B2B Ecommerce Features: An 9-Point Checklist for Wholesalers

Whatever industry or vertical you serve, business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce represents a lucrative and largely untapped opportunity. And if you’re already operating on a B2B ecommerce platform but haven’t yet optimized your customer journey for an increasingly online world, the opportunity is even greater.

The entire process of selling to other businesses, however, remains archaic. It’s loaded with friction for corporate buyers—companies often get bogged down by manual and tedious processes that draw valuable resources from tasks. 

Ahead, you’ll learn the top B2B ecommerce features to look for to improve customer satisfaction and return on investment (ROI) for your organization. 

Nine essential B2B ecommerce features

1. Advanced product catalogs and dynamic B2B pricing

AI-powered pricing optimization

Your B2B ecommerce platform should support product catalogs that showcase inventory available for wholesale customers to buy. 

Problems arise, however, if this online catalog is extensive and difficult to navigate. A huge wholesale catalog with multiple SKUs and product variations needs to be easily searchable.

Help B2B customers easily locate items they’re looking for with search filters such as:

• User context: Search personalized by industry, company, and role
• Past orders: Search and filter based on what the user has purchased in the past
• Contract terms: Products they can buy and the agreed-upon price
• Warehouse inventory
• Manufacturer part number
• Competitor cross-reference
• Part-number matching (strip out special characters)
• Automated spell-check

Some B2B businesses have exclusive deals or licenses with their customers as a way to charge a premium for their inventory. If that’s the case for your online business, check that your B2B ecommerce platform allows you to create customer-specific product listings. 

This ensures that each customer account only sees inventory that’s available for them to buy, whittling down complex product catalogs into smaller collections to simplify purchasing decisions.

Volume-based discount automation

B2B orders tend to have more variables than B2C orders. Sometimes larger customers seek exclusive access to products. Other times, they’re looking for volume discounts. These variations mean you need flexible pricing as a B2B ecommerce feature.

Effectively, you want an ecommerce system that automatically displays personalized pricing tiers, depending on the B2B customer. This includes the ability to automatically generate fixed price, or percentage-off, tiered, or volume-based discounts for customers. 

Your B2B pricing feature should also consider minimum and maximum quantities, quantity increments, and minimum purchase. These guidelines prohibit wholesalers from placing low-value orders that eat away at your profits. 

Within Shopify, checkout rules—like minimum order value or product quantities—can be automatically set to render either traditional invoicing or immediate checkout. You can then edit larger orders above the set threshold for negotiated pricing and process payments through a customer’s existing account in the back end.

2. Mobile-first B2B commerce capabilities

Progressive web apps (PWAs) for field sales

In industries like construction and manufacturing, field reps need an installable, lightning-fast ordering tool on their phones. They should be able to browse their catalogs, place orders, and sync everything back to their enterprise resource planning platform (ERP) whenever a connection is available. 

Progressive web apps are the standard industry approach for building these experiences. There are two main ways to build PWAs, and your platform should support both:

1. Headless: Use Shopify's Hydrogen framework and Storefront API to build a custom PWA. It offers maximum speed, control, and the best offline experience.
2. A third-party app: For a fast, no-code solution, an app like Ampify converts your store into an installable PWA in minutes. It works directly from your Shopify admin and adds features like push notifications, perfect for recovering abandoned carts or alerting B2B buyers to new products and promotions.

Mobile quote generation and approval

In Shopify’s B2B model, a quote is a draft order. A rep can create a draft order from their phone, and because it’s tied to a B2B company location, it reflects that account’s specific pricing, checkout options, and payment terms. The rep can then email a checkout link for approval, and once accepted, the draft converts to an order. 

The native process is perfect for when a sales rep is building a quote for a customer. But if you want customers to browse your catalog and build their own quotes 24/7, you need a self-service tool.

