Consumers and trade customers can shop in the same Shopify store, each with their own prices. Consumers see the regular store, trade customers log in and see their terms, minimum quantities and payment terms. One store means one inventory, one catalog, one place to maintain. Two separate stores are only worth it if trade customers need a completely different range or experience.
One store or two?
| One store for both | Two separate stores | |
|---|---|---|
| Products and inventory | Maintained once | Twice or via sync |
| Prices | Wholesale prices after login | Completely separate price lists |
| Design and range | Same for everyone | Free per store |
| Costs | One plan | Two plans or Plus with an additional store |
| Right for | Most brands with a reseller network | Wholesale with its own range or its own brand |
Our default is one store. It’s cheaper, faster to build and easier to maintain. Two stores only when there’s a clear reason.
How it works: who sees what
| Guest | Consumer | Trade customer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prices | Retail price | Retail price | Wholesale price from their catalog |
| Volume pricing | No | No | Yes |
| Minimum quantities | No | No | Yes, per product |
| Payment | Immediate | Immediate | Also by invoice with payment terms |
| Shipping | Standard | Standard | Standard, special rules via app |
The trade customer gets a company account with one or more locations, such as branches. You assign each location a catalog and payment terms. Several employees of a company can place orders, each with their own login.
If you want to hide prices from non-trade visitors entirely, say because you only sell to specialist retailers, an app can show prices only after login.
5 decisions before you start
- How many price tiers do you need? Up to three work on every Shopify plan. If every trade customer has their own prices, you need Plus.
- Should guests see prices? If not, add an app that only shows prices after login.
- Who gets to become a trade customer? Open registration with review, or invitation only. Either way, you approve every company yourself.
- How do trade customers pay? Prepayment, card, or by invoice with 30 or 60 days. You set this per company.
- Where do prices and customers come from? Maintained by hand or pulled from the ERP. Once you have a few dozen trade customers, the integration pays off.
FAQ
Can consumers tell that wholesale prices exist? No. Without a trade login, the store is a completely normal consumer store.
Can a trade customer also order privately? Yes. When logging in, they choose whether they’re ordering for their company or for themselves.
Does this work with my theme? With all current Shopify themes. Older themes sometimes need adjustments, for example for quantity rules on the product page.
How much does the setup cost? That depends on your pricing structure, the number of trade customers and integrations. You get a fixed price after the intro call.