• A wholesale POS is built for bulk orders, B2B customers, custom pricing, purchase orders, inventory tracking, and repeat ordering.
• A normal retail POS is usually designed for quick one-off transactions, while wholesale POS systems need deeper customer, pricing, and fulfillment controls.
• If you sell through Shopify, your POS should work with your online store, inventory, B2B pricing, order forms, and payment terms.
• Shopify POS can help connect in-person selling with Shopify orders and inventory, but B2B workflows may still need extra wholesale tools for customer-specific pricing, order forms, gated pricing, and MOQ rules.
• The best wholesale POS setup depends on your business size, order volume, number of locations, industry, payment terms, and how much of your wholesale business happens online.

Running a wholesale business is different from running a normal retail store. You may be dealing with bulk orders, repeat buyers, custom pricing, purchase orders, sales reps, warehouse stock, and customer-specific payment terms.

That is where a wholesale POS system can help. A wholesale POS is not just a cash register. It helps wholesalers manage sales, inventory, customer accounts, pricing, and fulfilment across in-person and online channels.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a wholesale POS is, how it differs from a retail POS, what features to look for, and how to choose the right setup for your business in 2026.

What is Wholesale POS?

A Wholesale POS (Point of Sale) system is a software solution built specifically to meet the requirements of wholesale business operations. 

While typical retail POS systems can only handle individual transactions at the consumer level, Wholesale POS systems are geared towards managing business-to-business (B2B) transactions, where businesses sell products in bulk to other companies instead of selling directly to consumers.

A wholesale POS helps manage these workflows in one place. It can support:

• Bulk order entry
• Customer-specific pricing
• Multi-location inventory
• Purchase orders
• Net payment terms
• Sales rep orders
• Barcode scanning
• Order history
• Returns and exchanges
• Reporting by customer, location, or product

For Shopify merchants, a wholesale POS works best when it connects with your Shopify admin, online store, inventory, and B2B ordering setup. Shopify POS already syncs orders and inventory with the Shopify admin across retail locations, online store, and other sales channels.

But if your wholesale store also needs custom pricing, MOQ rules, locked products, or quick order forms, you may need to shortlist some Shopify wholesale apps for B2B. 

Differences between POS for B2B and POS for B2C

Wholesale businesses, more often than not, deal with B2B as well as B2C customers, but their significant operations revolve around B2B. Hence, it becomes imperative for a POS System to be able to deal with both these complexities, especially the B2B ones.

Let’s break down the key differences and requirements.

The biggest difference is that B2B POS is account-driven. The system needs to understand who the buyer is, what pricing they should get, what products they can access, how they usually pay, and how their orders should be fulfilled.

For example, a normal retail customer may pay by card at checkout. A wholesale buyer may place a $5,000 order, use Net 30 terms, send a purchase order number, and expect the same pricing they get in your online wholesale portal.

That is why wholesale merchants should not choose a POS based only on checkout speed. They should also check how well it handles inventory, customer accounts, pricing rules, order history, and online B2B workflows.

How Wholesale POS handles your business’s unique demands

Wholesale companies have special needs and thus need specialized POS solutions. A powerful Wholesale POS software meets these needs through various advanced functionalities such as inventory management, warehouse management, supplier management tools, and B2B-specific capabilities.

A. Advanced inventory management

Wholesale businesses cannot afford messy inventory. A small inventory mistake can become a much bigger problem when buyers order in bulk.

A good wholesale POS should help you manage:

• Stock across multiple locations
• Warehouse and store inventory
• Incoming inventory
• Transfers between locations
• Low-stock alerts
• Batch, lot, or serial number tracking
• Product variants such as size, color, pack size, or case quantity

For Shopify merchants, inventory can be managed from Shopify admin and Shopify POS. Shopify also supports inventory tracking, stock adjustments, and inventory reports, which helps merchants understand when to reorder and when they have too much stock.

B. Warehouse Optimization

1. Pick, pack, ship automation: Automate the picking, packing, and shipping process to reduce manual errors and speed up order fulfillment. The feature generates optimized picking lists to prepare orders faster and handles packing slips and shipping labels. It even connects with your shipping carriers for seamless logistics. 
   
   For wholesale businesses dealing with large orders, outsourcing to a 3PL fulfillment provider can streamline operations and reduce overhead costs. A 3PL partner offers expertise in logistics, warehousing, and shipping, enabling companies to focus on sales and customer service. By integrating 3PL services with your wholesale POS system, you can automate inventory updates, order processing, and delivery tracking, ensuring efficient and accurate fulfillment. This partnership helps meet high customer expectations and reduce errors in shipping and handling.
   
2. Real-time stock updates: Get real-time visibility, which provides instant updates on stock levels as sales occur, triggers automated reorder points to maintain optimal inventory levels, and syncs inventory data across all sales channels (eCommerce, in-store, etc.). 

C. Supplier Management Tools

1. Purchase order automation: This one will create and send POs based on stock levels and sales forecasts. It also monitors the status of purchase orders created up to delivery and assists with matching received goods against a PO for accurate stock intake.
2. Supplier performance tracking: Tracking the performance of your suppliers is another valuable tool that monitors supplier reliability, delivery times, and order accuracy. It allows businesses to compare pricing across suppliers for cost optimization and manages supplier contracts and negotiated terms. 

D. B2B-Specific Features

1. Dropshipping capabilities: It automates shipment advice for orders shipped from the supplier directly to the end customer, automates communication between retailer and supplier (and customer), tracks dropshipping orders, and reconciles supplier invoices.
2. Fulfillment process management: Wholesale POS solution handles complex B2B order fulfillment requirements. The feature is ideal for companies who manufacture for other businesses, giving features of partial shipments, multi-locations, and backorders. 

Moreover, you can manage ordering products your business clients need by ordering departments. Today, most companies source products from competition via indirect or direct sourcing along with this function.

3 factors to consider for the right Wholesale POS System for your businesses

Selecting the right Wholesale POS system is a crucial decision for any business, and finding the perfect fit requires carefully evaluating several vital factors. Here’s what you should consider to ensure the system meets your unique needs:

1. Business size and scale

The size and scope of your wholesale system will significantly influence what type of POS system is best for your business. Many small- to medium-sized wholesalers surveyed said scalability was a top consideration when choosing a POS system.

For small businesses (annual revenue < $5 million):

• Look for wholesale software for small businesses that provide core features such as inventory management and basic reporting. 
• Try cloud-based solutions, which SMBs prefer because they can lower upfront costs.
• User-friendly interfaces should be a top priority as small business owners handle their POS systems.

For medium-sized businesses (annual revenue $5-50 million):

• Seek more robust features like a wholesale pos system for iPad, advanced analytics, and multi-location management.
• Look for integration capability with other business systems (e.g., ERP, CRM)
• Consider wholesale systems that can handle higher volumes. The average medium-sized wholesaler processes 500-5000 orders per month.

For large enterprises (annual revenue > $50 million):

• Require more feature-rich solutions that offer more customization options.
• Large wholesalers need a system to handle complex pricing structures and high-volume inventory (over 10,000 SKUs).
• Look for advanced features that rely on AI for supply chain forecasting and real-time visibility.

2. Specific industry needs

Different wholesale sectors have unique requirements. As a wholesaler, we believe industry-specific features are “very important” or “crucial” in POS selection. 

Food and beverage:

• Require lot tracking and expiration date management
• Need FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) compliance features 

Electronics and technology:

• Must have serial number tracking for warranty management
• Need support for rapidly changing pricing due to market fluctuations 

Apparel and textiles:

• Require size/color/style matrix inventory management
• Include season-based forecasting capabilities and a wholesale planning system

Industrial and construction supplies:

• Support for bulk and dimensional (length, width, height) pricing
• Need integration with project management tools and wholesale management system

3. Budget and cost considerations

Considering all the factors, budget is also one of the most important factors when choosing the right POS for your wholesale and retail business. It’s crucial to find a solution that provides a high return on investment but doesn’t overextend your resources. The average wholesale business spends 5-10% of its annual revenue on POS systems.

Consider these cost-specific factors:

• Upfront vs. ongoing costs: Many POS systems may have low upfront costs but higher long-term costs, such as monthly subscriptions, maintenance, or add-on fees. And don’t forget to compare the total cost of ownership, including wholesale POS hardware, software, and support.
• Cloud vs. on-premise: Cloud POS systems generally have lower upfront costs and are easier to scale, but you’ll pay subscription fees indefinitely. On-premise solutions may require a more considerable initial investment, but you have more control over long-term costs.
• Hidden costs: You should beware of any hidden costs such as transaction fees, charges related to payment processing, or expensive integrations with third-party apps. Knowing what you’re in for financially can save headaches further down the line.

Wholesale POS checklist: Features to look for

Before choosing a wholesale POS system, check whether it supports:

• Bulk order entry
• Customer-specific pricing
• Volume discounts
• MOQ or case pack rules
• Multi-location inventory
• Purchase orders
• Net payment terms
• Barcode scanning
• Sales rep ordering
• Customer order history
• Returns and exchanges
• Online store integration
• Accounting integration
• Inventory reports
• Staff permissions
• Hardware support
• Reliable customer support

If you sell on Shopify, also check whether your POS works well with your Shopify inventory, online wholesale store, B2B pricing, and customer account setup.

The bottom line

A wholesale POS can make your business easier to manage if you sell in bulk, handle repeat buyers, manage multiple locations, or take orders through sales reps, showrooms, warehouses, or cash-and-carry counters.

The right system should not only process payments. It should help you manage inventory, customer accounts, pricing, purchase orders, fulfillment, and reporting.

If you run your wholesale business on Shopify, your POS should also connect with your online store. Shopify POS can help with in-person selling and inventory syncing, while B2B and wholesale apps can help with customer-specific pricing, locked products, order forms, MOQ rules, and reorder workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

• VAT stands for Value Added Tax. It is a consumption tax charged in many countries, including the UK and EU member states.
• You are not automatically Shopify VAT compliant. You need to add the right tax registrations and review your Shopify tax settings.
• If you sell in the EU, you may need a local VAT registration, OSS registration, IOSS registration, or a mix depending on where you are based and where you ship.
• Shopify supports EU tax setup options such as local VAT registration, OSS registration, and micro-business VAT registration.
• For UK sales, VAT treatment can depend on order value, business location, customer location, and whether goods are imported.
• Shopify can calculate duties and import taxes at checkout for eligible stores, but you need to configure your duties, import tax, and tax registration settings properly.
• For B2B sales in the EU/UK, VAT number validation and reverse charge rules can matter.
• Shopify Tax in the EU and UK supports automated calculations, VAT invoices, and threshold tracking.
• Always test checkout for your main buyer locations before going live with VAT settings.

