Shopify B2B Shop: Maximize your wholesale success with the right platform

Want to expand your B2B business? Shopify Plus offers all the customized features your wholesale business needs. This article will guide you through the benefits of Shopify B2B, including customizability, efficient order management and individual wholesale pricing to modernize and drive your B2B sales.

The most important things at a glance

1. Shopify Plus is a B2B-focused e-commerce solution that offers robust functionality, high availability and customizable shopping experiences, providing both automation and personalized support.
2. The platform integrates specialized B2B features such as customized wholesale pricing, efficient order management and personalized customer accounts tailored to the needs of wholesale customers.
3. Shopify Plus promotes international expansion and omnichannel strategies through multilingual and multicurrency stores, customization via new APIs and a range of specialized B2B apps.

Shopify Plus for B2B companies

Shopify Plus is not just an e-commerce platform, it is a comprehensive e-commerce solution designed specifically for the needs of B2B companies. With more than 28,000 active stores, including 1467 in German-speaking countries, Shopify Plus sets itself apart from other store systems with its features and advanced APIs. Thanks to an impressive 99.99% uptime, the system can be relied upon, especially during peak sales periods such as Black Friday.

The ability to quickly create an MVP and provide personalized shopping experiences through individual branding and custom stores makes Shopify Plus an ideal choice for B2B companies looking to stay ahead of the market. Add to that the indispensable 24/7 personal account manager to support and guide you in your e-commerce strategy.

Scaling and adaptability

Scaling your business goes hand in hand with the ability to adapt to changing market conditions. Shopify Plus addresses this need by enabling the automation of purchasing and order tracking, which means simplified customer support, especially for B2B customers. This flexibility makes it possible to run a mixed business, targeting both B2B and direct-to-consumer customers, or to focus on a dedicated extension business for business-only customers.

The adaptability of Shopify Plus allows it to keep pace with the growth of your business, whether through expansions or by developing new lines of business. This scalability is a crucial factor that allows businesses to pursue their ambitions without technological limitations. The latest version of Shopify offers even more flexibility and customization options.

Advanced features

Advanced features are the flagship of Shopify Plus. With a dedicated B2B suite, businesses can sell directly to other stores without having to rely on third-party apps. This flexibility extends across B2B and D2C, with specialized checkouts ensuring a smooth buying experience.

Special B2B features include company profiles, customized product publishing and quantity rules. In addition, integrated warehouse and inventory management optimization features make business life much easier and eliminate the need for additional apps or complex coding. All of this helps businesses focus on their growth instead of being held back by technical details.

B2B features in Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus stands out with its features designed specifically for the B2B market. The platform offers an integrated solution that allows wholesale sales to be seamlessly integrated into the rest of the business without the need for additional programming. Customized B2B logic, company profiles, personalized B2B stores, quantity rules and price lists are just some of the highlights Shopify Plus has to offer.

These features are designed to reduce the complexity of B2B commerce while ensuring a high level of customizability and efficiency. For B2B online merchants, this means a significant simplification of day-to-day operations while providing the opportunity to create unique and customized shopping experiences.

Wholesale pricing

Setting wholesale prices is a critical aspect of B2B selling. Shopify Plus provides the flexibility to create custom catalogs that include different pricing structures for different wholesale customers. The PriceLists API makes it possible to set different prices for B2B buyers, based on set or relative adjustments, allowing for differentiated pricing.

Additionally, the Wholesale Club app can be used to set up custom wholesale programs with exclusive pricing and tiered pricing, which is another benefit for online retailers. These customized pricing schemes make it possible to cater to the specific needs of each B2B customer, increasing customer satisfaction.

Order management

Efficient order management is crucial to the success of B2B businesses. Shopify Plus offers tools that simplify the order and payment process and customize it to the specific needs of wholesale customers. The ability to add purchase order numbers and automate payment terms helps streamline the management process while maintaining a clear overview of payments due.

• The updated Order and DraftOrder APIs in Shopify Plus offer the following benefits:
• They differentiate between direct sales and B2B orders, which facilitates integration with B2B apps and provides a clear separation of the different business areas.
• This ensures targeted processing and management of wholesale orders.
• This saves you time and resources.

Customer accounts

Customer accounts play a central role in the B2B segment. Shopify Plus makes it possible to create and manage individual company profiles that can be linked to multiple customer locations. This not only improves the management of customer accounts, but also offers the opportunity to create personalized shopping experiences.

Authenticated B2B customers, also known as B2B Buyers, can use the following features designed specifically for B2B Customers:

• Manage their account details
• Select company locations relevant to them
• View and filter their order history
• Set up individual price lists for each customer company

This enables flexible pricing and caters to the specific needs of each customer.

