Shopify B2B: Complete Guide to Getting Started with B2B Sales on Shopify

Shopify has long dominated the B2C market, and in 2022, they made a significant leap into B2B with new features right in the admin panel. With a team of 3,000 developers backing it, the platform is continuously expanded and improved. Shopify offers great flexibility and control, allowing you to deliver the same inspiring customer experience to your B2B clients as you do in B2C, while effortlessly customizing the platform to meet your specific business needs.

Are you feeling that your business is particularly complex and truly unique, perhaps too special for Shopify? Then you've come to exactly the right place. In this post, we take a closer look at what can be done out-of-the-box and what requires a bit of extra assistance.

What is Shopify B2B?

With Shopify Plus, you have access to all of Shopify's B2B features, of which the five most important for most businesses are the following:

• Companies: Create B2B customers as companies with multiple locations and associated buyers/customers
• Customized product assortment and price lists: Offer a personalized shopping experience with customized product assortments and price lists. This includes currency selection, flexible purchasing rules such as percentage-based pricing, bulk discounts, volume discounts, and case packs, all assigned to a specific buyer/customer or location.
• Flexible payment options: Create automatic net payment terms, offer credit cards, bank transfers, and invoices, create draft orders, and save credit card information for quick checkout.
• B2B checkout: Display wholesale prices during accelerated checkout based on the logged-in company purchasing.
• Customer accounts: Approve companies/buyers before they gain access to products and B2B pricing. Buyers/customers can view and manage their account information and reorder directly from their account page.

When Shopify talks about B2B, it's usually referring to the Shopify Plus solution. We delve further into the various features a bit further down. But first, you should know that there are also other options for B2B sales on Shopify beyond Shopify Plus.

Shopify Standard

You decide what you want to sell and who you want to sell to, so you can certainly open a webshop on Shopify and choose to sell only B2B. It is possible to require that the customer registers and logs in before a purchase can be completed. You can display prices excluding VAT and create automatic discounts that give your V.I.P customers better terms. You can offer customers the option to pay by invoice, and they will be able to view their previous orders and reorder from the account page. The important thing with this kind of solution is to stick to predetermined frameworks. Too many special agreements, complex pricing rules, and customizations are signs that you should consider a more advanced solution.

B2B Apps from Shopify App Store

Shopify App Store offers B2B apps that quickly expand your shop with new functionality. This can be a good start for less complex businesses, but as your business grows, you will most likely need more features and options. An app costs a monthly fee, which is billed through your Shopify subscription. The advantage is that it can be used on a cheaper plan than Shopify Plus.

DTAILS B2B

At DTAILS, we have developed a third solution that can be implemented on the Shopify Advanced plan. We’ll also discuss how this solution differs from Shopify Plus B2B later on.

Is Shopify a Future-Proof Choice for B2B?

Shopify is heavily investing in developing their platform, and even though B2B functionality is relatively new, Shopify has already positioned itself as one of the leading providers in the B2B commerce sector.

In the respected report "The Forrester Wave™: Commerce Solutions For B2B, Q2 2024," Shopify has been named a Leader—meaning among the best companies in the category. The report is created annually and is independent, with the purpose of helping brands and businesses make informed decisions. It uses a thorough approach with 24 criteria to evaluate selected providers' ability to meet the key requirements in the category. The providers are then ranked as Leaders, Strong Performers, Contenders, or Challengers.  You can read the report here.

 

B2B Trends: What Do B2B Customers Want?

At DTAILS, we've identified 5 key trends you as a B2B merchant should actively consider if your business is to be among the best B2B webshops. These trends focus on enhancing the customer journey and making it more relevant and efficient:

1. Shop like B2C
2. Self Service
3. Personalization
4. Omni-channel
5. GenAI

1. Shop like B2C

Purchasing experiences in B2B are increasingly starting to resemble those we see in the B2C world. Buyers want the same user-friendliness, simplicity, and efficiency they experience in their personal online shopping. This includes a streamlined checkout process, a quick and effective way to find the right product, and the ability to read reviews and compare products. For B2B companies, this means focusing on improving the digital customer experience.

2. Self-Service

Today, many B2B customers expect to handle most of their purchasing and decision-making process on their own. Self-service portals provide customers access to necessary information, allow them to place orders, manage subscriptions, download invoices, and track shipments without needing to contact a salesperson. This saves time and increases efficiency, making it a crucial trend for B2B companies.

3. Personalization

B2B buyers increasingly expect a more personalized experience that matches their specific needs. By using data and analysis tools, companies can deliver tailored offers, products, and recommendations based on past purchasing behavior and preferences. Personalization can help companies build stronger relationships with their customers and increase loyalty.

