How to Set Up B2B on Shopify Without Paying for Extra Apps (2026 Complete Guide)

July 16, 2026

18 min read — Complete step-by-step guide, verified against Shopify’s official documentation

Shopify Now Has Real B2B Built In — And You Don’t Need an App

As of Shopify’s Spring 2026 Editions, B2B features are available on all plans including Basic — at no extra cost. That means company profiles, volume pricing, up to 3 B2B catalogs, quantity rules, and B2B Markets are all accessible from your Shopify admin right now, without a single paid app.

Not on Shopify yet? Start your free Shopify trial here → and follow this guide from day one.

This guide walks you through the complete native B2B setup on Shopify Basic: from creating your first Company and Catalog, to configuring volume price breaks, assigning company locations to B2B Markets, and building a custom login-protected wholesale portal using Liquid.

Let’s build it properly.

Understanding Shopify’s Native B2B Architecture

Before touching your admin, understand how the four core B2B components connect:

Companies — found under Customers → Companies. This is Shopify’s native B2B entity. Each wholesale merchant you work with is a Company, with one or more Company Locations (branches, warehouses, offices) and Company Contacts (the individual buyers).
Catalogs — define pricing, volume price breaks, quantity rules, and product availability. On Basic, you get up to 3 active catalogs across all B2B markets.
B2B Markets — group company locations together and assign a catalog to them. The Market is the bridge between your Companies and your Catalogs.
New Customer Accounts — required for B2B. Company contacts log in via email one-time code or Shop login, and Shopify automatically serves them the correct catalog based on their company location’s market assignment.

The flow is: Company Location → B2B Market → Catalog → Pricing. Shopify resolves this chain automatically when a company contact logs in.

Step 1: Enable New Customer Accounts (Required for B2B)

Shopify B2B works only with the new version of customer accounts.

Go to Settings → Customer accounts
Select New customer accounts
Enable Login with email (passwordless one-time code) and optionally Login with Shop
Click Save

Step 2: Plan Your B2B Tier Structure

On Shopify Basic you have 3 catalog slots. Plan your tiers before building:

Tier 1 — Reseller: standard wholesale pricing (e.g., 20% off retail)
Tier 2 — Distributor: deeper pricing for higher-volume buyers (e.g., 35% off retail)
Tier 3 — VIP / Key Account: best pricing for top accounts (e.g., 50% off or fixed cost-plus prices)

Step 3: Create Your B2B Catalogs with Volume Pricing

Creating a Catalog

Go to Markets → Catalogs in your Shopify admin
Click Create catalog
Name it clearly: e.g., Wholesale Reseller Pricing
Choose your pricing method: percentage discount off retail, fixed price per variant, or CSV price list upload
Choose which products are included (all products or specific collections)
Click Save

Adding Volume Pricing (Quantity Price Breaks)

Volume pricing offers additional discounts when a B2B customer buys a certain quantity in a single order — a powerful incentive for larger purchases.

Inside your catalog, find a product and click Edit prices
Under Volume pricing, click Add volume pricing
Set your quantity tiers. Example for a Reseller catalog:
- 1–4 units: $48.00 (20% off $60 retail)
- 5–9 units: $45.00 (25% off)
- 10–24 units: $42.00 (30% off)
- 25+ units: $39.00 (35% off)
Click Save

Adding Quantity Rules

Quantity rules enforce minimum order quantities (MOQs) or case-pack increments.

Inside the catalog, click Edit prices for a product
Under Quantity rules, set: Minimum (e.g., 6 units), Maximum (optional), Increment (e.g., 6 — orders must be in multiples of 6)
Click Save

Important: Quantity rules display correctly only on free Shopify themes version 8.0.0 or later. Update your theme first if needed.

Repeat for all 3 tiers with appropriate pricing and rules for each.

Step 4: Create Companies for Your Wholesale Merchants

Every wholesale merchant needs a Company in Shopify — the native B2B entity under Customers → Companies. This is completely separate from regular customer profiles.

Creating a Company

Go to Customers → Companies
Click Create company
Enter the company name (e.g., Acme Retail Group)
Add a Company Location — the specific branch or address placing orders. One company can have multiple locations.
Add a Company Contact — the individual buyer. Link to an existing customer account or invite via email.
Configure per-location settings: payment terms (Net 30/60), tax exemptions, checkout settings (e.g., require PO numbers), and default shipping address
Click Save

You can also bulk import companies via CSV if migrating an existing wholesale customer list.

Sending B2B Access Invitations

Once a company contact is added, send them a B2B access email directly from the company profile. This invites them to log in and start placing B2B orders. The email template is customizable under Settings → Notifications.

Step 5: Set Up the Company Account Request Form

Use Shopify’s native Company Account Requests to let merchants apply for wholesale access directly from your storefront — no third-party form app needed.

Go to Customers → Companies
Click Company account requests
Enable the account request form
Customize the fields (business name, tax number, estimated order volume, etc.)
Copy the Shopify-generated form URL and add it to your storefront navigation
When a merchant submits, you receive a notification and review it in the Companies section
Approve the request — Shopify automatically creates the Company and sends the B2B access email

Step 6: Create B2B Markets and Assign Company Locations

Now connect your Companies to your Catalogs via B2B Markets. Each market groups specific company locations and assigns a catalog to the entire group.