For example, the Request A Quote & Hide Price app can:

• Replace the “Add to Cart” button with a customizable “Request a Quote” button and form
• Allow B2B companies to submit quote requests and suggest prices
• Formalize the process by allowing your team to receive instant notifications, track negotiations, and convert approved quotes directly into orders or PDFs

3. Self-service B2B customer portals

Every B2B ecommerce customer also shops at consumer websites. That person’s expectations of B2B ecommerce are conditioned by their experience with B2C ecommerce. This trend is known as the consumerization of B2B buying. 

Issues arise because the further down the funnel a buyer goes, the more they expect a tailored customer experience, personalized reordering, and negotiated terms. 

A password-protected B2B storefront caters to the DTC-style experiences that wholesale customers long for, while limiting the time you spend explaining products or negotiating deals on a one-to-one basis. This sets the stage for a scalable B2B business model that appeases both self-serve corporate buyers and those who need more support. You can display universally applicable pricing tiers while inviting B2B leads to connect directly for negotiated terms or account-specific pricing. 

When you restrict access via password protection on your wholesale site, the general public can’t see how much of a discount wholesalers get. Use a registration form to collect key information about potential customers. Only those who pass this verification can see your wholesale product catalog and price lists.

Lean on conversion rate optimization principles often reserved for DTC ecommerce when building your B2B storefront, including:

• Localized storefronts with the preferred vocabulary, language, and currency of wholesalers in each region
• Descriptive and enticing product descriptions that appeal to the pain points of your wholesalers—not necessarily the end consumer
• Optimizing site speed and page-loading times
• Showcasing social proof—such as testimonials, product reviews, or influencer endorsements—that wholesalers can leverage when reselling your inventory 
• Highlighting quantity discounts or promotions, particularly related to bulk purchases to incentivize a higher average order value (AOV)

Luxury swimwear brand Kulani Kinis took this approach when expanding their B2B operations. They wanted to create a B2B website that wholesalers could use to browse, compare, and purchase from their catalog of over 800 products. Already a business on the Shopify Plus plan, the B2B channel was the logical next step. 

“We’re all about branding, appeal, and aesthetic, and with Shopify, we’ve been able to make the wholesale store feel like us,” says Alex Babich, managing director and cofounder. “Shopify’s B2B capabilities have given us the cohesive brand experience we wanted and customization options that meet the needs of our wholesale partners. We’re not bound by others’ constraints.”

The expansion into B2B has been a positive one for Kulani Kinis. Their user-friendly storefront has enticed more wholesalers into placing orders. Online transaction revenue increased by 300% and wholesale revenue grew by 60%.

Company accounts

Remember that most enterprise B2B sales decisions involve more than eight stakeholders, and some wholesalers will use the same account to stock inventory across multiple resale locations. Make it as easy as possible for your primary point of contact to gather feedback from other decision-makers with B2B ecommerce platforms that support flexible user permissions. 

With B2B on Shopify, for example, wholesalers can manage corporate accounts by inviting stakeholders to access the B2B ecommerce platform using one of the following permission levels: 

• Ordering only: Someone with this role makes purchases on behalf of the company and views previous orders.
• Location and admin: This role gives someone access to order-related data, as well as the ability to edit billing, shipping, and location details.

The added benefit of company accounts is that previous order history is easily referenceable. Let’s say a B2B customer last purchased 50 units of a particular product. They should be able to sign into their company profile, immediately locate the inventory they want to replenish, and complete another order. This speedy reordering process limits the likelihood that they’ll second-guess their decision or walk away due to frustration in not being able to find the products they need.

Your B2B sales team can also reference customer data in outreach or marketing campaigns. It’s a tactic used by hospitality brand Brooklinen, according to Kelly Hallinan, their senior vice president of emerging channels: “Now, we can see that a large hospitality group purchased from us six months ago. We know the average amount of time in between orders, and we can say, okay, we’re at that point where we can send them an email asking about placing a reorder. It’s much harder to do that without Shopify’s back-end system.”

4. Intelligent search and product discovery

AI-powered recommendations

AI-powered recommendations are algorithmic suggestions that show customers substitutes, complementary products, or replenishment items. The system determines what to show based on the buyer’s context, such as what they’re currently viewing previously purchased. 

