For over a decade, Shopify built its reputation as the go-to platform for direct-to-consumer brands. From scrappy startups to household names, the platform powered millions of online storefronts with a focus squarely on the B2C experience. If you needed to sell wholesale, you were largely on your own, cobbling together third-party apps, duplicate storefronts, or manual workarounds that never quite felt native.
That story has changed dramatically. Shopify B2B is no longer an afterthought. With a growing suite of native wholesale features built directly into Shopify Plus, the platform is making a serious play for the $36 trillion global B2B ecommerce market. And the numbers back it up: Shopify reported that B2B gross merchandise volume grew 96% in 2025, with major enterprise accounts like Sonepar (an international electrical products distributor) joining the platform.
So what exactly does Shopify Plus B2B offer today, and how does it stack up against legacy B2B platforms and custom-built solutions? In this guide, we break down everything you need to know.
The Evolution of B2B on Shopify
For years, businesses that wanted to run both DTC and wholesale operations on Shopify faced a common frustration. The platform was built with consumers in mind, and B2B functionality required patchwork solutions. Merchants might install a wholesale app for $20-$50/month, maintain a separate storefront, or rely entirely on offline ordering processes. None of these options provided the unified, professional buying experience that modern B2B buyers expect.
Shopify recognized this gap and, starting in 2022, began rolling out native B2B Shopify features exclusively on Shopify Plus. The investment has been substantial and ongoing. As of early 2026, Shopify Plus now offers over 42 native B2B features, and the platform continues to ship updates each quarter. The result is a wholesale solution that lives alongside DTC operations in a single admin, eliminating the need for duplicate stores, fragmented data, and manual workarounds.
Core Shopify B2B Features on Shopify Plus
The native Shopify Plus B2B feature set now covers the core requirements that wholesale businesses depend on. Here is a closer look at the key capabilities.
Company Profiles and Buyer Management
Company profiles are the foundation of the Shopify B2B experience. Rather than treating every customer as an individual consumer, merchants can create company-level accounts that reflect how B2B purchasing actually works. Each company profile supports multiple buyer contacts, each with their own permissions and login credentials. Companies can also have multiple locations, and each location can be assigned unique shipping addresses, payment terms, tax exemptions, and pricing rules.
This is a critical distinction from the traditional Shopify customer model. When a buyer is associated with a company profile, that profile overrides their individual customer settings, ensuring they see the right pricing, catalogs, and checkout options automatically.
Custom Price Lists and Catalogs
Pricing complexity is one of the defining challenges of B2B commerce, and Shopify Plus handles it natively. Merchants can create unlimited price lists with fixed prices or percentage-based adjustments for every product and variant. These price lists are then assigned to specific company profiles, so each buyer sees their negotiated pricing the moment they log in.
Key pricing capabilities include multi-currency support for international wholesale buyers, tiered and volume-based pricing, bulk CSV or API import and export, and integration with Shopify Functions for custom discount logic such as free shipping thresholds or region-specific rebates.
Catalogs work hand-in-hand with price lists. While price lists control what a customer pays, catalogs control what they can see and purchase. This allows merchants to manage product exclusivity, regional compliance, and tiered product access without cluttering the buying experience.
B2B Checkout and Payment Terms
The B2B Shopify checkout experience is purpose-built for wholesale transactions. Buyers can enter purchase order numbers, select from assigned payment terms (such as Net 30 or Net 60), and use saved company details to streamline repeat ordering. Payment terms are tracked directly within Shopify, so merchants always know what is due and when.
The platform also supports draft orders, deposit collection, and the ability to create conditional rules for products, including minimum and maximum order quantities, case packs, and quantity increments.
Unified DTC and B2B Operations
Perhaps the most compelling advantage of Shopify Plus B2B is the ability to run both DTC and wholesale from a single backend. Using Shopify Markets, merchants can create distinct experiences for consumer and wholesale buyers, each with their own pricing, catalogs, and checkout configurations, without duplicating products or maintaining separate stores. This unified model simplifies operations, reduces errors, and gives leadership a single source of truth for inventory, orders, and analytics.
Self-Service Buyer Portal
Modern B2B buyers expect the same convenience they get as consumers. Shopify Plus delivers a self-service portal where wholesale customers can view their company order history, manage buyer permissions, track invoices, initiate returns, and reorder past purchases. Recent updates have added quoting workflows, PDF invoice generation, and enhanced account extensions that give the portal a more polished, professional feel.
