What Is a B2B Webshop, and What Do You Need to Sell to Shops as Well?

A B2B webshop is an online store where business customers, such as shops and salons, log in and order themselves at their own prices, with minimum quantities and often with paying on invoice. Since April 2026, Shopify's B2B features are no longer only in Shopify Plus: Basic (from €21 a month when billed yearly), Grow and Advanced also have company accounts, payment terms, volume pricing and up to three active price lists. If you deliver to a business in another EU country with a valid VAT number, you charge 0% VAT, according to the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax authority).

In short

• A B2B webshop is all about agreements: own prices, minimum quantities and payment terms, for customers who log in.

• Shopify now has B2B on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. If you want more than three price levels or a price per customer, you need Plus or an app.

• One store for consumers and shops works well when they share the same products and the same inventory. A separate store gives you your own look and a closed door.

Do you also sell to shops or salons? Book a free intro call and we'll look together at how your business customers can order from you most easily.

Many fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands don't only sell to consumers. There's a boutique that buys your collection, a salon that uses your products and resells them, a concept store across the border that reorders every season. As long as it's a handful of customers, email works fine: a PDF with prices, an order in a spreadsheet, a message asking whether you can send six more. But every order you retype is time that doesn't go to your brand, and every price that sits in two places is a price that will one day be wrong.

A B2B webshop gives those business customers their own entrance. They log in, see their own prices and order themselves, whenever it suits them. In our work we decide what the store has to say before we decide how it looks, and with B2B that starts with one question: who buys from you wholesale, and how does that person want to order? Below you'll read what such a store needs to do, what Shopify itself offers for it and on which plan, how VAT and paying on invoice work, and whether you're better off with one store or a separate wholesale store.

What is a B2B webshop?

A B2B webshop is an online store where you sell to other businesses instead of consumers: shops, salons, studios, hotels or distributors. B2B stands for business to business. Such a store calls for a different approach from a consumer store, because not just the range but above all the business agreements and way of working lead. A business customer has their own price, buys per box or per six, often pays afterwards on invoice and expects the ordering process to be quick and efficient, so reordering takes little time.

A wholesale webshop, a wholesale portal, a business ordering environment: they're different names for the same thing. More important than the name is that a B2B webshop processes orders and doesn't just show a catalog. A PDF price list tells your customer what you have. A B2B webshop also lets that customer order it right away, at the right price, with the right terms and in an ordering process that works logically, and you receive an order you no longer have to retype.

B2B and B2C: what's different?

A B2B webshop isn't a consumer store with a login button on it. A buyer buys differently from someone scrolling through your collection on the sofa, and because several decision-makers are often involved in business purchases, you see that in almost every part of the store.

There's also something that doesn't fit in a table. A buyer doesn't buy for themselves, but for the customers in their shop. So what they mainly want to see is whether your product will sell there: the margin, the recommended retail price, photos they can use themselves, and whether your brand will still be around in a year. Your brand story counts here just as much, only for a different audience.

What a B2B webshop and ERP integration need to do

This is the list you put next to every proposal, every theme and every app. Not every brand needs everything right away, but you want to know what's possible before you choose.

• Business accounts. A shop has a customer account that belongs to the company, not to one person: the customer portal where agreements and ease of ordering come together. If a customer has several locations, you want a delivery address per location, and sometimes different agreements per location.

• Own prices. A price list per customer group, for example a fixed discount on your recommended retail price or their own wholesale price per product. A logged-in shop sees that price straight away, plus the right product range for that customer or customer group, without having to email.

• Minimum orders and multiples. A minimum per product, ordering per six, or a minimum order value. That way no orders come in that you can't ship profitably.

• Volume pricing. A lower price from a certain quantity, so a larger order automatically becomes cheaper.

• Paying on invoice. A payment term per customer, such as 30 days, so a regular shop can order now and pay later.

• Quick ordering and reordering. A list where a buyer fills in quantities without clicking through every product page, placing a previous order again in one go, and room for their own purchase order number. With larger orders, searching by SKU with smart filters helps them work faster.

• Product information for buyers. Pack size, EAN code, recommended retail price, delivery time, materials or ingredients, and images they may use in their own shop or online store.

• Inventory that's right. If you sell to consumers and to shops, you don't want to sell the same item twice. One inventory for both is often the simplest way to prevent that.

