Our Story

Built on Three Decades of Experience

At StockPortal.io, I didn't just wake up one day and decide to build a software platform—I lived the problem every single day.

For over 25 years, I worked inside the inner workings of B2B manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers, dealing directly with retailers and merchants. Across three decades, I saw the exact same recurring headaches: trade customers frustrated by a lack of stock visibility, and suppliers overwhelmed by the cost and complexity of trying to solve it.

That experience put me in a unique position to see the real roadblocks—and the exact solutions required. While complex, integrated portals are standard for huge enterprises, they are cost-prohibitive, time-consuming, and bring massive IT headaches for most B2B businesses.

StockPortal.io was built to provide a cost-effective alternative. I removed those roadblocks and created a direct, reliable way for suppliers and buyers to keep stock moving—without the IT hassle.

Mind the Gap

Traditionally, B2B Business, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers etc have really only had two options if they wanted to share stock levels with their trade customers:

  • Emailing Spreadsheets: You hit 'send' on an attachment, but unless a customer is looking to place an order at that exact moment, the email gets ignored and quickly rolls down their inbox. When they do finally open it, they have to trawl through mountains of rows and columns just to find a single item. This problem is made worse when you realise that around 60% of people now access the internet on their phones. Take it from someone who has sat in his car scrolling, zooming in, and trying to find the info he needs on a mobile screen—trying to read spreadsheets and data-heavy documents on a phone is frustrating, to say the least.

    • Enterprise IT Systems: For B2B SMEs , ERP systems. While powerful, can be cost prohibitive , unnecessary for their level of business and come with all the I.T headaches one would expect for such integrated systems.

We realised the gap between a frustrating, buried spreadsheet and a giant, expensive IT project was far too wide. So, we built stockportal.io to bridge it.

Relieving Your Stock Stress Doesn't Have to Be Time-Consuming or Expensive

We designed a sensible, lightweight middle ground that gives manufacturers and stores exactly what they need, without the financial strain or the IT headaches.

Our portal can be updated as little or as often as you like (though we naturally advise often!). Ultimately, the fewer SKUs you have out of stock, the less you have to do.

We have made it as simple as possible. In Manual mode ,Marking an item out of stock takes less than 10 seconds, and adding it back in takes just one click—freeing up both your time and your customers' time. You could add or remove 20 SKUs in a couple of minutes (yes, I have tested that!).

In CSV Mode, you simply upload your latest stock sheet as often as you wish, you can also choose exactly how to display your stock levels to your customer, the choice is yours!

Here is how we help you close the gap:

  • Instant, Visual Dashboard: Instead of looking at a chaotic spreadsheet, your customers get a clean, visually appealing dashboard. It is there waiting for them exactly when they are actively looking for stock information and ready to buy—not just when you happen to send an email.

  • Customer Analytics: See exactly who is using the portal and how many times they have logged in.

  • Customer Accountability: When customers mention or complain about stock issues, you can instantly see if they are actually utilising the free tool you have provided for them.

  • No Build Costs: There are absolutely no setup fees, developer costs, or hidden onboarding charges. Just a simple, extremely value-driven monthly subscription.

  • Your Own Admin Panel: Easily add new users, or update stock availability in seconds.

  • Direct Order Facility: Customers can search by SKU and instantly send an order request straight over to your sales office via our portal.

Plus much more

We don't believe in over-complicating things. We believe in filling the gap, keeping your customers informed, and giving you your time back.

We’ve Lived Both Sides

We didn't design stockportal.io from a shiny tech office or a distant boardroom.

Having spent years working as a sales agent and on the road as a rep for various manufacturers—large, medium, and small—across many countries including Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy, and of course, the UK, I’ve been embedded in the day-to-day operations of B2B suppliers and those they supply. It is my job to see how things work, and to understand and link the needs of manufacturers and customers.

I know exactly what it feels like to be a rep trying to close a deal, praying the stock is actually on the shelf and not being able to check. I know the pressure manufacturers face trying to keep everyone updated without drowning in admin. And I know the pain customers face not having the reassurance that the sale or order they are working on is in stock—or being able to reassure their own customer that it will be with them when they say it will.

We built this because we were tired of seeing good businesses—run by hard-working, passionate people—getting stressed out by something that is completely unnecessary and should be incredibly simple to resolve. We wanted to create the exact tool we wish we'd had in our hands years ago.

