Key B2B features now available on non-Plus plans on Shopify

Shopify used to make this pretty simple in a slightly annoying way.

If you wanted “real” B2B, you paid for Shopify Plus. If you didn’t, you hacked together wholesale with discount codes, hidden pages, and a prayer.

Now that line is blurrier.

A bunch of B2B friendly building blocks are totally usable on Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. Not every single thing. Not the full native B2B stack that Plus merchants get. But enough that a lot of brands can run a clean wholesale channel without immediately jumping to Plus pricing.

This post is for you if :

• You’re a DTC brand adding wholesale (stockists, boutiques, gyms, salons, whoever) and you want it to feel legit.
• You’re a manufacturer or distributor trying to modernize ordering without rebuilding everything on a custom portal.
• You’re already doing wholesale but you’re small enough that Plus feels like overkill for now.

Goal here is practical. You’ll get a checklist of what you can do today on non-Plus plans, how people typically set it up, and where the limits are so you don’t build yourself into a corner.

Quick refresher : What Shopify means by “B2B” vs “wholesale”

People say “wholesale” and “B2B” like they’re the same thing, but in Shopify land they often mean two different approaches.

Approach 1 : “True B2B” workflows

This is the stuff wholesalers expect when they’re used to ordering from established suppliers :

• Company profiles (a business account, not just a single customer login)
• Multiple buyers under one company
• Customer specific catalogs and pricing
• Payment terms like net 30
• Purchase order style workflows and invoicing
• Permissions and approvals (who can buy, who can pay, who can reorder)

Historically, Shopify kept most of that native experience behind Plus.

Approach 2 : “Wholesale lite”

This is what a lot of merchants actually need, especially in the early days :

• A gated area of the store for approved buyers
• Lower pricing for those buyers
• Minimum order rules
• Simple invoicing or manual payment methods
• Draft orders for sales rep assisted ordering
• Basic tax handling for resale customers

And the truth is, many merchants can build a solid B2B experience with “wholesale lite” plus a few smart configurations. Especially now that more of these building blocks are accessible on non-Plus plans.

If you’re reading this, your core requirements are probably some mix of :

• Restricted access (approved buyers only)
• Differentiated pricing (tiers, volume)
• MOQ or minimum order value
• Net terms or invoicing (or something that feels close)
• Bulk ordering
• Tax handling (tax exempt, VAT IDs)
• Sales rep workflows (draft orders, quotes)

Ok. Let’s get into what you can do without Plus.

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Key B2B features you can now use on non-Plus Shopify plans

This is the heart of it. Here are the B2B building blocks that you can use on non-Plus plans right now.

Small note before we go feature by feature : availability can vary by plan, region, your theme, and your sales channels. Shopify changes things. Apps change things too. So treat this as your working checklist, then verify inside your admin before you promise anything internally.

1) Customer account login + gated access for wholesale buyers

The simplest B2B gate is still the most common one.

“Wholesale customers must be logged in to see wholesale pricing or products.”

On non-Plus plans, the usual gating methods look like this :

• Require customer accounts (login)
• Use customer tags as the “approval” flag
• Hide certain pages, navigation, pricing, or add-to-cart unless logged in and tagged
• Optionally use a lightweight app if your theme can’t do clean conditional logic

How it helps B2B is obvious. Retail shoppers don’t see wholesale pricing. Random people don’t place $50 wholesale orders with free shipping because they found a link.

Implementation notes (typical setup) :

1. Turn on customer accounts.
2. Create a customer tag like wholesale (or tier tags like wholesale_bronze, wholesale_silver).
3. Add a “Wholesale” link in your navigation, but only show it to logged-in tagged customers (theme logic).
4. On product pages, hide price and add-to-cart unless the customer is eligible.

Pitfalls :

• Don’t let gated pages get indexed. If Google indexes a wholesale collection page, you’ll get confused emails at best and angry retailers at worst. At minimum, think about your SEO and how those URLs behave.
• Have a clear “apply” path. If someone lands on a locked wholesale page, don’t just block them. Send them to an “Apply for a wholesale account” page with plain language.

2) Customer segmentation & tags to run B2B logic (without custom code sprawl)

Tags and segments are your B2B switchboard.

Even without Plus, you can do a lot by being disciplined about customer tagging and using those tags to drive logic across the storefront and operations.

Common tags/segments merchants use :

• wholesale vs retail
• Tier tags like tier_bronze, tier_silver, tier_gold
• Region tags like wholesale_us, wholesale_eu
• Tax tags like tax_exempt or vat_verified

Once you have those, you can tie them into :

• Discount eligibility
• Shipping messaging (freight vs standard)
• Payment instructions (bank transfer details for wholesale)
• Minimum order messaging (if you enforce with an app, tags usually decide who the rules apply to)
• Even basic support workflows (support can see tier instantly, no guessing)

Operationally, this matters because your team can manage access and tiers without a developer touching code every time a new retailer comes in.

3) Custom pricing with discounts (tiered, volume, and “wholesale price lists” alternatives)

Let’s be honest about what most non-Plus merchants actually do for pricing.

