On April 2, 2026, Shopify opened up several native B2B features to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans at no additional cost. Concretely, a merchant who is not on Plus can now manage up to 3 B2B catalogs, create company profiles, apply payment terms (net 7 to net 90), and quantity-based pricing. Unlimited catalogs, deposits, and partial payments remain exclusive to Shopify Plus.
This announcement shifts the entry threshold for B2B on Shopify. For years, as a Shopify Expert agency, we have advised brands who were hesitant between three options: remaining pure D2C, tinkering with B2B using third-party apps (Bold, Wholesale Club), or switching directly to Plus with a monthly bill multiplied by five or six. There is now a real intermediate step. The question is no longer "do I need Plus for B2B?" but "at what commercial complexity does Plus become necessary?". This article provides the decision framework.
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The April 2, 2026 announcement in two minutes
On April 2, 2026, Shopify released a major update to its B2B offering. For the first time since the launch of Shopify B2B (previously reserved for Plus), a significant portion of native features are now included in Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, at no additional cost. Merchants can sell wholesale from their regular admin, without installing a third-party app, migrating to Plus, or rebuilding their business logic.
Five components are now accessible to all paid plans:
- Up to 3 active B2B catalogs, assigned via Markets
- Company profiles in the admin, with multiple locations
- Payment terms (net 7, net 15, net 30, net 45, net 60, net 90)
- Quantity-based pricing and quantity rules (min, max, increments)
- US ACH payments and saved credit cards
Shopify simultaneously locks four key functions to Plus only: unlimited catalogs, direct assignment of catalogs to companies and locations, partial payments, and deposits. This distribution is not insignificant. It precisely outlines the new tipping point between Plus and non-Plus for B2B projects.
The five B2B features now available outside Plus
Each of these components addresses a specific operational need that our clients have long expressed. Here's what they concretely change in production.
Up to 3 B2B catalogs via Markets
A Shopify B2B catalog allows a specific customer segment to be assigned a list of products, a pricing grid, and distinct commercial rules. With 3 catalogs, a merchant can, for example, serve a "France resellers" catalog at -30%, a "Benelux distributors" catalog at -35% with a higher minimum order, and a "strategic partners" catalog with exclusive products. For a DNVB launching its wholesale channel with about ten professional accounts, this is more than sufficient.
Company profiles in the admin
This marks the end of workarounds via customer tags or manual draft orders. Each professional customer is now structured as a distinct "Company" entity, with its locations (multiple delivery addresses for the same account), multiple contacts, assigned catalog, payment terms, and tax exemptions. The Shopify admin becomes a true lightweight B2B CRM, without having to purchase a third-party component.
Payment terms net 7 to net 90
Upfront payment is not the norm in B2B. Professional buyers work on net 30, net 45, or net 60 terms, depending on commercial agreements. Shopify now allows these payment deadlines to be configured directly in the admin, linked to a specific company, and reminders to be automated. For financial departments, this provides clearer visibility into the cash flow cycle and predictability of cash-in.
Quantity-based pricing and quantity rules
Concretely, this means that a product sold for €2 per unit can drop to €1.80 for orders of 300 units or more, then to €1.60 for 1,000 units or more. Quantity rules also allow imposing a minimum order (e.g., 50 units per SKU) or multiples (e.g., sale by boxes of 12). For wholesalers, distributors, or manufacturers, this is a fundamental building block that previously required a paid third-party app or custom development.
ACH payments and saved cards
ACH is for the US market only and will be of little direct interest to French merchants. However, saved credit cards (tokenization) are valuable: a recurring professional buyer can reorder without re-entering their card, which reduces friction on repeat orders and improves the B2B conversion rate.
What remains exclusive to Shopify Plus
Shopify has not diluted Plus. On the contrary, the platform retains critical functions on Plus that become necessary as a B2B project reaches a certain maturity. Four structural differences remain.
Unlimited catalogs. Three catalogs are sufficient for simple B2B, but as soon as a merchant needs to finely segment customers (by geographic area, partnership level, product type, loyalty year), the limit is quickly reached. A network of 20 resellers with individually negotiated agreements alone justifies Plus.