4. Omni-channel

B2B buyers expect a seamless experience, no matter the channel they use—whether it's a webshop, mobile app, in physical wholesale stores, or direct contact with a sales representative. An omni-channel strategy ensures that customers receive a consistent experience across all touchpoints, which is crucial for meeting modern customer demands and increasing competition.

5. Generative AI (GenAI)

Generative AI is revolutionizing how B2B companies interact with their customers. AI-based systems can generate tailored suggestions, automate sales processes and help create personalized marketing campaigns. With GenAI, companies can enhance customer communication, predict future needs, and deliver hyper-personalized solutions at scale.

How to Get Started: Choose Between Blended Store or Multi-Store

If you sell both B2B and B2C, you need to decide if you want to keep all business on one Shopify account, called a Blended store, or if you want one account for B2C and one for B2B. This solution is called a Multi-store setup.

A Blended store allows you to manage both B2B and B2C customers on one platform. Here, B2B and B2C customers share the same interface. With a dedicated B2B shop, you have even greater flexibility to craft a custom B2B experience and full control over all administrative functions, such as B2B-specific shipping, inventory settings, and customized price lists. You can completely hide the shop so B2C customers don't end up in the wrong place.

If you have a separate team managing your B2B shop, Multi-stores are often the best choice, as only one person can work in your Shopify Theme at a time. The Shopify Theme is where much of the visual content is edited, such as the shop's homepage.

Note: If you need advice, reach out to us. Together, we can find the solution that provides the most value for your business.

Migrating from Another Platform to Shopify B2B

If you already have a B2B shop on another platform, some time will be needed to migrate to Shopify. The migration can be done without disruptions to your current setup. At DTAILS, we're experienced in helping transfer data, customer accounts, and order history to Shopify without downtime, ensuring the entire process is a smooth experience for both internal teams and customers. We can also help you get an overview of your IT landscape and integrate your external systems with Shopify.

B2B Features on Shopify Plus: Opportunities and Limitations

Choosing Shopify Plus B2B means all features are accessible from the same admin as the rest of your shop is managed from. Shopify's admin is intuitive, and you can use a variety of shortcuts to work even faster if you wish. 

Shopify continuously develops its B2B functionality. New updates are often rolled out gradually, but twice a year, Shopify does a roundup called Shopify Editions. Here, you can get an overview of new features. Both those that have arrived and those expected soon or in the near future. Find all Shopify Editions here. 

Most apps are built by Shopify Partners, which means not all apps in the Shopify App Store are compatible with Shopify B2B or Shopify Markets. Therefore, you should not choose a solution that is too dependent on apps.

Let's delve into the individual features:

Companies

From the admin, you create your B2B customers as company profiles. A company can have multiple buyers, locations and catalogs associated.

Limitation: A company's profile can have a maximum of 25 catalogs and 10,000 buyers associated.

Buyers/Customers

The buyer, commonly referred to as the customer, must log in to make a purchase. The customer enters their email address and receives a 6-digit code. Once the code is accepted, the customer lands on their account page, where they can view previous orders or edit personal information. When the customer is logged in, purchases are made under the credit and payment terms you've already defined. The buyer will only see the products and prices available based on your settings.

When the customer is created and associated with a company or location, you can set the access level:

• Order access: The customer can place an order on behalf of the company or location and view their own historical orders and reorder.
• Location admin: The customer can place orders on behalf of the company, view all orders, both their own and other buyers' from the same business. The customer can edit billing and shipping addresses.

Catalogs

With catalogs, you can assemble product assortments and associate them with companies. Here you can control which products a buyer may view and at what price. You have significant freedom when it comes to pricing:

• Set a percentage that is either deducted from or added to all or parts of the catalog
• Define fixed prices for all or parts of the catalog
• Set rules for bulk discount
• Set rules for volume discount
• Define case sizes and minimum purchases

You can combine the various options, but if two catalogs contain the same product and the product has different prices in the two catalogs, Shopify will always offer the customer the product at the lowest price. If you want to delve deeper into catalog pricing, you'll find Shopify's full guide here.

Limitation: You can bulk edit your prices, but only for your primary currency. If you sell in multiple currencies, you must use CSV files to update.

Payment Terms

There are three standard types of payment terms:

• Payment during checkout when the order is placed. Funds are only withdrawn when you choose to do so. How long you have to capture payment depends on the payment provider you choose to work with. If you use Shopify Payments, you only have 7 days.
• Credit: Choose between 7, 15, 30, 45, 60, or 90 days payment
• Payment upon fulfillment of the order 

If you wish to accept a deposit, that's also possible.

Limitation: It is not possible to offer subscription solutions for B2B, accept donations, or use Shopify Store Credit. 

