How is B2B distributor quoting different from regular retail ordering?

In distribution, pricing is negotiated per customer — the same catalog can carry a different price for every buyer, so you can't just add items to a cart and total them up. Each customer has their own tier, terms, and often preferred or substitute products, so someone (or software that knows the rules) has to build the quote. Retail is 'give me items 1 through 10 and my receipt.' Distribution is tiered pricing, negotiated discounts, kits made of multiple SKUs, stock that varies by branch, and quotes that have to convert cleanly into ERP orders.