They use discounts as their pricing engine.

On non-Plus plans, you can realistically achieve :

• Percentage or fixed amount discounts for a customer group
• Automatic discounts (best for “always on” wholesale pricing)
• Discount codes (useful for reps, promos, negotiated deals)
• Volume discounts where supported (or via apps)

Practical tier examples that work well :

• Bronze : 10% off
• Silver : 20% off
• Gold : 30% off

Or quantity breaks like :

• 1 to 9 units : 0% off
• 10 to 49 : 10% off
• 50+ : 20% off

How people apply this in the real world :

• Automatic discount for tagged wholesale customers so pricing “just works” after login.
• Discount codes reserved for sales reps for special deals (but not your main system).
• Separate wholesale-only products or variants when you need cleaner margins, different case packs, or wholesale-only SKUs.

Limits vs Plus native B2B : This is where you need to keep expectations in check. If you need per-company price lists, customer specific catalogs, contract pricing, or very complex negotiated pricing rules, you’re usually heading toward Plus native B2B or a serious B2B app stack.

Discounts can take you far. They just don’t cover every edge case.

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4) Minimum order quantities (MOQ) and minimum order value (MOV) guardrails

MOQ and MOV are basically the backbone of wholesale. Without them, you end up fulfilling tiny orders that cost more to pick and pack than you earn.

Non-Plus approaches you’ll see :

• Cart validation apps (common, usually easiest)
• Theme level messaging plus enforcement via apps
• Product level quantity settings where applicable (and when it matches your rules)

Best practice here is boring but important :

• Show MOQ clearly on product pages.
• Reinforce it in cart.
• Do not surprise people at the last step.

Because if your first enforcement happens at checkout, you’ll get churn and support tickets. Guaranteed.

A nice tactic is different minimums by collection :

• Samples : low minimum, maybe no MOV
• Core wholesale catalog : higher minimum
• Clearance : different minimums again (because you want it gone)

5) Draft orders + invoice workflows for B2B buying

Draft orders are one of the most underrated B2B tools in Shopify. And they’re not a Plus-only concept.

What draft orders let you do :

• Sales rep creates an order for a customer
• Applies discounts or special pricing
• Sends an invoice or a checkout link to pay
• Finalizes after approval, or after payment, depending on the flow

This is perfect for :

• Phone or email orders
• “Can you quote me for 120 units ?” requests
• Negotiated deals
• Customers who want to review before paying

Operational tip that saves headaches later : standardize how your team uses draft orders.

• Naming convention (Company name plus date, or PO number)
• Internal notes (shipping method, promised ship date, who approved pricing)
• Stages (new lead, quoted, awaiting payment, fulfilled)

Even a simple internal checklist makes your wholesale program feel way more professional.

6) Payment options that feel B2B : manual payments, bank transfer instructions, deposits

Most B2B buyers expect flexibility. Cards, invoices, bank transfers. Sometimes split payments. Sometimes deposits.

On non-Plus, you can cover a lot of this with :

• Manual payment methods (bank transfer, pay by invoice instructions)
• Clear payment instructions shown at checkout and in order confirmation
• Invoicing style flows via draft orders (send invoice link to pay)
• Third party payment options depending on your region and gateway

Where it gets tricky is “true” net terms.

Net 30 is not just “we accept bank transfer.” It’s usually :

• Approved credit terms
• A pay later experience tied to the company account
• Internal risk handling
• Sometimes partial shipment billing, sometimes consolidated invoices

You can approximate parts of it without Plus, but if net terms are central to your business model, you should plan for Plus native B2B or a specialized solution.

7) Tax handling basics for wholesale (tax-exempt customers and VAT/GST needs)

Wholesale tax is the part everyone ignores until they get burned.

B2B needs often include :

• Resale certificate handling (tax exempt customers)
• VAT ID collection and validation in some regions
• Reverse charge scenarios depending on location

What you can and should do on non-Plus :

• Mark customers as tax-exempt where appropriate
• Collect tax IDs in your wholesale application form
• Make sure invoices include the details your region requires (this can be theme, settings, or app dependent)

Process note : do not auto-approve tax exemption just because someone typed a number into a form. Have an internal verification step. Even if it’s just a simple checklist and a second set of eyes.

8) Shipping rates and delivery expectations for B2B (freight, local pickup, net pricing)

B2B shipping expectations are different. People want :

• Freight or pallet options
• Local pickup windows
• Ship on account or negotiated rates
• Sometimes shipping quoted after order

On non-Plus, you can still do quite a bit :

• Shipping profiles to separate wholesale items from retail items
• Carrier calculated rates (plan dependent)
• Local pickup and delivery options
• Conditional messaging for wholesale customers (again, tags do the work)

Strong suggestion : create a wholesale shipping policy page. Keep it plain and specific. Lead times, freight rules, damages, delivery appointments.

Then only surface it to wholesale buyers. No need to confuse retail shoppers with pallet shipping language.

