How to sell B2B on Shopify — native Plus features, wholesale apps for lower plans, setup guide, cost analysis, and honest limitations.
March 23, 2026·14 min read·
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B2B on Shopify is powerful but requires the right plan and setup. Skim the highlights, then jump to the section that matches your situation.
Native B2B is Plus-only ($2,300+/mo) — company accounts, custom catalogs, and net payment terms are exclusive to Plus.
Company accounts replace individual profiles — each B2B customer is a company with locations, buyers, and unique pricing.
Net payment terms are built in — Net 15/30/60/90 per company or location, with automatic due-date tracking.
One store serves both B2B and D2C — wholesale buyers see custom catalogs, retail customers see standard pricing.
Draft orders are your B2B power tool — create orders for companies with pre-negotiated pricing and terms.
Non-Plus? Use wholesale apps — Wholesale Gorilla, B2B/Wholesale Solution add basic features for $20–$60/mo.
Limitations exist — no native quoting, limited ERP integrations, not all themes support the B2B channel.
ROI is clear at scale — $500K+ wholesale revenue merchants save $5K–$15K/year vs. separate platforms.
What You'll Learn
1What Shopify B2B actually includes
2Who needs Plus vs. wholesale apps
3Native features: companies, catalogs, terms
4Step-by-step B2B setup walkthrough
5Cost comparison: Plus vs. app-based B2B
6Honest limitations and workarounds
In This Article
What Is B2B on Shopify?
Shopify B2B is a suite of wholesale commerce features built directly into Shopify Plus. It transforms your Shopify store from a consumer-only platform into an account-based commerce system where business customers get their own profiles, pricing, catalogs, and payment terms.
Unlike bolt-on wholesale apps, Shopify's native B2B integrates with the Shopify checkout, admin panel, and APIs at the platform level. This means B2B orders flow through the same order management, inventory, and fulfillment systems as your D2C orders — one admin to run both channels.
“Shopify B2B is a suite of native features that lets you sell business-to-business (B2B) through the Shopify admin and online store. You can use one store for both B2B and direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales, or create a separate B2B-only store.”
The core concept: instead of treating wholesale buyers as regular customers with discount codes, Shopify B2B creates a parallel commerce experience where pricing, products, checkout flow, and payment terms are all tied to the company, not the individual.
Who Needs Shopify B2B?
Not every business that sells to other businesses needs Shopify's native B2B. Here's how to decide:
D2C Brand Adding Wholesale
$500K+ WHOLESALE REVENUE
You sell direct-to-consumer and want to add wholesale without running a separate platform. Shopify Plus B2B lets you serve both channels from one admin, one inventory, one store.
Manufacturer → Retailer
10+ RETAIL PARTNERS
You manufacture products and sell to retail partners who need custom pricing per volume tier. Company accounts with location-based catalogs map perfectly to this model.
Multi-Market Wholesaler
INTERNATIONAL B2B
You sell wholesale to businesses across multiple countries. Plus gives you multi-currency pricing per company location, combined with Shopify Markets for localization.
Distributor / Reseller Network
COMPLEX PRICING
You have a tiered distribution network where each level gets different pricing. Catalogs and price lists let you create distinct pricing tiers without manual intervention.
When you DON'T need Shopify Plus B2B
If your wholesale operation is fewer than 10 accounts, under $100K/year, and doesn't require net payment terms or per-company pricing, a wholesale app on a lower Shopify plan ($39–$399/mo + $20–$60/mo app) is significantly more cost-effective than jumping to Plus at $2,300/mo. See the B2B Without Plus section.
Native B2B Features on Shopify Plus
Here's what you get with Shopify Plus B2B — no apps, no workarounds, no additional monthly fees:
Company Accounts & Locations
The foundation of Shopify B2B. Instead of individual customer profiles, you create company accounts representing your business customers. Each company can have:
Multiple locations — warehouses, offices, retail branches, each with its own shipping address and ordering rules
Multiple buyers — employees authorized to place orders, each with their own login credentials
Unique catalogs — different product selections and pricing per company or location
Custom payment terms — Net 15, 30, 60, or 90 set per company or per location
Tax exemptions — per-company tax-exempt status with certificate management
Catalogs & Price Lists
Catalogs are curated product collections assigned to specific companies. Each catalog includes a price list that defines custom pricing — either fixed prices or percentage adjustments off your retail price.
“B2B catalogs determine the products and pricing your B2B customers can access. You can include or exclude specific products and set prices for each customer to customize the buying experience. On the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, you can assign up to 3 active catalogs across all your B2B markets. The Shopify Plus plan offers an unlimited number of catalogs and direct assignment to companies and locations.”
