Shopify, the EC cart platform, also supports B2B needs such as wholesale selling. Shopify offers an optional B2B-focused feature called "Shopify B2B," and many operators are curious about it.
"What can Shopify B2B actually do?"
"Tell me how to run B2B EC without using Shopify B2B."
This article answers questions and needs like these.
Shopify B2B comes packed with the features and conveniences you need for B2B EC, but there are also points you need to be careful about.
This article explains Shopify B2B from the ground up — its overview, points to note, and how to start B2B EC without using Shopify B2B. If you're considering B2B EC on Shopify, please use this as a reference.
*This article is based on information as of April 2026.
💡As of April 2, 2026, it's now available on all plans. (reference)
What Is BtoB? How Is It Different from BtoC?
BtoB, or B2B, is short for "Business to Business" and refers to transactions of goods or services conducted between companies. BtoC, or B2C, on the other hand, is short for "Business to Consumer," and the transaction target is the general consumer. Because the transaction target differs, BtoB and BtoC differ greatly in the nature of the transaction, the conditions involved, and the needs at play.
In BtoB, it's common for pricing and order conditions to differ by corporate customer, and there's demand for a variety of payment methods, such as invoice payment or payment on credit. Transaction amounts and order units also tend to be larger than in BtoC. A company purchasing a product may need it not just for its own use but also for resale, in which case a wholesale price lower than retail is called for.
BtoC, on the other hand, targets an unspecified number of individuals, and generally assumes list-price selling with immediate payment.
Here's a simple comparison of BtoB and BtoC in table form.
| BtoB (business-to-business transactions) | BtoC (business-to-consumer transactions) | |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Companies / corporations | Individual consumers |
| Order size | Mostly large-volume orders | Mostly small orders |
| Pricing | Contract pricing per customer Tiered pricing based on order quantity, and so on |
Generally list (retail) pricing Discounts through sales or coupons |
| Payment methods | Invoice payment, payment on credit, installments, etc. | Mainly credit cards, mobile payments, etc. |
| Purchase process | May go through approval from multiple people in charge | An individual can purchase immediately at their own discretion |
| Purchase cycle | Long-term, ongoing relationships | Mostly one-off purchases |
While BtoB tends to lead to long-term repeat business once a contract or relationship is established, the complexity of setting conditions and managing customers becomes a challenge. In terms of features, things like wholesale pricing and volume discounts (discounts for large-volume orders) become necessary.
It's important to build your EC setup for BtoB transactions with these characteristics in mind.
What Is Shopify B2B? Points to Note When Using It
Image source: Shopify
Shopify is fundamentally designed with a BtoC business in mind, and its standard features don't support BtoB business. This is where "Shopify B2B" comes in. It's a feature designed to let you efficiently run BtoB business — corporate sales, wholesale, and the like — on your Shopify store.
Its major strength is that it lets you centrally configure, from the Shopify admin, things that previously required an external app or customization — setting wholesale pricing, managing order conditions per customer, and so on.
It also lets you run BtoB and BtoC side by side within the same store, enabling flexible store building suited to your business type and transaction format. What's more, it comes standard with features essential to BtoB — a dedicated catalog per customer, quantity-based pricing, and automated order workflows — letting you achieve efficient, highly extensible BtoB site operations.
Points to Note About Shopify B2B: Available Features Differ by Plan
As you can see, Shopify B2B is a convenient feature that lets you start full-fledged B2B EC without an additional app, but the features available differ depending on your Shopify plan.
| Category | Feature | Basic | Grow | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companies and customers | Company | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Company locations | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Location-level permissions (location admin and orders only) | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Catalogs and products | Number of B2B catalogs (assignable to a B2B market) | 3 | 3 | 3 | Unlimited |
| B2B catalogs (assigned directly to companies and locations) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | |
| Quantity rules (minimum, maximum, increment) | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Quantity price breaks | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Payments | Payment terms conditions | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Payment reminders | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Automated Clearing House (US only) | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Saved credit cards | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Deposit requirements (company) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | |
| Deposit requirements (draft order) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | |
| Partial payments | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | |
| Payment requests per fulfillment | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | |
| Checkout and orders | Draft order to invoice | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Checkout to draft | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Easy reorder | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Purchase order number | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Contextual checkout (using Shopify Markets) | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Sales reps | Sales rep permissions | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Storefront | Trade theme | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Quick order list | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| Contextual storefront (using Shopify Markets) | ✕ | ✕ | ◯ | ◯ | |
| B2B complementary features | Shopify Flow (using B2B objects) | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ | ◯ |
Reference: Shopify B2B features by plan | Shopify Help Center
Main Features of Shopify B2B
Here are the main features Shopify B2B offers.
Customer-Specific Dedicated Catalogs and Pricing
You can set a different product lineup or price list for each trading partner, enabling individualized handling per company.
We cover Shopify's catalog feature in detail in the blog post below. Please use it as a reference.