If you work with a bookkeeping or inventory system, also put on your list which system leads for prices and inventory. If a price sits in two places, in a spreadsheet and in your store, it will go wrong one day. Choose one place where you change it. For wholesalers and suppliers this also works more efficiently, because it helps optimise internal processes.

Customer accounts: who sees what?

In Shopify a business customer is called a company, with one or more locations. The customer account is the foundation of your B2B webshop: it holds personal information, business prices, terms and the customer-specific range. To a location you link the buyers who are allowed to order, the payment term and which prices they see, including when there are several users within one organisation with different permissions or ordering authorisations. A logged-in buyer gets the business prices and terms; someone who isn't logged in simply sees your consumer store. In the account, business customers can also view their order history and reorder easily.

Two things to know in advance. B2B in Shopify only works with the new customer accounts, where customers log in with a code by email. The old customer accounts don't work for B2B. And you decide yourself who gets a business account: you create the company in your admin and add the buyer as a customer. If you want shops to sign up themselves through a form that you then approve, look at an app or your own form with a clear review step. That's also the moment to check whether it really is a business, with a KVK number (the Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration) and, across the border, a valid VAT number.

Price lists, customer-specific prices, minimum orders and volume discounts

Shopify calls a price list a catalog. In a catalog you choose which products a customer group can buy, and at what price: a percentage of your regular price, or customer-specific prices per product. B2B webshops like these also support customer-specific prices and ranges, with customer groups as a logical way to organise catalogs and price rules. On Basic, Grow and Advanced you link catalogs to B2B markets, with a maximum of three active assignments. In practice that's, for example, three price levels, such as shops, salons and distributors. On Plus that limit doesn't apply, and you can also link a catalog directly to one company or location, for a price per customer.

With quantity rules you set a minimum, a maximum and a multiple per product, such as "per 6". With volume pricing the price drops from a certain quantity in the same order. If you want a minimum order value only for business customers, such as "from €250", you do that with Checkout Blocks, a free app from Shopify. Discount codes that should only apply to business customers, you link to your B2B market.

An example, not a real client. A jewellery brand sells a ring for €48 to consumers. Shops get 50% off the recommended retail price excluding VAT, order per three and from €250 per order. Salons that also use the brand get the same discount but without a minimum. That's two catalogs, one quantity rule and one order minimum, all of it set up without code.

How much a shop pays you compared with the price in the shop depends on your industry and your agreements. A common rule of thumb is that the shop roughly doubles the wholesale price. More on that calculation in D2C: what it means.

Paying on invoice and payment terms

Business customers often expect to be able to pay on invoice. In Shopify you set a payment term per location or per draft order: pay immediately, net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 days, or pay once everything has been shipped. A fixed date is also possible, but only on a single draft order. The customer pays later in their own account, through "Pay now", where they can also look back at orders and invoices. After the due date, the order shows there as overdue. Flexible payment methods such as paying on invoice and self-service around payments often increase customer satisfaction too.

Important to know: Shopify doesn't collect automatically when the term ends. If a customer has a saved card, you charge it yourself in your admin, and you record a bank transfer payment yourself. Asking for a deposit, or letting customers pay in parts per shipment, is only possible on Plus. And quick payment buttons such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay don't work in the business checkout.

About the term itself: in the Netherlands the payment term between businesses is 30 days if you agree nothing, and a maximum of 60 days, with a few exceptions. Large companies have to pay small and medium-sized businesses within 30 days. Also decide who you open the term up for. You can, for example, let a new shop pay in advance first and switch on the term once you know each other. That's your choice, and you'd rather make it in advance than at the first reminder.

VAT on B2B orders

If you sell to a shop in the Netherlands, you simply charge VAT (BTW), at the rate that belongs to your product, and that amount is shown separately on your invoice. Your business customer usually deducts that VAT again in their own return, and that's why business customers talk in prices excluding VAT.

Across the border within the EU, it's different. If you deliver goods to a business in another EU country, and the goods really go to that country, then according to the Belastingdienst you apply the 0% rate. That's called an intra-Community supply. You often hear "btw verlegd" (VAT reverse-charged): the customer then declares the VAT in their own country. Conditions come with that.

You check the VAT number in the European Commission's VIES system. Shopify helps with that if you use Shopify Tax: since May 2025 you can have business customers' VAT numbers checked in your admin, and since February 2026 in the checkout as well. If the number is valid, Shopify applies the reverse-charge exemption to that customer. Whether the exemption applies depends on the country your order ships from, not on your store's address.

