TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Definition
TCO, or Total Cost of Ownership, is the full cost of a software platform over its entire lifetime: not just the purchase or license price, but also implementation, training, maintenance, integrations and any per-user or per-transaction fees. For B2B e-commerce platforms, the TCO often differs sharply from the price shown at first.
Why the sticker price is rarely the real price
Many e-commerce platforms show an attractive base price, but then charge per user, per SKU or per transaction on top. For a growing business, that bill adds up fast: more customers, more products or more orders automatically mean a higher invoice.
What counts toward TCO
License costs, implementation budget, staff training, maintenance and updates, integrations with ERP or other systems, and any extra costs as the business grows.
Practical example
A wholesaler starting with 50 active customers and 2,000 products pays a fixed price per user on some platforms. If the customer base grows to 200, the invoice grows with it, even though the platform itself hasn't changed. With a fixed-price model, the cost stays predictable, regardless of the number of users or SKUs.
Start with the basics.
Build from there.
Fonda Basic is free and immediately gives you a central place for all your product data and digital assets. You can take the step to a complete B2B webshop with customer-specific prices when you are ready.
Specifically built for B2B SMEs with 20–300 employees · Support based in Ghent