Integration of B2B apps

The integration of specialized B2B apps can significantly streamline the sales process in Shopify Plus. Apps like:

• Shopify Flow
• Scripts and Script Editor
• Launchpad
• Bulk Account Inviter
• Transporter
• Wholesale Channel

These apps offer a range of features from automating workflows to improving ordering processes. They allow businesses to create bespoke solutions that work seamlessly with the core Shopify Plus functionality to create a real competitive advantage. By integrating different systems, these apps can be used even more effectively.

Warehouse and inventory management

Warehouse and inventory management is a critical component for B2B companies. Apps such as Veeqo and Orderhive provide a centralized warehouse management platform that adapts to multiple sales channels and provides real-time updates. This not only simplifies order processing, but also ensures that stock levels are always up to date.

Other apps such as QuickBooks Online and Xero offer real-time inventory tracking and financial management capabilities, while Handshake is an integrated B2B order management platform. These integrations allow B2B companies to streamline their operations and focus on sales and growth.

Payment and shipping solutions

Payment processing and shipping are key aspects of B2B commerce. Shopify Plus offers solutions that make it possible to automate payment terms and securely store credit card information. This speeds up the payment process and increases security, which is particularly important for B2B businesses.

The efficient handling of these processes contributes significantly to customer satisfaction and promotes trust in the company. By using these functions, a B2B company can reduce administrative work and concentrate on expanding its business activities.

Customer loyalty and marketing

Customer loyalty and marketing are key components for long-term success in the B2B segment. Apps such as Mailmodo offer an email marketing platform that is specifically tailored to Shopify data and includes interactive email features to increase sales. Handshake, on the other hand, offers a B2B e-commerce platform that not only integrates seamlessly with Shopify, but also simplifies order management and enables personalized shopping experiences on the Marketplace.

These tools help companies to strengthen their customer relationships and increase sales through targeted marketing measures. The integration of these apps into Shopify Plus makes customer interaction more effective and contributes to long-term customer loyalty.

Successful B2B brands on Shopify Plus

Success stories from brands such as Red Bull, Allbirds, Sennheiser and Victoria Beckham impressively demonstrate how Shopify Plus helps B2B companies to achieve top performance. These brands benefit from the customized shopping experiences and ease of use that Shopify Plus enables, setting new standards in online commerce. Innovative approaches, such as the color coding of KYLIE Cosmetics or the product presentation of Gymshark, contribute significantly to the success of these companies. Brand-specific adaptations, such as Outdoorchef's barbecue design, which reflects the uniqueness of the products, also play a decisive role in the customer experience and product sales.

These examples illustrate how diverse the possible applications of Shopify Plus are and how they can help different business models to succeed.

International expansion with Shopify Plus

Global expansion is an important step for many B2B companies. Shopify Plus provides the tools needed to facilitate international commerce and create localized buying experiences. With Shopify Plus, thousands of brands in 175 countries are already successful, making the platform a true multi-talent when it comes to internationalization.

Shopify Plus enables online stores to be set up in multiple languages and currencies, manages pre-customs clearance services and provides protection against currency risks. With market-specific customizations such as 'Markets Pro' and localization features, merchants can efficiently manage their international sales tools. This support facilitates the development of new markets and contributes to the growth and success of the company.

Omnichannel strategies for B2B companies

In the age of digitalization, omnichannel strategies are essential to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels. Shopify Plus helps B2B companies build a strong presence through multichannel sales opportunities. The platform makes it possible to offer products not only online, but also on international marketplaces and in physical points of sale, which significantly increases reach.

Implementing an omnichannel strategy in Shopify Plus means that B2B customers are reached where they are most active. Whether online, in the store around the corner or at an international trade fair - Shopify Plus creates the conditions to increase customer loyalty and sales.

API integration and customization

Shopify Plus opens up a new level of personalization and efficiency through its API integration and customization options. New B2B APIs give developers the ability to create applications that work seamlessly with Shopify Plus' core functionality. The Company API manages complex B2B relationships and allows resources to be extended using meta fields.

With APIs such as Catalogs and Publications, merchants can control which products and prices are displayed to their B2B customers, allowing them to customize their product offering. These customizations go hand in hand with Shopify Plus' extensive features and exclusive apps, making it possible to create a customized shopping experience tailored to the specific needs of each customer.

Our conclusion

Shopify Plus offers B2B companies a platform that not only impresses with its scalability and customizability, but also with an arsenal of advanced features that fully serve the needs of wholesale customers. From customized wholesale pricing and efficient order management to individual customer accounts and API integration, Shopify Plus is the e-commerce solution that helps companies succeed in both domestic and international markets and effectively implement their omnichannel strategies. We would be happy to help you implement your individual B2B store. We are also available for an initial, no-obligation consultation if you are still unsure what the right option is for you. You can find out exactly what Shopify Plus is and which other Shopify versions are available in our Shopify comparison.