Headless and API-Driven Architecture
For businesses that need maximum flexibility, Shopify offers headless commerce through Hydrogen (its React-based storefront framework) and the Storefront API. This means companies with complex or rapidly evolving buyer experiences can decouple the frontend from Shopify's backend while still leveraging its B2B data model, checkout, and order management. For more stable operations, Shopify's Online Store 2.0 theme architecture handles the majority of B2B use cases without custom development.
How Shopify B2B Compares to Other Platforms
Shopify does not operate in a vacuum. Businesses evaluating Shopify B2B are often comparing it against established B2B platforms and considering whether a custom-built solution might be a better fit. Here is how the landscape breaks down.
Shopify Plus B2B vs. BigCommerce B2B Edition
BigCommerce has offered native B2B capabilities for longer than Shopify, and its B2B Edition includes strong out-of-the-box features like company logins, quote management, invoice payments, customer-specific pricing, and shared shopping lists. It also supports headless commerce through robust APIs.
Where BigCommerce holds an edge is in its maturity for pure B2B workflows. Quote-to-order processes, for example, are more deeply embedded in BigCommerce. It also avoids locking B2B features behind a premium tier the way Shopify does with Plus.
Where Shopify Plus B2B pulls ahead is in its ecosystem and unified commerce model. Shopify's app marketplace is significantly larger, its theme ecosystem is more mature, and the ability to run DTC and B2B from a single store is more seamless. Shopify's momentum is also hard to ignore: with 96% B2B GMV growth in 2025 and a track record of rapid feature releases, the gap is closing quickly.
BigCommerce is a strong choice for mid-market wholesalers who want native B2B without a premium-tier requirement. Shopify Plus is better suited for brands that operate both DTC and B2B and want a unified platform with a massive ecosystem behind it.
Shopify Plus B2B vs. Adobe Commerce (Magento)
Adobe Commerce has long been the go-to choice for large enterprises with complex B2B requirements. Its open-source foundation allows unlimited customization, and its B2B feature set is extensive: company account hierarchies, shared catalogs, requisition lists, credit lines, role-based permissions, and sophisticated quote workflows are all supported natively or through modular extensions.
However, that power comes at a cost. Adobe Commerce licensing starts at roughly $22,000 per year for on-premise and can reach $125,000 or more per year for the cloud version. Implementation costs typically range from $50,000 to $250,000, and the platform requires a dedicated development team for ongoing maintenance, security patching, and upgrades. Total cost of ownership is substantially higher than any SaaS alternative.
Shopify B2B cannot match Adobe Commerce's depth of customization or its ability to model extremely complex organizational hierarchies. But for the vast majority of wholesale operations, Shopify Plus now covers the core requirements at a fraction of the cost and complexity. Brands that do not need the full weight of Adobe's enterprise stack are increasingly finding that Shopify Plus delivers the B2B functionality they need with far less operational overhead.
Shopify Plus B2B vs. OroCommerce
OroCommerce occupies a unique position in the market as a platform built from the ground up exclusively for B2B. It was not adapted from a B2C system. Its feature set reflects that focus: complex organizational hierarchies, granular permissions, multiple simultaneous price lists, RFQ and negotiation workflows, assisted selling tools, and a built-in CRM (OroCRM) that ships with the platform.
The 2025 release (v6.1) added AI-powered order handling (SmartOrder), built-in invoice payments, and in-portal messaging between buyers and sales teams. For manufacturers, distributors, and industrial wholesalers with deeply complex purchasing workflows, OroCommerce remains one of the most capable platforms available.
The tradeoff is ecosystem and versatility. OroCommerce has a smaller app marketplace, requires technical resources for implementation, and is not designed for hybrid B2B/DTC models. Enterprise cloud pricing can reach $100,000 or more per year. Shopify Plus B2B is the better choice for brands that need both consumer and wholesale channels, value speed of deployment, and prefer a managed SaaS environment. OroCommerce is the better choice for B2B-only operations with complex workflows that exceed what any general-purpose platform can handle natively.
Shopify Plus B2B vs. Sana Commerce
Sana Commerce takes a fundamentally different approach by building its entire platform around deep ERP integration. If your business runs on SAP or Microsoft Dynamics, Sana Commerce connects directly to your ERP without middleware, providing real-time bi-directional data sync for pricing, inventory, customer data, and order management. This eliminates the data duplication and sync errors that plague most ecommerce-to-ERP integrations.
