Shopify B2B: How To Use Shopify for B2B Wholesale?

The world of eCommerce isn’t just about individual shoppers anymore. Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce is booming, with more companies choosing to buy wholesale products online rather than through traditional catalogs or phone orders. Wholesale buyers expect the same convenience, speed, and user-friendly experience as retail customers.

This is where Shopify B2B comes in. Instead of juggling multiple systems for retail and wholesale, Shopify allows you to manage both in one place. Whether you sell direct-to-consumer (D2C), wholesale, or both, Shopify provides the tools you need to scale. In this guide, we’ll explore what Shopify B2B is, its features, benefits, setup process, and how to make the most of it.

What Is Shopify B2B?

Shopify B2B is Shopify’s integrated wholesale solution designed to help merchants sell directly to business buyers. Traditionally, running a wholesale operation meant building a separate store or relying on clunky third-party apps. Shopify B2B changes that by giving you a set of wholesale tools directly inside your existing Shopify store.

The key difference between Shopify B2C and Shopify B2B lies in the buying experience. While B2C focuses on attracting individual shoppers with retail pricing, B2B prioritizes bulk ordering, flexible payment terms, and personalized pricing for wholesale customers. With Shopify B2B, you can seamlessly serve both audiences without switching platforms.

In short, Shopify B2B makes wholesale simple, streamlined, and scalable—right inside Shopify Admin.

Key Features of Shopify B2B

Shopify B2B offers a rich set of tools tailored specifically for wholesale. Let’s look at the most important ones.

1. Company Profiles

Instead of treating wholesale buyers like regular customers, Shopify allows you to create company profiles. Each profile can include multiple buyers, custom settings, and unique rules. This makes it easier to manage wholesale accounts at a company level, rather than individual accounts.

2. Price Lists

B2B pricing is rarely one-size-fits-all. Shopify lets you create price lists to assign custom or tiered pricing to specific companies. For example:

• Company A gets 20% off all products.
• Company B pays fixed wholesale prices for certain collections.

This flexibility makes Shopify ideal for managing long-term wholesale relationships.

3. Payment Terms

Wholesale buyers often expect to pay later. Shopify B2B supports net payment terms like Net 30, Net 45, or Net 60. This allows you to extend credit to reliable customers while keeping everything tracked in your system.

4. Wholesale Checkout

Shopify B2B comes with a customized checkout experience designed for wholesale orders. Instead of regular retail checkout, business buyers see their negotiated pricing, payment terms, and shipping preferences.

5. Multi-Location Inventory

If you’re managing multiple warehouses or fulfillment centers, Shopify B2B allows you to assign inventory across locations. This ensures wholesale orders are fulfilled from the right stock levels.

6. Integrations

Shopify B2B integrates with ERP, CRM, and accounting systems. This means you can connect tools like NetSuite, Brightpearl, or QuickBooks to automate backend processes.

Benefits of Using Shopify for B2B Wholesale

Why should a wholesale merchant consider Shopify B2B over other platforms? Here are the main benefits:

• Unified Management: Run both B2C and B2B from the same store, avoiding the hassle of separate platforms.
• Time Savings: Automate pricing, checkout, and invoicing so you can focus on building relationships.
• Professional Buyer Experience: Offer a sleek, branded wholesale portal instead of outdated spreadsheets or manual invoices.
• Scalability: Whether you have 10 wholesale clients or 1,000, Shopify grows with you.
• Flexibility: Easily manage different buyer groups, discounts, and terms.

For many businesses, Shopify B2B strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and customization.

How To Set Up B2B on Shopify (Step by Step)?

Setting up Shopify B2B doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Enable B2B Features

Make sure your Shopify plan supports B2B (Shopify Plus offers the most advanced features). Log into your Admin and access the B2B settings.

Step 2: Create Company Profiles

• Navigate to Customers > Companies.
• Add your wholesale buyers as companies, including business details, contact info, and assigned buyers.

Step 3: Set Up Price Lists

• Go to Products > Price Lists.
• Create custom prices for different companies or buyer groups.
• Assign these lists to company profiles.

Step 4: Configure Payment Terms

• Under Payment Settings, set up terms such as Net 30 or Net 60.
• Assign specific terms to each company profile.

Step 5: Customize Checkout

• Enable wholesale checkout.
• Make sure B2B buyers see their assigned pricing, payment options, and shipping methods.

Step 6: Test the Experience

Always test the wholesale flow by placing a sample order as a B2B buyer. This ensures everything—from pricing to checkout—works as intended.

Best Practices for Running a B2B Store on Shopify

Once your B2B store is live, you’ll want to make it as effective as possible. Here are some best practices:

1. Separate Catalogs for B2B and B2C
   
   • Avoid confusion by creating different collections or storefronts for retail and wholesale buyers.
2. Volume Discounts
   
   • Encourage larger orders by offering discounts at certain quantities.
3. Automate Workflows
   
   • Use apps or Shopify Flow (for Plus merchants) to automate invoicing, approvals, and order tagging.
4. Clear Shipping & Returns Policies
   
   • Business buyers value transparency. Publish clear terms for bulk orders.
5. Use Analytics
   
   • Track wholesale performance separately to measure profitability, average order value, and customer loyalty.

Challenges & Limitations

Shopify B2B is powerful, but it’s not perfect. Some challenges include:

• Advanced Features Require Shopify Plus: Smaller merchants may find limitations on basic Shopify plans.
• Third-Party Apps May Still Be Needed: For complex workflows like advanced ERP or warehouse automation, apps might be required.
• Learning Curve: If you’re new to wholesale, setting up payment terms and company profiles may take some time.

Despite these limitations, Shopify B2B is still one of the most accessible and flexible wholesale solutions available today.

Shopify B2B vs. Traditional Wholesale Platforms

How does Shopify B2B compare to alternatives like Magento or standalone wholesale systems?

• Shopify B2B: Easy to set up, integrates with retail, modern interface, but requires Plus for advanced features.
• Magento: Extremely customizable but complex and expensive to maintain.
• Standalone Wholesale Systems: Often robust but disconnected from your retail store.
  
  

For most small-to-medium merchants, Shopify B2B provides the best combination of affordability, usability, and scalability.

Future of B2B eCommerce on Shopify

The future of Shopify B2B is bright. As wholesale buyers increasingly demand self-service portals, Shopify is expanding its tools to make wholesale as smooth as retail shopping. Expect to see:

• More automation in order approvals and invoicing.
• AI-driven personalization for wholesale buyers.
• Global wholesale tools for cross-border B2B sales.

In other words, Shopify is evolving to become a true one-stop platform for both retail and wholesale eCommerce.

Conclusion

Wholesale is no longer about phone calls, spreadsheets, and faxed purchase orders. Today’s B2B buyers expect the same seamless online experience as everyday shoppers. With Shopify B2B, you can deliver exactly that—without managing multiple systems.

From company profiles and custom price lists to net payment terms and wholesale checkout, Shopify gives you everything you need to build a professional, scalable wholesale channel. It’s a solution that saves time, builds trust, and helps you grow faster.

Whether you’re just starting out in wholesale or upgrading from a traditional system, Shopify B2B provides the flexibility to handle both retail and wholesale in one place. By embracing this all-in-one solution, you’ll position your business to succeed in the rapidly growing world of B2B eCommerce.