Effective onsite recommendations move buyers from browsing to bulk-adding items to their cart. You can use native Shopify features like Quick order lists so buyers can add suggested variants in bulk from the same page. 

Or, use a Shopify app like Nosto to personalize the onsite experience with AI site search, data-influenced recommendations, and tailored content to increase conversions. 

Faceted search with custom attributes

Faceted search lets B2B buyers narrow down huge product lists using filters—or facets—that matter for procurement. This means adding custom attributes like voltage, material grade, or compliance ratings. With the Shopify Search & Discovery app, you can create filters using metafields and metaobjects.

Make sure your platform has smart search features like predictive search, synonyms, and typo-tolerance. This helps buyers find what they need, even if they use industry jargon or type in specific part numbers.

5. Workflow automation and approvals

Multi-level approval chains

In B2B, one person rarely makes a purchase alone. They often need a manager's approval. 

A great B2B ecommerce platform supports a multi-level approval chain by letting customers set their own internal buying rules. This gives them control over spending and makes you a trusted part of their procurement workflow. Your platform should:

• Automatically put orders on hold based on rules like total cost
• Route the order to the right manager for approval based on their user role
• Let approvers approve or deny the order with one click

Automated reordering systems

B2B businesses thrive on repeat orders. To keep customers coming back, an automated reordering system has to be dead simple, saving them time and ensuring they're never out of stock.

This makes your customers' lives easier and gives your business predictable revenue. Look for a platform with features like:

• A simple ”Buy Again” button in the customer's order history
• Bulk order forms so buyers can quickly restock many different SKUs at once
• Subscription services for automatically reordering products they need regularly

See how Shopify Flow helps B2B brands automate repetitive tasks, streamline internal processes, and free teams to focus on growth.

6. Advanced integration capabilities

Real-time ERP synchronization

Finding a B2B ecommerce platform that includes every feature you need throughout the entire B2B sales cycle can be difficult. Most platforms prioritize key features that directly tie to ecommerce. 

Shopify fills the gaps with integrations that connect your store with apps that specialize in other areas, helping you gain access to best-in-class technology for each use case, such as:

• Enterprise resource planning systems like NetSuite sync data from accounting software, inventory tools, and warehouse management systems into a central repository.
• B2B marketplaces like Faire to sync inventory and fulfill orders from a single back end.
• Customer relationship management (CRM) tools like Gorgias store important information about customers and leads.

Apps in the Shopify App Store integrate directly with the Shopify admin and your B2B storefront. There’s no need to switch between multiple tabs or locate information that’s stored separately. Everything is visible from your Shopify admin.

👉 Take advantage of Shopify’s Global ERP Program to connect your commerce operations with major providers like NetSuite and Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

Marketing automation 

If we were to sum up traditional B2B ecommerce in a single statement, it’d be “time-consuming.” Wholesale buyers typically require more assistance than general consumers. Their order volumes and purchase prices are higher, and with more decision makers involved in the buying process, some retailers pivot back to DTC-only because B2B demands too much of their already limited resources. 

Advancements in technology make B2B less of a logistical hassle by passing on repetitive tasks to automation tools. Requiring no human intervention (other than during the setup), brands like Filtrous estimate that they can save up to two hours per week by streamlining order processes with automation tools like Shopify Flow.

“Thanks to an exceptional self-serve experience and features like Shopify Flow, the team can spend more of its time selling,” says Yin Fu, Filtrous’s director of ecommerce. “We’re confident that no matter how big we grow, or how many orders we get on a given day, that Shopify could handle it.”

Explore how Commerce Components by Shopify lets enterprise brands integrate best-in-class solutions into their ecommerce operations seamlessly.

7. B2B-specific checkout and flexible payment options

The biggest difference between B2B and B2C ecommerce is how customers prefer to pay. Personal debit and credit cards are the top choice for DTC transactions, and while the trend indicates that B2B payments are heading this way, most wholesalers still prefer making B2B payments through traditional methods like checks or an automated clearing house (ACH). 