Selling internationally on Shopify is exciting, but VAT can quickly become confusing.

VAT rules are different depending on where your business is located, where your customers are located, whether you sell B2C or B2B, and whether the order is domestic or cross-border.

In this guide, we’ll explain what VAT means, when Shopify merchants may need to collect VAT, how VAT works for US, EU, UK, and non-EU businesses, and what settings you should review inside Shopify.

This guide is for general understanding only. VAT rules can change and may vary by country, product type, and business setup, so it is always best to confirm your tax obligations with an accountant or VAT specialist.

What is Shopify VAT?

To start with the basics, Shopify VAT (Value-Added Tax) is a tax levied on the sale of products and services from your Shopify store, which the buyer indirectly pays. This means that Shopify sellers need to collect VAT from their customers at the time of sale (in checkout) and remit it to the respective tax authorities in their countries. 

When setting up your Shopify store, it is essential to consider whether you need to charge VAT on your products and services if your buyers are from the EU member countries or the UK.

VAT vs Sales Tax

VAT and sales tax are both consumption taxes, but they work differently.

If you sell only inside the US, your main concern may be sales tax. If you sell to the UK or EU, VAT becomes important.

When and when not to register for VAT?

Registering for VAT and charging it on your products is not a necessary step for every Shopify seller. Before you jump into enabling tax settings in Shopify, make sure to check if you fall under the criteria of mandatory VAT registration. Some common factors that determine whether or not you need to register are:

• Type of product: Not all types of products are taxed in all countries. Some are exempt from VAT.
• Location and threshold: Each country has its own minimum sales amount, after which you need to register for VAT. For example, the UK’s threshold limit is £90,000 in a rolling 12-month period.
• Cross-border trade: If you sell products to customers in other EU countries, their respective thresholds also apply.

VAT for US, EU, non-EU and UK-based Shopify stores

VAT is charged differently for EU-, non-EU-, and UK-based companies.

Here are some use cases that’ll give you a better idea –

1. For Shopify businesses in the US

A US-based Shopify business selling products within the US

If you’re a US-based Shopify business, and all your buyers are from the United States, then you won’t need to collect VAT.

A US-based Shopify business selling products to customers from EU member countries

In the European Union (EU), each member country has its own VAT (Value Added Tax) rates and regulations. Therefore, the VAT rate you should collect depends on the specific country to which you are selling your products.

A US-based Shopify business selling products to customers from the UK

If you’re a US-based Shopify business selling products to UK citizens, then you’ll need to charge VAT at the UK’s standard rate, currently set at 20%.

2. For Shopify businesses in the EU member countries

An EU-based business selling products within the EU member countries

If your Shopify business is based in the EU (member states), you need to charge VAT as per the standard rate of your country.

An EU-based Shopify business selling products to customers from non-EU member countries

When an EU-based Shopify business sells products to customers in non-EU member countries, the VAT doesn’t come into play for those sales. Instead, sellers must collect the tax as per the import laws and regulations of the destination country. 

An EU-based Shopify business selling products to customers from the UK

If your Shopify business is based in the EU and sells products to customers in the UK, then you’ll need to charge VAT at the UK’s standard rate.

3. For Shopify businesses in the UK

A UK-based Shopify business selling products within the UK

If you’re a business established in the UK and you’re making taxable supplies of products or services, you need to charge VAT on those sales at the standard rate.

A UK-based Shopify business selling products to customers from EU member countries

If your UK-based Shopify business sells products to customers in any EU member country, you’ll need to charge VAT at the standard rate of that particular country. For example, if you’re selling a product worth €100 to a customer in France, then you’ll also need to collect 20% VAT (€20) from them as per French tax laws.

A UK-based Shopify business selling products to customers from non-EU member countries

When a UK-based Shopify business sells products to customers from non-EU member countries, VAT does not apply to those sales. The sellers need to collect taxes as per the destination country’s import laws and regulations.

Charging Shopify VAT for B2B vs B2C customers

The buyer-seller scenario plays a significant role in VAT on Shopify. If you’re selling to both B2B and DTC on your store, then there might be differences in the VAT that you’ll charge on your products –

I. Selling to B2B customers

If you’re selling your products to your B2B/wholesale customers, you don’t need to collect VAT from them if they provide their valid VAT number during checkout.

Just make sure that your B2B customers have a valid VAT number so that they fall under the reverse charge mechanism in B2B transactions.

Don’t worry, we will show you how to set up tax exemptions for your EU-based customers later in this article.

II. Selling to B2C customers

If you’re selling your products to B2C customers, then you will have to collect VAT from them as per the tax rates applicable in their region. Later, you can remit it to the respective tax authorities.

How to set up VAT for your Shopify store?

By now, you should have a basic idea of how VAT works for your type of business. The next step is to set it up inside Shopify based on where you sell, where your business is registered, and how you want taxes to appear to customers.

Before changing these settings, make sure you know where you need to collect VAT. Shopify can help calculate taxes, but you still need the correct VAT registration and tax setup.

A. Check that your products are set to charge tax

Before setting up VAT regions, first make sure your products and variants are marked as taxable.

From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Taxes and duties.

If some products or variants are not set to charge taxes, Shopify may show a warning like:

You are not charging taxes on some product variants.

Click Edit variants and check the products or variants that should charge tax.

You can also check this from the product page. Open the product in Shopify admin and make sure Charge tax on this product is selected.

This is important because Shopify will not calculate VAT correctly for products that are not marked as taxable.

B. Add the country or region where you want to collect VAT

In the current Shopify admin, VAT and tax collection are managed from Settings > Taxes and duties.

On this page, look for the Tax regions section.

This section shows the countries or regions where your customers will pay tax and where you will collect and remit tax. In the current Shopify UI, Shopify also mentions that you may need to create a shipping zone to add a new tax region.

To check or add a VAT region:

1. Go to Settings > Taxes and duties.
2. Scroll to Tax regions.
3. Check whether the country or region where you need to collect VAT is already listed.
4. If the region is listed, open it and configure tax or VAT collection.
5. If the region is not listed, create or update a shipping zone for that country or region first.

To create or update a shipping zone:

1. Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery.
2. Open a profile or add a custom profile and then add Zones.
3. Add the country or region where you want to sell.
4. Save the shipping zone.
5. Go back to Settings > Taxes and duties.
6. Check whether the new country or region now appears under Tax regions.

The important point is this: shipping zones only help make the region available. VAT is still configured from Settings > Taxes and duties, not from the shipping settings.

C. Add VAT registration for the European Union

If you sell to customers in the European Union, you may need to add your VAT registration in Shopify.

To do this:

1. Go to Settings > Taxes and duties.
2. Under Tax regions, open European Union if it appears.
3. Choose the VAT registration type that applies to your business.
4. Enter your VAT number.
5. Save or click Collect VAT.

D. Include or exclude tax based on the customer’s location

If you sell internationally, you may want Shopify to include or exclude tax based on the customer’s country.

For example, UK and EU customers usually expect VAT-inclusive prices, while US customers usually expect taxes to be added at checkout.

In Shopify, this is related to dynamic tax-inclusive pricing. The exact location of this setting can vary depending on your Shopify Markets layout and store setup. Some stores may show it in Markets preferences, while newer layouts may show pricing and tax settings inside each market.

To check it:

1. Open Markets from the main Shopify admin menu.
2. Open the market you want to edit, such as United Kingdom, European Union, International, or United States.
3. Check the market’s Pricing, Taxes, Duties and import taxes, or Tax display settings.
4. Look for an option related to including or excluding tax based on the customer’s country.
5. If you cannot find it, use Shopify admin search and search for dynamic tax-inclusive pricing or include or exclude tax based on customer country.

Do not worry if your Shopify screen does not match older tutorials exactly. Shopify has changed the Markets layout, and the setting may appear in a different place depending on your store.

E. Set up duties and import taxes

If you sell internationally, you may also want to collect duties and import taxes at checkout.

In the current Shopify UI, this is available under:

Settings > Taxes and duties > Duties and import taxes

You may see an option like:

Collect duties and import taxes at checkout

This helps reduce surprise fees for international customers at delivery.

To set it up:

1. Go to Settings > Taxes and duties.
2. Scroll to Duties and import taxes.
3. Click Set up.
4. Review the countries, shipping setup, and duty collection options.
5. Save your settings.

F. Display or edit VAT wording at checkout

By default, Shopify shows tax information in the checkout order summary when taxes apply to the order.

If your product prices include VAT, Shopify can show that taxes are included in the total. If product prices exclude VAT, Shopify can add taxes at checkout based on your tax setup and the customer’s location.

If you want to edit the wording shown in checkout, you can update your theme language:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Click the three dots next to your active theme.
3. Select Edit default theme content.
4. Search for tax-related words like tax, VAT, or including.
5. Update the text carefully.
6. Click Save.

A commonly used label is:

Including {{amount}} in taxes

This only changes the wording shown to customers. It does not change how VAT is calculated. Actual VAT calculation depends on your tax registrations, tax regions, product tax settings, tax-inclusive pricing, market settings, duties setup, and customer location.

Adding VAT option in checkout using Wholesale Pricing Discount app 

The Wholesale Pricing Discount app is a B2B app that seamlessly integrates with Shopify Markets. It allows you to show tax exemption for VAT and tax IDs (for B2B customers – based on customer tags, logged-in customers, and non-logged-in customers) during checkout.

• You can charge taxes from non-exempted customers who do not have a valid VAT number.
• Automatically collect VAT from non-exempted B2C customers without any interruption.

Note: You need the Wholesale Pricing Discount app installed in your Shopify store for this setup.

Conclusion

As we conclude our discussion on setting up Shopify VAT, it’s important to recognize its significance. For business owners aiming to expand their reach and serve customers from EU countries, implementing Shopify VAT is crucial. It demonstrates commitment to compliance, transparency, and fosters trust with customers.

By understanding VAT complexities, you can accurately collect and remit taxes while avoiding legal consequences. With the outlined steps in this blog post, setting up Shopify VAT can be a seamless process. So, take action now and confidently sell to EU countries! Remember, staying informed and up-to-date on tax laws is an ongoing responsibility. Stay updated with any future changes that may impact your business.

Thanks for reading

Frequently Asked Questions

DezLin is a California-based, family and veteran-owned manufacturer and distributor of surprise reveal products; unique items where the buyer discovers jewelry hidden inside oysters, bath bombs, candles, and more. Founded by mother-son duo Linda and Marc, DezLin has built a passionate wholesale community of resellers across the USA and internationally.

DezLin operates both a retail storefront and a wholesale channel on Shopify, offering bulk pricing to approved resellers who have come to rely on DezLin’s quality, fast same-day shipping, and responsive customer service. The company has been a customer of the Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B app since approximately 2021, one of its longest-standing wholesale tool partnerships.

