The wholesale channel is where many DTC brands find their next growth lever. When your direct-to-consumer business is humming, wholesale offers a way to scale revenue without proportionally scaling customer acquisition costs. A single wholesale order can match dozens of individual DTC orders in revenue, with significantly lower per-unit marketing spend.
Historically, running wholesale on Shopify meant either maintaining a separate store with different pricing or cobbling together apps that never quite integrated properly. Shopify's native B2B features, available on Shopify Plus, have changed this. You can now run DTC and wholesale from a single store with shared inventory, separate pricing, and professional-grade wholesale ordering workflows.
This guide covers the complete setup process for Shopify B2B, from company accounts and price lists to payment terms and order management. Whether you are launching wholesale for the first time or migrating from a manual process, this is your operational blueprint. For a broader strategic view, read our complete B2B ecommerce guide.
The B2B ecommerce landscape
B2B ecommerce in the UK is growing at approximately 15% year-on-year, outpacing DTC growth. The reason is straightforward: wholesale buyers increasingly expect the same digital purchasing experience they have as consumers. Email-based ordering with PDF price lists and manual invoicing is being replaced by self-service online portals that let buyers browse, order, and reorder at their convenience.
The brands winning in B2B ecommerce share common characteristics:
- Self-service ordering. Buyers can browse the catalogue, check stock, place orders, and view order history without contacting a sales rep.
- Personalised pricing. Different customers see different prices based on their negotiated terms, volume, and relationship tier.
- Net payment terms. Professional buyers expect to pay on terms (Net 30, Net 60), not at the point of order.
- Quick reordering. Repeat buyers want to reorder previous orders with a single click, not rebuild the cart from scratch each time.
- Integration. B2B orders flow seamlessly into the ERP, warehouse management, and accounting systems.
Shopify Plus native B2B vs. apps
You have two paths for B2B on Shopify: the native B2B features on Shopify Plus, or third-party apps on standard Shopify plans.
| Feature | Shopify Plus B2B | Third-party apps |
|---|---|---|
| Company accounts | Native | Varies by app |
| Custom price lists | Native, unlimited | Usually limited |
| Payment terms | Net 15/30/60/90 | Limited or none |
| Quantity rules | MOQs, case packs, increments | Varies |
| Checkout customisation | Full via Checkout Extensibility | Limited |
| Single store for B2B + DTC | Yes | Some apps support this |
| API/integration | Full Shopify API | App-specific APIs |
| Cost | Included with Plus | £30-200/month |
If you are doing significant wholesale volume (or plan to), Shopify Plus is the right choice. The native B2B features are deeply integrated and purpose-built for professional wholesale operations. For smaller wholesale operations, apps can be a pragmatic starting point.
Setting up company accounts
Company accounts are the foundation of Shopify B2B. Unlike individual customer accounts, company accounts represent businesses and can have multiple contacts (buyers) associated with them.
Creating a company
- Go to Customers > Companies
- Click Add company
- Enter the company name, main contact, and location details
- Assign a price list (wholesale pricing)
- Set payment terms
- Configure tax exemptions if applicable
- Save
Multi-location companies
Many wholesale customers have multiple delivery addresses. Shopify B2B supports multiple locations per company, each with its own shipping address and potentially different payment terms. The buyer selects which location to ship to when placing an order.
Contact permissions
Each company can have multiple contacts with different permission levels. An ordering contact can place orders and view the catalogue. A location manager can manage addresses and view orders for their location. A company admin can manage all locations and contacts.
Creating wholesale price lists
Price lists are how you manage wholesale pricing. Each price list can apply a blanket percentage discount or set fixed prices per product.
Percentage-based pricing
/* Example wholesale pricing tiers:
Standard Wholesale: 40% off retail
Premium Wholesale: 50% off retail
Key Account: 55% off retail
If a product retails at £100:
Standard sees: £60
Premium sees: £50
Key Account: £45
*/Fixed wholesale prices
For products where a percentage discount does not make sense (e.g., your margins vary by product), set fixed wholesale prices per product per price list. This gives you maximum control but requires more maintenance.
Volume-based pricing
Use quantity price breaks to incentivise larger orders:
- 1-11 units: £12.00 per unit
- 12-47 units: £10.50 per unit
- 48+ units: £9.00 per unit
Configuring payment terms
Net payment terms are standard in wholesale. Shopify B2B supports configurable terms per company:
- Due on fulfilment — payment due when the order ships
- Net 15 — payment due 15 days after invoice
- Net 30 — the most common wholesale term
- Net 60 — for established, high-volume accounts
- Net 90 — for strategic partnerships
Shopify automatically tracks outstanding invoices, sends payment reminders, and records payments against orders. This replaces the manual invoice tracking that consumes hours of admin time in traditional wholesale operations.
