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Shopify & eCommerce

Trade Pricing, Accounts and Minimum Orders

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Trade buyers behave differently

A retail shopper browses, compares and decides. A trade buyer knows exactly what they want, wants their price, and wants to reorder last month's list in under a minute.

A store designed entirely around retail browsing serves them badly, which is why trade customers so often end up phoning instead.

What trade needs

  1. Account-specific pricing, visible only after login
  2. Credit terms rather than card payment at checkout
  3. Minimum orders and case quantities enforced
  4. Rapid reordering from history or a saved list
  5. Prices excluding tax, displayed that way
Reordering is the feature trade buyers actually care about. If reordering last month's list takes ten clicks instead of one, they will phone, and you have gained nothing.

One store or two?

ApproachSuits
One store, customer tagsSmall trade side, similar catalogue
Shopify's B2B featuresSerious trade volume, on the right plan
A separate trade storeDifferent catalogue or very different experience
Trade portal, custom-builtComplex pricing or ordering rules

Application, not open registration

Trade accounts should be applied for and approved. That lets you verify the business, set the right price band and agree terms before anyone sees trade pricing.

  • Company details and trade references captured
  • A named approver, with a same-day service level
  • Price band assigned on approval
  • Terms agreed and recorded

Do not show trade pricing publicly

Retail customers finding trade prices creates an awkward conversation and can damage relationships with your trade accounts.

Pricing must be gated behind authentication properly, not hidden with a theme condition that a determined visitor can bypass.

Frequently asked questions

Can one store serve both?

Yes for a modest trade side, using customer tags and gated pricing. Serious trade volume benefits from Shopify's dedicated B2B capability.

How do we handle credit terms?

Through a payment method that creates an invoice rather than taking payment. Then the accounting integration matters more than usual.

What about trade-only products?

Gate them by customer tag so they are invisible to retail visitors. Ensure the gating is server-side, not cosmetic.

Is a custom trade portal worth it?

Where pricing or ordering rules are genuinely complex. For standard trade pricing, the platform features are cheaper and better maintained.

Keep reading

Trade customers still phoning their orders in?

Usually because reordering online is slower. Happy to look at what would change that.

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