The Challenge: Exploring Shopify’s Native B2B

As Shopify continued to invest in its native B2B features, DezLin, like many merchants, was curious whether the built-in tools could replace their existing wholesale app setup. The promise of a fully integrated, first-party solution was appealing: fewer third-party dependencies, potentially simpler configuration, and everything under one roof.

DezLin decided to pause the Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B app and put Shopify’s native B2B to the test. It was a reasonable experiment for any growing wholesale business to run.

The challenges they encountered after switching included:

• A noticeably different and less intuitive wholesale experience for their buyers
• Lingering configuration issues that likely arose from the uninstall and reinstall cycle
• Missing the flexibility and features they had relied on with the Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B
• A workflow that didn’t quite match the established needs of their wholesale operation

The Solution: Returning to Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B

After testing Shopify’s native B2B, DezLin quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit for their wholesale operations. They uninstalled the native setup and reinstalled the Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B app, returning to a workflow their wholesale customers and team already knew and trusted.

Back with Wholesale Helper, DezLin regained:

• Reliable, flexible wholesale pricing that works the way their business needs it to
• A smooth buying experience for their reseller community
• The confidence that their B2B setup is purpose-built for wholesale — not a generalist feature
• Peace of mind knowing long-term customer support and ongoing improvements are in place

In Their Own Words…

“Most likely lingering issues from uninstalling and reinstalling. I switched to Shopify native and realized I hated it quickly. Moved back and reinstalled.” “I’ve been with you since 2021, I think. I love you all.“

Linda, Founder and CEO at DezLin Reveals

The Results: A Loyal Customer and a Powerful Advocate

DezLin’s return was about more than getting their store back to working order. Their experience became something more valuable: a real-world reminder that different merchants have different needs, and the right tool depends entirely on how your wholesale operation works, especially for merchants with established wholesale needs.

After coming back, DezLin proactively offered to:

• Update their public app review to reflect their experience returning from Shopify native B2B
• Write a customer testimonial that Wholesale Helper could share with other merchants considering the switch
• Advocate across any additional channels where their story could help other store owners

This kind of loyalty! A customer who left, came back, and then immediately offered to help us grow speaks to what we aim to build: not just a useful tool, but a trusted long-term partner for wholesale merchants.

Why Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B Is Built Differently for Merchants Like DezLin

Shopify’s native B2B is a solid foundation for many merchants, but for businesses with more complex wholesale needs, a purpose-built solution makes all the difference. Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B is purpose-built for exactly the kind of multi-tiered, customer-tagged, flexible wholesale pricing that businesses like DezLin depend on day-to-day. Key advantages include:

• Customer-tagged pricing that shows the right wholesale rate automatically at login
• Full compatibility across Shopify themes without complex workarounds
• Granular control over discounts, minimums, and product visibility
• A dedicated support team focused entirely on wholesale merchants
• A long-term roadmap built specifically around wholesale use cases, not just retail-first feature sets

Join 18,000+ Shopify merchants already growing with Wholesale Helper apps. Whether you’re setting up wholesale pricing for the first time or returning after testing alternatives, we’re here.

We hope you enjoyed this Denzil case study by Wholesale Helper apps. We are excited to assist you in building a smarter and more profitable wholesale business. Happy wholesaling!

• Net payment terms allow approved buyers to place an order now and pay later within a fixed number of days.
• Common net terms include Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, and Net 90.
• Net 30 means the buyer must pay the invoice within 30 days from the invoice date or order issue date, depending on your policy.
• Net terms are common in B2B and wholesale because business buyers often need time to receive goods, resell products, or complete internal payment approvals.
• Offering net terms can help increase larger orders and improve buyer relationships, but it can also create cash flow risk if not managed properly.
• Shopify B2B supports payment terms for companies and company locations, including Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, Net 90, due on fulfillment, and due on receipt.
• Before offering net terms, set clear eligibility rules, credit limits, due dates, late payment policies, and reminder workflows.

If you sell wholesale or B2B, some customers may not want to pay immediately at checkout. Instead, they may ask for payment terms like Net 30, Net 60, or Net 90. This means they can place the order now and pay the invoice later within the agreed time period.

Net payment terms are common in B2B because business buyers often need time to receive products, move inventory, get internal approvals, or manage cash flow before paying.

In this guide, we’ll explain what net payment terms mean, common examples, why they matter, when to offer them, and how Shopify merchants can support net terms for wholesale and B2B customers.

What does Net Payment Terms mean?

Net payment terms define how long a buyer has to pay an invoice after an order is placed, fulfilled, or invoiced.

For example, if you offer Net 30, the buyer gets 30 days to pay the invoice. If you offer Net 60, the buyer gets 60 days. If you offer Net 90, the buyer gets 90 days.

The exact start date should be clearly defined in your policy. Some businesses count the due date from the invoice date. Others count it from the order date, shipment date, or fulfillment date.

Simple examples:

• Net 7: Payment is due within 7 days.
• Net 15: Payment is due within 15 days.
• Net 30: Payment is due within 30 days.
• Net 60: Payment is due within 60 days.
• Net 90: Payment is due within 90 days.
• Due on receipt: Payment is due when the invoice is received.
• Due on fulfillment: Payment is due when the order is fulfilled.

Shopify’s B2B payment terms support common options such as Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, Net 90, due on receipt, and due on fulfillment.

Different Durations of Net Payment Terms

Net 30, Net 60, and Net 90 all mean the buyer can pay later. The difference is the number of days they have to pay.

For most wholesale stores, Net 30 is a safer starting point. Net 60 and Net 90 should usually be offered only to trusted buyers with good payment history.

Why offer Net Payment Terms to your B2B customers?

B2B customers typically buy in bulk and often have large orders. This can put a strain on their cash flow, which is why offering net payment terms to them can be so beneficial.

1. To help your B2B customers manage their finances

By offering net payment terms, you are essentially offering more time to your B2B customers to arrange money to make payment of their total order amount. This can help them immensely when it comes to managing their finances and can make them more likely to do business with you in the future.

2. To expand the number of customers who are able to buy

Net payment terms can also help expand the number of customers who are able to buy from you. This is because many businesses that sell B2B products have a strict policy when it comes to payment and require all payments to be made upfront.

However, by offering net payment terms, your B2B business is giving more flexibility to potential customers who may not have the ability to pay for your products or services upfront.

3. To build better relationships with customers

Net payment terms can also be a valuable tool for building relationships with your customers. When you offer flexible payment options, it shows that you can be trusted whenever a customer is facing a cash flow problem and wants to buy products to sell further and make profits. This will show that you value their business. This way you create long-term, loyal customers who are more likely to do business with you in the future.

How to offer Net Terms to your B2B customers on Shopify?

There are a few ways to offer net payment terms on Shopify.

Method 1: Use Shopify B2B payment terms

If you use Shopify B2B, you can set payment terms for a company or company location.

Shopify’s payment terms define how long a company has to pay for an order. You can set terms for each company location, and B2B customers can view these terms on orders they place through your online store. 

Common Shopify B2B payment term options include:

• Due on fulfillment
• Net 7
• Net 15
• Net 30
• Net 45
• Net 60
• Net 90

Basic setup flow:

1. Go to Customers > Companies in Shopify admin.
2. Select the company or company location.
3. Edit the Payment terms section.
4. Choose the payment term type.
5. Optional: add a deposit requirement if available for your plan.
6. Save and test the B2B checkout flow.

This method is best if you already use Shopify B2B companies and want native payment terms tied to approved business buyers. If your buyers also need purchase order numbers, invoice payment, or pay-later workflows, it may be worth setting up a wholesale checkout with net terms and PO support instead of handling every order manually.

Method 2: Use a wholesale payment terms app

If you need more flexibility, you can use a wholesale or B2B payment terms app.

This can be useful when you need:

• Customer tag-based net terms
• Manual approval workflows
• Net 30, Net 60, or Net 90 options for selected customers
• Pay later buttons
• Invoice-based checkout
• Purchase order workflows
• Customer group-based terms
• Different payment terms for different wholesale tiers

This is useful for merchants who are not using native B2B companies or who need more control over customer segments and app-based workflows.

Method 3: Use draft orders and invoices

Some stores manage net terms manually using draft orders and invoices.

This can work for small wholesale programs, especially when your team manually reviews each order.

A simple flow:

1. Customer places a wholesale request.
2. Your team creates a draft order.
3. You send the invoice.
4. Customer pays based on the agreed payment term.
5. Your team tracks the payment manually.

This method is simple, but it can become hard to manage as order volume grows.

Offer discounts for early payments

You can also choose to offer discounts to your B2B customers for paying or clearing their wholesale invoices before the due date or a specific time period. You can set this based on the total order value or on the number of days.

For example:

Net Payment Terms examples

Example One: Company X offers net 30 payment terms to Company Y. This means that Company B has up to 30 days to pay their invoice from the date of purchase. If they do not pay within this time period, they will be charged a late fee.

Example Two: Company A offers net 60 payment terms to Company B. This means that Company D has up to 60 days to pay their invoice from the date of purchase. If they do not pay within this time period, they will be charged a late fee.

Once you decide on net payment terms, you need to convey or offer them to your customers.

Where to offer Net Payments Terms?

There are a few different places where you can offer net payment terms to your customers.  Here are some common places you can mention or tell about the net payment terms for your products or services:

(i) In the order invoice

The most common place to mention your net payment terms is to add to the invoices. You can include them in the body of the invoice or in the footer.

(ii) On the website or checkout page

Another place you can offer net payment terms is on your website. If you have an e-commerce store, you can include the payment terms on the checkout page. This way, your customers will get an idea about what kind of products they can purchase and pay after a specific time period after the delivery.

(iii) In contracts

You can also include information about net payment terms in your contract with customers. This way, there you can prevent confusion about due payment dates and late fees if the payment is not done in a specific time or according to the decided net term.

(iv) Verbal agreements

You can also verbally agree on net terms with your B2B customers before you provide them with any goods or services. This is a good option if you want to ensure both parties understand and agree to the terms.

No matter where you choose to offer net payment terms, make sure that the terms are clear and easy to understand. You don’t want there to be any confusion about when payments are due or what the consequences are for late payments.

Net terms vs pay later vs credit limit

These terms are related, but they are not the same.

Example:

A buyer may have Net 30 terms with a $5,000 credit limit. This means they can place orders and pay within 30 days, but their unpaid balance should not go above $5,000.

How to follow up on unpaid Net Payment Invoices?

If you have B2B customers who have not paid their invoices within the agreed-upon net terms, it is important to follow up with them or send a reminder. This will help you ensure that you are getting paid on time and avoid any negative consequences for your business. Many modern businesses find it challenging to track payment due dates and ensure timely payments.

