Shopify B2B: The Complete Guide to Wholesale Selling in 2026

B2B ecommerce is booming. Shopify now gives merchants the tools to sell wholesale alongside their DTC storefront. Here is everything you need to know about setting up Shopify B2B, from native features to the best third-party apps.

What Is Shopify B2B?

Shopify B2B refers to the tools and features that let merchants sell directly to other businesses through their Shopify store. Instead of relying on phone calls, spreadsheets, and manual invoices, you can give wholesale buyers a self-service ordering experience that feels as smooth as any DTC checkout.

The B2B wholesale market hit $7.7 trillion in 2025. Buyers expect the same convenience they get as consumers: clean product pages, fast checkout, and easy reordering. Shopify recognized this shift and built native B2B capabilities right into the platform.

Whether you sell raw materials, branded goods, or white-label products, Shopify B2B lets you manage wholesale relationships without a separate platform or clunky workarounds.

Shopify's Built-In B2B Features

Shopify has invested heavily in native B2B tools. Here are the core features available to merchants:

Company Profiles

Every wholesale customer gets a dedicated company profile. You can store multiple contacts per company, assign different permissions (ordering, viewing only), and track their complete order history in one place. This replaces messy spreadsheets with a centralized system that your team can actually use.

Custom Price Lists

Not every wholesale buyer gets the same pricing. Shopify lets you create multiple price lists and assign them to specific companies or company locations. You can set fixed prices, percentage discounts off retail, or volume-based pricing tiers. When a B2B customer logs in, they see only their negotiated prices.

Payment Terms

B2B transactions rarely work like consumer purchases. Wholesale buyers expect payment terms: net 15, net 30, net 60. Shopify lets you configure these terms per company and automatically tracks due dates. No more chasing invoices manually or losing track of who owes what.

Draft Orders

Sometimes a B2B sale starts as a conversation. Draft orders let you build an order on behalf of a customer, apply custom pricing, add notes, and send an invoice for payment. This is especially useful for large or complex orders that need approval before processing.

Quantity Rules and Volume Pricing

Set minimum and maximum order quantities per product. Require case-pack ordering (multiples of 6, 12, 24). Layer in volume discounts that reward larger orders. These controls keep your wholesale operations efficient and your margins healthy.

Shopify Plus B2B vs. Standard Shopify

This is where things get important. Shopify's native B2B features are split across plan tiers, and the most powerful tools live on Shopify Plus.

What You Get on Standard Shopify

• Draft orders: Create and send invoices manually
• Discount codes: Share wholesale-specific codes with buyers
• Customer tags: Segment wholesale vs. retail customers
• Third-party apps: Use apps like Wholesale Club to add B2B features

Standard Shopify works for merchants just getting started with wholesale. You can make it work with the right apps and some creative setup. But it requires more manual effort and lacks the seamless integration of Plus.

What Shopify Plus B2B Adds

• Dedicated B2B channel: A separate wholesale storefront on the same store
• Company profiles with locations: Full CRM-like management for wholesale accounts
• Custom price lists: Assign unique pricing per company or location
• Net payment terms: Built-in invoicing with automatic tracking
• Quantity rules: Enforce minimums, maximums, and case packs natively
• B2B checkout: A streamlined checkout built for business buyers
• Vaulted credit cards: Let buyers save payment methods for quick reorders

Shopify Plus B2B is the real deal. If wholesale represents a significant revenue stream, Plus pays for itself through operational efficiency alone. The native integration means fewer apps, fewer conflicts, and a cleaner tech stack.

Setting Up a B2B Channel on Shopify

Ready to launch your wholesale channel? Here is the step-by-step process:

1. Upgrade to Shopify Plus if you want native B2B features. For standard plans, skip to the apps section below.
2. Enable the B2B sales channel. Go to Settings > B2B in your Shopify admin. Activate the wholesale channel.
3. Create company profiles. Add each wholesale customer as a company. Include their business details, shipping addresses, and contact information.
4. Build your price lists. Create pricing structures for different customer tiers. You might have a standard wholesale list at 40% off retail, a premium list at 50% off, and custom pricing for your largest accounts.
5. Set payment terms. Configure net 15, net 30, or custom terms for each company. Decide whether to require deposits on first orders.
6. Configure quantity rules. Set minimum order quantities per product. Define case-pack increments if applicable.
7. Customize the B2B theme. Your wholesale storefront can use a different theme than your DTC store. Keep it clean and functional. B2B buyers care about speed, not flashy animations.
8. Invite your buyers. Send account invitations to your wholesale customers. They will create login credentials and immediately see their assigned pricing.