Direct assignment of catalogs to companies and locations. Outside Plus, catalogs go through Markets, linking them to geographical areas or segments. On Plus, each catalog can be directly attached to a specific client company or one of its locations. The granularity changes completely, especially for strategic accounts that expect a custom catalog.
Partial payments. Allowing a professional buyer to pay a portion of their order upon delivery and the balance in 30 days is a classic use case in mature B2B. Outside Plus, this is not possible.
Deposits and down payments. For all projects involving pre-orders, custom manufacturing, special orders, or commercial security, deposits are the norm. Shopify reserves this function for Plus, which automatically disqualifies standard plans for these economic models.
For a complete analysis of the B2B architecture on Shopify Plus and advanced use cases, consult our B2B e-commerce analysis on Shopify and Shopify Plus.
Comparison table: Basic, Grow, Advanced vs. Shopify Plus
This table summarizes the new functional distribution between standard plans and Shopify Plus since April 2, 2026.
| B2B Feature | Basic, Grow, Advanced | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Number of active B2B catalogs | Up to 3 | Unlimited |
| Catalog assignment | Via Markets only | Via Markets + direct assignment to companies and locations |
| Company profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Payment terms (net 7 to net 90) | Yes | Yes |
| Quantity-based pricing | Yes | Yes |
| Quantity rules (min, max, multiples) | Yes | Yes |
| US ACH payments | Yes | Yes |
| Saved credit cards | Yes | Yes |
| Partial payments | No | Yes |
| Deposits and down payments | No | Yes |
The strategic interpretation is clear. Standard plans now cover serious but simple B2B: few segments, few customer-specific rules, classic deferred payment. Plus remains essential as soon as segmentation becomes granular or financial logic requires deposits and installment payments.
Which Shopify plan to choose for your B2B project?
The question no longer has a single right answer. It depends on the commercial profile, the number of customer segments, the pricing logic, and the payment model. Here are four typical scenarios encountered in agencies, with our recommendation.
DNVB testing a wholesale channel
A D2C brand that wants to start a wholesale channel with 5 to 15 resellers, a single professional catalog, volume discounts, and classic net 30 terms. Recommendation: Advanced is largely sufficient. No need for Plus at this stage. The ROI is primarily in commercial testing, not the platform.
Food or cosmetic brand with an existing reseller network
A brand with 2 to 3 distinct reseller segments (fine food stores, concept stores, regional distributors), differentiated pricing grids, and tiered minimum orders. Recommendation: Advanced if you can stick to 3 catalogs and don't require deposits, Plus if you anticipate rapid growth or if some partners require a deposit with the order.
Manufacturer with pre-orders or custom manufacturing
A manufacturer who takes orders with a deposit upon signing and balance upon delivery, to secure production cycles. Recommendation: Plus is essential. The deposit function is not natively available anywhere else, and circumventing it with third-party apps creates technical debt on a critical process.
Pure B2B player with a catalog per strategic account
A B2B company where each client account has its own negotiated catalog, with partial payments according to agreements. Recommendation: Plus, without discussion. Unlimited catalogs and direct assignment to companies are non-negotiable for this model.
Quick decision rule
- If you need deposits or partial payments, it's Plus.
- If you have more than 3 distinct pricing segments, it's Plus.
- If you want to assign a specific catalog to a precise account (and not to a Markets zone), it's Plus.
- In all other simple to intermediate B2B cases, Advanced is now sufficient.
How to activate Shopify B2B on a Basic, Grow, or Advanced plan
Activation does not require heavy technical intervention. The steps are accessible from the standard admin, without specific development.
- From the Shopify admin, go to Customers then Companies to create the first B2B entity.
- Fill in the company's locations (delivery addresses, contacts).
- Create a first B2B catalog via Products then Catalogs, define its pricing grid.
- Attach the catalog to a market (Markets) to activate it.
- Configure the applicable payment terms (net 30, net 60 according to your agreements).
- Set up quantity rules on the relevant products.
