How to Set Up Shopify B2B

What is Shopify B2B?

Shopify B2B is a suite of native features that enables merchants to sell wholesale alongside their direct-to-consumer business. Rather than running separate stores or relying on third-party apps, you can manage both B2C and B2B sales from a single Shopify admin.

Introduced in 2022 and significantly expanded since, Shopify B2B provides enterprise-grade wholesale functionality that was previously only available through expensive custom solutions or complex app stacks.

The advantage of native B2B is seamless integration. Your inventory stays synced, orders flow through the same fulfilment process, and you can switch between B2C and B2B views without leaving your admin.

B2B Requirements

Before diving into setup, you need to understand what Shopify plan you require. B2B features are available on different plans with varying capabilities.

Planning Your B2B Setup

Before enabling B2B, map out your requirements:

• 1.How many wholesale customers will you serve? This affects pricing and structure.
• 2.What pricing tiers do you need? Most businesses have 2-4 wholesale tiers.
• 3.Payment terms you can offer. Net 30 is standard, but your cash flow matters.
• 4.Minimum order values that make wholesale profitable for you.

Setting Up Companies

In Shopify B2B, companies are the foundation. A company represents a business customer and can have multiple locations (ship-to addresses) and contacts (buyers who can place orders).

Creating Your First Company

1. 1
   Navigate to Customers → Companies

   In your Shopify admin, go to Customers and select the Companies tab.

2. 2
   Add company details

   Enter the company name, and optionally add their external ID if you use one in your accounting system.

3. 3
   Add a location

   Each company needs at least one location. This is the billing/shipping address and determines tax calculations.

4. 4
   Add contacts

   Contacts are the people who can log in and place orders. Add their email and set their permissions.

5. 5
   Assign a catalogue and price list

   Determine what products this company can see and what prices they pay.

Company Structure Best Practices

• •Use consistent naming conventions. "ABC Corp Ltd" and "ABC Corporation" will create confusion.
• •Add external IDs that match your accounting software for easier reconciliation.
• •For large companies with multiple buyers, designate one as the main contact.
• •Use company notes to record relationship details, credit limits, or special arrangements.

Creating Price Lists

Price lists are how you offer different pricing to different customers. You can create as many price lists as needed and assign them to specific company locations.

Types of Pricing Adjustments

Setting Up a Price List

1. 1
   Go to Products → Price lists

   Create a new price list and give it a descriptive name like "Gold Tier - 40% Off".

2. 2
   Set your pricing method

   Choose percentage off all products, or switch to fixed pricing for granular control.

3. 3
   Configure currency

   Select which currency this price list uses. You can have different price lists for different currencies.

4. 4
   Assign to company locations

   Link the price list to the company locations that should receive this pricing.

Payment Terms

One of the most valuable B2B features is the ability to offer payment terms. Instead of requiring payment at checkout, you can extend credit to trusted wholesale customers.

Available Payment Terms

• •Due on fulfilment: Payment required when order ships
• •Net 7/15/30/60/90: Payment due within specified days of invoice
• •Due on receipt: Payment due immediately upon receiving invoice
• •Custom terms: Define your own payment schedule

Setting Up Payment Terms

1. 1
   Navigate to Settings → Payments

   Enable B2B payment terms in your payment settings.

2. 2
   Create payment term templates

   Define the terms you want to offer, such as Net 30 or Net 60.

3. 3
   Assign to company locations

   Different locations can have different payment terms based on their creditworthiness.

B2B Checkout Experience

The B2B checkout differs from standard checkout in several ways. Understanding these differences helps you optimise the experience for your wholesale customers.

Key Differences

• •No guest checkout: B2B customers must log in to see their pricing and place orders
• •Location selection: Customers with multiple locations choose which one they are ordering for
• •Payment options: May include payment on terms rather than immediate payment
• •Purchase order numbers: B2B customers can add PO numbers to orders
• •Vaulted payment methods: Save payment methods for faster future ordering

Optimising the B2B Experience

Product Catalogues

Catalogues control which products different B2B customers can see and purchase. This is essential when you have products only available to certain customer tiers, or when you want to hide consumer products from wholesale buyers.

Catalogue Use Cases

• •Wholesale-only products: Products only available in bulk quantities
• •Region-specific products: Products licensed for sale in specific territories
• •Partner exclusives: Products only available to specific retail partners
• •Pre-release products: New products visible only to select customers before launch

Creating Catalogues

1. 1
   Go to Products → Catalogues

   Create a new catalogue with a descriptive name.

2. 2
   Add products or collections

   Choose specific products or entire collections to include in the catalogue.

3. 3
   Link to price list

   Associate the catalogue with a price list to determine pricing for these products.

4. 4
   Assign to company locations

   Determine which B2B customers have access to this catalogue.

Next Steps

You now have the foundation for a complete Shopify B2B setup. Here is how to move forward:

1. 1
   Start small

   Set up 3-5 existing wholesale customers first. Work out the kinks before scaling.

2. 2
   Get feedback

   Ask your test customers about their experience. What is confusing? What is missing?

3. 3
   Document your process

   Create internal documentation for onboarding new wholesale customers.

4. 4
   Scale gradually

   Once confident, migrate remaining customers and open applications for new wholesale accounts.