When you join us, you aren't dealing with a faceless software giant. You're working with people who know the reality of selling, stocking, and distributing, the many duties of a busy sales office, and the absolute priority of keeping customers happy.

We’re here to take the friction out of your day and help you get back to doing what you do best.

Thanks for being here,

Bob - StockPortal.io

Does this need to connect directly into our internal ERP or accounting software?

No. StockPortal.io is a lightweight standalone web portal built specifically for B2B trade suppliers. It operates completely independently alongside your business without requiring complex ERP, accounting, or database integrations. It is strictly not an e-commerce shop or online store—it handles no checkout payments or retail traffic. It exists purely so your trade account buyers can check product availability 24/7 before placing orders on account or quoting their clients.

Can StockPortal.io help notify customers during holiday closures or inventory audits?

Portal admins can post a global notification banner across the top of the portal in seconds (e.g., "Warehouse closed for Easter break—orders resume Monday"). Every buyer logging in gets the message immediately on their mobile device.

Premium portal subscription only

Do trade buyers need to see exact stock quantities?

It depends, So StockPortal.io gives you the option to choose.

For day-to-day purchasing, many buyers don't need to know if you have 4 or 400 units in warehouse storage—they just need immediate confirmation: Is it in stock? Binary mode gives account customers total confidence to place standard orders fast, without overcomplicating the decision.

However, if you handle fast-moving lines or high-volume orders, showing exact live counts gives buyers absolute certainty before they commit. With our CSV Mode, you can drop in a warehouse export to display exact, real-time stock figures across your entire catalogue in seconds.

Whether you want zero-fuss binary toggles or live numerical accuracy, you choose the exact display mode that fits your business.

What happens if an item is out of stock? Won't customers just buy from a competitor?

If an item is out of stock, you run that risk regardless—that is an inventory availability issue, not a portal issue. The real risk is leaving buyers in the dark. Because your trade buyers already prefer doing business with you, seeing an accurate backorder ETA right in the portal lets them manage their client's expectations and timescales on the spot—giving you a far less chance of losing the deal to a competitor.

Do trade buyers need to create accounts with personal details or emails to log in?

No. StockPortal.io is huge on privacy and data protection. We do not require personal customer details or emails for daily portal access, keeping the onboarding process completely friction-free and compliant with data privacy regulations.

How do trade buyers place orders through the portal?

Buyers can search items, select quantities, and compose an order request directly inside the portal. Once submitted, the composed order is sent straight to your specified sales inbox. Your sales team retains full human control to verify everything and check account credit, and apply terms before processing.

How much time does it take to keep stock levels updated?

StockPortal.io is built for speed and zero-fuss administration, giving you two effortless ways to keep your network informed:

  • Manual Mode (Seconds per update): Operates on an exception basis. Everything stays "In Stock" by default, so you only update lines when they run out. Flagging an out-of-stock SKU takes seconds, and pasting in 20 out-of-stock items takes under two minutes. Restocking takes a single click.

  • CSV Mode (Instant catalogue refresh): Want live numerical accuracy across thousands of lines? Simply drop in a warehouse export to update your entire product catalogue in seconds. Upload as often as you like throughout the day with zero hassle.

Spending less than two minutes updating your portal—whether through a quick manual tweak or a fast CSV drop—saves your office hours of lost time answering repetitive stock-check calls and emails every week.

What if the team member responsible for updating stock is absent?

Because Stockportal.io is so simple, updating stock is nobody's sole duty—it is everybody's capability. Anyone on your team (sales reps, warehouse staff, or management) can log in from a smartphone or browser. The moment anyone notices a SKU has run out, they can toggle it to "Out of Stock" and add an ETA in seconds and instantly update your customers. Or in CSV mode, simply upload your latest sheet and get on with the rest of your day.

Will our trade buyers actually adopt a digital portal?

Yes, absolutely—and we have first-hand proof of this from real-world trials with many of our existing trade customers who adapted to it immediately. We trialled the UI and feature set directly with everyday trade buyers to ensure it fits their workflow perfectly. Adoption is so high because it requires zero tech skills. There are no app store downloads to manage, no complex navigation menus, and no passwords to constantly reset. Buyers simply save the portal as a single-tap bookmark on their smartphone home screen, search a SKU, and get instant stock answers in seconds.

