A ready-made B2B store for distributors who sell to contractors.
Ascend gives you an industry storefront, the ordering tools contractors expect, and a data engine that loads your catalog. Start with online ordering for the accounts you already have, then grow into full commerce on the same build.
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- Gas distribution
How Ascend works
Three parts, set up for your industry
- Your product data DDS · supplier and ERP feeds
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Ascend
theme · extensions · data engine
- Your storefront on Shopware · B2B accounts
Product data built with Distributor Data Solutions (DDS). Runs on Shopware.
Solution · For trade distributors
The problem
Your contractors order by phone because your website can’t keep up.
Contractors want their price, at their branch, right now. Most distributor websites show list prices, guess at stock, and make a buyer click through forty product pages to build one order. So the orders keep coming in by phone, email and counter visit.
Fixing that usually means a big custom ecommerce project. Ascend starts from a store that’s already built for the trade.
- "What's my price?"
Contract pricing lives in the ERP, not on the website. - "Is it at my branch?"
Stock shows as one number, not by location or will-call counter. - "I have a takeoff sheet."
Buyers retype 200 lines instead of pasting them in. - "Which one meets spec?"
No way to compare amperage, gauge or voltage side by side.
What you get
Built for how the trade actually buys.
Every edition ships with the storefront theme, the extensions below and the data engine. Your team configures it; nobody builds it from scratch.
Their price, everywhere
Each contractor sees their contract price on every product, in search, in the cart and on Quick Order. Visitors who aren’t logged in never see it.
Stock by branch
Buyers pick their home branch and see what’s on the shelf there, plus which other branches have it. Will-call and pickup details follow them.
Order from a list
Paste a takeoff, upload a CSV or type part numbers. Ascend matches each line, prices it and checks stock before it reaches the cart.
Compare by spec
Product group pages put dozens of items in one table by amperage, gauge or voltage, so a buyer can compare and add them all at once.
Also included: company accounts with employee logins and roles, saved lists and one-click reorder, PO and job numbers at checkout, and tax-exempt pricing for contractors. The data engine loads and updates your catalog from DDS or other structured feeds.
Start small, grow from there
Three phases, one build.
Most distributors start with ordering for the accounts they already have. Each phase adds to the same store, so nothing is thrown away or rebuilt.
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Phase 1 · Start
Online ordering for your accounts
Account pages, order history and reorder, Quick Order, saved lists, contract pricing and branch stock. Your edition theme and catalog are included.
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Phase 2 · Storefront
Your full catalog, open to new buyers
Public catalog and search, spec comparison pages, branded storefront and full B2B checkout across every branch.
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Phase 3 · Enterprise
Controls large accounts ask for
Quotes and approvals, budgets by cost center, ERP order and pricing sync, customer-specific catalogs, single sign-on and punchout.
See it running
Not a mockup. A working store.
All three editions run today on live demo stores loaded with distributor catalogs. Log in as a contractor and you’ll see contract pricing, branch stock, Quick Order and spec tables working on real product data. A proof of concept for electrical distribution also connects Ascend to Epicor Eclipse.
Full distributor catalog
Real SKU counts and specs, loaded through the data engine
Built on Shopware's B2B features
Most of Ascend extends Shopware's own engine, so platform updates stay safe
3 editions ready
Electrical, plumbing and gas distribution, each with a live demo
Connected to Epicor Eclipse
Proof of concept for electrical distribution
What it costs
A clear starting point. Every project is scoped.
Your price depends on your catalog, branches, data and ERP. We scope each build with you before work starts, including your data and integrations, so you know the range and the reasons behind it up front.
The monthly lease covers the Shopware license, hosting, support and Ascend updates in one fee. Leasing terms are negotiable.
Phase 1 setup
$20K–$45K
Timing scoped in discovery
Monthly lease
from $1,995
Storefront and Enterprise phases are scoped as you grow
FAQ
Common questions about Ascend
What it is, who it's for, and how distributors get started.
Still have questions?
Let's talk
See all Ascend questions
What is Ascend?
Ascend is a ready-made B2B commerce store for trade distributors. It combines an industry theme, extensions for contract pricing, branch stock, Quick Order and spec comparison, and a data engine that loads your product catalog. It runs on Shopware.
Which industries does it support?
Electrical, plumbing and gas distribution. Each edition comes with the categories, product attributes and storefront layout that industry expects.
Do we need a big ecommerce project to start?
No. Most distributors start with Phase 1: online ordering for the accounts they already have. You can open your full catalog to new buyers later on the same build.
Does it work with Epicor Eclipse or our ERP?
Yes. We’ve connected Ascend to Epicor Eclipse in a proof of concept for electrical distribution. Phase 1 works alongside your ERP, and full order and pricing sync is part of the Enterprise phase, scoped to your ERP during discovery.
Where does our product data come from?
Ascend’s data engine loads product data from Distributor Data Solutions (DDS) or other structured feeds. If you already use a PIM such as Plytix or Sales Layer, we connect it as part of the project.
What does the monthly lease include?
The Shopware license, hosting, support and Ascend updates, in one fee. Leasing terms are negotiable.
Your turn
Complex commerce. Connected and simplified.
Tell us how your contractors order today and we'll show you what Phase 1 would look like for your branches and catalog.