The 2026 Manufacturer Platform Audit and Decision Matrix

Stop Guessing Platform Fit for Heavy B2B Manufacturing

This PDF is a technical suitability audit built specifically for enterprise manufacturers dealing with complex catalogs (50k–500k SKUs), contract pricing, ERP-driven inventory, BOMs/kitting, and RFQ/quote workflows. Instead of generic “feature checklists,” it focuses on the real disqualifiers that end platform evaluations early—like whether you can actually deliver sub-500ms inventory/pricing lookups under concurrency, and whether deeply nested assemblies can be represented without fragile workarounds.

A Decision Matrix You Can Use in the First Call

You’ll get a clear comparison of five platforms—Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Shopify Plus, commercetools, and Salesforce B2B Commerce—using pass/fail gates and a weighted scorecard (pricing, ERP integration, catalog flexibility, RFQ, and TCO/scalability). It’s designed to help teams qualify the “shortlist” before an RFP, with an explicit threshold rule and tie-break logic so decisions don’t stall in endless debates.

The 8 “Kill Criteria” That Prevent Costly Mistakes

The audit lays out eight technical knockout gates (complex pricing at scale, ERP latency, BOM/kitting structure, RFQ velocity, multi-region complexity, API limits, customization scope, and TCO predictability). Each gate includes verification methods and acceptance tests—so your team can validate platform claims with spike testing, not vendor promises.

Real-World Constraints: Pricing, ERP Sync, BOMs, Quotes

Inside, you’ll see practical stress tests for the pricing engine, ERP integration patterns and latency expectations, catalog/BOM handling, and quote-to-cash timing. It highlights where platforms are “native,” where they require middleware or apps, and where you should expect custom domain modeling and longer build timelines—especially relevant for engineered products and nested assemblies.

A 4-Week Selection Sprint (So You Can Move Fast)

The document also includes a structured evaluation protocol: workload profiling, integration spike testing, scoring + risk register, and finally 3-year TCO modeling with an executive memo. It’s a pragmatic blueprint for reducing uncertainty quickly and turning platform selection into a measurable, board-ready decision.

Procurement + SI Selection Guidance That Saves Budget

Finally, it covers how to evaluate implementation partners (SIs), which red flags to treat as fail conditions, and what procurement must verify about commercial mechanics (modules, step-ups, integration ownership, run/support). It even defines when the audit becomes obsolete and when to re-evaluate—so you don’t make a strategic decision using stale assumptions.