If you’re a manufacturer or distributor, “picking an Adobe Commerce agency” usually isn’t about picking a pretty website vendor. It’s about finding a partner who can untangle ERP data, create real B2B self-service, and turn ecommerce into a serious revenue channel instead of a glorified brochure.
This guide walks through the key questions manufacturers and distributors ask when they compare Adobe Commerce (Magento) partners, including how it stacks up against Shopify Plus for B2B and what you should expect to invest.
Use it as a playbook when you evaluate agencies – and as a reality check on proposals that look “too good to be true.”
An Adobe Commerce agency designs, builds, integrates, and optimizes ecommerce experiences on Adobe Commerce (Magento). For manufacturers and distributors, that means turning complex catalogs, pricing rules, and ERP data into a fast, intuitive self-service portal your customers actually use. The best agencies act as long-term partners, not just launch-and-leave implementers.
At a high level, an Adobe Commerce agency exists to make Adobe Commerce work for your business model – not the other way around. For manufacturers and distributors, that typically includes:
Strategy & Roadmapping
Translating business goals (revenue, margin, channel strategy) into a realistic Adobe Commerce roadmap.
Prioritizing features like B2B account portals, custom pricing, quotes, and dealer locators.
Identifying where ecommerce fits alongside direct sales and dealer networks.
Experience Design (UX & UI)
Designing journeys for B2B buyers, dealers, distributors, and internal sales teams.
Simplifying complex navigation: thousands of SKUs, fitment/compatibility, bulk ordering, and reordering.
Balancing direct-to-consumer needs (if you have D2C) with the realities of your channel relationships.
Adobe Commerce Implementation
Building or replatforming stores on Adobe Commerce / Magento Open Source.
Configuring native B2B features: company accounts, approval workflows, quote management, shared catalogs, etc.
Custom module development when your business model doesn’t fit “off the shelf.”
Integrations & Data
Integrating Adobe Commerce with ERP, PIM, CRM, pricing engines, inventory, and fulfillment.
Designing product data structures that support your catalog, bundles, kits, and configurable products.
Making sure pricing, availability, and order status are trustworthy (so customers actually use the portal).
Ongoing Optimization & Growth
Performance tuning, Core Web Vitals, security patching, and version upgrades.
Conversion rate optimization, merchandising, search, and on-site personalization.
Analytics and reporting so you can prove ROI internally.
If you’re a manufacturer or distributor, the “secret sauce” is usually less about front-end sparkle and more about deep integration and B2B workflows. That’s where a specialized Adobe Commerce agency pays for itself.
Choose an Adobe Commerce partner with two things: deep platform expertise and real experience with manufacturers or distributors of similar complexity to you. Look for proof in live sites, integrations, and long-term client relationships—not just logos and pitch decks.
When you’re choosing an Adobe Commerce agency as a manufacturer or distributor, focus on these filters:
Ask: “Show me live examples of manufacturers or distributors you support today.”
You’re looking for:
Complex catalogs (thousands of SKUs, technical attributes, or fitment data).
B2B features in the wild: account-based pricing, quotes, bulk ordering, dealer portals.
Evidence of channel sensitivity (e.g., not undercutting dealers, protected territories, MAP pricing).
If an agency mostly shows D2C fashion brands, they might be excellent designers—but they may underestimate your integration and data challenges.
You want a partner that:
Works on Adobe Commerce / Magento as a core focus, not a side hustle.
Understands both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce (paid) editions.
Has real experience with:
B2B module configuration and extension.
Multi-store and multi-brand setups.
Heavy integrations (ERP, PIM, custom middleware).
Ask to speak with a lead solution architect for a short call. If they can’t talk comfortably about your ERP, pricing, or B2B workflows, move on.
For manufacturers and distributors, integration is the project.
Key questions:
“What ERPs, PIMs, or homegrown systems have you integrated with Adobe Commerce?”
“How do you handle pricing logic and availability rules?”
“Can you walk me through how you approach product data clean-up and mapping?”
Look for agencies that can speak concretely about near real-time sync, error handling, and fallbacks – not just “we’ll connect it with an API.”
You’re not hiring a freelancer; you’re hiring a cross-functional team:
Solution architect
UX/UI designer
Back-end & front-end developers
QA & DevOps
Project manager / delivery lead
Ongoing success or account manager
Ask who will be on your account, what percentage of their time is yours, and how they handle support after launch.
Finally, ask for:
Case studies with tangible outcomes: revenue growth, order volume, reduced manual work.
Client references in manufacturing or distribution you can talk to.
Clarity around SLAs, communication cadence, and how they handle issues when something goes wrong.
You’re looking for a long-term partner that blends strategic thinking with hands-on technical execution – not just a build-and-run vendor.
Shopify Plus is excellent for simpler catalogs, fast launches, and D2C-focused brands. Adobe Commerce shines when you’re a B2B manufacturer or distributor with complex pricing, multiple buyer types, custom workflows, and heavy integrations. If your operations are “non-standard,” Adobe Commerce is usually the better long-term fit.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but for B2B manufacturers and distributors:
Shopify Plus can work well if:
Your catalog is relatively straightforward.
You don’t have extremely complex pricing rules.
B2B is important, but your workflows are simple:
Basic account-based pricing.
Purchase orders as payment terms.
Simple approval flows.
You prioritize speed to market and a large app ecosystem.
The trade-off: You’ll often shoehorn more complex B2B requirements into a system that was born for D2C.
Adobe Commerce is usually a stronger choice when:
Pricing & contracts are complex
Contract-specific pricing per customer or group.
Tiered pricing, volume breaks, and discount logic.
Region- or channel-specific rules.
Your buyers and channels are diverse
Direct customers, distributors, dealers, and internal sales all use the same system.