There are a few different ways that you can follow up on unpaid invoices. 

• Through a phone call to the customer
• Through an email reminder for payment or a physical letter by post
• Through an automated email drip campaign

If you still haven’t received payment after following up, you can hire a collections agency. This is the last resort, but it can help you get the money that you are owed.

Tips for Offering Net Payment Terms

Now that we’ve gone over what net terms are and why they can be so beneficial, let’s take a look at a few things you should keep in mind while offering net terms to your customers:

(a) Be Clear and Concise

Make sure that your invoices or contracts clearly state the net payment terms you are offering. This will maintain the transparency between you and your customer about payment due dates and other terms.

(b) Be Flexible

Don’t be afraid to negotiate payment terms with your customers. You may find that some customers are willing to pay more quickly if you offer a discount for doing so.

(c) Offer Incentives

Consider offering incentives for customers who pay their invoices on time. This could include a small discount or early access to new products or services.

(d) Get Paid Quickly

One of the biggest benefits of offering net payment terms is getting paid more quickly. To make sure this happens, set up a system for tracking payments and follow up with late-paying customers as soon as possible.

(e) Penalty for Late Payments

While offering net terms to your B2B customers, you can also choose to charge them a penalty fee for the late payment of a break in the agreement of the decided net terms. This will help you receive net payments on time from your customers.

By following these tips, you can make sure that offering net payment terms is a smooth and successful process for both you and your customers.

Final Thoughts

Net payment terms are common in wholesale and B2B because business buyers often need time to receive goods, process invoices, and pay later.

Terms like Net 30, Net 60, and Net 90 can make buying easier for approved customers and may help increase larger orders. But they also create cash flow risk if you do not manage them properly.

On Shopify, you can offer net terms using native Shopify B2B payment terms, wholesale payment terms apps, or manual draft orders and invoices. The best setup depends on how many B2B buyers you have and how much control you need over approval, invoice, and checkout workflows.

For most wholesale stores, the safest approach is to start with trusted buyers, shorter terms, clear credit limits, and a simple payment reminder process.

FAQs

You can build a dealer portal on Shopify in 2026 using native Shopify B2B features, wholesale apps, or a mix of both.

If you use native Shopify B2B features, you can create companies, assign catalogs, offer payment terms, set quantity rules, and let approved buyers place self-serve B2B orders. Shopify also allows new B2B customers to request access using company account request forms through Shopify Forms. 

If you need more flexible dealer workflows, apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B, Wholesale Lock Manager B2B, and WSH Order Form & ReOrder can help you manage customer tag-based pricing, gated products, dealer-only pages, bulk order forms, and reorder flows.

For many stores, the best setup is not native B2B or apps only. It is a mix of Shopify’s built-in B2B features and purpose-built wholesale apps.

Key Takeaways

• A Shopify dealer portal gives approved dealers, distributors, or B2B buyers a private buying experience inside your store.
• A good dealer portal usually includes dealer login, account approval, custom pricing, restricted products, bulk ordering, payment terms, and reorder options.
• You can build a dealer portal on Shopify using native B2B features, wholesale apps, or a mix of both.
• Shopify B2B now supports company profiles, catalogs, payment terms, quantity rules, volume pricing, self-serve ordering, and company account requests depending on your plan and setup.
• Shopify Forms can be used to collect company account requests from new B2B buyers.
• Apps are still useful when you need customer tag-based pricing, login-based locking, quick order forms, regional rules, custom approval flows, or more flexible dealer portal control.
• The best dealer portal setup is the one that keeps retail customers, dealers, distributors, and sales reps on the right pricing and ordering flow.

What is a Shopify dealer portal?

A Shopify dealer portal is a private buying area for approved dealers, distributors, stockists, resellers, or wholesale customers.

Instead of showing every customer the same products, pricing, and payment options, a dealer portal lets you create a separate buying experience for business buyers.

A dealer portal can include:

• Dealer login
• Dealer application form
• Account approval workflow
• Dealer-only products or collections
• Custom pricing
• Volume discounts
• Minimum order rules
• Bulk order forms
• Net payment terms
• Reorder options
• Downloadable product sheets or marketing assets

This helps you sell retail and wholesale from the same Shopify store without confusing customer types.

Why a Dedicated Dealer Portal Matters for Your Shopify Store

B2B buyers including, wholesalers and distributors, have different needs compared to retail customers. They often require:

• Discounted pricing such as bulk or tiered pricing
• Early access to the exclusive products
• Partial payment terms like Net 30, Net 60, Net 90
• Faster reordering workflows
• Downloadable B2B invoicing or PDF reciepts
• Order history and Global market support

Trying to manage both retail and wholesale customers through the same storefron, without segmentation, can create friction. Common issues include:

• Retail buyers seeing wholesale prices
• Dealers placing orders without approval
• Confusing checkout and pricing workflows for both customer types

This can be solved by a dedicated dealer portal, that utilises customer tags or login-based controls to tailor pricing, workflows, and access based on the type of customer.

Native Shopify B2B vs dealer portal apps

Shopify’s native B2B features are useful when your dealer portal is built around companies, catalogs, payment terms, and self-serve ordering.

You can also use Shopify B2B catalogs to offer custom pricing, quantity rules, and volume pricing for wholesale customers. 

However, apps can still be useful when you need more control over access, pricing, and ordering flows.

Simple takeaway:

Use native Shopify B2B if your dealer portal is mostly about companies, catalogs, quantity rules, payment terms, and self-serve B2B ordering. Use apps when you need stronger control over gated access, customer tags, pricing visibility, quick order forms, and dealer-specific content.

How to Build a Dealer Portal on Shopify (Step-by-Step)

A dealer portal does not need to be complicated from day one. Start with the basics: dealer application, approval, pricing, product access, ordering, and payment terms.

Step 1: Create a dealer application or company account request form

To create a separate dealer login on your Shopify store, you need to add a dealer Signup and Login form to your Shopfy store that lets potential dealers apply for B2B access.

If you are using Shopify B2B, Shopify Forms can be used to create company account request forms for new B2B customers. Shopify’s documentation says merchants can use Shopify Forms to let new B2B customers request access to the online store. 

If you need a more customized application flow, you can use a wholesale signup form through Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B or a form builder app.

Step 2: Approve dealers and assign the right account type

After a dealer applies, review the application before giving access. You can approve dealers based on:

• Business type
• Location
• Resale certificate or tax details
• Expected order volume
• Product fit
• Distribution channel
• Payment eligibility

If you are using Shopify B2B, you can associate the customer with a company and a company location. A customer needs to be associated with one or more company locations to sign in as a B2B customer.

If you are using an app-based setup, you can assign customer tags such as:

• dealer-approved
• distributor-tier-1
• wholesale
• net-30-eligible
• b2b-usa
• b2b-uk
• vip-dealer

These tags can control pricing, product visibility, payment options, and content access.

Step 3: Restrict Access to the Dealer-Only Content

A dealer portal should make sure only approved buyers can access private products, pricing, and resources.

You may want to restrict:

• Dealer-only products
• Wholesale collections
• Price lists
• Training materials
• Product data sheets
• Marketing assets
• Dealer onboarding pages
• Warranty or support resources

You can manage this through native B2B catalogs, theme logic, password-protected pages, or an access control app like Wholesale Lock Manager B2B.

If your main need is to hide products, collections, pages, or pricing based on login status or customer tags, Wholesale Lock Manager B2B is usually the easier option.

Step 4: Set Up Custom Dealer Pricing

As mentioned earlier, once B2B customers are approved and tagged, you can assign them special pricing or discounts that differ from what retail customers see. Apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B can help you set custom pricing to specific products or collections, ensuring only tagged B2B buyers have access to these exclusive offers.

Further the app lets you,

• Assign custom pricing per tag or account
• Offer volume/tiered discounts
• Set Minimum Order Quantities or minimum cart totals
• Display dealer pricing only after login

For example, Dealers tagged distributor-tier-2 might see $80/unit instead of $120 MSRP

Step 5: Offer a Faster Ordering Experience (Optional)

Further, to perfect your dealer portal on Shopify or make it more personalized and CRO friendly to increase your average order volume and repeat orders, your can offer a faster ordering experience to them.

You can implement this on your store with a dealer-specific order form (bulk order form) that:

• Lists all products with SKUs, inventory, and price on a single page
• Lets buyers input quantities in-line
• Enables easy reorders of past purchases

Step 6: Control Checkout and Payment Options

For approved dealers, you also might want to:

• Offer Net Payment Terms (e.g., Net 30) 
• Allow draft order workflows
• Offer items in bundles or subscription basis
• Offer multiple product options such as colors, sizes, addons, etc.
• Use “Pay Later” logic or offline invoicing

You can do all this by integrating other third-party apps available on the Shopify App Store. Just make sure that they integrate easily and are compatible with each other.

By following these six steps with easily help you build a perfect dealer or distributor portal on Shopify and invite your B2B buyers to purchase in bulk from your store.

What a Shopify Dealer Portal Typically Includes (Feature Matrix)

Real-World Shopify Dealer Portal Example

Imagine a brand based in the USA, specializing in artisanal home decor, serving both individual retail buyers and institutional hotel suppliers globally.

Current Setup:

• Public Site: Showcases standard retail prices for individual consumers in USD
• Dealer Access:
  • A hotel supplier in Dubai (tagged b2b-uae, wholesale-tier-2) logs into the portal.
  • They see hidden product collections featuring industrial-grade furniture and exclusive bulk textiles.
  • Pricing is adjusted based on their wholesale-tier-2 tag, with a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) of $1000 USD (or equivalent AED).
  • At checkout, the “Pay by Invoice” option with “Net 60 terms” is enabled only for this b2b-uae tagged customer.
  • The portal provides access to downloadable marketing brochures for their region.

This setup ensures that the USA based brand can efficiently serve its diverse customer base without confusion, optimizing workflows for both local and international wholesale and b2b partners.

Essential App Stack for Your Shopify Dealer Portal (Optional but Highly Recommended)

To maximise functionality and efficiency, consider these apps:

Dealer Portal Setup on Shopify – Quick Checklist

Before launching your dealer portal, check the following:

• Dealer application form is live
• Approval process is clear
• Dealer tags or company profiles are set correctly
• Dealer-only products are hidden from retail customers
• Dealer pricing is showing only to approved buyers
• MOQ and volume pricing rules are working
• Bulk order form is tested
• Payment terms are assigned correctly
• Shipping rules are clear
• Dealer resources are locked or gated
• Test account has been created for each dealer tier
• Cart and checkout have been tested on desktop and mobile
• Internal team knows how to approve and manage dealers

Final Summary for your Shopify Dealer Portal

A Shopify dealer portal helps approved dealers, distributors, and B2B buyers access the right products, pricing, payment options, and resources from one place.