While these different payment methods might sound like a small change, the process of accepting either option differs dramatically. Debit and credit cards are simpler: the customer just enters their name, billing address, and shipping details into the checkout to place an order. 

Check that your platform supports net payment terms specific to each customer. With B2B on Shopify, you can choose from the following payment terms for every wholesaler profile:

• Immediate payment at checkout (similar to DTC orders)
• Due on fulfillment 
• Net 7, 15, 30, 60, or 90

Vaulted credit cards

Some B2B customers will opt to pay for their orders using a corporate credit card. Your B2B ecommerce platform should securely store these credit card details and retrieve them when placing future orders—provided wholesalers opt in to their data being stored.

B2B storefronts created with Shopify have instant access to Shopify Payments, a PCI-DSS-compliant payment gateway that can securely vault your customers’ payment information and offer a convenient shopping experience for business buyers. 

If they opt for net payment terms at checkout, B2B customers can choose to vault their credit card and give you approval to charge the card on file as soon as their payment is due—no manual chasing required.

8. Security and compliance features

PCI compliance and data protection

When you sell to other companies, their security teams need to know their data is safe. 

Your ecommerce platform must provide solid data protection and handle the heavy lifting on technical standards like PCI compliance. This protects your customers and your business, and it's essential for winning enterprise deals. 

Review your platform’s compliance reports and ensure that they include:

• Automatic Level 1 PCI compliance for your entire store and checkout
• Encryption (TLS/HTTPS) on all pages to keep data secure
• Tools to enforce security rules, like two-factor authentication (2FA) for your staff.

Role-based access controls

Not everyone on your team needs access to everything. A sales rep shouldn't edit the website, and a marketer shouldn't see sensitive customer contracts. 

Role-based access controls are essential for security and preventing mistakes. Give each staff member specific permissions so they can only see and do what's required for their job. 

A good platform lets you:

• Create custom roles for different teams, like sales, finance, or warehouse staff
• Limit a sales rep’s view to the specific B2B accounts they manage
• Track all staff changes with activity logs to see who did what and when

9. Analytics and business intelligence

Customer behavior insights

Not all B2B buyers are the same — different companies have different buying patterns. You want to understand who your best customers are, what they search for, and how often they reorder.

A strong platform provides these customer behavior insights to help you make smarter decisions. For example, Shopify offers tools to:

• Create customer segments to group buyers by location or order frequency to spot your top accounts
• Use Search & Discovery analytics to see what products are in high demand
• Build custom reports with advanced tools like ShopifyQL Notebooks to analyze LTV cohorts and repeat purchase rates by company.

Sales performance dashboards

Tracking overall revenue isn't enough for a B2B business. You need to see which companies drive growth and which price lists are most profitable. Sales performance dashboards built for B2B give you this crucial visibility. 

With Shopify Analytics, you can: 

• Build custom B2B reports that filter sales by company, location, or payment terms
• Use advanced queries with ShopifyQL to track key financial metrics like profit margin or days sales outstanding (DSO) on invoices.
• Pin your B2B reports to the main dashboard for at-a-glance monitoring of your sales pipeline.

B2B ecommerce features that you can use today

Despite the potentially lucrative rewards, B2B ecommerce doesn’t have to be complicated. There are plenty of solutions that make this market accessible to every merchant. Whatever you do, make sure your platform and business are ready to face the future with these essential features. 

Big brands like Carrier, bareMinerals, Laura Mercier, and Kraft Heinz have already chosen Shopify for their wholesale businesses. Some use our unified admin to connect their B2B and DTC stores, others run B2B only, and still others combine all their commerce in a single store.

“I love seeing the look on people’s faces when we show them B2B on Shopify,” said Mani Fazeli, VP of product at Shopify. “When they see how Shopify turned a painful and manual process into something that feels like a personal shopping experience, there’s this magical ‘aha moment.’ It feels like this is the way B2B should’ve always been done.”