How to Build an Ecommerce Roadmap in 90 Days for Distributors

Kick off online ordering, CX improvements, and automation in 90 days — without derailing operations

Distributors tell me the same three frustrations over and over: they can’t find vetted digital priorities that actually move the needle, integrations with ERP and fulfillment feel impossible, and customers expect modern online experiences that their current platforms don’t support. If that’s you, this 90-day ecommerce roadmap converts executive intent into a tactical, measurable plan to launch online ordering, improve customer experience (CX), and add targeted automation fast.

Why now: learnings from 2025–2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 cemented a reality every distributor faces: technology and AI investments no longer live in pilots — they drive revenue. Border States’ creation of a VP of digital transformation reflects that shift. As Jason Stein, CIO at Border States, put it:

“The pace of change driven by technology and AI is unprecedented, and success requires bold leadership and a clear vision.”

That leadership mandate is the catalyst you need. With composable platforms, headless commerce options, better B2B payments, and more accessible AI-driven personalization in 2026, a focused 90-day program can produce an MVE (minimum viable ecommerce), measurable CX gains, and automation that lowers order cycle costs.

What this roadmap delivers in 90 days

• A working online ordering channel for your top customer segments (MVE) with ERP connectivity for orders and inventory.
• High-impact CX improvements—search, product data, and self-service quoting—that reduce sales friction.
• Targeted automations (order routing, confirmations, credit checks) that free up staff time.
• Metrics and governance so you can prioritize next quarter investments and measure ROI.

Overview: 90 days in three 30-day sprints

Structure the program in three sprints: Diagnose & Align (Days 0–30), Build & Integrate (Days 31–60), and Launch & Iterate (Days 61–90). Each sprint has clear deliverables and acceptance criteria so leadership can see progress daily and stakeholders stay engaged.

Sprint 1 — Days 0–30: Diagnose, prioritize, and capture quick wins

Goal: Define scope for a minimal, revenue-focused ecommerce launch and lock governance.

1. Executive alignment workshop (Day 1–3). Bring Sales, Ops, IT, Finance, and Customer Success together. Confirm top customers, SKUs, pricing tiers, and success metrics (orders online, AOV, conversion rate, order accuracy).
2. Customer & ordersegmentation (Day 4–8). Identify 1–3 buyer personas and the 20% of SKUs that drive 80% of online volume. Those are your MVE targets.
3. Technical snapshot & gap analysis (Day 6–12). Map ERP/OMS/APIs, current PIM/product data state, pricing rules, and payment methods. Prioritize integrations required for order flow vs. nice-to-have features.
4. Quick CX fixes (Day 10–20). Implement 2–3 fast wins: site search tuning, product description templates, and visible inventory flags on B2B portals or account pages.
5. Governance & resourcing plan (Day 18–25). Appoint a Product Owner, create a RACI, and schedule weekly steering meetings. Estimate budget and resource needs for Sprint 2.
6. Acceptance Criteria (Day 26–30). Document a launch checklist for the MVE: SKU set, pricing, login/workflow for 1–2 customer segments, ERP order flow tested end-to-end.

Sprint 2 — Days 31–60: Build core integrations and customer flows

Goal: Deliver a functioning MVE — online ordering for prioritized customers tied to ERP and fulfillment.

1. Implement ecommerce frontend or portal (Day 31–40). Use a composable or hosted B2B solution to speed deployment. Focus on customer login, catalog, cart, quote-to-order flow if applicable.
2. Integrate ERP and inventory (Day 34–50). Push/pull inventory and pricing via API/EDI. Start with read-only inventory for launch if write-back is complex; plan order push for go-live.
3. Payments & invoicing (Day 36–52). Enable payment options customers use (PO terms, credit cards, ACH). Ensure PCI compliance if accepting cards, or adopt tokenized gateways. Include e-invoicing or punch-out where top customers demand it.
4. Automations to cut manual steps (Day 40–55). Configure automated order confirmations, credit checks for new buyers, and fulfillment routing rules. Use low-code automation tools or your integration platform.
5. Data hygiene & PIM (Day 42–58). Publish clean product titles, images, and key attributes for the MVE SKU set. That ups conversion and reduces returns.
6. Acceptance Criteria (Day 56–60). End-to-end test with 5 pilot accounts who can login, see correct pricing, place orders, and receive confirmation with proper order numbers in ERP.

Sprint 3 — Days 61–90: Launch, measure, and optimize

Goal: Publicly open the channel to the prioritized customer segments, monitor KPIs, and deploy iterative improvements.

1. Pilot launch & training (Day 61–68). Run a 2-week pilot with selected accounts. Provide short training videos and an onboarding FAQ for buyers.
2. Monitor KPIs & support (Day 62–75). Track conversion, time-to-order, abandoned carts, average order value, and ticket volume. Route support requests to a dedicated queue.
3. Implement AI for CX (Day 66–82). Add an AI-driven assist: a guided search, parts finder, or conversational chatbot to accelerate ordering for common tasks. Use rules to escalate to human reps for complex jobs.
4. Rollout automation tweaks (Day 70–88). Automate post-order emails, SLA-based fulfillment notifications, and returns initiation. Add automations only where they reduce manual touches by measurable amounts.
5. Measure ROI & prioritize next quarter (Day 82–90). Produce a one-page performance dashboard for leadership and a prioritized backlog for Q2 based on cost-per-order and customer feedback.