Creating a B2B Market

Go to Settings → Markets
Click Add market
Name it clearly: e.g., Wholesale Resellers
Under market type, select B2B
Under Company locations, choose:
- All company locations — every company in your store
- All company locations in a region — auto-includes companies shipping to that region
- Specific company locations — manually select which companies belong here (recommended for tiered pricing)
Select the company locations for this tier and click Save

Assigning a Catalog to the Market

Inside the B2B Market, find the Catalogs section
Click Add catalog, select the matching catalog, and click Save

Create 3 B2B Markets — one per tier:

Wholesale Resellers → Reseller Pricing catalog (20% off + volume breaks)
Wholesale Distributors → Distributor Pricing catalog (35% off + deeper volume breaks)
VIP Key Accounts → VIP Pricing catalog (50% off or fixed cost-plus)

Basic plan limit: Up to 3 active catalogs across all B2B markets combined. Using one catalog per market across 3 markets uses your full allowance.

Once configured, when a company contact logs in, Shopify automatically detects their company location, matches it to the correct B2B market, and serves the right catalog pricing — including volume price breaks — with zero manual intervention.

Step 7: Assign B2B Discounts to Your Markets

Assign automatic discounts or discount codes exclusively to B2B markets so they apply only to logged-in B2B customers — never to D2C customers.

Go to Discounts → Create discount
Configure your discount (percentage, fixed amount, free shipping, etc.)
Under Customer eligibility, select Specific markets and choose your B2B market(s)
Save and activate

Step 8: Build a Login-Protected B2B Portal Page (Custom Liquid)

Shopify’s native B2B tools handle pricing automatically once a company contact is logged in. For a dedicated gated portal page that redirects non-authenticated visitors and confirms company status, you need a small amount of custom Liquid — no paid app required.

Step 8a: Create a Custom Page Template

Go to Online Store → Themes → Edit code
Under Templates, click Add a new template
Choose Page, name it b2b-portal
This creates page.b2b-portal.liquid (or page.b2b-portal.json for OS 2.0 themes)

Step 8b: Add Authentication and B2B Company Check Logic

{% if customer %}
  {% if customer.b2b? %}
    <div class="b2b-portal">
      <h1>Welcome back, {{ customer.first_name }}</h1>
      <p>You are logged in as a wholesale buyer for
        <strong>{{ customer.company_location.company.name }}</strong>.
      </p>
      <p>Your exclusive wholesale pricing is applied automatically at checkout.</p>
      <a href="/collections/wholesale" class="btn btn--primary">Browse Wholesale Catalog &rarr;</a>
      <a href="/account" class="btn btn--secondary">View Order History</a>
    </div>
  {% else %}
    <div class="b2b-pending">
      <h2>Wholesale Access Required</h2>
      <p>Hi {{ customer.first_name }}, your account is not yet linked to a wholesale company.</p>
      <p>Already applied? Our team will approve your account within 1&ndash;2 business days.</p>
      <p><a href="/pages/wholesale-application">Submit a wholesale application &rarr;</a></p>
    </div>
  {% endif %}
{% else %}
  <script>window.location.href = '/account/login?return_url=/pages/b2b-portal';</script>
  <noscript>
    <p><a href="/account/login?return_url=/pages/b2b-portal">Log in</a> to access the wholesale portal.</p>
  </noscript>
{% endif %}

Key Liquid objects: customer.b2b? returns true for B2B company contacts. customer.company_location.company.name returns their company name. The return_url sends visitors back to the portal after login.

Step 8c: Create the Portal Page

Go to Online Store → Pages → Add page
Title: Wholesale Portal, Handle: b2b-portal
Under Theme template, select b2b-portal
Click Save

Step 8d: Optionally Hide Prices for Non-B2B Visitors

{% if customer.b2b? %}
  {{ product.selected_or_first_available_variant.price | money }}
{% elsif customer %}
  <span>Log in with a wholesale account to see pricing.</span>
{% else %}
  <a href="/account/login">Log in to see wholesale pricing</a>
{% endif %}

Step 9: Create a Wholesale-Only Product Collection

Go to Products → Collections → Create collection
Name it Wholesale Catalog, set visibility to Hidden from main navigation
Add all products available for wholesale and link from your B2B portal page

Step 10: End-to-End Testing Checklist

✅ Non-logged-in visitor hits /pages/b2b-portal → redirected to login, returns after authentication
✅ Logged-in regular customer (not a company contact) → sees “Wholesale Access Required” message
✅ Logged-in B2B contact (Reseller company) → correct catalog prices at checkout
✅ Logged-in B2B contact (Distributor company) → deeper pricing at checkout
✅ Logged-in B2B contact (VIP company) → VIP pricing at checkout
✅ Volume pricing → add 10 units to cart, verify quantity price break applies
✅ Quantity rules → minimum order quantity enforced on product page
✅ Company account request form → submit test application, verify notification received
✅ B2B access email → approve test company, verify invitation email works
✅ Mobile experience → test portal and checkout on mobile