Orders

Both you and the customer can create order drafts that can later be edited. The customer will see an option in the checkout to send the order for approval, and you can create an order directly in the admin. It's also possible to add a PO number, which follows from start to finish.

Limitation: An order can have a maximum of 500 product lines. If a customer attempts to purchase more than 500 different products, the order will fail.

Delivery

Most B2B companies choose a third party to handle both warehousing and shipping for them. There are many different companies that can be easily integrated with Shopify. However, it's also possible to set up shipping rules, prices, and locations from which the items will be shipped, directly within Shopify.

Limitation: It's not possible to use 'Pick up in store', 'Local delivery', or have pickup locations—often abbreviated as BOPIS.

Design

You can choose whether to go the standard route and use a Shopify Theme or go Headless. Headless means that you'll need a developer to build the front end of your shop. Both options work with Shopify B2B. You can read more about Headless here and see Shopify's own B2B theme, Trade, here. 

Although Shopify offers a theme specifically tailored for B2B sales, there are also many other excellent themes that can be customized to match your needs and your brand. At DTAILS, we are accustomed to tailoring themes—almost anything is possible. Together we can refine your needs and ideas.

Activating Additional Functionality for B2B Orders

It's possible to unlock additional features. This can be done by contacting Shopify Plus Support. These extra features include:

• Discount codes
• Payment with gift cards
• Manual payment methods
• Automatic emails for abandoned checkout attempts to recover the order

What Does Shopify Plus B2B Cost?

Shopify Plus costs 0.18% of your revenue, though a minimum of $2,300 USD per month applies. Like other Shopify subscriptions, transaction fees and currency conversion fees are in addition. Apps also cost extra.

If you need help calculating Total Cost of Ownership, feel free to reach out to us.

When you're considering whether Shopify Plus is the right choice for your business, remember to look at other features that Shopify Plus gives access to. Find Shopify's pricing comparison table here.

 

"Launching our B2B shop was almost boring. It took 10 minutes and then it was live. Quick and seamless. A bit anticlimactic actually. But that's exactly what you want when launching a new system"

– Sophie Albo, Ecommerce Manager at Rosemunde.

 

Alternatives to Shopify Plus B2B

Even if your business is well-established in the B2B market, it's not certain you will choose a Shopify Plus solution. There can be many reasons to go another route. Typically, you'll only be able to make that decision after a thorough review of your IT landscape and business needs.

At DTAILS, we've built many B2B shops long before Shopify launched B2B functionality in 2022, and over time, those experiences have been distilled into a solution we call DTAILS B2B. Here, we leverage all the standard functionality Shopify offers, as well as the possibilities provided by the various APIs.

What is DTAILS B2B?

If you haven't chosen Shopify Plus, with DTAILS B2B, you can have some of the same opportunities and a range of other features that elevate your B2B shop to the next level.

• Pricing and Discounts: Ability to set discount percentages for each customer and define products that should not be included in discount schemes.
• Product Assortment: Control over which products a customer can buy. For example, if you have products you don't wish to sell in a specific country due to legislation, shipping, or other reasons, you can remove the purchase button so the product can be seen but not purchased. Possibility to define case size and rules for breaking case packs.
• Payment and Currency Settings: Ability to choose whether the customer should pay by credit card or on an invoice. Possibility to define a standard currency for the customer.
• Orders and Reorders: Practical UI for easily purchasing products in larger quantities (order grid), and the option for customers to reorder previous orders through their own account.
• Accounting: View credit notes and the status of outstanding items.
• Image Bank: Customers can automatically receive a link to download all digital assets for the purchased products.
• Image Browser: Customers can search for products and download product images in various resolutions.
• Collaboration Library: Ability to integrate a Google Drive directly into the platform, where customers can easily search for and download digital files such as price lists, forms, lookbooks, etc.

If you dream of even more features, we can build them. This could include things like:

• Handling of Returns and Complaints: Order history with the ability to create returns and complaints for specific products. Can be integrated with customer service platforms like Gorgias.
• Pre-orders and Seasonal Items: Ability to create collections that can be purchased for future delivery dates.
• Virtual Agents: Ability to log in and create orders on behalf of your customers. Ability to save the cart and have the customer complete it or vice versa. Typically used by salespeople and customer service staff.

Summary: How to Get Started

With a few clicks, you can open a Shopify shop, and within a couple of weeks, you can be live with a beautiful store. As long as everything is standard.

It's the groundwork beforehand that ensures your success, avoiding the need to rebuild later. Do yourself a favor and write down in detail what your business needs are. What is a must-have and what is nice-to-have. 

If you need help, feel free to reach out to us. We love a good challenge.