How can Stockportal.io help handle overdue or non-paying trade accounts?

Admins can toggle non-paying customer accounts to Overdue with a single click. The next time that customer logs in to check stock, a prominent banner notifies them that their account is on hold and orders will be affected. It acts as automated credit control, prompting payment without forcing your sales reps to play "bad cop."

How many SKUs do you support?

Our premium package supports up to 5,000 SKUs as standard, allowing you to upload and manage your full catalogue effortlessly via a simple 3-column spreadsheet. Need more than 5,000 SKUs? We handle custom high-volume catalogues too, get in touch to discuss.

How Orders Work on StockPortal.io

We intentionally do not send orders directly from our servers to the supplier on your behalf. Standard order systems force all communications through a central portal email. Because supplier offices operate differently—many using auto-replies and automated order confirmations sent straight back to the originating address—sending orders from our email would mean their confirmations come to us, not you.

We would then have to forward your private business communications back to you. Not only is this counter-intuitive and slow, but it also creates unnecessary data handling risks. Your purchasing activity is none of our business, and we built StockPortal.io specifically so it does not hold or process any of your private data.

How do I place an order through the portal? We make passing along your order seamless while keeping you in complete control of your data. You have two instant options:

  • Pre-filled Email Client (One-Click): Fill in the order form on the portal and hit Send. This automatically opens your default email app with all your order details pre-populated. You simply hit send from your own email account—meaning the order originates from you, and all supplier confirmations return directly to your inbox.

  • Copy & Paste: If your default email client isn't configured, simply click to copy your inputted data, open your preferred email provider, paste it directly into a new message, and send.

Either way, the order comes from your email, responses return directly to you, and your private operational data stays entirely in your hands.

Got questions or want know more?

Contact Us

Get in touch to to discuss your requirements, find out more about our portal and to view our demo.

We already use spreadsheets to communicate stock. Why consider this?

Spreadsheets work for internal tracking, but they fail when it matters most—especially on mobile devices, where over 60% of web traffic happens today.

Trade customers don't read stock emails for fun—they only open them when they need to check a specific product for a live quote. By the time they actually open that attached file a few days later, the data is already out of date.

Worse still, when a merchant is out on site or sitting with a client speccing a project, trying to open, pinch-zoom, and trawl through rows of a messy spreadsheet on a smartphone screen is simply not viable. StockPortal.io gives your buyers an instantly available, fast, clean, visual dashboard designed to answer the single question that actually matters: Is it in stock?

See more

How does the portal benefit our business when all products are fully in stock?

It actually works incredibly well ,the reason is two-fold, it acts as an automated, 24/7 visual proof engine that actively helps your trade buyers close deals.

The smoother your internal supply chain runs, the less management your portal requires. Even when you have zero out-of-stock items, StockPortal.io works continuously for your brand:

  • Instant Visual Confirmation: Whether it's 8:00 AM at a busy trade desk or 8:00 PM on a site visit, merchants and end-clients get instant visual proof and confirmation that your full range is ready to dispatch.

  • Accelerates On-the-Spot Sales: When a retailer is sitting with a client speccing your products, pulling up a clean, live dashboard confirming "In Stock" gives both parties total confidence to commit to the order immediately

  • Zero Effort Confidence: Your portal delivers total customer transparency around the clock with zero ongoing admin effort required from your staff.

Why doesn't the portal show exact numerical stock quantities?

Because 95% of trade buying is regular, low/mid-quantity repeat business from multiple customers—and when a massive order does come along, it requires a conversation anyway.

We specifically set out to build a lean,fast system with no unnecessary bloat, delivering an extremely value-driven price point for SMEs.

  • The Reality of Trade Sales: Most of your daily orders are small and frequent. Buyers don't need to know if you have 14 or 400 units—they just need quick confirmation: "Is it in stock?"

  • The Exception vs. The Rule: Realistically, how often does a customer order 10 or 15 units of a single item at once? When that happens, it’s a major order. The customer naturally wants to call your sales rep—partly to double-check delivery ETAs, but mostly to ask: "Can you do me a bit of extra discount for this quantity?"

  • Why That's a Good Thing: Those bulk orders are where a human sales rep should step in to negotiate, secure the deal, and make sure everything goes smoothly.

