What are B2B company accounts on Shopify Plus?

What is Shopify B2B, and do you need Shopify Plus?

Before diving into company accounts, it helps to understand what Shopify B2B is. It's Shopify's native solution for managing wholesale and trade customers, built directly into Shopify Plus. So in short, yes, you do need to be on a Plus plan to use their B2B features.

It gives merchants the tools to handle custom pricing, payment terms, volume-based discounts, and account-level permissions, all from a single admin. No separate store, no third-party apps, no duplication. Whether you're selling to distributors, resellers, or retail partners, Shopify B2B provides the structure to manage those relationships more efficiently.

What are Shopify B2B company accounts?

Shopify B2B company accounts are at the heart of Shopify's wholesale functionality. Rather than treating each trade buyer as a separate customer, company accounts let you group multiple contacts under a single business profile.

That central record holds everything, from billing terms and price lists, to tax information and delivery addresses. Every order and interaction stays aligned, regardless of how many people are buying on behalf of that business.

It's a setup built for trade customers with multiple buyers or departments, offering visibility and control across an entire organisation from one place.

How company accounts differ from standard customer accounts

A standard customer account in Shopify represents a single shopper. A company account represents an entire business. It can include multiple contacts, purchasing managers, finance leads, department heads, all linked to the same account-level data.

Each contact logs in with their own credentials, but sees company-specific pricing, terms, and order history. The duplication and manual admin that comes with managing multiple buyers from one organisation disappears.

Assigning existing Shopify customers to a company

If you already have customer profiles in Shopify, you can assign them to a company account without rebuilding anything from scratch. Once they're linked, those customers gain access to company-level features including shared price lists and B2B payment options, making the transition to a wholesale-ready structure straightforward.

Shared addresses, tax IDs and company profiles

Each company can store billing and shipping addresses, tax IDs, and payment terms centrally. This information applies automatically to all users linked to that company, reducing errors and saving admin time. Every order ties back to a clean, consistent business record.

How Shopify B2B company accounts work

Once company accounts are set up, they become the foundation for a more efficient B2B buying experience. Here's how the main features work day to day.

Multi-user access under one organisation

Multiple buyers from the same business can each log in with their own credentials while operating under the same company profile. Everyone sees consistent pricing, order history, and account details. Teams can collaborate on purchasing without confusion or duplication.

Company-level payment terms and checkout rules

Payment terms and checkout rules are set at company level rather than for individual users. Net terms, credit limits, and custom payment methods will apply to the entire business, simplifying invoicing and ensuring every buyer follows the same checkout process.

Shared price lists and catalogue access

Negotiated prices, tiered discounts, and volume-based rates are assigned at company level and apply automatically to every user linked to that account. Wholesale buyers always see the correct pricing. B2B rates stay hidden from standard customers.

Centralised shipping and billing addresses

Default addresses are stored centrally and shared across all users, making order fulfilment faster and more accurate. Users can select the right address per order while the admin maintains clean, consistent records for accounting and reporting.

When Shopify B2B company accounts make sense

Company accounts deliver the most value in specific wholesale scenarios. They're worth implementing in Shopify Plus when you need structured control, consistent pricing, and multi-user access across your trade customer base.

Trade customers placing regular structured orders

If your B2B customers order frequently and predictably, company accounts make managing those transactions considerably easier. Things like pre-defined product lists, pricing, and shipping preferences mean repeat orders can be processed faster and with fewer errors. It reduces the back and forth for both sides and gives your trade customers a buying experience that feels professional and consistent every time.

Retailers or stockists with multiple staff purchasing

Retailers and other stockists often have several people placing orders on behalf of the same business. Company accounts let each staff member log in individually while sharing the same account settings, price lists, and order history. Everyone sees consistent pricing, nobody duplicates an order, and your team isn't left manually reconciling purchases from the same account placed under different names.

B2B distributors with negotiated pricing

If you're working to bespoke pricing agreements, company accounts remove a significant amount of manual work. Custom price lists are assigned at company level, so every buyer linked to that account sees the correct rates automatically. There's no risk of someone being quoted the wrong price, and no need to apply discounts manually on a per-order basis.

Businesses running invoice or PO workflows

Many trade customers don't pay by card at checkout. They rely on purchase orders, net terms, and invoice-based billing. Enabling company accounts in Shopify Plus lets you manage these workflows centrally, including net terms, credit limits, and order approvals. Financial records stay accurate, processing times stay down, and you're not chasing paperwork.

Restricted products

Products can be defined for each company, so if a company can only purchase a limited range of your products, then that’s all they’ll be able to see on the site.

When you might not need company accounts

Company accounts aren't always necessary. Some wholesale setups are simple enough that the additional configuration doesn't add meaningful value.

If you occasionally handle one-off wholesale enquiries, a manual order or temporary discount is often sufficient. If your trade pricing is straightforward, a flat discount or locked wholesale collection may be all you need. And if a single person handles all purchasing for a trade customer, a standard Shopify customer account works perfectly well. Get in touch with us to discuss how we can help set this up for you.

Company accounts in Shopify Plus are built for structured, repeat wholesale relationships. If your B2B needs are much simpler than that, Shopify's standard tools will likely cover everything without the added complexity.

How to set up Shopify B2B company accounts

Setting up company accounts in Shopify Plus is pretty straightforward if you're already familiar with the admin. Here's how the process works:

• Create a company record in the Customers section of your Shopify admin. Add a location - or multiple locations for this company - and add business details for each location including billing address, and tax IDs.
• Add contacts to the company location. Each user gets their own login but shares the company's settings, pricing, and order history.
• Assign a price list to determine which products and pricing the company logged in with a customer account sees when they're logged in.
• Enable payment terms such as Net 30 or Net 60, or set custom invoicing rules.
• Preview the checkout as a company user to confirm that pricing, payment methods, and checkout rules are all correct before going live.

Best practices for managing Shopify B2B company accounts

Once your company accounts are running, keeping them well-maintained is what makes the difference as your wholesale channel grows.

Use clear naming conventions

Consistent naming of your customer accounts across company profiles makes searching, filtering, and updating records far easier as your customer base expands.

Keep price lists organised

Group price lists by customer type, region, or discount tier and label them clearly. Archive unused lists regularly to avoid assigning the wrong pricing to a trade account.

Review address and tax information regularly

Centralised data is only valuable if it's accurate. Occasional reviews of shipping addresses and VAT details prevent fulfilment issues and keep your reporting clean.

Invest in B2B onboarding

A tailored welcome email and a simple help page on your website explaining how buyers can access their account, price list, and order history reduces support queries and helps new trade customers get up to speed quickly.

Not sure if Shopify B2B company accounts are right for you?

Many trade and wholesale businesses sit somewhere in the middle. Their requirements are more complex than a simple discount code, but they're not yet certain whether full company accounts are the right step, or if Shopify Plus is right for you, feature and budget wise.

You don't have to make that decision alone. We often work with our B2B clients to review their wholesale setup, understand how their customers buy, and identify where company accounts will deliver the biggest operational gains, whether that's pricing consistency, faster order processing, or reducing manual admin.

Get in touch with our team today to talk through your B2B requirements and find out how Shopify company accounts could work for your store.