Sana also offers strong B2B features including customer-specific pricing, self-service ordering, tiered pricing, and RMA management. It has been recognized in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for four consecutive years.
The limitation is scope. Sana Commerce is purpose-built for ERP-centric organizations and does not offer the broad ecosystem, DTC capabilities, or design flexibility of Shopify. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but implementation projects typically range from $5,000 to $55,000, with ongoing subscription costs that scale with usage. For businesses where ERP integration is the primary concern, Sana Commerce is a compelling option. For businesses that want a modern, flexible commerce platform that also handles B2B, Shopify B2B is the more versatile choice.
Shopify Plus B2B vs. Custom-Built Solutions
Some businesses, particularly those with highly specialized workflows or legacy system requirements, consider building a custom B2B ecommerce platform from scratch. A custom build offers total control: unlimited UI/UX customization, proprietary business logic, complete data ownership, and no vendor lock-in.
The reality, however, is that custom builds come with significant costs and risks. Development timelines are measured in months (sometimes years), upfront investment is substantial, and ongoing maintenance requires a permanent engineering team to handle hosting, security, performance, and feature development. Every update to payment processing, tax compliance, or browser standards becomes your team's responsibility.
Shopify Plus B2B eliminates most of this burden. Hosting, security, PCI compliance, and platform updates are managed by Shopify. New B2B features ship regularly without migration or development effort. And with headless architecture available through Hydrogen and the Storefront API, businesses that need custom frontend experiences can still build them while leveraging Shopify's backend infrastructure.
Custom builds make sense for organizations with truly unique requirements that no existing platform can accommodate. For the vast majority of B2B operations, a SaaS platform like Shopify Plus delivers faster time to market, lower total cost of ownership, and a more predictable operational model.
Platform Comparison at a Glance
| Criteria | Shopify Plus B2B | BigCommerce B2B | Adobe Commerce | OroCommerce | Sana Commerce | Custom Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Hybrid DTC + B2B brands | Mid-market wholesalers | Large enterprises | B2B-only manufacturers/distributors | ERP-centric orgs (SAP/Dynamics) | Unique, complex workflows |
| B2B Feature Depth | Strong and growing fast | Strong (mature) | Very deep (via extensions) | Deepest native B2B | Strong (ERP-driven) | Unlimited (you build it) |
| DTC + B2B Unified | Yes (single store) | Possible but less seamless | Possible but complex | No (B2B only) | Limited | If you build it |
| Ease of Setup | High (SaaS managed) | Moderate (SaaS managed) | Low (requires dev team) | Low-moderate (technical) | Moderate (ERP dependent) | Low (months of development) |
| Ecosystem / Apps | Largest | Large | Very large | Small | Small | None (build everything) |
| Starting Cost | ~$2,300/mo | ~$2,000-$2,500/mo | ~$22K-$125K+/yr | Free (open source) to $100K+/yr | Custom pricing | $100K-$500K+ upfront |
| Headless Support | Yes (Hydrogen + APIs) | Yes (APIs) | Yes (PWA Studio) | Yes (APIs) | Limited | Full control |
Known Limitations of Shopify B2B
No platform is perfect, and transparency matters when making a significant technology decision. Shopify B2B still has some gaps worth noting. Native B2B features are only available on Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,300 per month, putting it out of reach for smaller wholesale operations. Some features remain incompatible with B2B mode, including accelerated checkouts (Shop Pay and Apple Pay), store credit, subscription products, and certain third-party apps. Businesses with deeply complex organizational hierarchies or advanced RFQ/negotiation workflows may still find that purpose-built platforms like OroCommerce or Adobe Commerce offer more granular control.
That said, Shopify's pace of development is noteworthy. The platform shipped significant B2B updates throughout 2025, including self-serve returns for B2B buyers, deposit collection on draft orders, quoting workflows, and expanded app compatibility. Given the 96% year-over-year growth in B2B GMV, it is clear that Shopify is investing heavily in closing these gaps.
Who Should Consider Shopify Plus for B2B?
Shopify Plus B2B is an especially strong fit for several types of businesses. Brands that sell both DTC and wholesale will benefit most from the unified commerce model. Growing wholesale operations that want to get up and running quickly without a massive implementation project will appreciate the speed of deployment. Companies currently managing B2B through manual processes, spreadsheets, or disconnected apps are prime candidates for the efficiency gains that native B2B features provide. And businesses that want to leverage Shopify's ecosystem of apps, themes, and integrations for their wholesale channel will find a deep well of resources available.
