I. What are Shopify Apps for B2B ?
Shopify apps for B2B are specialized tools designed to help businesses sell to other businesses rather than individual customers. These apps offer functionalities that go beyond traditional e-commerce needs, addressing the unique requirements of B2B operations such as wholesale pricing, custom invoicing, and account verification.
B2B Shopify apps transform a standard Shopify store into a B2B-friendly platform, enabling seamless management of complex pricing structures, customer segmentation, and high-volume orders. These apps are ideal for businesses looking to establish or grow a B2B model, creating a streamlined experience for both the seller and business buyers.
II. What are the key features of Shopify Apps B2B?
Shopify B2B apps offer various features that cater specifically to wholesale and business-to-business transactions. Here are some of the most common and essential features:
1. Wholesale and Tiered Pricing
- Allows businesses to offer different prices based on customer type or purchase volume. This feature is particularly useful for bulk orders, enabling discounts to be automatically applied based on the quantity.
2. Customer Segmentation and Group Pricing
- Segment customers into distinct groups (e.g., wholesale buyers, VIP clients) with unique pricing options. This enables more targeted marketing and customized product offerings.
3. Login-Restricted Access and Account Verification
- Ensures that only verified business buyers can access specific pricing and products. By restricting access, businesses can offer exclusive B2B pricing or products without exposing them to the general public.
4. Custom Order Forms and Invoicing
- Custom forms make bulk ordering easier for clients, and specialized invoicing options streamline the payment process for business accounts, often enabling flexible payment terms.
5. Flexible Payment and Shipping Options
- These apps allow B2B clients to choose customized payment methods and shipping options suited for bulk orders. Businesses can offer payment on credit, installment payments, or customized shipping based on order volume.
6. Automated Ordering and Reordering
- Frequent B2B buyers benefit from automated order processing and reordering features, simplifying the purchasing process and boosting sales efficiency.
7. Gated Content and Price Visibility Control
- Allows businesses to control which products and prices are visible to specific customer groups, ensuring a more personalized and secure experience for B2B buyers.
8. Dedicated Support and Onboarding Assistance
- Many Shopify B2B apps come with dedicated support for onboarding and customization, ensuring businesses can get up and running quickly.
III. Best Shopify Apps B2B in 2014
Here’s a more detailed breakdown for each Shopify B2B app with an in-depth look at their features, use cases, and pros and cons to help you choose the best fit for your B2B business needs.
3.1. B2B & Wholesale Solution
B2B & Wholesale Solution is a full-featured app ideal for businesses aiming to grow in the B2B space. It supports various pricing models, offers advanced customer tagging, and enhances order processing with custom invoicing.
Plans:
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Essential: Free to install – Basic B2B features for small businesses
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Advanced: $49 – For brands starting out and looking to grow their B2B business
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Growth: $149/ month - For brands looking to incorporate their B2B sales agent team.
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Pro: $299/ month - For brands with high-volume and more technical needs.
Key Features:
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Tiered and Volume-Based Pricing: Adjusts pricing based on purchase quantities, creating tailored discounts for bulk buyers.
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Customer Tagging & Segmentation: Tags customers for targeted pricing, exclusive product visibility, and custom promotions.
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Quick Order Forms: Speeds up the ordering process by allowing B2B customers to quickly select products and quantities.
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Invoice Customization: Generates invoices automatically for B2B clients.
Pros: Customizable pricing and segmentation, 24/7 support, highly adaptable to various B2B needs.
Cons: Advanced plans may be costly; initial setup can be complex.
3.2 B2B/Wholesale Solution
This app is versatile for wholesale-focused businesses, offering custom pricing models and minimum order requirements.
**Pricing: **
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FREE FOREVER: Free - For Development Stores, For Partner Test Store, For Stores under Shopify Free Trial
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ESSENTIAL PLAN: $25/ month (or $270/year and save 10%)
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ADVANCED PLAN: $50/ month (or $510/year and save 15%)
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PLATINUM: $100/ month (or $960/year and save 20%)
Key Features:
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Minimum Order Quantities: Sets minimum purchase amounts to qualify for discounts, which is ideal for wholesale orders.
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Bulk Discount Management: Customizes discounts for varying order volumes, supporting both regular and one-time wholesale clients.
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Group-Based Pricing: Assigns discounts by customer groups, allowing businesses to differentiate pricing for unique buyer categories.
Pros: Flexible for different B2B requirements; especially useful for minimum quantity purchases.
Cons: Primarily email support; limited in customization at lower pricing levels.
3.3. B2B Wholesale Club
B2B Wholesale Club is designed for small to mid-sized businesses wanting a simple, affordable solution for handling exclusive pricing and memberships.
Pricing:
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Free Dev Plan: Free - Free for Shopify Partners, Free for development stores
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Basic plan: $39/ month (or $420/year and save 10%)
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Professional Plan: $69/ month (or $744/year and save 10%)
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Premium Plan: $99/ month (or $1,068/year and save 10%)
Key Features:
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Member-Only Pricing: Provides exclusive discounts for members, ideal for businesses with loyalty or VIP programs.
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Automated Pricing Adjustments: Allows automatic discounting based on pre-defined member groups or bulk order criteria.
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Customer Tagging: Uses tags to manage customer segments for personalized discounts and offers.
Pros: Affordable for small businesses, easy setup, ideal for loyalty programs.
Cons: Limited scalability for larger businesses; fewer advanced customization options.
3.4 B2B Verify Customers
Designed for secure B2B access, this app verifies customers before allowing them to see B2B-specific prices and product options.