In 2026, you can build this in a few ways. Shopify’s native B2B features can help with companies, catalogs, payment terms, quantity rules, and self-serve ordering. Apps can help when you need more flexible access control, customer tag-based pricing, gated content, quick order forms, or dealer-specific workflows.

If you want to build a dealer portal without custom development, Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B, Wholesale Lock Manager B2B, and WSH Order Form & ReOrder can help you create a more complete dealer experience on Shopify.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Your Shopify Dealer Portal

• Shopify tiered pricing lets you offer lower per-unit prices when customers buy higher quantities.
• It is useful for B2B, wholesale, bulk ordering, refill products, and stores that want to increase average order value.
• Tiered pricing, volume discounts, and quantity breaks are closely related, but they are not always the same thing.
• Shopify B2B supports volume pricing and quantity rules through catalogs, including price breaks, minimum quantities, maximum quantities, and increments.
• Native B2B pricing is useful for catalog-based B2B setups, but apps are still useful when you need customer tag-based pricing, dynamic pricing tables, collection-level rules, quick order forms, or mixed B2B/B2C pricing.
• For wholesale stores, tiered pricing works best when it is clearly shown on the product page, cart, and bulk order form.
• Before launching tiered pricing, check your margins at every quantity break so larger orders do not become unprofitable.

If you are looking to increase average order value, encourage bulk purchases, or offer better pricing to wholesale customers on Shopify then tiered pricing can help. It lets you offer better per-unit pricing when customers buy in larger quantities.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Shopify tiered pricing works, how it compares with volume discounts, how to set it up using native Shopify B2B features or apps, and what to keep in mind before launching it on your store.

What is Shopify Tiered Pricing?

Shopify tiered pricing is a pricing strategy where the per-unit price changes based on the quantity purchased.

The more the customer buys, the lower the price per unit becomes.

Example:

This is also called quantity breaks, tiered discounts, or volume-based pricing.

Tiered pricing can be applied in different ways:

• Per product or SKU: The discount applies to one specific product or variant.
• Across a collection: The discount applies to products inside a selected collection.
• By customer group: Wholesale buyers, VIP customers, or distributors see different tiers.
• By cart quantity or value: The discount applies when the total cart quantity or value reaches a certain threshold.

For wholesale stores, tiered pricing is useful because it gives buyers a clear reason to increase their order size.

Tiered Pricing vs Volume Discount

Many Shopify merchants get confused with these two. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they are different:

Simple example:

• Tiered pricing: 1–9 units = $20 each, 10–49 units = $18 each, 50+ units = $15 each.
• Volume discount: Buy 50 units and get 15% off.
• Cart value discount: Spend $500 and get $50 off.

For B2B and wholesale stores, tiered pricing is usually better when buyers need clear per-unit pricing. Volume discounts are useful when you want to encourage larger cart values. If you are planning a wholesale pricing setup, it helps to first understand how to set quantity breaks and volume discounts so your tiers are simple for buyers and profitable for your store.

Who Should Use Tiered Pricing on Shopify?

Tiered pricing is useful for any Shopify store that wants customers to buy more units or place larger orders.

It is especially useful for:

1. Wholesale and B2B stores
   Buyers can get better pricing when they purchase in larger quantities.
2. Manufacturers and distributors
   Pricing can be based on case packs, cartons, pallets, or order volume.
3. DTC brands
   Retail customers can be encouraged to buy bundles, refills, or multi-packs.
4. Subscription and refill businesses
   Customers can be encouraged to buy larger quantities less frequently.
5. VIP or loyalty programs
   Logged-in VIP customers can receive special pricing tiers.
6. Global wholesale stores
   Different buyer groups can have different pricing tiers by region or currency.
7. Stores with repeat buyers
   Returning customers can reorder more easily when pricing tiers are simple and visible.

Types of tiered pricing rules you can use on Shopify

Before setting up tiered pricing, decide what type of rule you need.

Product-level tiered pricing

This applies quantity breaks to one product.

Example: Buy 10+ units of Product A and get a lower price per unit.

Variant-level tiered pricing

This applies different quantity breaks to specific variants.

Example: The black large variant has different quantity breaks than the white small variant.

Collection-level tiered pricing

This applies quantity-based pricing to products inside a collection.

Example: Buy 25+ items from the “Wholesale Skincare” collection and get better pricing.

Customer group-based tiered pricing

This shows different pricing to different customer groups.

Example: Retail customers see regular pricing, while wholesale customers see special quantity breaks.

Cart quantity-based discount

This applies when the total cart quantity crosses a threshold.

Example: Buy 100 total units and get 15% off.

Cart value-based discount

This applies when the cart value reaches a certain amount.

Example: Spend $1,000 and get $100 off.

How to Set Up Shopify Tiered Discounts

There are three main ways to set up tiered pricing on Shopify:

1. Use Shopify B2B volume pricing and quantity rules
2. Use Shopify discounts
3. Use a Shopify tiered pricing app

The right method depends on how advanced your pricing rules are.

Method 1: Use Shopify B2B volume pricing and quantity rules

If you are using Shopify B2B, you can set volume pricing and quantity rules inside catalogs.

This is useful when you want to offer B2B buyers different price breaks based on quantity.

With Shopify B2B catalogs, you can set:

• Volume pricing
• Quantity breaks
• Minimum order quantity
• Maximum order quantity
• Quantity increments
• Product or variant-level rules

Shopify also allows up to 10 quantity breaks when adding volume pricing through CSV, and those price breaks need to match the related quantity break. 

This method is best if:

• You use Shopify B2B catalogs
• You want native B2B price breaks
• You need product or variant-level volume pricing
• You want pricing tied to companies or B2B catalogs
• You want quantity rules and volume pricing together

This method may not be enough if:

• You want dynamic pricing tables on product pages
• You want customer tag-based pricing outside native B2B
• You want collection-level tiered pricing
• You sell to both retail and wholesale customers from one flow
• You want pricing to work inside a custom quick order form
• You need more control over visibility or app-based rules

Method 2: Use Shopify discounts

Shopify’s built-in discount tools can work for simple offers.

You can create discount codes, automatic discounts, or sale prices for individual products. Shopify’s discount docs say merchants can create monetary value discounts, percentage discounts, Buy X Get Y offers, and free shipping discounts. 

This can work for offers like:

• Buy 10+, get 10% off
• Spend $500, get $50 off
• Buy X, get Y
• Free shipping above a threshold

This method is best if:

• You need a simple promotional discount
• You do not need customer-specific wholesale pricing
• You do not need a visible tiered pricing table
• You do not need complex B2B pricing rules

This method may not be enough if:

• You need fixed per-unit tiered prices
• You need different pricing by customer group
• You need pricing tables on product pages
• You need wholesale-only visibility
• You need different tiers by product, variant, or collection
• You want B2B buyers to see pricing before checkout

Method 3: Use a Shopify tiered pricing app

For most wholesale and B2B stores, a dedicated tiered pricing app gives more control.

A Shopify tiered pricing app can help you:

• Set product-level pricing tiers
• Set variant-level pricing tiers
• Create customer group or tag-based pricing
• Show pricing tables on product pages
• Apply different rules for retail and wholesale buyers
• Create collection-level quantity breaks
• Combine tiered pricing with minimum order quantity
• Connect pricing with bulk order forms
• Show or hide pricing based on login status or customer type

Recommended App: Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B. This app is widely regarded for its comprehensive capabilities. It allows you to:

• Set tiered pricing per tag or customer group.
• Offer fixed prices or percentage discounts at specific volume breakpoints.
• Automatically adjust pricing based on quantity in the cart.
• Integrate with other crucial B2B features like Net Terms, Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs), and B2B signup forms.
• Enable you to operate an only B2B or a B2B + B2C (Wholesale and retail) combined store on Shopify.

Native Shopify B2B vs tiered pricing app

Shopify’s native B2B features are useful if you want catalog-based pricing for approved companies.

In 2026, Shopify expanded native B2B features to more merchants, including company profiles, custom catalogs with tailored pricing, volume discounts, quantity rules, vaulted credit cards, and payment terms. 

However, many stores still use apps when they need more flexibility.

Simple takeaway:

Use native Shopify B2B when your setup is mostly based on companies, catalogs, and native price breaks. Use an app when you need more flexible pricing rules, display control, customer tags, and wholesale-specific workflows.

Real-World Example: Tiered pricing for a wholesale skincare brand

Let’s say you sell skincare products to salons, clinics, and retailers.

Product: Hydrating Face Serum
Retail price: $24 per unit

Wholesale pricing tiers:

In this setup:

• Retail customers can buy one product at the normal price.
• Approved wholesale buyers get lower per-unit pricing when they order at least 12 units.
• Larger distributors get deeper pricing at 96+ units.
• The product page shows a pricing table so buyers can see how much they save by ordering more.
• The cart updates the price when the buyer increases the quantity.

This type of setup works well for B2B because buyers can clearly understand the pricing ladder before placing an order.

Where to show tiered pricing on your Shopify store

Tiered pricing should not be hidden until checkout. Buyers should understand the pricing before they add products to cart.

Good places to show tiered pricing include:

• Product page
• Product pricing table
• Bulk order form
• Cart page
• Quick order page
• Wholesale portal
• Customer account area
• B2B catalog pages

Example product page message:

Buy 12+ units and pay $16 each.
Buy 48+ units and pay $14 each.
Buy 96+ units and pay $11.50 each.

Clear pricing reduces confusion and encourages buyers to increase their order quantity.

Best Practices for Implementing Tiered Pricing on Shopify

To make tiered pricing work well, keep the setup clear and profitable.

• Show pricing tiers clearly on the product page.
• Use simple quantity breaks like 10, 25, 50, 100, or case-pack quantities.
• Check your margins at every tier.
• Do not offer deep discounts without knowing fulfillment and shipping costs.
• Use customer groups or tags when different buyers need different pricing.
• Keep retail and wholesale pricing separate.
• Show tiered pricing inside bulk order forms when possible.
• Use MOQ with tiered pricing if you want to avoid small wholesale orders.
• Test the pricing in cart and checkout before going live.
• Make sure the pricing table works well on mobile.
• Review tier performance regularly and adjust breakpoints if buyers are not moving to higher tiers.

Recommended Shopify Tiered Pricing Apps

Final Summary

Shopify tiered pricing is a useful way to encourage larger orders and give better pricing to wholesale or bulk buyers.

You can set up tiered pricing in a few ways. Shopify B2B volume pricing and quantity rules can work well for catalog-based B2B pricing. Shopify’s built-in discounts can work for simple promotions. For more flexible rules, customer-specific pricing, product-page pricing tables, and mixed B2B/B2C workflows, a tiered pricing app is usually easier to manage.