For example: Company A sees 500 products at 30% off retail, Company B sees 300 products at 40% off, and Company C sees a custom fixed-price list. All from the same product catalog in your admin.
Net Payment Terms
B2B buyers expect to pay on terms, not at checkout. Shopify Plus supports Net 15, 30, 60, and 90 payment termsVerified SourceShopify B2B DocsShopify · 2026View source set per company or per location. When a B2B buyer checks out, they complete the order without immediate payment. Shopify tracks due dates and sends automated payment reminders.
“Payment terms define how long a company has to pay for an order. You can set payment terms for each company location. After you set payment terms, B2B customers can view these terms on any orders they place through your online store.”
Shopify doesn't assess creditworthiness or guarantee payment. When you offer net terms, you're extending credit based on your own judgment. For high-value accounts, consider requiring deposits via draft orders or using a third-party credit management service.
Quantity Rules
Set minimum order quantities, maximum quantities, and increments per product or variant at the catalog level. Example: minimum 12 units, maximum 500, in increments of 6 (so buyers can order 12, 18, 24, etc.). These rules enforce your wholesale minimums without relying on checkout scripts or apps.
Draft Orders for B2B
Draft orders are your power tool for B2B. Staff can create orders on behalf of companies directly in the admin — all pricing, catalogs, and payment terms are applied automatically. Use draft orders for:
Phone or email orders from wholesale clients
Custom quotes with negotiated pricing
Orders requiring partial deposits before fulfillment
Reorders based on a customer's order history
Blended B2B + D2C Store
One of Shopify Plus B2B's strongest capabilities: running both wholesale and retail from a single store. When a B2B buyer logs in, they see their company-specific catalogs, custom prices, and net terms. Retail customers see standard pricing. Both share the same product data, inventory counts, and order management system. Plus merchants also benefit from up to 87% shipping discounts — a significant saving for high-volume B2B fulfillment. For advanced checkout customization, Checkout UI extensions let you tailor the B2B checkout experience.
Shopify B2B Setup Tutorial: Wholesale Pricing, Company Accounts & Custom CatalogsStep-by-step walkthrough of setting up B2B features on Shopify Plus, including company accounts, catalogs, and payment terms.
B2B Setup: Step by Step
Here's the practical setup flow for Shopify Plus B2B. This assumes you already have a Shopify Plus store — if not, see our plan selection guide.
1
Enable B2B in your Shopify admin
Go to Settings → B2B in your Shopify admin. Enable the B2B channel. This unlocks company accounts, catalogs, and payment terms in your navigation.
2
Create company accounts
Navigate to Customers → Companies. Create a company for each wholesale client. Add their locations (shipping addresses), assign buyers (employees who can order), and set tax exemption status.
3
Build catalogs with custom pricing
Go to Products → Catalogs. Create a catalog for each pricing tier (e.g., 'Gold Partners — 40% off', 'Silver Partners — 25% off'). Add products, set price list rules (percentage off or fixed prices), and assign catalogs to specific companies.
4
Set payment terms per company
In each company's settings, configure payment terms: None (pay at checkout), Net 15, Net 30, Net 60, or Net 90. You can set different terms per location within the same company.
5
Configure B2B checkout and theme
Review your theme's B2B compatibility. Test the B2B login flow, ensure company-specific pricing displays correctly, and verify that quantity rules enforce your minimums. Use Checkout UI extensions for advanced customization.
Test with a sandbox company first
Before onboarding real wholesale clients, create a test company with a test buyer account. Walk through the entire flow: login → browse catalog → add to cart → checkout with net terms → order confirmation. This catches theme compatibility issues before they affect real buyers.
B2B Without Shopify Plus
Not ready for $2,300/mo? You can still sell wholesale on Shopify using third-party apps. Here's what's available:
Wholesale apps operate as a layer on top of Shopify — they don't modify the native checkout. This means: (1) pricing may not always sync perfectly with Shopify's checkout calculations, (2) company accounts aren't integrated with Shopify's customer system, and (3) payment terms require the app's own invoicing workflow. If these limitations matter to your business, native Plus B2B is worth the investment.
B2B vs D2C on Shopify: Key Differences
B2B vs D2C: Feature Comparison
Feature
D2C (Retail)
B2B (Wholesale)Plus Only
Blended (Both)
Pricing Model
Fixed retail price
Custom per-company
Both — auto-switching
Customer Structure
Individual profiles
Company accounts
Both — role-based
Payment
Pay at checkout
Net 15/30/60/90
Both — per login
Minimum Orders
None (usually)
MOQ + increments
Per catalog rules
Catalogs
Same for all
Custom per company
Standard + custom
Tax Handling
Standard tax calc
Tax-exempt companies
Mixed — auto-applied
Checkout
Standard Shopify
B2B-specific
Context-switching
Required Plan
Any plan
Plus ($2,300+)
Plus ($2,300+)
The blended model is the most powerful option: one store, one admin, one inventory — but two distinct buyer experiences. Your marketing team manages one product catalog while wholesale and retail customers each see their own version of your store.