- Verify that your theme correctly displays price tiers and B2B rules.
Point 7 is often underestimated. Many recent Shopify themes correctly display tiered pricing and the B2B customer account, but some older or heavily customized themes require a Liquid adjustment. For technical support on full configuration, see our Shopify agency page on wholesale sales configuration.
Pitfalls to avoid before launching your B2B
We observe the same errors recurring in almost all poorly managed wholesale projects. Four in particular deserve to be highlighted.
First pitfall: believing that activating B2B is enough, without rethinking the storefront. Displaying a professional price is not the same as offering a consistent B2B experience. You need to consider navigation (clearly identified professional account), the reorder journey, the readability of pricing tiers, and the clarity of the customer account. A professional buyer who has to dig to find their price list will not order.
Second pitfall: underestimating the number of catalogs. Starting with 2 catalogs, thinking "we'll see later," is dangerous. Moving from 3 to 4 catalogs means switching to Plus, which multiplies the monthly bill by five or six. This switch must be anticipated from the outset, not endured in an emergency.
Third pitfall: forgetting the ERP dimension and connectors. As soon as B2B volume increases, the Shopify admin alone is no longer sufficient. You need to connect an ERP (Sage, Cegid, Odoo), a PIM (Akeneo), and sometimes a dedicated order preparation tool. This is a heavy undertaking and must be budgeted from the start, otherwise you risk falling back into the same patchwork as before.
Fourth pitfall: not anticipating intra-EU B2B taxation. For professional customers based in another European Union country, intra-community VAT exemption (reverse charge) must be correctly configured in Shopify, with automatic VAT number verification. Neglecting this point generates costly accounting errors to correct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shopify B2B really included for free on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans?
Yes, the five components announced on April 2, 2026 (3 catalogs, company profiles, payment terms, quantity-based pricing, ACH, and saved cards) are included at no additional cost in Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans. Only unlimited catalogs, direct assignment, deposits, and partial payments remain exclusive to Plus.
Can serious B2B be done with only 3 catalogs?
Yes, for the vast majority of simple to intermediate wholesale projects. One catalog per major customer segment (standard resellers, premium distributors, strategic partners, for example) already covers most of the needs of a DNVB or a brand starting its professional channel. The limit becomes restrictive beyond 3 distinct segments or when each large client account requires its dedicated catalog.
What's the difference between payment terms and deposits on Shopify?
Payment terms (e.g., net 30) mean the buyer pays the full order 30 days after invoicing. A deposit means they pay a percentage upon order and the balance later. Payment terms are now accessible on all paid plans. Deposits remain exclusive to Shopify Plus.
Does this opening make Shopify Plus unnecessary for B2B projects?
No. Plus retains critical functions for mature B2B: unlimited catalogs, direct assignment to companies, deposits, and partial payments. This opening simply lowers the entry threshold for starting a wholesale channel; it does not negate the value of Plus for complex or high-volume projects.
How to migrate from a third-party B2B app (Wholesale Club, Bold) to native Shopify B2B?
Migration requires mapping existing rules (customer tags, price groups, automatic discounts), transcribing them into Shopify's native logic (companies, catalogs, payment terms), and then smoothly transitioning customers by testing each profile. We always recommend a dual operation phase of 2 to 4 weeks to stabilize the switch before uninstalling the third-party app. For personalized guidance, our teams can assist you with this migration.
What to remember
The opening of Shopify B2B to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans changes the landscape of professional e-commerce. For the first time since the feature's launch, a merchant can test or structure a serious wholesale channel without immediately switching to Plus. This is good news for DNVBs, brands starting their professional channel, and all businesses that had a semi-manual B2B built with tags and draft orders.
But this opening does not eliminate the trade-off. It shifts it. The right question now becomes: how many catalogs will I have in 12 months, will I need deposits, and is my theme ready to display a true B2B experience? These three questions deserve thorough planning before launching production. If you want to do this planning serenely, book an appointment with a Shopify expert from our team: 30 minutes are enough to identify your optimal plan and the levers to activate first.