The best setup depends on your store. If you only need simple price breaks for approved B2B companies, native Shopify B2B may be enough. If you need customer tags, collection-level rules, dynamic pricing tables, or wholesale order form integration, Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B can give you more control.

Before launching, keep your tiers simple, show them clearly, and check your margins at every breakpoint.

FAQs

• Combining discounts on Shopify allows your customers to use more than one discount on the same order.
• Shopify discounts are grouped into discount classes: product discounts, order discounts, and shipping discounts.
• You can combine discount codes and automatic discounts, but each discount must be configured to allow combinations.
• Shopify can combine product discounts, order discounts, and free shipping discounts depending on the combination settings.
• Not every discount can stack with every other discount. If two discounts apply to the same item or conflict with each other, Shopify applies the best eligible discount.
• For wholesale stores, discount combinations are useful for volume discounts, customer-specific pricing, free shipping, bulk order incentives, and B2B promotions.
• If you need advanced discount logic, customer-specific pricing, tiered discounts, or wholesale rules, a Shopify discount app may be easier than managing everything manually.

Shopify lets merchants combine eligible discounts across product, order, and shipping discount types. You can use this to create better promotions, but you also need to set the rules carefully so discounts do not stack in a way that hurts your margins.

In this guide, we’ll explain how Shopify discount combinations work, what types of discounts can be combined, how to set them up, and what to keep in mind if you run a wholesale or B2B store.

What is Combining Discounts on Shopify?

Combining discounts on Shopify means allowing customers to use more than one eligible discount on the same order.

For example, a customer may get:

• 10% off selected products
• $20 off the total order
• Free shipping

Shopify groups discounts into three main classes:

When you create a discount in Shopify, you can choose whether it can combine with other discount classes. Shopify’s own documentation says merchants can set up both automatic discounts and discount codes to combine, and each discount belongs to a class depending on what it applies to. 

Why is it important to combine discounts in the ecommerce industry?

There are many benefits to offering combined discounts on your store that help enhance your sales strategy and increase average order value. You can either configure automated discounts on your store OR you can allowyour customers to apply their discounts manually with discount codes.

Additionally, you can combine multiple discounts on Shopify and make it as a part of your Shopify loyalty program. Doing this will encourage your customers to shop more frequently on your store and build a lasting relationship with your brand.

With so much competition in the ecommerce industry, store owners need to find creative ways to display and market their brands on the Internet to quickly capture the attention of potential customers. And, combining discounts is one effective way to do this.

Types of discounts available on Shopify

Shopify offers merchants 4 types of discount settings:

1. Amount off products
2. Buy X get Y
3. Amount off order
4. Free shipping

Types of discount ‘combinations’ available on Shopify

In Shopify admin, when merchants/customers create discounts, it falls under these discount categories such as Product discounts, Order discounts, and Shipping discounts. We’ll learn more about how to set these discounts later in this article (below).

When you create a discount (code) for an order, you can combine this discount with any of the categories mentioned above. For example, if you create a discount code for free shipping, you can combine this discount code with 20% off on a specific product. So this becomes a combination of Shipping discount + Product discount.

Here are the common discount combinations you can create in Shopify.

How to implement combined discounts on Shopify?

A. Product + Product

A product + product discount combination means more than one product discount can apply in the same order.

For example:

• 10% off Product A
• 15% off Product B

If the customer buys both products, both discounts can apply to the order as long as the discounts are eligible and combination settings allow it.

This is useful when you want to promote multiple collections or product groups at the same time.

However, do not assume that two product discounts will always stack on the exact same product line. If multiple product discounts apply to the same item, Shopify may apply the best eligible discount instead of stacking every discount on top of the same line item.

How to combine product + product discounts:

1. In Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
2. Click Create discount.
3. Choose Amount off products.
4. Create your first product discount.
5. In the Combinations section, allow it to combine with product discounts if available.
6. Create the second product discount.
7. Make sure the second discount also allows the right combination.
8. Test the cart with eligible products before publishing the offer.

B. Product + Free Shipping

A product + free shipping combination lets customers receive a product discount and free shipping on the same order.

For example:

• 20% off selected products
• Free shipping on orders above $100

This works well when you want to promote specific products but also remove shipping friction at checkout.

How to combine product + free shipping discounts:

1. In Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
2. Create a product discount using Amount off products.
3. In the Combinations section, allow the product discount to combine with shipping discounts.
4. Create a free shipping discount.
5. In the free shipping discount’s Combinations section, allow it to combine with product discounts.
6. Add any minimum purchase requirement if needed.
7. Test the cart to make sure both discounts apply correctly.

C. Product + Order 

A product + order discount combination lets customers receive a discount on specific products and another discount on the full order.

For example:

• 10% off selected products
• $25 off orders above $250

This is useful when you want to promote specific products while also encouraging a higher cart value.

How to combine product + order discounts:

1. In Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
2. Create an Amount off products discount.
3. Allow it to combine with order discounts.
4. Create an Amount off order discount.
5. Allow it to combine with product discounts.
6. Add minimum purchase or customer eligibility rules if needed.
7. Test the cart with eligible products and order value.

D. Order + Free Shipping

An order + free shipping combination lets customers receive a cart-level discount and free shipping together.

For example:

• $50 off orders above $500
• Free shipping on orders above $500

This can work well for larger orders because the customer gets both a price incentive and a shipping incentive.

How to combine order + free shipping discounts:

1. In Shopify admin, go to Discounts.
2. Create an Amount off order discount.
3. Allow it to combine with shipping discounts.
4. Create a Free shipping discount.
5. Allow it to combine with order discounts.
6. Add minimum order value rules if needed.
7. Test the cart and checkout experience.

E. Order + Order

To combine an Order discount with another Order discount, you need to have at least 2 Order discounts created.

To do this combination, follow the steps mentioned just above for Order + Shipping and click on the Order discounts checkbox (as shown in below screenshot)

And, save all your settings by clicking on the Save button. There you go.

Discount codes vs automatic discounts

Shopify lets you create both discount codes and automatic discounts.

Discount codes give you more control and tracking. Automatic discounts reduce friction because customers do not need to enter a code.

You can use both, but make sure the combination settings are correct. If an automatic discount and a discount code are not eligible to combine, Shopify will only apply the best eligible discount.

Shopify’s discount documentation confirms merchants can create discount codes, automatic discounts, and sale prices for individual products. 

Best practices for creating effective and profitable discount combinations

Combining discounts can increase conversions, but it can also reduce margins if the rules are not planned properly. Here are some best practices:

1. Know the best time – This could be during seasonal sales, holidays, or even during slow business periods.
   
2. Use as an upsell opportunity – Offer a discount on a bundle of products or a certain minimum order amount to encourage customers to purchase more at once.
   
3. Make a strategy –  Instead of offering blanket discount on entire store, choose specific products or categories that you want to promote or need a sales boost.
   
4. Use tiered discounts for larger orders – Offering volume discounts or tiered pricing will not only encourage customers to buy more but also will help increase your store’s average order value (AOV).
   
5. Combine discounts with limited-time offers – To boost the effectiveness of your discounts, consider adding a time limitation to them. This will create a sense of urgency and scarcity, encouraging customers to act quickly before the offer expires.

Combining discounts for wholesale and B2B stores

Wholesale stores need to be more careful with discount combinations because wholesale pricing already has lower margins.

For example, a wholesale buyer may already receive customer-specific pricing or volume discounts. If they also receive an order discount and free shipping, the final margin can become too low.

For wholesale stores, it is better to create clear rules such as:

• Volume discounts only for approved wholesale customers
• Free shipping only above a minimum order value
• Discount codes only for selected customer groups
• Product discounts only on selected collections
• Net terms only for approved buyers
• Separate retail and wholesale promotions

If your store needs customer-specific pricing, volume discounts, or wholesale-only rules, it may help to compare top B2B apps for wholesale pricing and tiers on Shopify before deciding how to manage customer-specific discounts.

Conclusion

Shopify discount combinations can help you create better promotions by allowing eligible product, order, and shipping discounts to work together.

You can use combinations like product + order, product + free shipping, order + free shipping, or all three together. But the most important part is setting the rules carefully.

Before launching any combined discount, check the discount type, combination settings, customer eligibility, minimum purchase rules, and final margin impact.

For regular stores, discount combinations can help increase conversions and average order value. For wholesale stores, they should be used more carefully because wholesale pricing already includes lower margins.

If you need more control over customer-specific pricing, volume discounts, or wholesale-only discount rules, using a Shopify wholesale pricing app can make the setup easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

• A Shopify loyalty program is an incentive system that rewards customers with points, tiers, discounts, or perks to drive repeat purchases and lifetime value.
• Shopify does not have a built-in loyalty program. Merchants add one through third-party apps like Smile.io, Rivo, BON Loyalty, Joy, Loloyal, Growave, and AiTrillion.
• Loyalty program members generate 12 to 18 percent more incremental revenue per year than non-members.
• 90 percent of companies running a loyalty program report positive ROI, averaging 4.8x return.
• Top-performing loyalty programs lift annual revenue from enrolled customers by 15 to 25 percent.
• Tiered loyalty programs deliver 1.8x higher ROI than flat point-based programs.
• B2B loyalty works differently. Net terms, priority fulfillment, and volume-tier pricing outperform simple points in wholesale.

In 2026, a loyalty program is no longer a growth lever that only large Shopify brands can afford. Most merchants now run one in some form, and the ROI numbers are hard to ignore. The real question has shifted from whether you should have a loyalty program to what kind actually moves the needle for your store.

This guide covers how Shopify loyalty programs work, the numbers behind their impact in 2026, how to set one up, and the apps worth installing.

What does a Shopify loyalty program mean?

A Shopify loyalty program is an incentive-based system that rewards repeat customers with points, discounts, tiers, or exclusive perks. Customers earn value for specific actions like placing an order, signing up, writing a review, referring a friend, or reaching a spend threshold.

The goal is simple. Get more repeat purchases, raise average order value, and reduce how much you spend chasing new customers.

Most Shopify stores run loyalty through a third-party app. Shopify does not ship a native loyalty engine, which is why the Shopify App Store has hundreds of options in this category.

Loyalty program stats worth knowing in 2026

These numbers matter more than general “loyalty is good” talk. They give you a baseline for what a working program should return.