B2B Cost Analysis: Is Plus Worth It?
The decision to invest in Shopify Plus for B2B comes down to math. Here's the honest cost comparison across Shopify's five pricing tiers:
Annual Cost Comparison: Plus B2B vs. App-Based B2B
Cost Component
Grow + App
Advanced + App
Plus (native B2B)
Shopify Subscription
$1,260/yr ($105/mo)
$4,788/yr ($399/mo)
$27,600/yr ($2,300/mo)
Wholesale App
$300–$600/yr
$300–$600/yr
$0 (included)
Card Rate (at $500K revenue)
2.7% → $13,500
2.5% → $12,500
2.15% → $10,750
Native Company Accounts
No
No
Yes
Native Net Terms
No
No
Yes
Est. Annual Total
~$15,060–$15,360
~$17,588–$17,888
~$38,350
Estimates based on $500K annual wholesale revenue processed through Shopify Payments. Actual costs vary.
The math favors Plus when: (1) your wholesale revenue exceeds $800K/year and the card rate savings narrow the gap, (2) you spend significant time managing B2B workarounds on lower plans, and (3) you value the operational efficiency of native company accounts and automated payment terms. For businesses under $500K in wholesale revenue, app-based B2B on Grow or Advanced is more cost-effective — see our pricing breakdown.
Factor in operational costs
The cost table above doesn't include staff time. If your team spends 10+ hours/month managing wholesale orders manually (custom invoices, tracking net terms in spreadsheets, creating discount codes per customer), those labor costs can make Plus B2B the cheaper option overall.
How Much Does Shopify Cost? | Shopify Pricing Explained in Under 3 MinutesQuick overview of Shopify pricing tiers to understand where Plus fits in the plan hierarchy.
Limitations & Trade-offs
Shopify B2B is powerful, but it's not a full-featured B2B commerce suite like OroCommerce or Magento B2B. Here's what's missing or limited:
No Native Quoting / RFQ
There's no built-in 'Request for Quote' system. You'll need a third-party app or a custom workflow using draft orders and email. For businesses that rely on negotiated pricing, this is a significant gap.
Limited ERP Integration
Shopify Plus offers API access but no pre-built ERP connectors. Integrating with NetSuite, SAP, or Microsoft Dynamics requires middleware (Celigo, Boomi) or custom development — budget $5K–$30K for implementation.
Basic B2B Analytics
Reporting doesn't separate B2B from D2C performance well out of the box. You'll likely need a BI tool or custom reports to analyze wholesale margins, company-level revenue, and B2B-specific KPIs.
No Credit Risk Management
When you offer net terms, you're extending credit with no platform-level risk assessment. No credit scoring, no payment guarantee, no automated credit limits. You manage exposure manually.
Theme Compatibility
Not all Shopify themes support the B2B experience seamlessly. The B2B login, company-specific pricing display, and quantity rule UI may require theme customization or Checkout UI extensions.
No EDI Out of the Box
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) integration — critical for large retailers — requires third-party solutions like SPS Commerce or Crstl. This adds $200–$500/mo and implementation complexity.
The honest assessment: Shopify B2B is best-in-class for brands that are primarily D2C and want to add a wholesale channel. It's not yet a replacement for purpose-built B2B platforms when you need quoting workflows, complex approval chains, or deep ERP integration. If your business is primarily B2B with complex procurement workflows, evaluate Shopify Plus alongside dedicated platforms before committing.
The Bottom Line
Shopify B2B's strength is serving D2C brands that are adding wholesale — not replacing purpose-built B2B platforms for complex procurement workflows.
If your wholesale revenue exceeds $500K/year, Shopify Plus B2B is the strongest option. Native company accounts, custom catalogs, and net terms eliminate workarounds. Under $100K/year — start with a wholesale app on a lower plan.
Start with Shopify's $1/month trial to test your wholesale strategy. Upgrade to Plus when the volume justifies the investment.
Ready to Explore Shopify for Your B2B Needs?
Start with Shopify's $1/month trial to build and test your store. When your wholesale volume grows, upgrade to Plus to unlock native B2B features — company accounts, custom catalogs, and net payment terms.
Yes, but with a major caveat: Shopify's native B2B features are only available on Shopify Plus ($2,300+/mo). If your wholesale revenue justifies this cost, Shopify B2B is excellent — it offers company accounts, custom catalogs, net payment terms, quantity rules, and a blended D2C+B2B storefront in a single admin. For smaller wholesale operations, you can use third-party apps on lower plans, but you'll sacrifice native checkout integration and advanced pricing flexibility.
