What order of magnitude is correct in terms of time and money to design, develop, test and launch a headless B2B E-Commerce site that is integrated to a company's ERP? ( $100k?  $500k?  $1 Million?  $2 Million?) (3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years)?

The time and cost to design, develop, test, and launch a headless B2B E-Commerce site integrated with a company’s ERP system can vary significantly based on the complexity of the project, the size of the business, customization requirements, and integration scope with the ERP.

I can provide really a rough estimate from other my PMP Experience:

Cost Estimate:

1- $500K to $2 Million – Depending on the scale, complexity, and features required, this range is typically expected for developing a robust, headless B2B E-Commerce platform with ERP integration.
    -$500K - $1 Million: For medium complexity with standard features, medium customizations, and relatively straightforward ERP integration.
    - $1 Million - $2 Million: For a larger, more complex solution with significant customizations, advanced features (AI, personalization, etc.), and deeper ERP integration.

Time Estimate:

1- 6 Months to 1 Year – The time frame to design, develop, test, and launch can span from 6 months to 1 year, depending on factors such as:
       - 6-9 months: For simpler projects with well-defined features and ERP integration.
       - 9-12 months: For more complex requirements with high customization, advanced functionality, and more intricate ERP integration.
 

Factors Influencing Time and Cost:

- Customization Requirements: The level of customization in both the front end (headless commerce) and back-end systems.
- ERP Integration Complexity: The sophistication of the ERP system and the depth of the integration needed (e.g., product data, inventory, pricing, and customer-specific data synchronization).
- Team Composition: Costs can vary depending on whether you use an in-house team or external vendors/agencies.
- Testing and Iterations: Testing for security, performance, and functionality may extend the timeline.
- Scalability & Features: The complexity of features (like personalization, multi-currency support, multi-language support) and scalability requirements for the platform.
 

This estimate provides a broad range, and depending on specific project needs, actual costs and timelines may vary.

 

It really depends on the complexity of your business and the requirements for B2B commerce. If you are looking at a headless architecture, I'm assuming you have specific requirements around customer experience and/or business complexity that is driving you towards bringing together one or more headless solutions together. By the nature of them, they are more complex than a monolithic implementation. Even the simplest of ones, I haven't seen less than $2MM and 1-2 years when you include licensing, implementation, professional services, etc.

Picking the best fit COTS product for the headless engine is key to minimizing time and expense. In any case you still have build the customizations to the engine, the integration to all your other systems (ERP etc) and the UI for your Ecommerce site etc. Even for mid size business this is usually a 1-2 year timeframe and over $1Million.