What Shopify itself offers for B2B, per plan

For a long time, B2B in Shopify was only for Shopify Plus, from €2,100 a month. Anyone on another plan who wanted to sell to shops did it with an app. On 2 April 2026 Shopify announced that the main B2B features are also available on Basic, Grow and Advanced, at no extra cost. B2B isn't included on Starter and Retail.

Sources: Shopify Help Center, B2B features per plan and catalogs; Shopify Changelog, 2 April 2026; prices from shopify.com/nl/prijzen. Checked in November 2026.

One more detail you don't see in the prices: according to Shopify, B2B and consumer orders have different variable platform fees. Ask Shopify Support about that before you work out your margins. We list the costs of the plans themselves in Shopify pricing.

When do you still need an app?

With Shopify's own features you now get a long way, and every app you don't need is one subscription and one piece of code less. A wholesale app is still worth it if you:

• need more than three price levels, or a price per customer, and don't want to move to Plus;

• want shops to sign up themselves, with a form and an approval step;

• want a deposit or paying in parts, without Plus;

• need something Shopify doesn't support for B2B yet, such as subscriptions for business customers.

With every app, check whether it works with Shopify's B2B features and with the new customer accounts, because not every app does. And if you set up your wholesale with an app before April 2026, check whether the built-in features are enough now. Fewer apps make your store faster and easier to manage.

Good to know in the Netherlands

A B2B webshop also shows your KVK number, VAT number and contact details, for example in the footer. Business customers don't have a legal right of withdrawal like consumers do, so what applies to returns, delivery times and minimum orders goes in your terms and conditions, so everyone knows where they stand. Without an agreement, the payment term is 30 days, with a maximum of 60. When you deliver to a business in another EU country, you check the VAT number in VIES, put both VAT numbers on the invoice and report the supply in your EC Sales List (ICP).

In Belgium: if a Dutch brand sells to a Belgian shop or salon with a valid Belgian VAT number, the same rules for an intra-Community supply apply. If you're a Belgian brand selling to Belgian businesses yourself, watch out for e-invoicing: since 1 January 2026 a structured electronic invoice is mandatory between Belgian VAT-registered businesses. So check whether your invoicing software or your Shopify app supports it. If you let your Belgian customers pay straight away, switch on Bancontact next to cards.

Not sure whether wholesale is worth it for you? Work out below what you keep per sale when you sell direct, through a shop or through a marketplace.

One store or a separate wholesale store?

This is the decision you'd best make in advance, because Shopify itself warns that you can't easily reverse it later. You can serve consumers and business customers in one store, or create a separate store just for B2B.

If your shops sell the same products as your consumers, from the same inventory, one store is often the simplest: one place for your products, your photos and your copy. A separate store becomes interesting when your wholesale really has a different story, with different products, a different tone or a catalog that mustn't be public, especially if you want to work with several languages and currencies. Don't choose only on what's technically possible, but on what your buyers need to see when they come in.

Before you start: a checklist

Whether you set it up yourself or have it built, with this list you know what you need before you touch a single setting.

1. Write down how your business customers order now. By email, phone, a spreadsheet? Where does it go wrong now, and what takes you the most time?

2. Pin down your price structure. How many price levels do you really have? Do they fit into three, or do you have different agreements per customer?

3. Decide on your minimums. A minimum per product, a multiple, a minimum order value, or a combination.

4. Choose your payment terms. Which term, for whom, and what happens if someone pays late?

5. Collect VAT numbers. Check your customers' numbers in other EU countries in VIES before you charge them 0%.

6. Get your product information ready for buyers. Pack sizes, EAN codes, recommended retail prices, delivery times and images they may use.

7. Put your business terms on paper. Delivery, returns, minimum orders and payment, in your terms and conditions.

8. Choose one store or two. Based on your products, your inventory and what your buyers need to see.

9. Test with two or three regular customers. Have them place a real order on their phone and their laptop, and ask where they got stuck.

Set it up yourself, have it installed, or strategy first?

There are three ways to arrive at a B2B webshop, and they suit different moments.

• Set it up yourself. With Shopify's B2B features, a few catalogs and the free Trade theme, you can start yourself, especially if you have a handful of regular shops and sell the same products. You mainly need time, and the checklist above.

• Have an app or a freelancer install it. Handy if you're missing a specific feature, such as a sign-up form or more price levels. You get the feature, but not necessarily an answer to the question of how buyers and consumers meet each other in the same store.