Credit management
Before extending net terms to a new wholesale customer, establish a credit assessment process. Start new accounts on Net 15 or even payment-on-order, then extend to Net 30 once they have proven reliable. Shopify does not include built-in credit checking, so you will need to manage this process externally.
Minimum order quantities and case packs
Wholesale ordering typically involves minimum quantities and case pack increments. Shopify B2B supports three quantity rules:
- Minimum order quantity (MOQ): The lowest number of units a buyer can order per product (e.g., minimum 6 units)
- Maximum order quantity: The upper limit per order, useful for limited or allocated products
- Case pack increment: Orders must be in multiples of this number (e.g., case pack of 6 means buyers can order 6, 12, 18, etc.)
These rules are enforced at the product level and can differ between price lists. Your entry-level wholesale tier might have higher MOQs than your premium tier.
Managing your B2B catalogue
Not every product in your DTC catalogue needs to be available wholesale. Shopify B2B lets you control which products are visible to wholesale customers through product publishing. See our guide on wholesale trade portals for more detail on catalogue management.
B2B-only products
Some products may be wholesale-exclusive (e.g., larger pack sizes, trade-only SKUs). Create these as products visible only to the B2B catalogue, not your public storefront.
Product presentation
Wholesale buyers care about different information than DTC customers. Where DTC product pages focus on lifestyle imagery and emotional copy, wholesale buyers want:
- RRP and wholesale price clearly displayed
- Case pack quantities and dimensions
- Barcode/EAN information
- Available stock levels
- Lead times for backordered items
- Product specifications and materials
B2B checkout configuration
The B2B checkout in Shopify Plus is tailored for wholesale purchasing. Buyers see their negotiated prices, payment terms, and any applicable quantity rules throughout the checkout process.
Key B2B checkout features
- Company account selection at checkout
- Location/shipping address selection
- Purchase order number field
- Payment terms displayed (e.g., "Due in 30 days")
- Order notes for delivery instructions
The B2B checkout uses the same Checkout Extensibility framework as DTC, so you can add custom extensions for B2B-specific needs.
Order management and fulfilment
B2B orders appear in the same order management system as DTC orders, tagged with the company name and payment terms. This unified view simplifies operations while maintaining clear distinction between order types.
Draft orders
For orders negotiated offline or placed by sales reps on behalf of customers, use draft orders. Create the order in the admin, apply the customer's price list, and send them an invoice to complete payment (or place it on their payment terms).
Fulfilment workflows
Wholesale orders typically require different fulfilment workflows than DTC:
- Different packaging (trade packaging vs. branded boxes)
- Packing slips with trade pricing
- Potentially different warehouse locations or pick workflows
- Bulk shipping on pallets rather than individual parcels
ERP and accounting integration
B2B operations often require tighter integration with back-office systems than DTC. Common integration points include:
- Accounting (Xero, QuickBooks): Sync invoices, payments, and credit notes
- ERP (NetSuite, Brightpearl): Sync orders, inventory, and customer data
- Warehouse management: Route B2B orders to appropriate pick/pack workflows
- CRM: Track wholesale customer interactions and sales pipeline
For more on integrating B2B operations, see our guide to the wholesale to DTC transition on Shopify.
Common B2B setup mistakes
1. Not validating wholesale customers
Unlike DTC, not everyone should be able to create a wholesale account. Implement an application process that verifies the business is legitimate before granting access to wholesale pricing.
2. Pricing that erodes margins
Wholesale discounts should be calculated from your cost price up, not from your retail price down. A 50% wholesale discount sounds standard, but if your margins are only 55%, you are left with just 5% margin on wholesale orders — which may not cover fulfilment costs.
3. No minimum order value
Without a minimum order value (not just minimum quantity), small wholesale orders can cost more to process than they generate in profit. Set a minimum order value that covers your fulfilment costs plus a reasonable margin.
4. Ignoring the B2B customer experience
Wholesale buyers are professionals. They expect a professional experience: clear pricing, reliable stock information, fast reordering, and responsive support. Treat the B2B experience with the same care as your DTC storefront.
5. Manual credit management
Extending Net 30 terms to every wholesale customer without a credit assessment process is how you end up with bad debt. Start conservatively and extend terms as trust is established.
The biggest shift in B2B ecommerce is expectation. Wholesale buyers now expect the same digital experience they have as consumers. Self-service, mobile-friendly, instant. If your wholesale process still involves emailing order forms, you are already behind.
Andrew Simpson, Founder
Shopify B2B on Plus has matured into a genuine wholesale platform. It is not yet at feature parity with dedicated B2B platforms like TradeGecko or NuOrder, but for brands running both DTC and wholesale, the operational simplicity of a single platform is compelling.
If you are ready to set up B2B on Shopify or need help with your Shopify development, get in touch. We have configured wholesale operations for brands across multiple sectors and can help you design a B2B setup that scales.
