on your software: ready-made services, structured file exchanges or access closer to the database. This assessment is made at the start of the project, on your actual system.

Two requirements apply to any provider. Resilience to outages: if the management software is unavailable, the portal keeps taking orders and forwards them later, with no loss or duplicates. Traceability of exchanges: every order and every update leaves a record that can be consulted.

In production at an automotive parts distributor

An automotive spare parts distributor in Casablanca has its business customers, garages and resellers, order on a platform designed and operated by SADIS.

Each customer logs in to their account. They search for a part by part number or chassis number, build their order and track its processing in real time. The platform is connected to the distributor's sales management software: online orders go straight to picking with no re-entry.

The platform replaces neither the distributor's management software nor its teams. It eliminates phone dictation and double entry, and gives customers direct access to the catalogue. A reference contact can be arranged at a meeting, with the client's consent.

All sectors

Automotive parts are the most demanding case: tens of thousands of part numbers, compatibility by vehicle, cross-references between manufacturers. A portal that holds up in this trade holds up anywhere.

The same logic applies to building materials, food, industrial supplies, medical equipment or textiles. It also applies to service bookings, maintenance requests and site monitoring in construction. Only the business rules change: sales units, packaging, batches, expiry dates, contract prices.

Taking over an existing platform

Was your portal built by a provider who no longer responds, or by an employee who has left? The takeover follows a precise order:

1. Recover what belongs to you: access to hosting and the domain name, source code, database, backups, documentation.
2. Check the rights: depending on the original contract, the rights to the code may have remained with the original provider.
3. Audit: state of the code, data consistency, obvious vulnerabilities, causes of slowdowns or outages.
4. Stabilise before rebuilding: secure what exists, restore backups, fix what gets in the way day to day.

A complete rebuild is only proposed if the audit justifies it. A gradual takeover, with the portal still running, is often the safest route.

Code ownership and reversibility

Three questions to ask any provider, SADIS included, before the first day of development:

• Who owns the code? At SADIS, the contract assigns to the client the rights to the developments made for them. The source code, database schemas and documentation are the client's property.
• Who holds the access credentials? Hosting, domain name, certificates and technical accounts are opened in the client's name. If the relationship ends, you have nothing to negotiate.
• How do you leave? Versioned and delivered source code, data exportable in open formats, up-to-date operating documentation. Another team can take over the system without starting from scratch.

Before founding SADIS in Morocco, its founders spent six years on freelance assignments within large French industrial groups. Yet a well-drafted contract protects you in every case: the code, the data and the access belong to you.

How a project runs

1. Scoping. Product families, pricing logic, warehouses, approvals and existing software. The search method and the connection to existing systems are decided here.
2. Mock-ups. Search, basket and order tracking are validated with future users.
3. Step-by-step development. Versions shown regularly, with a connection tested on real data.
4. Data migration. Accounts, pricing terms and history are checked before launch.
5. Pilot. A small group of volunteer customers tests the portal before general opening.
6. Launch and operation. Training, customer support, then maintenance and enhancements over time.

Frequently asked questions

Have you already built this kind of platform?

Yes. SADIS designs and operates the B2B ordering platform of an automotive spare parts distributor in Casablanca. A reference contact can be arranged at a meeting, with the client's consent.

Can the platform be connected to Sage, Odoo or other management software?

Yes. We build connectors that exchange items, prices, stock, customers and orders with your sales management software, with no double entry.

Can the platform adapt to my sector?

Yes. It is designed from your business rules: catalogue, prices, sales units and approval workflows.

Who owns the platform's code?

The client. The contract assigns the rights to the developments to the client; the code, documentation and data belong to the client, and access accounts are opened in the client's name.

Can you take over a platform built by another provider?

Yes. We recover the access credentials, source code and backups, then audit the code and data. The platform is stabilised before any rebuild.

Discuss your project

Tell us how your customers order today, which management software you use and what costs you the most time. Write to contact@sadis.ma or use the contact page. For an overview of our digital services, see the SADIS Digital page.