Your Aurora distribution storefront sells by the case, but the Shopify theme checks out like a t-shirt
Custom Shopify work pays off for Aurora distributors and manufacturers when the cart has to handle freight, tiered B2B pricing, and live warehouse stock, none of which a theme does well. Expect $25,000 to $90,000 and 2 to 5 months depending on B2B depth. For a simple direct-to-consumer catalog, a good theme and a few apps are plenty.
Shopify themes and template stores are built to sell a t-shirt: pick a size, pay flat shipping, done. An Aurora distribution business sells by the case or the pallet, ships LTL freight where a quote depends on weight and lane, and prices differently for a contract account than a walk-up. The standard checkout has no idea what an LTL pallet costs, so you either eat freight or quote off-platform and lose the cart.
Then there's inventory truth. A theme shows 'in stock' off a number that's a sync behind your warehouse, so you oversell, then scramble. For B2B distribution the gap between what the storefront promises and what the dock can actually pick is where the angry calls come from.
- Freight, B2B pricing, or unit-of-measure selling breaks the standard theme
- Your storefront oversells because stock lags the warehouse
- Distribution accounts need contract pricing and reorder flows
- You sell simple DTC products with flat or carrier-calculated shipping
- A theme plus a few apps covers your catalog cleanly
- B2B and freight complexity aren't part of your model
- LTL freight priced in the cart by weight and lane, so pallet margin survives checkout
- Contract and tier pricing that matches how you actually sell to distribution accounts
- Live warehouse stock so the storefront stops overselling the dock
- Case, pallet, and unit-of-measure selling that fits real B2B orders
- Shopify's hosting, checkout, and payments kept, with only the B2B gap rebuilt
- Heavy customization can collide with Shopify's platform updates and app ecosystem
- Shopify Plus fees plus custom work may cost more than a purpose-built B2B platform at scale
- Some B2B logic fights Shopify's data model and needs workarounds that add maintenance
- A theme plus a few apps is far cheaper if your real need is simple DTC
The honest cost picture for Aurora
| Project scope | Typical cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Theme + apps for DTC | $8k to $25k | 3 to 6 weeks |
| B2B freight + pricing + stock sync | $30k to $60k | 2 to 4 months |
| Full B2B distribution storefront | $65k to $90k | 4 to 5 months |
Feature priorities for Aurora teams
Shopify services we deliver in Aurora
Digital Heroes builds the full shopify stack for Aurora teams. Typical engagements span:
Exactly what you get
A Shopify storefront that behaves like a distribution business: freight priced by weight and lane in the cart, B2B contract pricing per account, live stock from the warehouse so you stop overselling, and case-or-pallet ordering. Shopify keeps doing checkout and payments; you only rebuild the B2B logic it lacks, integrated to your ERP software and inventory management software so order-to-cash stays clean.
How to choose a developer in Aurora
Hire a team that has shipped real B2B Shopify, not just DTC themes, and make them price a freight scenario live. Ask how they'll sync stock from your warehouse management system and push orders to your ERP, because that integration is where B2B Shopify quietly succeeds or fails. The best builds tie the storefront to your inventory management software and accounting software so the cart, the dock, and the books finally agree.
Timeline: what happens, and when
- !They quote off a theme demo; ask how the cart prices an LTL pallet
- !No inventory-sync plan; ask how the store stops overselling the dock
- !They ignore contract pricing; ask how a tier-3 account sees its prices
- !No ERP integration story; ask how an order reaches accounting cleanly
If shopify is on the roadmap, wordpress, pos, project management usually follow within the year. Budget them as one conversation.
Rohan advises mid-market and enterprise teams on ERP, CRM and custom software, and has led delivery on dozens of business-software builds.
Writes for Digital Heroes, shipping business software for 2,000+ brands across 55+ countries since 2017.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify handle LTL freight pricing for our pallets?
Not out of the box, but a custom build adds freight estimation by weight and lane so the cart prices a pallet correctly. That's the gap themes leave that costs you freight margin.
Does Shopify support B2B contract pricing?
Shopify Plus has B2B features, but contract tiers and per-account catalogs often need custom work to match how distribution actually sells. The standard variant model doesn't cover it cleanly.
How do we stop the store overselling stock?
Sync inventory in real time from your warehouse management system so the storefront only shows what the dock can pick, instead of relying on a number that's a sync behind.
What does custom Shopify cost in Aurora?
A DTC theme plus apps runs $8,000 to $25,000. A B2B build with freight, pricing, and stock sync runs $30,000 to $90,000.