In the death throes of single-channel ecommerce as we are, wholesale is a natural expansion channel for any manufacturer to consider. We have supported wholesale programs at every level of industry for years. So many years, so many pallets, so many portals.

We support wholesale in two basic ways and about a dozen slightly less basic ways.

The primary split is around Shopify Plus functionality. Recently, Shopify Plus added dedicated B2B functions—and in our experience, they are excellent. From basic things like customer pricing lists that allow for variation in price and terms to slightly more exciting features like linking multiple buyers to single corporate accounts, it's a really nice, full-featured toolset.

For businesses not yet on Plus, we usually build out wholesale as a wholly separate Shopify instance for a whole host of reasons that we'd be happy to share if you're interested. In our experience, it allows for the most control and flexibility without negatively impacting DTC reporting and the general customer experience.

Beyond the mechanics, we have both experience in and opinions on pretty much everything else—from the ERP of it all to the best way to use your existing ecommerce infrastructure to maintain wholesale relationships, to the utility of marketing in support of wholesale efforts.

Is that it? Definitely not! Because we take an integrated and iterative approach, we've also done full sprints to build out collateral for trade show booths, spec sheets, and all the other trappings of successful wholesale ventures.

Plus, we know that wholesale isn't just about logistics and pricing. It's about creating lasting partnerships and leveraging every tool at your disposal to nurture those relationships. From supporting wholesale clients in marketing to clean integration with your existing systems, we're here to ensure your wholesale operations not only run smoothly but thrive.

What a Shopify B2B build actually involves

A working Shopify B2B channel is more than a login wall in front of wholesale prices. It's company accounts that match how your buyers really purchase, price lists that reflect actual terms and volume breaks, net-30 and purchase-order flows your finance team can live with, and a catalog that shows each buyer only what they're cleared to order.

The harder half is everything downstream: making sure a wholesale order routes to the right warehouse, applies the right terms, and lands in your ERP without anyone retyping it. Bigger order values and accounts receivable mean mistakes cost more, so we build and test the routing before you switch it on. When it fits, native B2B on Shopify Plus does most of this cleanly.

For the broader fundamentals — company accounts, custom catalogs, and the platform decisions behind a B2B build — see our guide to B2B ecommerce website design and development.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does wholesale strategy for Shopify include?

Wholesale strategy covers digital B2B commerce: building and configuring wholesale portals (either through Shopify Plus's native B2B functionality or a separate Shopify instance), pricing list management, buyer account configuration, payment terms setup, and the digital infrastructure that supports your sales team's wholesale relationships. We also support trade show materials, wholesale collateral, and the operational workflows that connect wholesale orders to your fulfillment systems.

Should I use Shopify Plus B2B or a separate Shopify store for wholesale?

It depends on how differentiated your wholesale experience needs to be from your DTC store. Shopify Plus's native B2B is excellent when the product catalog and checkout flow can share infrastructure with DTC — it's simpler, cheaper, and keeps reporting unified. A separate expansion store makes more sense when the wholesale experience is fundamentally different: custom catalog, different product structure, or when isolating B2B traffic from DTC analytics matters. We've implemented both extensively and can recommend the right approach for your business model.

What is Shopify Plus B2B?

Shopify Plus B2B is a native wholesale feature set available on Shopify Plus that includes company accounts (linking multiple buyer contacts to a single account), customer-specific price lists (different pricing tiers for different buyers or groups), payment terms (net 30, net 60, purchase orders), and a purpose-built B2B checkout. It launched in 2022 and has matured significantly — it's now the right default for most brands needing a digital wholesale channel.

How do you handle wholesale pricing in Shopify?

Through price lists in Shopify Plus B2B, which allow you to set percentage discounts or fixed prices at the variant level for specific companies or company groups. For non-Plus stores, we typically use a separate store instance or apps like Wholesale Club or Locksmith to gate wholesale pricing behind a buyer login. Each approach has tradeoffs in complexity and maintainability that we'll walk through based on your situation.

Can you connect wholesale orders to our ERP?

Yes. Wholesale orders flowing through Shopify need to integrate with the same ERP, inventory, and fulfillment systems as DTC orders. We configure the routing logic so wholesale orders route correctly — to the right warehouse, with the right payment terms applied, and with the right data flowing to your finance system. This is often more complex than DTC order routing because B2B order values are higher and payment terms create accounts receivable workflows that DTC doesn't require.