Why B2B and DTC Differ – and Why They Need Different Tools
Selling wholesale is very different from selling directly to consumers, and Shopify B2B vs DTC clearly highlights these differences. B2B buyers are often larger organizations with complex procurement processes, while DTC customers typically make faster, impulse-driven purchases. Research shows the B2B market is far larger than retail—valued at US$19.34 trillion compared to about US$5.5 trillion for consumer-facing ecommerce. This massive volume means wholesale orders tend to be higher-value and repeat frequently. Modern B2B buyers also expect the same self-serve convenience they experience as consumers; in fact, 71% of B2B buyers are millennials, and 85% of companies consider centralizing commerce on one platform essential. At the same time, 83% of B2B buyers will abandon their cart if a traditional consumer checkout doesn’t support payment terms or bulk ordering.
B2B transactions require features not normally found in DTC stores:
Custom price lists and tiered pricing – wholesale buyers get negotiated prices or volume‑based discounts.
Net payment terms – invoices due in 15/30/60 days with partial payments, rather than immediate checkout.
Company profiles and multiple contacts – a single account can have multiple contacts with role‑based permissions.
Bulk ordering forms that allow quick SKU look‑up and add‑to‑cart.
Self‑service portals where buyers can reorder, download invoices and see order history.
Flexible checkout logic for purchase orders, tax exemptions and shipping negotiated rates.
DTC stores, by contrast, optimize for speed and impulse buying. They use one‑size‑fits‑all pricing, consumer payment methods (credit card, wallet), and require immediate payment. Many wholesalers try to bolt on B2B functionality using plugins or custom Liquid scripts, but this often produces a brittle and slow checkout. Shopify’s native B2B on Shopify functionality solves this problem by allowing merchants to run both B2B and DTC from a single backend, sharing inventory and operations but delivering different storefront experiences.
The Benefits of a Unified Shopify Backend
Running B2B and DTC from the same admin simplifies operations and improves customer experience:
Single product catalogue and inventory – With Shopify’s unified model you manage product data once and show different pricing or bundles to wholesale customers via price lists. This prevents overselling and avoids duplicate SKUs.
Centralized analytics and reporting – Instead of separate dashboards, you get a consolidated view of sales, inventory and customer behaviour. This helps forecast demand and plan production.
Shared marketing and CRM integrations – You can run omnichannel campaigns that target both audiences while syncing data into your CRM or ERP (learn more in our Shopify ERP/CRM Integration guide). Unified customer profiles let you segment B2B and DTC buyers based on behaviour rather than splitting data across systems.
Lower total cost of ownership – Maintaining one platform with built‑in B2B tools is cheaper than running separate wholesale portals or buying multiple plugins.
Scalability and continuous upgrades – Shopify’s B2B features live on the same upgrade track as the main checkout, so your customizations remain intact when Shopify releases new features like one‑page checkout or Shop Pay.
Exploring Shopify’s Native B2B Features
Shopify Plus customers get a native B2B suite that replicates wholesale portal functionality without third‑party plugins. Key capabilities include:
Company profiles and B2B markets
You can create company accounts that hold multiple company locations and contacts. Each location has its own shipping address, payment terms and price list. You can also create B2B Markets to segment buyers by region or vertical. For example, a US wholesale market might be priced in USD with net‑30 terms, while an EU distributor market could be priced in EUR with net‑60 terms.
Custom price lists and catalogs
Instead of manually adjusting prices with discount codes, you can build price lists that apply fixed prices or percentage discounts across product variants. Price lists support tiered pricing so larger quantities receive bigger discounts. Each company can have a dedicated catalog showing only the products it is allowed to buy.
Net payment terms and invoicing
Wholesale buyers expect to pay on account. Shopify B2B supports net 15/30/60 days and custom terms; invoices are generated automatically, partial payments are allowed, and reminder emails can be sent. During checkout, buyers can choose “Pay later” and the system records the outstanding balance.
Self‑serve B2B portal
Buyers log into a self‑service portal to browse their custom catalog, view or download invoices, and reorder previous purchases. You can also enable quick order forms or bulk add‑to‑cart to save time. This reduces your sales team’s workload while giving customers a modern experience.