• Strategy first. You start with who buys from you: what a consumer needs to see, what a buyer needs to see, and how your brand stays recognisable for both. Only then do you choose the features, the apps and whether it becomes one store or two. That takes more time up front, and prevents you from later having to rebuild a store that you can't easily reverse.

Who we are and what we do

We are Design by Karina, a boutique Shopify agency in Rotterdam. We design and build Shopify stores on a considered strategy, for ambitious fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. With brand strategy, UX and careful design, we create shopping experiences where what sets you apart becomes the reason people choose you.

Ecommerce strategy

Who are your customers, what do they want to know and what helps them choose your brand? We define the positioning, the customer journey and the structure of your store before the design begins.

Shopify design

A store should be unmistakably yours and work intuitively. We design Shopify stores around your brand, from the homepage to the product pages, and always mobile first.

Shopify development and migration

From a custom Shopify theme to the migration of an existing store. Coming from WooCommerce or another platform? Then we help you with a clear plan for your store, your content and your customers' experience, keeping in mind that a B2B webshop has to be built specifically for the business market and so calls for a different approach from a regular consumer store.

Conversion and retention

What customers need to see, understand and feel before they choose, from product pages to the emails after the purchase.

Growth after launch

We look at how real visitors use your store and improve, step by step, what makes the most difference.

Brand Sites

For coaches, creative studios and service providers with something to say.

Why business owners choose us

• Strategy before pixels. Before we open a design file, we want to understand who buys from you and what those people need to see first.

• A background in product design. Before I started Design by Karina, I worked in product design at Uber, where I helped shape payment experiences for drivers.

• Fewer projects, more attention. We work on a limited number of projects at a time, so I'm closely involved in every one.

• We tell you honestly. If Shopify's own B2B features are enough for your wholesale, we'll tell you.

• Launch is the starting line. After launch we keep improving your store based on what real visitors do.

What does a Shopify store with a B2B part cost?

B2B webshop: a quick summary

A B2B webshop lets shops, salons and other business customers log in and order themselves at their own prices, with minimums, volume pricing and paying on invoice. Since April 2026 Shopify has those features on Basic, Grow and Advanced too, with up to three price lists; for prices per customer, deposits or paying in parts you need Plus or an app. Charge VAT as usual in the Netherlands, and 0% on delivery to a business in another EU country with a checked VAT number. Choose in advance between one store and a separate one, and start with what your buyers need to see, not with the features.

What we see with clients

When brands come to us asking for a wholesale portal, the first conversation is usually not about technology. It's about the price list: who gets which price, from how many items, and who's allowed to pay on invoice. As long as that's still in someone's head, no app can set it up properly. Once it's on paper, Shopify often turns out to be able to do more than expected, especially now that the B2B features are also available outside Plus.

Sources

• Shopify Help Center, B2B features per plan, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features, checked in November 2026

• Shopify Changelog, Key B2B features now available on non-Plus plans (2 April 2026), https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/key-b2b-features-now-available-on-non-plus-plans, checked in November 2026

• Shopify Help Center, catalogs, choosing a store type, B2B requirements and payment terms, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b, checked in November 2026

• Shopify Changelog, checking VAT numbers in Shopify Tax (6 May 2025) and in the checkout (25 February 2026), https://changelog.shopify.com, checked in November 2026

• Shopify pricing, https://www.shopify.com/nl/prijzen, checked in November 2026

• Shopify Help Center, the Shopify Plus plan and expansion stores, https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-plus-plan, checked in November 2026

• Belastingdienst, charging VAT on supplies of goods to EU countries, https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/zakendoen_met_het_buitenland/goederen_en_diensten_naar_andere_eu_landen/btw_berekenen_bij_export_goederen_naar_eu_landen, checked in November 2026

• Belastingdienst, extra invoice requirements for goods, https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/zakelijk/btw/zakendoen_met_het_buitenland/goederen_en_diensten_naar_andere_eu_landen/factureren/extra_factuureisen_bij_goederen, checked in November 2026

• Ondernemersplein, cooling-off period on sales, https://ondernemersplein.overheid.nl/wetten-en-regels/bedenktijd-bij-verkoop/, checked in November 2026

• Ondernemersplein, payment terms, collection costs and statutory interest, https://ondernemersplein.overheid.nl/betalingstermijn-incassokosten-en-wettelijke-rente/, checked in November 2026

• FOD Financiën, e-invoicing between Belgian VAT-registered businesses from 1 January 2026, https://einvoice.belgium.be/en/node/142, checked in November 2026