• Loyal customers spend 67 percent more than first-time buyers.
• Members of loyalty programs generate 12 to 18 percent more incremental revenue per year than non-members.
• 90 percent of companies with a loyalty program report positive ROI, with an average return of 4.8x.
• Top-performing programs boost revenue from enrolled customers by 15 to 25 percent annually.
• A 5 percent increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25 to 95 percent.
• Tiered loyalty programs deliver 1.8x higher ROI than flat point-based programs.
• It costs 5 to 25 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one.
• 81 percent of consumers say loyalty programs make them more likely to keep buying from a brand.
• The global loyalty management market is valued at roughly 17.4 billion USD in 2026 and projected to hit 32.5 billion by 2031.

The pattern is clear. Retention compounds. A small shift in your repeat purchase rate moves profit more than a big shift in new customer acquisition.

A real example of a Shopify loyalty program

We looked at the reward program of one of our customers named Dip. The dip is a personal care company that offers a wide range of soap bars, dips, and other kinds of accessories. 

Dip runs a reward program called “dip dollars”, which is designed to reward customers for their loyalty and encourage them to return to the store. The program offers points for every action completed on their store, such as signing up, placing an order, following them on social, and more.

Now that we’ve learned why loyalty programs are important for Shopify stores, let’s go ahead and discuss how to set up a loyalty program on your Shopify store.

How to create a loyalty program on Shopify? (4 simple steps)

Creating an effective Shopify loyalty program requires research and planning, but the reward is worth the effort. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Define objectives to run a Shopify reward program

Before doing anything, you need to identify what goals you want to achieve with the reward/loyalty program.

For example(s) –
(a) do you want to increase customer retention or boost sales?
(b) do you want your customers to share your products on their social media?
(c) do you want to attract new signups to your Shopify store?

Establishing key objectives upfront will help you create an appropriate reward system later on.

Step 2: Determine the level and type of rewards

After deciding on the objective of the Shopify loyalty program that you want to run on your Shopify store, it’s now time to select which type of rewards is best suited for your Shopify store (financial or non-financial rewards).

Here are the different types of rewards you can offer in your loyalty program:

(a) Point-based rewards
Spend ‘X’ dollars to earn ‘Y’ points.

(b) Discount rewards
Spend ‘X’ dollars to get a ‘Z’ percent discount on your next purchase.

(c) Tier-based rewards
Spend ‘X’ dollars in ‘A’ number of months to move to ‘Q’ level, where you’ll receive ‘Y’ number of points after each purchase.

(d) Hybrid rewards
This type of rewards system is a mix of point-based & tier-based rewards.

Step 3: Set up the Shopify loyalty program on your store

After determining the rewards level and type of your loyalty program, it’s now time to implement a loyalty program in your store.

• To do this, go to the Shopify app store
• Type ‘rewards‘ in the search box
• Choose a third-party Shopify loyalty app (we recommend you to carefully go through the app’s description to look for your best-suited requirements)
• Click on the Add app button
• Set up the added app and follow the instructions given by the app’s documentation to create a loyalty program.

Don’t worry. If you’re unsure about which app to select, we’ve mentioned the best Shopify loyalty apps below in this article.

Step 4: Promote your loyalty program

Once you have activated your loyalty program and customers are enjoying its rewards, it is essential to promote the program further in order to achieve increased involvement from your existing and new customer base.

To do this, you can use different marketing channels like email, social media, paid ads, etc., to create awareness about your loyalty programs.

You can also share customer reviews or feedback on your Shopify store as well as social pages, which will help other shoppers know about the advantages of joining your reward program.

Also, don’t forget to include a link for signup on every page of your store – preferably at the top & bottom of all website pages. This will make it easier for visitors to find and join your loyalty program.

Follow the above-mentioned four easy steps and create and manage a successful loyalty program on your Shopify store.

How much do loyalty programs increase sales of your Shopify store?

Stores with well-designed loyalty programs typically see a 15 to 25 percent lift in annual revenue from enrolled customers. Loyalty members generate 12 to 18 percent more incremental revenue than non-members, and members who actually redeem rewards spend roughly 3.1 times more per year than members who do not.

Your number depends on three variables: repeat purchase cycle, margin flexibility, and how well you promote the program. A jewelry store with 180-day repeat cycles will see different numbers than a coffee brand with 30-day cycles. A program you forget to promote will underperform regardless of app.

7 Best Shopify Loyalty Apps In 2026 [Updated Reviews]

With these Shopify loyalty program apps, you’ll be able to reward customers with points or discounts when they purchase items in your store, offer membership tiers with exclusive benefits, and more – all while boosting customer engagement and increasing sales.

Here are seven of the best Shopify loyalty program apps for your e-commerce store (apps are mentioned rating-wise):

1. Smile: Loyalty & Rewards

(4.9 Rating from 4195+ Reviews)

Smile is a most-added Shopify loyalty app available in the Shopify app store that offers you to reward customers for engaging with your brand. It allows you to set up loyalty, referrals, and VIP reward programs with customization and easy integration with other third-party Shopify apps.

2. Rivo: Loyalty & Referrals

(4.8 Rating from 1360+ Reviews)

Rivo is a fully customizable Shopify reward program that provides customers with points for their purchases and rewards them with exclusive discounts. The app also offers a developer toolkit for store owners to create their own features and customizations on the Rivo platform.

3. Joy: Rewards, Loyalty Program

(4.9 Rating from 1648+ Reviews)

Joy is an advanced Shopify loyalty program app that allows you to set up automatic points earning and customize rewards, discount codes, and commission programs.

4. BON Loyalty Rewards Referrals

(5.0 Rating from 1758+ Reviews)

BON app is a complete Shopify loyalty program app that offers both reward points and referral programs. The app allows customers to earn, track, and redeem points while providing them with unique VIP perks for referrals in 18 ways.

5. TrustWILL Loyalty & Referrals

(4.9 Rating from 762+ Reviews)

TrustWILL Loyalty & Referrals is an easy-to-use loyalty and referral program app that offers a wide range of features to increase customer loyalty and repeat purchases. It also helps in community building and marketing by managing valued customers’ data with diverse VIP tiers.

6. Growave

(4.8 Rating from 1226+ Reviews)

Growave is an all-in-one Shopify marketing app that offers a loyalty program, rewards, reviews, gift cards and much more. This app has been specifically designed to incorporate the best features from other apps in order to provide an unparalleled user experience.

7. AiT Loyalty Review Email & SMS

(4.8 Rating from 253+ Reviews)

AiTrillion is a powerful all-in-one Shopify loyalty app that helps merchants boost customer retention by rewarding repeat purchases, referrals, reviews, birthdays, and more. It offers a fully customizable loyalty program built into a complete marketing ecosystem—no need for multiple apps.

Why a Shopify loyalty program is important for your online stores? (with an example)

Running a customer loyalty program in your B2C or B2B Shopify store helps you in many ways, such as retaining customer relationships, increasing repeat sales, attracting new customers, and also helps you stay ahead of your competitors.

Here are a few more reasons:

#1. Helps you increase customer engagement

Shopify loyalty programs are an effective way to increase and retain customer interaction with your brand, which leads to more engagement. By providing rewards for customers’ purchases, you can create an emotional connection with your customers and encourage them to return to your Shopify store in the future for more purchases.

#2. Gives you the option to provide personalized shopping experiences

With Shopify loyalty programs, you can personalize your customers’ shopping experience by offering rewards that are tailored to their individual needs. You can also have a separate section on your store that lists products that can only be purchased with the earned reward points.

#3. Improves your customer retention rate

In addition to keeping customers engaged, Shopify loyalty programs also help you improve your customer retention rate. By providing rewards for regular purchases in your store, you can create an incentive for your customers to keep coming back.

#4. Helps you increase customer lifetime value (LTV)

Offering reward/loyalty programs also encourages your customers to spend more in your store, thus increasing their lifetime value (LTV) and boosting your sales.

#5. Provides you with insights into buying patterns

By tracking customers’ purchases and reward points, you can get valuable insights into their buying patterns. This helps you make informed decisions while creating Shopify marketing campaigns or launching or adding new products to your Shopify store.

#6. Helps you generate brand awareness without any effort

Running a Shopify reward program gives you an easy way to generate brand awareness. Every time a customer is satisfied with your service, they may share their experience and refer your store to others, like friends or family. This directly boosts your brand awareness without any extra effort from your side.

#7. Of course! Boost profits

Ultimately, Shopify loyalty programs help you boost your profits in every way. By providing rewards and incentives, you create a win-win situation for both you and the customer that results in happy customers and more sales.

How do I choose the best Shopify loyalty app?

When evaluating different Shopify loyalty programs apps, there are several factors you should consider in order to make an educated decision about which app will be most suitable for your business needs:

Check for:

• Ease of Use – How simple is it for customers to sign up and redeem rewards on the platform?
• Integrations – Does the loyalty program integrate with other Shopify apps and systems?
• Features & Functionality – Does it offer features such as tiered rewards, referral programs, etc.?
• Price & Cost – How much does the app cost and what value does it return to your business?
• Customer Support – Is customer support offered by the app available with the shortest response time?
  

Ultimately, you should pick a Shopify loyalty app that meets all of your desired features and requirements while remaining cost-effective.

Summing up

Offering Shopify loyalty programs in your store can provide many benefits for businesses and help them increase their sales. A loyalty program with reward points or discounts is a great way to encourage customers to come back for repeat orders and keep them loyal longer. Signing up for one of the Shopify loyalty apps can take away most of the effort from business owners, leaving them with more time to focus solely on their businesses. All in all, a loyalty program on your Shopify store is a wise investment that’s sure to pay off in the end.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Selling wholesale online means selling products in bulk to retailers, resellers, distributors, or other businesses instead of individual consumers.
• A wholesale business usually works with lower per-unit prices, larger order quantities, custom pricing, minimum order rules, and longer buyer relationships.
• You can sell wholesale through marketplaces like Faire, Amazon Business, and Alibaba, or build your own wholesale store on platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento.
• Marketplaces can help you reach buyers faster, but your own website gives you more control over branding, customer data, pricing, margins, and repeat orders.
• To start selling wholesale online, you need to choose products, set up legal and tax basics, source from reliable suppliers, choose your platform, create wholesale pricing, enable bulk ordering, and set up payment terms.
• Shopify now supports more native B2B features, but many stores still use wholesale apps when they need more flexible pricing, customer groups, order forms, net terms, or custom workflows.
• A good wholesale store should make it easy for buyers to see their pricing, place large orders, reorder quickly, and understand payment and shipping terms.

Starting a wholesale business online in 2026 can be a strong opportunity for brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers who want to sell in larger order volumes.

Unlike regular retail, wholesale is not just about getting one customer to buy one product. It is about building relationships with business buyers who may place repeat orders, buy in bulk, and expect different pricing, payment terms, and ordering options.

In this guide, we will cover what a wholesale business is, how wholesale is different from retail, whether you should sell on a marketplace or your own website, and the main steps to start selling wholesale online.