Practical templates and artifacts to use this week

90-day sprint checklist (copy/paste)

• Executive kickoff completed (date, attendees)
• Top customer segments defined (IDs)
• MVE SKU list exported and approved
• ERP integration plan documented (endpoints, owner)
• PIM clean-up tasks assigned
• Pilot accounts selected and notified
• Weekly steering meeting scheduled
• Post-launch metrics dashboard live

Sample acceptance criteria for MVE launch

• Login and account-specific pricing display correctly for pilot accounts.
• Top 200 SKUs show images, descriptions, and stock levels.
• Orders placed via the portal create an ERP sales order with matching totals and a confirmation back to the buyer within 2 minutes.
• Common payment methods accepted and recorded; credit limits respected.
• Average time-to-order (from login to checkout) under 8 minutes for pilot users.

Automation playbook: where to automate first

Automation should focus on high-volume, repeatable tasks that cost you manual time or slow customers. Prioritize automations that reduce friction and error:

• Order confirmations & status updates — replace manual emails with templated notifications.
• Credit checks & holds — automate rule-based approvals and alerts for manual review only when thresholds are exceeded.
• Inventory routing — auto-route orders to the nearest fulfillment center using simple distance/stock rules.
• Self-service returns & warranty claims — guide customers through returns with automated RMA issuance.
• Product recommendations & upsell — use AI to suggest accessories at cart to raise AOV.

Customer experience improvements that matter for B2B distributors

B2B buyers want B2C-level ease plus B2B controls. Focus on:

• Personalized catalogs and negotiated pricing based on account login.
• Fast, accurate search and part-number recognition (support synonyms and SKUs).
• Quote-to-order flows that preserve approvals and custom pricing.
• Self-service account management for POs, invoices, and payment methods.
• Transparent SLAs and shipment tracking integrated into order pages.

Governance, team structure & resourcing

Successful 90-day programs need a small cross-functional team and clear decision rights.

Suggested core team (4–8 people)

• Product Owner (business lead)
• Technical Lead/Integration Engineer (ERP/API)
• UX/Product Designer (CX improvements)
• Operations Representative (fulfillment/routing)
• Sales/Customer Success Liaison
• External implementation partner or agency (optional, accelerates delivery)

Set weekly steering, thrice-weekly standups during build weeks, and a go/no-go checkpoint before launch. Use a RACI for decisions to avoid scope creep.

KPIs to track during and after the 90 days

Focus on leading and lagging metrics that link the digital channel to business outcomes.

• Leading metrics: pilot user activation rate, time-to-order, site search success rate, cart abandonment (by reason).
• Operational metrics: order error rate, time to reconcile orders in ERP, manual touches per order.
• Business metrics: % of orders placed online, average order value (AOV), revenue from online channel, and cost-per-order.

Common risks and mitigation

• ERP integration complexity: start small with read-only inventory if write-back is complex. Plan incremental improvements.
• Data quality problems: prioritize a tight SKU set for launch and fix root causes after launch. Use data validation rules.
• Customer adoption: pick champion accounts and reduce friction (phone support, training videos).
• Security & compliance: ensure PCI compliance and secure APIs; involve InfoSec in the early sprint.

Real-world example (composite case study)

One midwest electrical distributor with $120M revenue needed a fast channel to serve contractors who increasingly wanted online ordering. They used a 90-day plan like this one:

• Day 0–30: Identified 150 SKUs and 25 pilot contractor accounts. Fixed product titles and images in PIM.
• Day 31–60: Launched a vendor-hosted B2B portal integrated to ERP via API, pushing orders into the sales order queue. Enabled PO and credit card payments.
• Day 61–90: Piloted, iterated on search synonyms and product bundles, added automated order confirmations. Online orders reached 7% of total orders from pilot accounts in the first 30 days and reduced order-entry time by 45%.

This kind of outcome is achievable because the plan limited scope to high-impact pieces and tied each task to measurable acceptance criteria.

What to expect after Day 90

The 90-day program is the start, not the finish. Expect to:

• Expand the SKU set and customer segments across quarters.
• Add advanced capabilities: punch-out, CPQ for configured products, subscription/order-schedule management, and deeper AI personalization.
• Optimize operations: more fulfillment automation, dynamic routing, and automated exceptions handling.
• Move from MVE to a full digital product roadmap driven by the metrics and customer feedback you gathered during the pilot.

Actionable next steps (start today)

1. Schedule a 90-minute executive kickoff this week and bring the stakeholders named earlier.
2. Export your top 200 SKUs and the list of your top 25 customers by revenue — use these to define the MVE scope.
3. Assign a Product Owner and hire a short-term integration resource or partner to accelerate ERP connectivity.
4. Create a one-page dashboard template with the KPIs listed above — start collecting baseline values now.

Key takeaways

• 90 days is enough to launch a revenue-generating B2B ordering channel if you limit scope to high-impact SKUs and customers.
• Prioritize integrations that unblock orders and inventory visibility — not every feature is essential at launch.
• Automate where it reduces manual touches, and apply AI tools for search and guided buying once core flows are stable.
• Governance and metrics separate pilot projects from enterprise transformation — run the program like a product.

Final thought

Border States’ creation of a VP-level digital role underscores a practical truth: distributors who pair executive sponsorship with a short, outcome-driven sprint can convert digital tools into measurable gains. Use this 90-day roadmap to move from intent to impact — quickly, safely, and measurably.

Call to action

If you’re ready to translate intent into a 90-day launch plan customized to your ERP and customer base, download our 90-day ecommerce sprint template or request a 30-minute readiness review with our implementation team. We’ll assess your ERP fit, recommend the smallest viable tech stack, and outline a prioritized backlog to get you live fast.

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