B2B ecommerce: how wholesale and trade ordering works online

The short answer

B2B ecommerce sells to other businesses through a website, usually with trade accounts, customer-specific prices, minimum order quantities, purchase orders and invoicing as well as card payment. Buyers reorder often and in bulk, so the site needs quick ordering, clear pack sizes and approval steps instead of the browse-and-impulse flow of a retail store.

How B2B ecommerce differs from selling to the public

B2B ecommerce means one business ordering from another through a website. The buyer is often a professional with a list, a budget code and a deadline, not a browser looking for ideas. That changes almost every part of the store.

The rows are generalisations. A small trade supplier may sell to a handful of regular customers and need little more than a login and a price list. A large distributor with thousands of lines will need much more. Match the site to how your buyers actually order.

How trade accounts work

A trade account is a login that tells the store who is buying, which prices apply and which ordering options to show. Most set-ups follow the same sequence.

1. The buyer applies, giving the business name, contact details and any tax registration number you ask for.
2. Someone on your team reviews the application and approves it, or the store approves it automatically against rules you set. Opening an account is a business decision, not a technical one.
3. The account is placed in a customer group, which controls its prices, discounts, minimum orders and payment terms.
4. The buyer signs in and sees their own prices, order history, saved addresses and invoices.
5. Larger buyers add several users to one account. Each user may be able to order, only request, or approve.

Credit terms, such as paying an invoice some weeks after delivery, are decided by your finance team after whatever credit checks it requires. The website only records the decision and shows the right payment options. Do not leave it to the software to extend credit.

Tax needs particular care. Many countries treat sales to registered businesses differently from sales to consumers, with exemptions or different invoicing in some cases, and the rules depend on both the seller's and the buyer's location. The store should record whatever tax details your accountant says you need, and you should ask the accountant or the official tax authority before you decide how prices and invoices are shown.

Some sellers prefer to keep the sales team in the loop. A representative can place an order on behalf of a customer, or send a quote the customer accepts online. That is a normal arrangement and not a sign that the site has failed.

What a wholesale product page should show

A trade buyer needs to decide quickly whether a product fits and whether the order can be placed in the right quantity. The page should answer those questions without a phone call.

• The product code or SKU, because many buyers search by code and match it against their own lists.
• The pack or case size and the unit of measure, so nobody orders a case thinking it is one item.
• The minimum order quantity and the step in which quantities can increase.
• Prices by quantity, shown in a tier table.
• Stock status, with an expected restock date where relevant.
• Specifications, dimensions, materials and compatibility.
• Downloads such as datasheets, safety or compliance documents and instructions.
• A grid for ordering many sizes or colours in one go, for products with variants.
• A clear option to add to a saved list or to reorder.

A tier table can be this simple, with each row showing the unit price a buyer on that account pays.

Whether to show prices to visitors who are not signed in is a real trade-off. Hiding them protects your price lists but also frustrates new buyers and keeps the page thinner for search. Showing a public price with a note that trade accounts pay less is a middle route. Decide with your sales team, and make it obvious how a new business can apply.

Trade buyers often browse by category and narrow by specification, so the structure matters. The guide to building ecommerce category pages covers how to organise them.

Ordering tools that matter to trade buyers

The tools below are what turn a retail store into a place where trade customers can get through a long order quickly.

• Quick order by SKU, where the buyer types codes and quantities into a list.
• Bulk upload of a spreadsheet with codes and quantities.
• Reorder from a past order, and saved lists for standard orders.
• A field for the buyer's own purchase order number, carried through to the invoice and the emails.
• Several saved delivery addresses, because buyers order for different sites.
• Quotes: the buyer asks for a price, you reply, and they accept online.
• Approval steps for accounts where one person orders and another signs off.
• Invoices and statements available to download from the account.

Not every business needs all of these on day one. A sensible approach is to begin with trade login, account pricing and ordering by account, then add quick order and reorder, and only then connect to accounting or stock systems. If you only have a few trade customers, a request-a-quote form and a manual process may serve you better than a complex build.

Shipping, returns and emails for trade orders

Trade shipping is rarely a flat parcel rate. Heavier goods may need a freight quote, a pallet delivery or a delivery appointment, and you may set a minimum order for free freight. Say how these work on the product page and in the cart. The guide to writing shipping and returns policies covers the wording, and you should adapt it for trade terms.

Returns are different too. Made-to-order and cut-to-length items are often not returnable, and damaged goods usually need to be reported within a set time. State both in plain words. Many trade returns come from a wrong specification or pack size, so accurate product data prevents more returns than any policy. The guide to reducing ecommerce returns applies to trade as well.

Emails carry more weight in B2B. The order confirmation should repeat the purchase order number, the delivery address and what happens next. A dispatch email should carry tracking or the carrier's reference, and the invoice should be attached or linked. The advice in post-purchase emails gives the structure, and for trade you add the references your buyers need for their own records.

Platform choice, cost and where to start

Some platforms include trade features such as customer groups and price lists. Others need an app, and some requirements, such as customer-specific pricing from your stock system or approval flows, need custom development. Check each platform's current documentation against your list rather than relying on a feature table written for retail.

Cost follows the same factors as any store, with a few that matter more for trade: how many price lists and rules you need, how many user roles an account can have, whether orders and stock must connect to accounting or stock systems, and how much product data must be imported and kept up to date. The guide to what affects the cost of an ecommerce website explains those drivers in general terms.

You can often run retail and trade from one store, with customer groups deciding what each visitor sees. Whether that suits you depends on how different the two audiences are. If you need help with a trade site or a mixed retail and wholesale store, the ecommerce solutions page describes the ecommerce development Liftup Technologies does.

Related guides

• Ecommerce solutions
• Shipping and returns policy how to write them
• Ecommerce category pages how to build them
• Post purchase emails what to send
• How to Reduce Ecommerce Returns Without Losing Sales
• Custom ecommerce website vs shopify

Questions and answers

How is B2B ecommerce different from B2C?

B2B buyers are businesses, so orders are larger and repeated, prices are often specific to the account, and payment may be by invoice or purchase order. The site needs specifications, pack sizes, quick reordering and sometimes approval steps, where retail focuses on browsing and impulse.

How do trade accounts work?

A business applies, you approve it, and it is placed in a customer group that sets its prices, minimum orders and payment terms. The buyer then signs in to see its own prices, order history and invoices. Credit terms are a finance decision, not a software default.

What should a wholesale product page show?

Show the product code, pack or case size, minimum order quantity, quantity-based prices, stock status, specifications, downloadable documents and a way to add to a list or reorder. Variant products also benefit from a grid for entering many quantities at once.

Should wholesale prices be public?

It is a trade-off. Hidden prices protect your price lists but frustrate new buyers and thin out the page for search. A public starting price with a note that trade accounts pay less is a middle route. Decide with your sales team.

Can I sell retail and wholesale on one website?

Often yes, using customer groups so trade buyers see their prices and ordering tools after signing in. Some businesses prefer a separate trade site. It depends on your platform and on how different the two audiences are.

Do B2B customers pay by card?

Some do, especially for small orders. Many also pay by invoice, purchase order or bank transfer. Offer the options your buyers use, and let your finance team decide who gets credit terms.