Customizable Order and Payment Terms
You can configure detailed settings per customer — payment method, payment due date, minimum order quantity, tax exemption, and more — enabling transactions tailored to your contract terms.
Reordering from Order History
Accepts reorders based on past order history.
Multi-Location Management (Setting Conditions per Location)
Even within the same "company," you can individually set pricing, order conditions, shipping destinations, and more per location.
Automatic Application of Payment Terms
You can set payment terms per customer — "invoice payment," "payment due in 30 days," and the like — which are then automatically applied at checkout.
Tax Exemption Settings
You can set sales tax or import duty exemptions per trading partner.
Making Use of B2B-Dedicated Themes and Templates
Using a theme like "Trade," which is optimized for corporate trading, makes it easier to build out a catalog-style UI and order flow.
As you can see, Shopify B2B comes packed with many convenient features and mechanisms that streamline the operations and features required for B2B EC. See Shopify's help page for details.
Recommended Shopify Apps for B2B
Shopify B2B is a convenient feature that covers the features needed for B2B EC, but it can't meet every B2B sales need.
So in this section, we introduce Shopify apps recommended for B2B sales.
RuffRuff Order Bonus
RuffRuff Order Bonus is an app that lets you grant various perks (discounts, free shipping, and more) at the time of purchase. Shopify B2B has gaps — it can't set B2B-facing prices at the variant level, can't set discounted prices in bulk, and can't run B2B-facing promotions beyond volume discounts. RuffRuff Order Bonus is what solves these gaps.
Using this app, you can achieve B2B-oriented initiatives such as the following.
- Selling to trading partners at a wholesale price (a different price than for general consumers)
- Applying volume discounts to large-volume orders
- Offering free-shipping perks to corporate customers
- Setting pricing by wholesale membership tier (membership-based B2B)
- Distributing novelties or samples to B2B customers
RuffRuff Order Bonus is available starting at $9.90/month, with a 3-day free trial.
RuffRuff 予約販売
"RuffRuff 予約販売" is an app that adds a pre-order feature to your Shopify store.
You can build flexible B2B-oriented sales strategies, such as accepting pre-orders for a product exclusively for corporate customers without selling to general consumers at all. Shopify B2B has gaps — it can't set B2B-facing prices at the variant level, deposit sales aren't possible without the Plus plan, and you can't offer early access to your best customers only. RuffRuff 予約販売 is what solves these gaps.
Using this app, you can achieve B2B-oriented initiatives such as the following.
- Taking pre-orders for a product exclusive to corporate customers (private, not publicly listed)
- Flexible payment method settings (support for payment on delivery, partial upfront payment)
- Preventing lost sales by automatically switching an out-of-stock product to pre-order
- Offering discounted sales only to wholesale members (regular members pay standard price)
- Giving your best corporate members early access
Since BtoB often involves a "made-to-order" sales format tied to manufacturing lead times or inventory status, the pre-order feature is an excellent fit.
The blog post below explains how to offer discounted sales exclusively to wholesale members. Please use it as a reference.
RuffRuff 予約販売 comes with a 3-day free trial. Its pricing plans are as follows.
| Plan name | Starter | Basic | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $9 | $52 | $199 |
| Pre-order transaction fee | 3% | 1% | None |
RuffRuff Order Limits
RuffRuff Order Limits is an app that lets you flexibly configure purchase-restriction rules.
In B2B transactions, you may want to accept only large-volume orders, or restrict things to a specific payment method — this app gives you fine-grained control over cases like these. Shopify B2B has gaps — it can't set quantity limits at the variant level, can't set a quantity limit on the combined purchase total across different products, can't set quantity limits in bulk, and can't implement complex purchase restrictions based on amount or weight. RuffRuff Order Limits is what solves these gaps.
Using this app, you can achieve B2B-oriented initiatives such as the following.
- Only accepting orders above a certain quantity (restricting small orders)
- Restricting the payment method for large-volume orders (e.g. "bank transfer only")
- Setting restrictions based on customer tags or order conditions (e.g. only specific corporate customers can order)
- Restricting the minimum purchase amount (e.g. purchasable only above a certain amount)
- Preventing fraudulent orders or small-quantity purchases intended for resale
Restriction features like these are useful for managing trading conditions and improving operational efficiency in wholesale or B2B transactions.
The RuffRuff Order Limits Light plan starts at $9.90/month or $99/year, and the Full plan starts at $29.90/month or $299/year. Cumulative quantity limits are available only on the Full plan. A 3-day free trial is available.
Start B2B EC with Shopify!
As of April 2, 2026, Shopify B2B became available on every plan, making it possible for small and mid-size businesses, not just large enterprises, to build a B2B trading environment on par with the big players.
Individualized handling per customer, efficient order management, flexible payment terms settings — features like these greatly expand your business growth opportunities.
Use what we've covered in this article to draft the optimal strategy for building your own B2B EC business right away. Keep refining it through continuous improvement, and make the most of what Shopify B2B has to offer.