Understanding the Wholesale Business Model

The wholesale business model is about selling products in larger quantities to retailers, resellers, distributors, or other businesses. These buyers usually purchase products in bulk and then resell them, use them in their own business, or distribute them further.

Unlike retail, where customers buy one or a few products for personal use, wholesale usually involves lower per-unit prices and higher order quantities. This allows wholesalers to generate revenue from larger order values, repeat purchases, and long-term business relationships.

Wholesale is also becoming more digital. More business buyers now expect online catalogs, custom pricing, bulk ordering, account-based access, and flexible payment terms. This is one reason why many wholesale businesses are moving from manual ordering and spreadsheets to ecommerce platforms.

How is selling wholesale online different from selling retail online?

The main difference is the buyer.

Retail means selling directly to individual customers. Wholesale means selling to businesses that usually buy in larger quantities and may need different pricing, payment terms, order rules, and product access.

Here is a simple comparison:

This is why a wholesale store usually needs more than a normal ecommerce setup. You may need customer-specific pricing, minimum order quantities, bulk order forms, payment terms, custom shipping rules, and restricted product access

Read Also

• B2B Wholesale – The Ultimate Guide
• How To Buy Wholesale Products to Resell on Your Shopify? [6 Easy Steps]

Ways to start selling wholesale online: Marketplace vs your own website

When you start selling wholesale online, one of the first decisions is where you want to sell.

You can either list your products on wholesale marketplaces or build your own e-commerce website. Both options can work, but they are very different in terms of control, margins, buyer ownership, and long-term growth.

Selling wholesale on Marketplace

Wholesale marketplaces like Faire, Alibaba, Amazon Business, and other B2B marketplaces can help you reach buyers who are already looking for wholesale products.

They are useful when you want faster discovery and do not want to build traffic from scratch.

Advantages

• Existing buyer traffic – Marketplaces already have business buyers searching for products.
• Faster setup – You can usually create a seller account and upload products without building a full website.
• Trust factor – Buyers may feel more comfortable ordering through a known marketplace.
• Payment processing – Marketplaces usually handle payment collection and some buyer protection.
• Good for early testing – You can test whether buyers are interested in your products before investing heavily in your own site.

Disadvantages

• Marketplace fees – You may pay commissions, listing fees, or other platform charges.
• Less control over branding – Your products appear inside the marketplace experience, not your own brand experience.
• More competition – Buyers can compare you directly with similar sellers.
• Limited customer ownership – You may not get full control over buyer data, remarketing, or long-term communication.
• Platform dependency – Changes in marketplace rules, fees, or rankings can affect your sales.

Selling wholesale on your own site

Building your own wholesale website gives you more control over the full buying experience. It takes more effort than joining a marketplace, but it can be better for long-term brand building, repeat orders, and customer relationships.

Advantages

• Full branding control – You can create a buying experience that feels like your brand.
• Better margins – You avoid marketplace commissions and can keep more of your revenue.
• Direct customer relationships – You own the buyer relationship, email list, and customer data.
• More pricing flexibility – You can create custom pricing, volume discounts, customer groups, and private catalogs.
• Better repeat ordering – You can make it easy for buyers to log in, reorder, and manage their wholesale account.
• Long-term SEO value – Your website can build organic traffic over time.

Disadvantages

1. You need to drive traffic – SEO, ads, email, partnerships, and outreach become your responsibility.
2. More setup work – You need to set up products, pricing, payments, shipping, forms, and buyer access.
3. Technical maintenance – You need to manage your ecommerce platform, apps, and website updates.
4. More operational ownership – You handle buyer communication, payment workflows, and wholesale policies yourself.

For many wholesale brands, the best approach is not either/or. You can use marketplaces for discovery and your own website for long-term buyer relationships, better margins, and repeat ordering.

8 steps to start a wholesale business online

1. Find the best wholesale products to sell online

The first step is to conduct market research and find out the best wholesale products to sell online which have high demand, easy sourcing processes, low maintenance inventory processes, and high-profit margins.

You can use tools like Google Trends and other e-commerce reports to understand the products that are in high demand and have good profit margins to ensure more sales for your store.

Try to look for products that solve common problems, cater to specific interests, or are everyday essentials, as this will ensure that the demand is consistent irrespective of changing market conditions.

2. Set up the legal and tax basics

The next step is to understand the legalities and set up the business correctly as per its category. Different regions will have different business types, such as sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and private limited company.

Choose the structure that best fits your business model. Once selected, you have to then register your business with the appropriate government authorities, choose a business name, complete necessary paperwork, etc.

Additionally, you need to ensure that you comply with all tax obligations and e-commerce regulations in your region. This includes understanding your income tax, sales tax, VAT, GST, etc. You will also need to set up a consumer privacy policy and shopping terms and conditions for your business.

3. Source products from reliable manufacturers or suppliers

Research and connect with suppliers or manufacturers to source the products that you want to sell. You can choose products from sourcing websites like AliExpress, Alibaba, DHgate, etc. Stores in the United States can use platforms like United States Wholesale to find wholesalers and product manufacturers.

Before committing, ensure that you thoroughly vet suppliers by checking reviews, requesting samples, and verifying their business credentials. Also, try to find multiple suppliers and negotiate the sourcing price of the products. Also set up clear agreement terms, including minimum order quantities, delivery schedules, and payment terms to ensure that things run smoothly for both you and the supplier.

4. Choose where you want to sell

Next, decide whether you want to sell through a marketplace, your own website, or both.

A marketplace can help you reach buyers faster, but it may come with fees, competition, and less control over buyer relationships.

Your own website gives you more control over pricing, branding, buyer data, and repeat ordering. However, you will need to invest in marketing, SEO, email, ads, and customer acquisition.

If you are serious about building a long-term wholesale channel, your own website is usually worth considering because it gives you more control over the complete buying experience.

5. Set your wholesale pricing strategy

Unlike B2C selling where generally there is standard pricing for all the customers, in wholesale or B2B selling, you have to set up customised pricing for different customers and offer deals like combining discounts, volume discounts, tiered pricing, and more.
If you are not sure how to structure larger order discounts, it helps to first understand how to set up MOQ and volume discounts so your pricing rules are clear for both your team and your buyers.

6. Install Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B on Shopify

Shopify is one of the most powerful platforms today to sell wholesale online. Moreover, using apps like Wholesale Pricing Discount available on the Shopify app store, users can create customised pricing and discounts, offer bulk discounts, create wholesale sign-up form, offer net payment terms, set up advanced shipping rates and more.

Plus, the app now allows you to take your wholesale business global by its recently launched Global Plan. Using the global plan, you can start selling B2B to customers beyond your geography without worrying about the associated operations headaches as the app takes care of most of it.

7. Enable bulk ordering on your store

When you are selling wholesale online on your store,  you need to ensure that your customers find it super convenient to order products in bulk quantities from you. You can enable this by incorporating a bulk order form in your store.

If buyers regularly place large orders, it is worth looking at some quick order form apps so they can order faster without moving between multiple product pages.

Not having a bulk order form will require customers to manually go and add products one by one. This process can be super frustrating it involves a lot of back-and-forth movement between pages selecting products and their quantities. A bulk-order form provides a seamless shopping experience for bulk buyers.

8. Set up net payment terms

When you sell wholesale in your store, you have to set up and provide flexible payment terms to your customers. This is done by offering net payment terms like Net 30, 60, and 90, meaning customers can pay for the order in a set time frame in future. Offering net terms helps both the wholesaler and the retailer to maintain a healthy cash flow in their business.

Wholesale website features you need

A wholesale website needs more than a normal product page and checkout.

Here are some important features to consider:

You do not need every feature on day one. Start with the basics: wholesale pricing, buyer approval, minimum order rules, and a simple bulk ordering flow. Then improve the experience as your wholesale channel grows.

Best platforms to create a wholesale website in 2026

If you want more control and choose to create your own store for selling wholesale online, below we will discuss some of the best platforms for you to choose from.

1. Shopify– Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for building an online store. It is easy to use, has a large app ecosystem, and can support both B2C and B2B selling.
   Shopify is also strong because of its app ecosystem. If your store needs advanced pricing rules, customer groups, wholesale signup forms, product visibility controls, bulk order forms, or custom B2B workflows, you can use apps to build the wholesale experience you need.
   Shopify is a good fit for brands that want a simple ecommerce setup, flexible apps, and the option to sell retail and wholesale from the same store.
   
   
   
   
2. WooCommerce– WooCommerce is a good option if your website is already built on WordPress. It gives you a lot of flexibility through plugins and themes.
   
   It can be cost-effective, but it usually needs more technical setup and ongoing maintenance compared to Shopify. If you want full control and already have WordPress experience, WooCommerce can be a good choice.
   
   
   
3. BigCommerce – BigCommerce is known for its pre-existing B2B functionalities, API capabilities, and strong SEO tools. A lot of big e-commerce businesses have been built and scaled on BigCommerce.  However, compared to Shopify, it’s a little tricky to understand and get started with.
   
   
   
   
4. Magento Commerce – Magento Commerce is a platform by Adobe which is a highly customizable e-commerce platform. Magento is suitable for large-scale wholesale businesses. It offers a good number of B2B features, multi-store management, and solid SEO features. While it provides extensive functionality it also requires good technical knowledge to make the most out of the platform.
   
   

Summing up

To do it well, you need more than a basic online store. You need the right products, reliable suppliers, clear pricing, minimum order rules, bulk ordering, payment terms, shipping policies, and a simple buying experience for business customers.

You can start with a wholesale marketplace, build your own ecommerce website, or use both. If you build your own store on Shopify, you can use native B2B features, wholesale apps, or a mix of both depending on how complex your wholesale setup is.

The best approach is to start simple, make ordering easy for buyers, and improve your wholesale setup as your customer base grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve spent any time searching for a B2B app on Shopify, you’ve likely noticed something: many apps use overlapping terms like wholesale, B2B, B2B Wholesale, pricing, and discount in their names. That’s natural; these are the words merchants search for. But it can make finding the right app harder than it should be.

These four apps currently use names that closely mirror our official app, Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B by Wholesale Helper:

How to confirm you’re on the right listing

Check these details on the app’s Shopify App Store page before you install:

• App name: Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B
• Developer: Wholesale Helper
• Shopify App Store URL: apps.shopify.com/wholesale-pricing-discount
• Official website: wholesalehelper.io
• Shopify recognition: Built for Shopify badge

Installing with confidence

Go directly to apps.shopify.com/wholesale-pricing-discount, or search “Wholesale Helper” in the Shopify App Store search field; either way gets you to the right listing without guessing.

Questions before installing? Reach the team at wholesalehelper.io/contact

Thank you. Happy Wholesaling!