Benx: Building Its First E-commerce Platform

The Context

Expanding Beyond Traditional B2B Sales

Since 2002, Benx has been a trusted British supplier of façade and insulation systems, supporting large-scale construction projects across the UK. Working closely with architects, contractors, and distributors, the company built its reputation on technical expertise and complex system solutions delivered through traditional B2B relationships.

As the market evolved, Benx identified a growing demand from professional installers and mid-sized contractors who expected faster access to product information, pricing transparency, and more flexible ordering options. Rather than moving away from its established project-based model, the company decided to expand it.

Launching its first e-commerce platform was a step toward opening a new digital sales channel, making Benx’s advanced façade systems more accessible to a broader professional audience while continuing to support large-scale developments.

Challenge

Building a Digital Sales Channel

Starting the E-commerce Initiative

To bring this vision to life, Benx set out to build a Magento 2 e-commerce platform integrated with the company’s ERP system.

The project covered two main elements:

a new website with full online sales functionality, and
a custom-built product calculator helping installers determine the materials needed for each project.

Since this was Benx’s first step into online commerce, the team worked closely with Polcode to define clear workflows, technology choices, and a roadmap aligned with Benx’s long-term growth plans.

Discovery First: Defining the Vision

Before development began, Benx and Polcode held several discovery workshops to align business and technical priorities.

Together, we mapped:

Core business goals for the first phase of e-commerce.
Integration requirements between Magento 2 and Sage ERP.
User journeys for two target groups — architects and installers.
The structure of the product catalog and rules for configurable items.

The Solution

Magento 2 Platform + ERP Integration

The development process focused on building a Magento 2 e-commerce platform fully aligned with Benx’s operational model.

Core functionalities:

Custom product catalog with flexible configurations.
Click-and-collect and direct delivery options.
Multi-branch order processing across four regional warehouses.
Account management for B2B, professional, and trade customers.
Checkout, login, and registration views optimized for ease of use.
ERP-Connected Checkout
Stock availability is displayed in real time across regional warehouses. →

The backbone of the system is the integration with the ERP system. Data about products, stock levels, prices, and orders now flows automatically between the ERP and the e-commerce platform. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures consistency between online and offline sales.

The Solution

The EWI Calculator

A major highlight of the project is the EWI (External Wall Insulation) Calculator, a multi-step configurator designed for installers.

The calculator guides users through a series of parameters, wall dimensions, surface type, insulation parameters, and automatically determines the exact quantities of required materials.

This feature combines:

Dynamic integration with the Magento product database.
Editable configuration logic, enabling Benx administrators to adjust rules without developer support.
A clean, step-by-step interface that simplifies technical decisions.

Unlike a standard online configurator, the calculator needed to reflect real-world construction logic. The amount and type of products depend on numerous variables:

the house type (for example, detached vs. semi-detached),
the total façade area,
the substrate and insulation materials,
and the system configuration (insulation only, or insulation with render).

EWI Calculator - Step 1: System Details

Users define house type, surface area, and insulation type. →

EWI Calculator - Step 2: Dynamic Cost Calculation

The calculator instantly updates projected material cost as parameters change. →

A semi-detached house with several window openings requires a completely different mix of boards, adhesives, and finishes than a solid wall of the same size.

Capturing all those dependencies while keeping the interface simple was one of the main technical challenges.

Together, the platform and calculator give Benx a complete, data-driven foundation for online sales.

Don’t take it from us. Hear from our clients:

They didn't just build to specification—they took the time to understand our workflows.

David Meddings

IT Manager

Outcomes So Far

While the platform has only recently launched (February 2026), the new e-commerce channel already provides:

A structured, efficient online sales process.
Improved visibility of stock levels across regional warehouses.
Reduced manual data handling thanks to ERP integration.
A faster way for installers to estimate and order materials.

Conclusion

Façade and insulation materials are not everyday purchases. They involve technical decisions, multiple dependencies, and a high level of responsibility for the final result.

By launching its new e-commerce platform, Benx has made this process more transparent and approachable. The EWI Calculator translates complex system rules into a guided, step-by-step experience, while the clean interface and ERP integration ensure clarity and reliability at every stage.

The result is a customer-focused digital channel that supports clients in making accurate decisions faster. What used to take several phone calls can now happen in a few clicks.