Checkout customization and automation
Shopify B2B checkout is separate from consumer checkout. You can collect purchase order numbers, tax‑exempt IDs or other fields. Payment terms are applied automatically based on the company profile, and orders are recorded as “Draft” or invoiced orders. Native automations like Shopify Flow let you tag new wholesale buyers, assign them to price lists, or notify sales reps.
Building Custom B2B Portals Without Plugins
While Shopify’s native tools cover most scenarios, your business may have unique requirements like complex pricing rules, quoting workflows or integration with external systems. Here’s how to extend the B2B functionality without resorting to heavy plugins:
Custom price rules via Functions and Scripts – Shopify Functions (the successor to Scripts) let developers write server‑side logic for discounts, shipping and payment rules. For example, you could apply different price breaks based on customer tags or order value. Unlike third‑party plugins, functions run on Shopify’s infrastructure and remain upgrade‑safe.
Net terms automation – Use Flow to automatically assign net terms based on the buyer’s credit score or order history. You can send invoice reminders or convert overdue invoices to a payment link. For advanced collections or credit limit management, build a custom app that integrates your accounting system and uses Shopify’s Admin API.
Bulk order forms and quick reorder – Create a custom page or app that pulls the buyer’s catalog and displays SKUs in a spreadsheet‑style table with quantity inputs. Use the Storefront API or the custom Shopify development approach to add items to the cart in one click. Many merchants design quick order forms that support CSV upload or reorder previous purchases.
Headless portals for unique experiences – If you need a completely custom design, you can build a headless B2B portal using Shopify’s Hydrogen or other frameworks. The Storefront and GraphQL Admin APIs let you authenticate buyers, display price lists and submit orders while hosting the front‑end on your own infrastructure. This approach works well when you want to integrate with an existing ERP or CRM and need full control over the UI.
Integrate with ERP/CRM – B2B businesses often rely on enterprise systems for inventory, customer records and billing. Use the Shopify ERP/CRM integration framework to sync orders, inventory and customer data between Shopify and your back‑office systems. This ensures that wholesale buyers see accurate stock levels and that your finance team receives invoices automatically.
How to Set Up a Hybrid Store
The process of launching a hybrid B2B/DTC store on Shopify can be broken down into stages:
Evaluate your storefront model – Decide whether you want a blended storefront (one site serving both retail and wholesale audiences) or a dedicated wholesale storefront. Blended sites use theme conditions to show/hide content and require careful Liquid logic. Dedicated storefronts use separate themes and can better isolate B2B functionality but increase maintenance.
Upgrade to Shopify Plus – Native B2B functionality is available only on Plus. If you’re on a lower plan, you’ll need third‑party apps or custom development, which can be more complex.
Configure companies and price lists – Create company profiles for each wholesale account, add locations and contacts. Build price lists with fixed or percentage discounts. Assign catalogs and payment terms to each company.
Customize checkout – Add purchase order fields, tax exemptions and auto‑apply net terms. Use the Checkout Blocks app or Shopify’s built‑in features to hide or show payment and shipping options based on the buyer.
Automate workflows – Use Shopify Flow to assign customers to price lists, tag high‑value orders, or trigger notifications. Consider building a custom app to automate quotes, approvals or credit checks.
Test and launch – Invite a few wholesale customers to test the portal. Collect feedback on navigation, ordering and payment processes. Refine the experience before rolling it out to all accounts. Once live, monitor metrics like reorder rate, average order value, invoice payment times and customer satisfaction.
Final Thoughts
Shopify’s native B2B features allow wholesalers and manufacturers to sell B2B and DTC from the same platform while delivering tailored experiences to each audience. By leveraging company profiles, price lists, net terms, bulk ordering and self‑serve portals, you can build a professional wholesale channel without the clunky third‑party plugins that slow down your store. When you need advanced functionality, develop custom apps and automations using Shopify Functions and APIs. A unified backend paired with robust native B2B tooling will set your hybrid commerce strategy up for growth.