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What still typically requires Shopify Plus (so you don’t hit a wall later)

Non-Plus can take you surprisingly far. But there are common points where merchants hit a wall and start looking at Plus.

Typical Plus driven B2B needs, in normal language :

• Company accounts and multiple buyers per company (not just one login per customer)
• Per-company catalogs and price lists (not just a blanket discount)
• Payment terms and net terms automation that feels native
• Advanced permissions (who can order, who can pay, who can approve)
• Deeper checkout customization for complex B2B requirements

Decision guidance : if you need complex negotiated pricing, multi-location contract catalogs, or a true “buy on account” experience, you should budget for Plus or plan a robust B2B app stack early. Otherwise you’ll rebuild later, and rebuilding is always more expensive when you’re already busy.

A practical setup blueprint : launch B2B on a non-Plus plan in 7 steps

Here's the lean way to do it. Not perfect. Not enterprise. But clean and workable.

Step 1 : Define your wholesale policy

• Eligibility — who qualifies as a wholesale buyer
• Minimum order quantity (MOQ) and minimum order value (MOV)
• Accepted payment methods
• Shipping rules and lead times
• Returns and damages policy

Step 2 : Create an "Apply for wholesale account" landing page

• Explain the benefits and requirements of your wholesale program
• Include a form to collect business info, tax ID, resale certificate, website, and social links
• Make clear that approval is manual and not instant

Step 3 : Build an internal approval checklist

• Verify submitted business details
• Verify tax exemption documents where relevant
• Assign a pricing tier — Bronze, Silver, or Gold
• Note any shipping profile requirements, such as freight-only or pickup allowed

Step 4 : Set up customer tags and segmentation

• Tag approved accounts with wholesale plus their tier tag
• Tag tax-exempt accounts with tax_exempt where applicable
• Tag by region if it affects shipping rates or tax rules

Step 5 : Configure your pricing approach

• Use automatic discounts tied to customer tags for each pricing tier where possible
• Reserve discount codes for special cases or sales reps — do not rely on them as your primary pricing system
• Create wholesale-only products or variants for case packs or where margins differ significantly

Step 6 : Add minimum order enforcement and messaging

• Implement a cart rule that actively blocks orders below your minimums — not just a warning
• Display MOQ and MOV messaging clearly on product pages and in the cart, as early as possible

Step 7 : Operationalize

• Establish a draft order and invoice workflow for sales reps and special deals
• Prepare email templates for account approval, account activation, and payment instructions
• Write a support playbook covering common questions on pricing, shipping, tax exemption, and returns

That's it. A week of focused work can get this live for many brands, assuming your catalog and policies are already somewhat defined.

Common mistakes to avoid when using non-Plus for B2B

A few patterns show up over and over.

• Trying to force one storefront to do everything with no segmentation. You end up with weird pricing leaks and confused customers.
• Relying only on discount codes. Codes leak. Sales reps reuse them. Retail customers find them. And then you’re stuck doing damage control.
• Not enforcing MOQ/MOV until late in checkout. You lose the customer right at the finish line, and they blame you for wasting their time.
• No process for tax-exempt verification. That’s a compliance risk, not just an ops annoyance.
• Not testing the wholesale journey end to end. You need to literally run the flow : login → pricing → cart minimums → shipping → payment → confirmation emails → invoice. Every time you change something.

Choosing the right path : stay on non-Plus, add apps, or upgrade later

Here’s a simple way to decide.

When non-Plus is enough

• Small wholesale program
• Simple tier discounts
• Limited SKU count
• Payments are card or manual payments (bank transfer instructions)
• No need for multi-buyer company accounts or complex contracts

When to add apps (instead of upgrading)

• You need robust MOQ/MOV enforcement
• You want more advanced tier or volume pricing logic
• You need better gating and wholesale navigation control
• You want sales rep tooling beyond basic draft orders

Apps can be a good bridge. Just be intentional, too many apps can turn your store into a fragile machine.

When to plan for Plus

• You need multi-buyer companies and permissions
• You need per-company price lists and catalogs
• Net terms are a core expectation
• You have enterprise workflows, multiple locations, negotiated contracts

My recommendation for most merchants is to start lean. Implement the non-Plus blueprint, prove demand, and only upgrade when the limitations are real blockers. Not hypothetical future blockers. The minute you find yourself doing weekly manual workarounds for pricing, terms, and company management, that’s when Plus starts to make financial sense.

Conclusion

Shopify B2B is no longer a simple “Plus or nothing” conversation.

On non-Plus plans, you can now build a surprisingly capable wholesale experience using customer accounts, tags and segmentation, discount based pricing tiers, MOQ guardrails, draft order invoicing workflows, manual payment options, and basic tax and shipping setups.

Will it cover every enterprise B2B scenario ? No. If you need company accounts, per-company price lists, and real net terms, you’re still likely heading toward Plus or a heavy app stack.

But if you’re launching wholesale, or cleaning up a messy wholesale-lite setup, you can do a lot today without paying Plus prices. Start with the checklist, build the simple version, then let your buyers and your ops team tell you what needs to level up next.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)