For native B2B features — yes. Company accounts, custom price lists, catalogs assigned per company, net payment terms, and quantity rules are all Plus-exclusive. On Basic, Grow, or Advanced plans, you can add third-party wholesale apps ($20–$60/mo) that provide password-protected storefronts, tiered pricing, and wholesale registration forms. These work for basic needs but lack the deep checkout integration and per-location customization that Plus provides natively.
Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/mo (or 0.25% of eligible platform transactions, whichever is higher). This includes all B2B features: company accounts, custom catalogs, net payment terms, draft orders, quantity rules, and the B2B checkout. There are no additional per-feature charges for B2B on Plus. If you're on a lower plan and use wholesale apps, expect $20–$60/mo for the app plus your regular Shopify subscription ($39–$399/mo).
Yes — this is one of Shopify Plus B2B's strongest features. You can run a blended store where retail customers see standard pricing and checkout normally, while wholesale buyers log in to see their company-specific catalogs, custom prices, and net payment terms. Both channels share the same product catalog, inventory, and admin panel. Shopify determines which experience to show based on the customer's login status and company association.
Company accounts are the foundation of Shopify B2B. Instead of individual customer profiles, you create company records that represent your business customers. Each company can have multiple locations (warehouses, offices, branches), multiple buyers (employees authorized to order), unique catalogs (curated product selections with custom pricing), and specific payment terms (Net 15, 30, 60). Orders are placed on behalf of the company, not the individual — which mirrors how real B2B purchasing works.
Net payment terms let your B2B customers place orders and pay later — Net 15 (15 days), Net 30, Net 60, or Net 90. You set terms per company or per location in the Shopify admin. When a B2B buyer checks out, they can complete the order without immediate payment. Shopify tracks the due date and sends payment reminders. You can also require deposits (e.g., 50% upfront via draft orders). Note: Shopify doesn't provide credit risk assessment — you're extending credit based on your own judgment.
Catalogs are curated product collections assigned to specific companies or locations. Each catalog can include a subset of your products with custom prices — either fixed prices or percentage discounts off your retail price. For example, Company A sees 500 products at 30% off, while Company B sees 300 products at 40% off. Price lists define the actual pricing rules. You can have multiple price lists and assign them to different catalogs. This eliminates the old approach of using discount codes or hidden collections for wholesale pricing.
Yes. Shopify Plus B2B includes quantity rules that let you set minimum order quantities, maximum order quantities, and quantity increments per product or variant. For example, you can require a minimum of 12 units, a maximum of 500, with increments of 6 (so buyers can order 12, 18, 24, etc.). These rules are set at the catalog level and can vary by company.
Several apps add wholesale functionality to Basic, Grow, or Advanced plans: Wholesale Gorilla ($24.95–$49.95/mo) offers tiered pricing and wholesale registration. B2B/Wholesale Solution by BSS ($25–$50/mo) provides custom pricing, minimum order rules, and wholesale signup forms. Wholster ($0–$99/mo) offers multi-currency B2B with payment terms. SparkLayer ($49–$499/mo) adds B2B ordering portals. These apps work through their own interfaces — they don't integrate as deeply into Shopify's native checkout as Plus B2B features do.
Shopify Plus B2B lets you configure tax-exempt status per company. When you create a company account, you can mark it as tax-exempt and attach tax exemption certificates. When that company's buyers check out, taxes are automatically removed based on the exemption settings. For non-Plus plans using wholesale apps, tax handling varies by app — some support exemptions, others require manual workarounds.
Yes, but it typically requires development work. Shopify Plus provides higher API rate limits and access to the Admin API, Storefront API, and webhooks. Popular ERP integrations include NetSuite (via Celigo or custom middleware), SAP (via third-party connectors), and QuickBooks. CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) are also common. Shopify doesn't offer native ERP connectors out of the box — you'll either use a middleware platform like Celigo or build custom integrations via the API.
Key limitations include: (1) No native quoting/RFQ system — you'll need a third-party app or custom workflow. (2) Limited native ERP integration — most require middleware or custom development. (3) B2B checkout doesn't support all theme features — some customizations may need Liquid/Checkout UI extensions. (4) No native credit limit management — you extend credit manually without built-in risk scoring. (5) Reporting on B2B vs D2C performance is basic — you may need additional analytics tools. (6) The blended store model requires careful theme setup to ensure both experiences are polished.
Front-end developer specializing in Shopify since 2017. Experienced in building custom Liquid themes, optimizing storefront performance, and integrating third-party apps. Writes in-depth, data-driven e-commerce guides based on hands-on experience with real merchant stores.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