Full ERP integrations that can track individual unit counts are built for larger enterprises. We built StockPortal.io for a simple,lean system that works for the majority of SME business—giving buyers the fast binary answer they need for everyday orders, while leaving high-value bulk deals where they belong: in the hands of your sales team.

Is StockPortal suitable for sole traders and SMEs?

Yes, StockPortal.io is built specifically to accommodate sole traders, small businesses, and growing SMEs. You do not need a large IT team, complex enterprise software, or a massive budget to use it. It gives individual tradespeople and small merchants an instant, professional stock availability checker without the overhead of heavy enterprise tools.

Is our product range and account list secure?

Yes. You keep total control over who views your portal.

Your portal is not a public directory open to the open web or your competitors. You generate secure, individual logins for your approved trade customers, ensuring that only verified accounts can view your stock availability.

Why is 24/7 instant confirmation so critical for trade customers?"

Because buying decisions, quotes, and job specs don't just happen between 9am and 5pm—and the value of instant reassurance cannot be underestimated.

Your customers work long hours and need answers on their schedule, long after your office or trade counter has closed:

  • On the Sofa at 10:00 PM: A contractor pricing up a job late at night needs to know if materials are available before committing to a client's tender.

  • On a Site Visit at 8:00 PM: A merchant walking a job site with an end-client can pull up the portal on their phone to verify product availability on the spot.

  • Early Morning Specs at 6:00 AM: An estimator speccing projects before trades hit the road can check live status instantly.

Whatever the device and whatever the hour, giving your buyers instant visual confirmation that a product is in stock gives them total confidence to lock in specs and commit to orders immediately.

Are there long-term contracts or hidden fees?

None.

We keep subscription terms completely transparent and flexible. There are no onboarding fees, developer costs, or rigid multi-year corporate contracts, and you can adjust or cancel your account at any time.

See our T&Cs for full details

What if our customers still prefer to call our office?

That's actually a good thing. Phone calls are a vital part of trade relationships—especially for larger, high-value orders.

Having spent 30 years in trade sales, I know firsthand that habits are hard to change. Our portal isn't built to cut off human contact; it gives you the visibility to make those phone conversations even better.

  • Track Portal Usage: Your dashboard shows you exactly who is using the portal and who isn't.

  • Prompt the Conversation: When a client rings up out of habit, it gives your Sales Rep or office a natural opening: "By the way, did you know you can check our live stock 24/7 on your phone?"

  • Build Confidence: Reinforcing your fantastic stock levels over the phone while highlighting 24/7 access gives buyers total confidence in you, your products, and your reliability.

I've seen portals that are built for online sellers. How is StockPortal.io different?

Many smaller inventory portals out there are designed for e-commerce sellers who need automated APIs to keep online retail shopping carts in sync across platforms like Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, and WooCommerce.

StockPortal.io was built for a completely different market: SME trade suppliers who sell directly to physical merchants, stockists, and showrooms.

Trade buyers don't buy through consumer web carts—they order on trade account credit, via email, or over the phone. They don't need complex e-commerce checkout APIs; they simply need a fast, gated search engine to verify live stock availability before placing an order. StockPortal.io fills that exact gap without the unnecessary online retail bloat.

What industries can use StockPortal.io?

StockPortal.io works for any industry that sells products or materials to trade sellers. Whether you are in construction, plumbing, electrical, automotive, stationery, retail supply, or manufacturing, StockPortal.io provides a fast, lightweight stock lookup tool for your customers to check your stocks when they need it. If you manage SKUs and have trade buyers, StockPortal.io fits your business model regardless of your sector.

How do customers know the stock information is up to date?

The portal dashboard features a prominent, live timestamp showing the exact date and time the portal was last updated. Every time an SKU is edited it shows the last time, reassuring your customers.

  • Zero Guesswork: Whether a customer logs in at 6:00 AM before hitting a site or 10:00 PM while pricing a job, they instantly see when the data was refreshed (e.g., "Last updated: Today at 08:30").

  • Instant Reassurance: Seeing a clear, recent timestamp gives trade buyers complete confidence that the status on screen is current, accurate, and ready to rely on without needing to phone in just to double-check.

How difficult is the initial setup? Do we need IT support?

Zero IT support is required. We handle the entire account setup for you. All we need to get started is a simple 3-column spreadsheet containing your Range, SKU, and Description.