Pricing:
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Free Plan: Free
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Basic Plan: $14.99/ month
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PRO Version Plan: $29.99/ month
Key Features:
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Account Verification: Confirms customer eligibility before granting access to B2B prices and products.
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Restricted Price Visibility: Hides pricing for unverified customers, ensuring only qualified buyers can see wholesale options.
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Login Control: Limits product views to logged-in, verified users only.
Pros: Enhances security and privacy for B2B stores; affordable.
Cons: Limited functionality; best suited for basic access control needs.
3.5 Wholesale Gorilla
Wholesale Gorilla simplifies B2B pricing and order management with a clean, user-friendly interface.
Pricing:
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Development: Free - Free for development stores
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Lite: $34.95/ month
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Advanced: $69.95/ month
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Premium: $149.95/ month
Key Features:
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Order Minimums and Maximums: Sets required minimum or maximum order quantities for specific customers.
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Tiered Pricing: Allows bulk discounting based on order size or customer category.
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Custom Order Forms: Offers a streamlined order form optimized for wholesale orders.
Pros: Intuitive interface, flexible for varying B2B requirements.
Cons: Limited customer segmentation; less robust for large or complex B2B models.
3.6 Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B
This app supports large-scale B2B operations with powerful discount and bulk pricing features.
Pricing: Starts at $29/month
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Basic : $19.99/ month
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Professional: $39.99/ month
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Enterprise: $49.99/ month ( or $539.90/year and save 10%)
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Global: $64.99/ month (or $701.90/year and save 10%)
Key Features:
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Bulk Discount Rules: Configures custom discounting rules for high-volume orders, flexible for product categories.
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Volume-Based Pricing: Adjusts pricing automatically based on the quantity purchased.
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Customer-Specific Discounts: Customizes discounts based on customer tags or predefined criteria.
Pros: Excellent for businesses needing detailed bulk pricing options; 24/7 email support.
Cons: High cost for smaller businesses; limited features in basic plans.
3.7. B2B Handsfree
B2B Handsfree is ideal for businesses handling large-scale orders, with automation for recurring orders and invoices.
Pricing:
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Free: Free - For developer stores, For partner stores
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Basic: $19/ month
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Advanced:$29/ month
Key Features:
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Automated Reordering: Allows B2B clients to reorder quickly with stored order templates.
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Invoice Management: Automatically generates and emails invoices, saving time for high-order-volume businesses.
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Bulk Order Management: Simplifies handling of bulk orders with minimal manual intervention.
Pros: Excellent for businesses with high-volume, repeat orders; saves time with automation.
Cons: More expensive; not ideal for smaller operations.
3.8 Login to See Price-B2B
Basic app designed to restrict price visibility, suitable for businesses wanting only B2B customers to view prices.
Pricing: Starts at $5/month
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Basic Plan: $6/ month
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Premium Plan: $10/month
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Yearly Plan: $80/ year
Key Features:
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Login Requirement for Price Visibility: Ensures only logged-in B2B customers can view prices.
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Exclusive Access Control: Keeps specific products or prices visible to approved buyers only.
Pros: Simple setup, cost-effective for basic privacy needs.
Cons: Limited additional features; no advanced B2B functionality.
3.9 Custom Pricing: Wholesale B2B
Custom Pricing is highly customizable, ideal for businesses needing specific pricing for different B2B customer groups.
Pricing:
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Quantity Breaks
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Standard: $39.99/ month
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Premium SELECT: $79.99/ month
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COMPLETE: $199.99/ month
Key Features:
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Custom Price Lists: Allows unique price lists for each customer group, suitable for businesses with a diverse client base.
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Tiered Discounts and Bulk Pricing: Adjusts prices based on bulk orders or customer segmentations.
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Private B2B Catalog: Hides B2B-exclusive products from regular retail customers.
Pros: Extremely flexible, supports complex pricing models.
Cons: Higher cost may be prohibitive for smaller businesses.
3.10 Login/Lock & Hide Price
Provides restricted access to products and pricing, suitable for stores wanting an exclusive, gated experience for B2B buyers.
Pricing:
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Free: Free
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Plus: $10/ month (or $108/year and save 10%)- Free for development stores
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Platinum: $25/ month (or $264/year and save 12%)
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Free for development stores
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Premium: $50/ month (or $450/year and save 25%) - Free for development stores
Key Features:
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Price Locking and Product Hiding: Hides prices and products for non-B2B customers.
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Gated Access for Wholesale Buyers: Only authorized customers can view and purchase B2B-specific products.
Pros: Affordable; good for businesses needing basic privacy.
Cons: Limited in additional B2B functionality; no support for bulk pricing.
Each of these Shopify B2B apps offers unique capabilities to cater to varying needs of businesses in the wholesale space. From automated reordering to custom pricing and access control, these tools allow you to tailor your B2B strategy and provide a seamless experience to wholesale clients.
IV. How to Choose the Right Shopify B2B App
When choosing a B2B app, consider the following:
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Customer Requirements: Determine if your customers need features like custom pricing, bulk ordering, or exclusive access.
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Compatibility: Make sure the app integrates well with your current systems, such as inventory management and CRM.
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Ease of Use: Choose apps with intuitive interfaces to reduce the learning curve for your team.
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Cost-Effectiveness: Compare the pricing structures and select one that fits your budget and needs.
IV. Conclusion
Implementing the right Shopify B2B apps can transform your store’s efficiency and enhance the buying experience for your business customers. Whether you’re looking to simplify bulk orders, offer custom pricing, or streamline invoicing, Shopify’s B2B apps provide solutions tailored to these needs. Start exploring the above options to find the best fit for your business and create a seamless B2B experience on Shopify.
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