Shopify B2B in 2024: What's Working, What Still Needs Work

Shopify's native B2B capabilities have developed significantly since their initial release.

The platform has moved from a basic wholesale feature set to something that genuinely handles the requirements of most UK B2B and wholesale operations.

But it has real limitations, and we're not going to pretend otherwise. This is our honest mid-2024 assessment.

What Is Working Well

Company accounts and custom pricing are the most mature features and they work reliably.

Creating a B2B customer account, assigning them to a price list, and having them experience correct pricing automatically on login is seamless.

Payment terms have improved — Net payment terms are assignable per company account with Shopify tracking outstanding balances.

The DTC and B2B coexistence is genuinely clean: retail customers and trade customers use the same storefront but experience entirely different pricing, payment options and checkout flows without visible friction.

What Still Has Room to Improve

Quoting is the most significant gap — the standard B2B sales cycle often involves a request-for-quote stage that Shopify's B2B doesn't support natively.

Draft orders can approximate this workflow, but they're a workaround, not a solution.

Procurement process integration is limited: corporate buyers who need to assign purchase order numbers, route orders through approval chains, or integrate with procurement platforms will find Shopify's B2B insufficient without significant custom development.

B2B-specific analytics are underdeveloped.

Our Recommendation

For UK wholesalers and manufacturers selling to trade accounts alongside DTC — the sweet spot Shopify B2B is built for — the platform is ready and compelling.

For businesses with more complex procurement requirements, we'll evaluate the fit honestly before recommending Shopify B2B.

The platform may still be right with custom development on top, or a different approach may be more appropriate.

We'd rather tell you that than sell you a solution that doesn't fit your process.

If you're evaluating whether Shopify B2B is ready for your wholesale operation, we'll give you an assessment based on your actual requirements.

→ Read about our Shopify B2B and wholesale service

→ See how John Packer runs trade and retail from Shopify Plus