Basic Plan vs. Plus: What’s Included

Basic plan includes: Companies, Company Locations, Company Contacts, Company Account Requests, up to 3 B2B catalogs via Markets, volume pricing, quantity rules, B2B Markets, B2B discounts, Draft Orders, payment terms (Net 30/60), B2B access emails, Shopify Flow B2B triggers
Plus adds: Unlimited catalogs, direct catalog assignment to individual company locations without a Market, advanced B2B checkout customization, multi-location company management at scale

Complete B2B Setup Checklist

☐ New customer accounts enabled
☐ B2B tier structure planned (3 tiers for 3 catalog slots)
☐ 3 catalogs created with pricing, volume pricing, and quantity rules
☐ Companies created for each wholesale merchant (or imported via CSV)
☐ Company locations and contacts added, B2B access emails sent
☐ Company account request form enabled and linked from storefront
☐ 3 B2B Markets created, one per tier
☐ Specific company locations assigned to correct markets
☐ Catalogs assigned to matching markets
☐ B2B discounts created and assigned to markets (if applicable)
☐ B2B portal page template built (Liquid)
☐ Portal page created and template assigned
☐ Wholesale-only collection created and hidden from main nav
☐ End-to-end flow tested for all 3 tiers

Don’t Feel Overwhelmed — We’re Right Here to Help

This guide covers a lot of ground — and that’s intentional. Setting up B2B properly the first time saves you hours of troubleshooting later. But we know every store is different, and sometimes you just need an expert to look at your specific setup and tell you exactly what to do.

That’s exactly what we’re here for.

Tech Wisdo is a Shopify Select Partner — meaning we’ve been vetted by Shopify for our expertise, client results, and quality of work. We’ve set up B2B systems for stores across multiple industries and know every edge case, quirk, and shortcut in the native toolset.

Whether you need a full B2B setup from scratch, a review of what you’ve already built, or just a 30-minute call to answer your specific questions — we’ve got you covered.

📅 Schedule a Free Discovery Call →

No pressure, no sales pitch — just honest advice from a Shopify Select Partner who’s done this before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set up B2B on Shopify Basic without extra apps?

Yes — completely. As of Shopify’s Spring 2026 Editions, B2B features including Companies, Catalogs, volume pricing, quantity rules, and B2B Markets are available on all plans including Basic at no extra cost.

What are Shopify Companies and how are they different from regular customers?

Companies are Shopify’s native B2B entity, found under Customers → Companies. Each Company represents a wholesale merchant with one or more Company Locations and Company Contacts. Unlike regular customer profiles, Companies support payment terms, tax exemptions, catalog assignments via Markets, and B2B-specific checkout settings like mandatory PO numbers.

How many B2B catalogs can I have on Shopify Basic?

Up to 3 active catalogs across all your B2B markets — enough for 3 wholesale tiers. Upgrade to Shopify Plus for unlimited catalogs and direct company-location catalog assignment.

How does volume pricing work in Shopify B2B catalogs?

Volume pricing sets different unit prices based on the quantity ordered in a single transaction. Configure it per product inside each catalog. It displays automatically on the product page and applies at checkout for all B2B company contacts assigned to that catalog’s market.

How do I assign a catalog to specific wholesale merchants on Shopify Basic?

Create a B2B Market, add the specific company locations, then assign a catalog to that market. All company locations in the market automatically receive that catalog’s pricing when they log in. Direct catalog-to-company-location assignment is a Shopify Plus feature.

Can I create a password-protected wholesale page on Shopify without an app?

Yes — using custom Liquid. Use {% if customer %} to check login status and {% if customer.b2b? %} to verify the visitor is a B2B company contact. Non-logged-in visitors are redirected to login; logged-in non-B2B customers see a pending message. No paid app required.

What is the difference between B2B Markets and regular Markets in Shopify?

Regular Markets target customers by geographic region for D2C experiences. B2B Markets target company locations and assign wholesale catalogs to groups of merchants. A company location can match both simultaneously, with B2B market pricing taking precedence.

Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?

No. Shopify Basic now includes Companies, Catalogs with volume pricing, B2B Markets, and Company Account Requests — sufficient for most wholesale operations. Plus adds unlimited catalogs and direct company-location catalog assignment.

I’m not on Shopify yet — can I still set up B2B?

Absolutely. Start your free Shopify trial here and you’ll have access to all the native B2B tools covered in this guide from day one — no paid apps required.

Final Thoughts

Shopify’s native B2B system on the Basic plan is genuinely powerful. The key is the architecture: Companies represent your wholesale merchants, Company Locations are assigned to B2B Markets, Markets have Catalogs, and Catalogs define the pricing — including volume price breaks — that your merchants see when they log in. Add a custom Liquid portal for the gated experience, and you have a professional B2B storefront built entirely on Shopify’s native tools.

Ready to get started? Launch your Shopify store today →

Have questions about your specific B2B setup? Drop them in the comments or reach out to our team — we’re right here to help.