B2Bshop – B2B webshop with AFAS integration

The project at a glance

A B2B platform connecting customer agreements and AFAS

Business customers need their own prices, useful information and an ordering process they can rely on. Together with Improvit, we worked on B2Bshop’s Laravel platform, focusing on AFAS integration and everyday customer workflows.

Our role

2 years of Laravel development, with Improvit

The challenge

Turn customer agreements into usable online workflows

What we delivered

AFAS integration, customer dashboard and multilingual support

How the solution fits together

1. AFAS as a data sourceConnect customer records, agreed prices and order information through the connector.
2. Laravel as the process layerCombine customer-specific logic, asynchronous processing and caching.
3. One customer workspaceMake orders, invoices and customer-specific prices available in the dashboard.

A schematic explanation of the approach described; not a live system view.

Where we went beyond implementation

Understand how customers actually work

Conversations with end users and Improvit mapped daily B2B workflows and pain points. Customer tasks, rather than the existing screens, set the direction for development.

Keep customers involved in priorities

We translated complaints into concrete requirements and tested improvements with demanding users before release. Monthly conversations with key users and quarterly reports kept progress open for discussion.

Work together beyond the first fix

As the technical contact, we explained opportunities and limitations in plain language. Together with Improvit, we combined Laravel development and AFAS expertise: improve the foundation first, then expand where needed.

The duration and results below refer to the engagement described.

Taking over a difficult platform

When I took over B2Bshop, the Laravel-based B2B platform was operational, but customer satisfaction was low. Users struggled with usability, the AFAS integration did not meet expectations and international customers could not use the platform in their own language. Small fixes would not resolve these problems: the user experience needed a fundamental review.

Conversations with end users and stakeholders at Improvit showed that the software worked technically but did not reflect the B2B workflows customers actually used. Understanding that mismatch became the starting point for two years of development.

AFAS integration: improving daily workflows

The AFAS connection existed, but everyday processes remained awkward. Customers had to synchronise data manually, prices were inconsistent and order statuses did not automatically reach AFAS.

I reviewed the existing AFAS Connector calls and identified bottlenecks in synchronisation and error handling. A new caching layer and fallback mechanisms improved reliability. Bidirectional synchronisation then allowed the platform to send orders to AFAS and retrieve customer-specific prices and stock levels, reducing the manual work that users had reported.

Multilingual support in a B2B environment

International customers needed multilingual support. This involved more than translating interface labels: customer-specific product names, price lists and contract terms could differ by language and customer.

The implementation combined Laravel localisation with a custom multi-tenant system. Each customer had language-specific content, while the core application switched between languages. Customer-specific AFAS data had to be localised without changing product codes or prices.

International users could work with familiar terminology and business processes. This supported expansion into the German and French markets.

From complaint handling to proactive development

The first year focused on rebuilding trust. Complaints were documented and translated into technical requirements, creating a development roadmap based on user needs. Changes were tested with critical users before release.

A central dashboard gave customers access to order statuses, outstanding invoices and customer-specific prices using AFAS data. During the second year, a more stable foundation made room for advanced filtering, bulk ordering and integrated reporting.

Technical architecture and performance

The Laravel platform provided a sound foundation but struggled with large B2B catalogues. Database query optimisation, Redis caching and asynchronous AFAS synchronisation jobs improved loading times. The original project account reported an improvement of more than 60%.

An event-driven architecture replaced polling where updates could be handled as events. A modular translation system supported both static interface content and dynamic AFAS product names and descriptions based on customer preferences.

Business impact

The original case study records a change from dissatisfied customers to more positive feedback, with fewer support tickets and improved usability. It also records ten new B2B customers over the two-year period, alongside international expansion and recommendations from existing customers.

Customers increasingly used the platform as their primary ordering channel rather than a backup. Higher transaction volumes and longer sessions indicated that users were relying on it for more complex B2B processes.

Continuous improvement and stakeholder management

As the technical contact between end customers and Improvit, I explained possibilities and limitations in accessible terms. Monthly conversations with key users, quarterly performance reports and clear development priorities created a systematic feedback process.

The collaboration developed from resolving urgent issues into a longer-term partnership, combining Laravel development with Improvit's AFAS expertise.