Best Shopify B2B Apps

Not on Shopify Plus? Or need features beyond what native B2B offers? These apps fill the gaps:

Wholesale Club by Wholesale Helper

The most popular Shopify B2B wholesale app. It lets you create wholesale pricing tiers, set minimum order quantities, and offer volume discounts. Customers are tagged and automatically see wholesale prices when logged in. Works on any Shopify plan.

Bold Custom Pricing

Lets you create custom price lists for different customer groups. Supports tiered pricing, quantity breaks, and customer-specific rates. Integrates with Bold's suite of other Shopify apps for a complete wholesale workflow.

SparkLayer B2B

A dedicated B2B ordering platform that plugs into your Shopify store. Offers quick order forms, sales agent portals, and advanced pricing rules. Great for merchants with complex wholesale operations who are not ready for Shopify Plus.

Wholesale Gorilla

Provides a separate wholesale storefront with its own login portal. Supports net payment terms, custom pricing, and order minimums. Clean interface that makes it easy for first-time wholesale sellers to get started.

B2B Store Design: Different from DTC

Designing for wholesale buyers is fundamentally different from designing for consumers. B2B buyers are not browsing for inspiration. They know what they need and want to order it fast.

Here is what matters in B2B store design:

• Speed over aesthetics. Strip out heavy imagery and animations. Wholesale buyers care about page load times, not parallax scrolling. Every second of delay costs you orders.
• Quick order forms. Let buyers add multiple products and quantities from a single page. Nobody wants to click into 50 individual product pages to build a wholesale order.
• Prominent search and filtering. B2B catalogs are often massive. Give buyers powerful search with filters for category, SKU, price range, and availability.
• Clear pricing tiers. Display volume discounts and quantity breaks upfront. Wholesale buyers make decisions based on margins. Make the math easy.
• Account dashboard. Provide easy access to order history, invoices, tracking, and reorder buttons. Repeat orders drive B2B revenue.
• Mobile-friendly but desktop-first. Most B2B orders happen on desktop. Optimize for large screens and tabular data, but ensure mobile works for buyers checking orders on the go.

Running B2B and DTC from One Shopify Store

One of Shopify's biggest selling points is the ability to run both wholesale and direct-to-consumer from a single store. No separate inventory systems. No duplicate product management. One source of truth.

Here is how to make it work:

• Use Shopify Plus B2B channel. This creates a separate storefront for wholesale buyers while sharing the same product catalog and inventory. Each channel can have its own theme, pricing, and checkout flow.
• Segment with customer tags. On standard plans, tag customers as "wholesale" and use apps to show different pricing based on tags. Not as elegant as Plus, but it works.
• Separate navigation. B2B buyers need different navigation than consumers. Organize your wholesale catalog by category, brand, or SKU rather than lifestyle collections.
• Unified inventory. Both channels pull from the same inventory pool. Set up inventory reserves if needed to prevent wholesale orders from depleting DTC stock during peak seasons.
• Distinct shipping rules. Wholesale orders often ship via freight or have different fulfillment requirements. Configure separate shipping profiles for B2B orders.

The dual-channel approach saves time and reduces errors. When you update a product description, it updates everywhere. When inventory changes, both channels reflect it instantly.

Common Shopify B2B Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating B2B like DTC. Wholesale buyers have different needs. Do not just slap a login gate on your consumer store and call it B2B.
• Ignoring payment terms. Requiring immediate payment kills B2B deals. Offer net terms to build trust and increase order sizes.
• Overcomplicating pricing. Start with two or three pricing tiers. You can always add complexity later. Too many tiers create confusion and admin headaches.
• Skipping the application process. Not every business should get wholesale access. Create a simple application form to vet potential buyers and protect your brand.
• Neglecting mobile. While desktop dominates B2B ordering, your buyers still check orders and browse catalogs on their phones. Make sure it works.

The Bottom Line

Shopify B2B is no longer an afterthought. Whether you are on Shopify Plus with native B2B tools or using third-party apps on a standard plan, you can build a professional wholesale experience that scales with your business. The key is understanding your buyers, setting up clean pricing structures, and designing a storefront that prioritizes speed and efficiency over flash.

B2B ecommerce rewards merchants who make ordering easy. Reduce friction, offer flexible payment terms, and give buyers a reason to come back. That is how you win in wholesale.

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