Role-based access with different catalogs or pricing by account.
Integrations are mission-critical
Deep ERP integration driving inventory, pricing, order status, and credit terms.
PIM, CRM, and custom middleware all talking to the platform.
You need serious B2B workflows
Quoting, approvals, buying roles, requisition lists.
Multi-site, multi-brand, and multi-region setups.
Adobe Commerce’s strength is flexibility and extensibility: if your processes are not “standard Ecommerce,” it’s built to bend without breaking.
A good agency shouldn’t push you reflexively toward Adobe Commerce just because that’s their favorite. Instead, they should:
Map your current and future requirements.
Evaluate both platforms against that list.
Help you choose the platform that best balances complexity, cost, and speed.
If your 3–5 year vision includes deep B2B self-service, complex integrations, and multiple channels, Adobe Commerce will usually give you more headroom.
Most manufacturers and distributors should expect a serious Adobe Commerce engagement to start around the low six figures and easily reach the mid- to high-six figures for a full replatform with integrations. Ongoing retainers for support and growth typically range from a few thousand to tens of thousands per month, depending on scope.
Note: These are ballpark ranges. Your actual numbers will depend on your complexity, integrations, and internal team.
For mid-market manufacturers and distributors, rough ranges often look like this:
Discovery & strategy
$15,000 – $60,000+
Deep requirements gathering, architecture, UX planning, and integration design.
New Adobe Commerce build or replatform
$150,000 – $500,000+ for many mid-market builds.
Larger, multi-store, heavily integrated projects can go beyond that.
Custom integrations & middleware
$30,000 – $200,000+ depending on:
Number of systems (ERP, PIM, CRM, others).
Data complexity and business rules.
Whether middleware already exists or needs to be built.
Ongoing support & optimization
$5,000 – $30,000+/month depending on:
How much new feature development you want.
How often you need releases.
SLA and support requirements.
The biggest drivers are usually:
Integrations
Connecting ERP/PIM/CRM with real-world pricing and availability is often the single largest cost line item.
Custom B2B requirements
Anything beyond “out-of-the-box” B2B—custom order flows, quoting logic, dealer tools, etc.—adds complexity.
Number of stores and regions
One site vs. multiple brands, languages, or regions dramatically changes scope.
Data quality
Clean product and customer data speeds everything up. Messy, inconsistent data adds time (and therefore cost).
Internal team capacity
The more your team can handle (content, data cleanup, testing, etc.), the more you can manage costs.
A good Adobe Commerce agency will help you phase work over time – launching a strong “V1” while planning a roadmap for additional features and integrations.
Look for agencies that are formal Adobe partners, with certified Adobe Commerce developers, solution architects, and business practitioners on staff. Certifications don’t guarantee success, but they’re a strong signal the team knows the platform deeply and follows best practices.
When evaluating certifications, focus on three layers:
Ask if the agency is an official Adobe Solution Partner and what tier they hold. While tier alone isn’t everything, partner agencies:
Have access to Adobe support, training, and product roadmaps.
Are required to maintain a certain number of certified team members.
Typically have a proven track record of Adobe Commerce implementations.
Look for a mix of certified roles, such as:
Adobe Commerce Developer / Back-End Developer
Adobe Commerce Front-End Developer
Adobe Commerce Architect / Solution Architect
Adobe Commerce Business Practitioner / Business Analyst
This indicates they know how to build, integrate, and run Adobe Commerce using best practices rather than hacks that will break on the next upgrade.
Beyond Adobe-specific certifications, it’s a plus if your agency has:
Project management certifications or frameworks (e.g., Agile, Scrum, PMP-style rigor).
Cloud & DevOps expertise if you’re using cloud hosting.
Proven experience with your specific ERP/PIM/CRM stack.
Certifications should never replace real-world proof, but combined with strong case studies and references, they help reduce your risk.
Most generic “Magento dev shops” can spin up a theme and launch a basic store. Manufacturers and distributors need more than that:
Deep B2B capabilities
Buyers expect to log in, see their pricing, reorder, request quotes, and check status without calling your sales team.
Serious integration work
If pricing, availability, or order status is wrong, your customers lose trust and go back to phone/email ordering.
Channel sensitivity
You need Ecommerce to support, not sabotage, your dealer and distributor relationships.
Complex product data
Fitment/compatibility, technical specs, parts diagrams, and bundles all have to make sense to real buyers.
A specialized Adobe Commerce agency for manufacturers and distributors understands those realities and builds your Ecommerce experience around them—not around a generic B2C template.
Here are the kinds of outcomes manufacturers and distributors typically see from a well-run Adobe Commerce implementation:
Automotive or industrial manufacturer
Migrates from a non-transactional catalog to a fully transacting Adobe Commerce site.
Launches B2B self-service with account-specific pricing, dealer tools, and rich technical content.
Sales reps spend less time answering “Where’s my order?” and more time on strategic accounts.
Agricultural or equipment dealer/distributor
Integrates Adobe Commerce with a complex ERP and manufacturer data feeds.
Enables customers and dealers to search by model, fitment, or equipment type.
Reduces call volume while increasing online order value and frequency.
Multi-brand distributor
Unifies multiple legacy sites into a single, multi-store Adobe Commerce platform.
Provides consistent UX with brand-specific experiences where needed.
Gains centralized control over pricing, promotions, and content.
If these sound like situations you recognize, Adobe Commerce plus the right agency is often the most scalable, future-proof option.
Greg Tull is Director of Marketing at Classy Llama and leads go-to-market strategy for our Adobe Commerce practice, with a focus on manufacturers and distributors. He collaborates closely with our Adobe-certified solution architects and data integration teams to translate complex builds into clear roadmaps and outcomes for clients.