Conversely, if your business operates exclusively in B2B with no consumer channel, has deeply complex procurement workflows, or requires tight ERP integration as a foundational requirement, platforms like OroCommerce, Sana Commerce, or Adobe Commerce may still be better fits today.
The Bottom Line
The narrative around Shopify B2B has shifted permanently. What was once a DTC-only platform now offers a legitimate, rapidly maturing wholesale solution that can compete with established B2B platforms on features while offering significant advantages in ease of use, ecosystem breadth, and unified commerce. For brands that operate across both consumer and wholesale channels, Shopify Plus B2B is increasingly the platform that lets you do both without compromise.
The B2B ecommerce market is projected to reach $36 trillion by 2026, and Shopify is positioning itself to capture a meaningful share. For businesses evaluating their next platform move, now is the time to take B2B Shopify seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify B2B
Does Shopify support B2B ecommerce?
Yes. Shopify Plus includes native B2B functionality that allows merchants to manage company profiles, custom price lists, catalogs, payment terms (such as Net 30 and Net 60), purchase order numbers, and a self-service buyer portal. B2B and DTC can run from a single Shopify store. Note that native B2B features require a Shopify Plus plan, which starts at approximately $2,300 per month.
What is the difference between Shopify and Shopify Plus for B2B?
Standard Shopify plans do not include native B2B features. Shopify Plus unlocks the full B2B suite, including company profiles, buyer-specific pricing, custom catalogs, payment terms, wholesale checkout, quoting workflows, and the ability to run DTC and B2B from one store using Shopify Markets. Merchants on standard plans can use third-party wholesale apps, but they lack the depth and native integration of Plus.
How does Shopify B2B compare to BigCommerce B2B?
BigCommerce offers mature B2B capabilities without requiring a premium-tier plan, including quote management, invoice payments, and shared shopping lists. Shopify Plus B2B offers a larger app ecosystem, a more seamless unified DTC and B2B experience from a single store, and faster feature momentum with 96% B2B GMV growth in 2025. BigCommerce is stronger for pure B2B workflows, while Shopify Plus is better for hybrid DTC and wholesale brands.
Can I run both DTC and B2B on the same Shopify store?
Yes. One of Shopify Plus B2B's key advantages is the ability to operate both direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels from a single Shopify admin. Using Shopify Markets, merchants can create distinct experiences for consumer and B2B buyers, each with their own pricing, catalogs, and checkout configurations, without maintaining duplicate stores or separate product catalogs.
Is Shopify B2B better than Adobe Commerce (Magento) for wholesale?
It depends on the complexity of your operation. Adobe Commerce offers deeper customization and more advanced features for complex B2B hierarchies, shared catalogs, and credit lines. However, it comes with significantly higher costs (licensing starts at $22,000 per year and can exceed $125,000 per year for cloud) and requires a dedicated development team. Shopify Plus B2B covers the core wholesale requirements for most businesses at a fraction of the cost and operational overhead.
What are the limitations of Shopify B2B?
Shopify B2B's native features are only available on Shopify Plus (starting at $2,300 per month). Some features are not yet compatible with B2B mode, including accelerated checkouts like Shop Pay and Apple Pay, store credit, and subscription products. Businesses with highly complex RFQ workflows or deep organizational hierarchies may find purpose-built platforms like OroCommerce or Adobe Commerce offer more granular control. However, Shopify is closing these gaps rapidly with quarterly updates.
How much does Shopify Plus B2B cost?
Shopify Plus starts at approximately $2,300 per month, which includes full access to the native B2B feature set. This is significantly lower than enterprise alternatives like Adobe Commerce ($22,000 to $125,000 or more per year) or OroCommerce (up to $100,000 or more per year for cloud hosting). Custom-built B2B solutions typically require $100,000 to $500,000 or more in upfront development costs plus ongoing maintenance.
Should I build a custom B2B ecommerce platform or use Shopify Plus?
For most B2B operations, Shopify Plus offers faster time to market, lower total cost of ownership, and a more predictable operational model compared to a custom build. Custom platforms make sense only when your business has truly unique requirements that no existing platform can accommodate. Shopify Plus also supports headless commerce through Hydrogen and the Storefront API, giving businesses the ability to build custom frontends while using Shopify's backend for B2B data, checkout, and order management.
Netalico is a Shopify Plus partner that helps brands build and optimize their ecommerce operations. If you are considering Shopify Plus for your B2B needs, get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements.
