B2B for online stores: wholesale pricing, accounts and quotes
What business buyers need from a store that consumers do not, what the platform provides natively, and when custom work is needed.
The short answer
Selling to businesses through a store is not selling to consumers with a discount code. Business buyers need company accounts with several users, negotiated price lists, payment terms or invoicing, quantity rules and minimums, tax handled for businesses, fast reordering from history and, often, a way to request a quote. The platform’s native B2B features, available on the plans that include them, cover company accounts, price lists, payment terms and quantity rules from one store alongside retail. A separate wholesale store is the older, heavier alternative. Quotes with negotiation, approvals inside the buyer’s company, procurement integrations and deep ERP connections are where custom work or specialised apps come in. The first decision is whether B2B and B2C share one store, and it depends on how much the catalogue, branding and operations overlap.
What business buyers need
| Need | Native B2B features | Custom or app |
|---|---|---|
| Company account with several users and roles | Yes | |
| Negotiated price lists per company | Yes | Complex contract pricing beyond lists |
| Payment terms, invoicing, credit | Yes, terms and invoice payment | Credit checks; integration with credit management |
| Quantity rules, minimums, increments | Yes | |
| Business tax handling and exemptions | Yes, with configuration | Edge cases per market |
| Reorder from history | Yes | |
| Quote requests and negotiation | Limited | Quote flow with approval and conversion to order |
| Approvals inside the buyer’s company | No | Custom approval workflow |
| Procurement system integration | No | Punch-out and catalogue integrations |
| ERP two-way integration | Through connectors | Custom integration for specific systems |
One store or two
- Compare catalogues: if business and retail sell largely the same products, one store with native B2B keeps stock and operations single.
- Compare branding and experience: if business buyers need a different site entirely, a separate store or a custom portal is justified.
- Compare operations: separate warehouses, fulfilment and terms push towards separation.
- Count the cost of two: two themes, two sets of apps, two integrations, two of every change.
- Default to one store unless a specific difference forces two.
Where custom work earns its place
A quote flow: the buyer builds a basket, requests a quote, sales adjusts and approves, the buyer accepts and it becomes an order, with the history kept. Approvals: a buyer’s colleague must sign off orders above a threshold. Procurement integration: the buyer’s purchasing system connects to your catalogue. Deep ERP sync: contract prices, credit limits and stock allocations from your back office. Each is a defined project built around the native features rather than a replacement for them.
What this means for you
Give business buyers accounts, price lists, terms, quantity rules, business tax handling and reordering through the native B2B features from one store where the catalogue overlaps. Add a quote flow, approvals or procurement integration as custom work only where buyers need them. Retire the discount-code workaround. Business customers judge a supplier by how easy reordering is, and a real B2B setup is what keeps them ordering.
Frequently asked questions
Can we run wholesale and retail from one store?
On plans with native B2B features, yes: one catalogue, company accounts that see their own prices and terms, consumers who see retail. It keeps one set of products, stock and operations. A separate wholesale store makes sense when the catalogue, branding or fulfilment differ substantially, at the cost of running two of everything.
What do business buyers actually expect?
To log in to a company account with colleagues, see their negotiated prices and any minimums, pay on their agreed terms or by invoice, get tax handled correctly for a business, reorder quickly from history, and sometimes request a quote before ordering. A retail checkout with a code satisfies none of that and loses the account to a competitor with a portal.
When do we need custom development for B2B?
For quote requests with negotiation, multi-step approvals inside the buyer's company, integration with the buyer's procurement systems, complex contract pricing beyond price lists, and deep two-way integration with your own ERP. Native features cover the common cases; these are the ones that justify an app or a custom layer.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: B2B on Shopify (accessed 2026-09-12)