On April 2, 2026, Shopify opened up several native B2B functionalities 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 hesitated between three options: remaining pure D2C, patching together B2B with 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 matrix.
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The April 2, 2026 announcement in two minutes
Shopify announced a major update to its B2B offering on April 2, 2026. For the first time since the launch of Shopify B2B (previously reserved for Plus), a significant portion of native functionalities is now included in Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, without additional cost. Merchants can sell wholesale from their regular admin, without installing a third-party application, without migrating to Plus, and without 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)
- ACH payments (USA) and saved credit cards
Shopify simultaneously reserves four key functions exclusively for Plus: unlimited catalogs, direct catalog assignment to companies and locations, partial payments, and deposits. This distribution is not insignificant. It precisely defines the new tipping point between Plus and non-Plus for B2B projects.
The five B2B features now accessible outside Plus
Each of these components addresses a specific operational need that our clients have been reporting to us for a long time. 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 product list, 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 starting its wholesale channel with about ten professional accounts, this is largely sufficient.
Company profiles in the admin
This marks the end of workarounds via customer tags or manual draft orders. Each professional client 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
Cash payment is not the norm in B2B. Professional buyers operate 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 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 orders of 1,000 units or more. Quantity rules also allow for imposing a minimum order (e.g., 50 units per SKU) or multiples (e.g., sold in cases 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 details, which reduces friction for repeat orders and improves the B2B conversion rate.
What remains reserved for Shopify Plus
Shopify has not diluted Plus. On the contrary, the platform retains on Plus the functions that become critical as a B2B project matures. Four structural differences remain.
Unlimited catalogs. Three catalogs are enough for a simple B2B, but as soon as a merchant needs to finely segment their customers (by geographic area, by partnership level, by product type, by loyalty year), the limit is quickly reached. A network of 20 resellers with individually negotiated agreements alone justifies Plus.
Direct catalog assignment to companies and locations. Outside Plus, catalogs go through Markets, which links them to geographic 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 part of their order upon delivery and the balance within 30 days is a classic use case in mature B2B. Outside Plus, this is not possible.
Deposits and advances. For all projects involving pre-orders, on-demand manufacturing, special orders, or commercial security, a deposit is the norm. Shopify reserves this function for Plus, which automatically disqualifies standard plans for these business models.
For a complete analysis of B2B architecture on Shopify Plus and advanced use cases, consult our e-commerce B2B 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 |
| ACH payments (USA) | Yes | Yes |
| Saved credit cards | Yes | Yes |
| Partial payments | No | Yes |
| Deposits and advances | No | Yes |
The strategic reading is clear. Standard plans now cover serious but simple B2B: few segments, few specific rules per customer, classic payment terms. Plus remains indispensable as soon as segmentation becomes fine or financial logic requires deposits and fractional payments.
Which Shopify plan to choose for your B2B project?
The question no longer has a single good answer. It depends on the business profile, the number of customer segments, the pricing logic, and the payment model. Here are four typical scenarios encountered in our agency, 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 the commercial test, not in the platform.
Food or cosmetic brand with existing reseller network
A brand with 2 to 3 distinct reseller segments (delicatessens, concept stores, regional distributors), differentiated pricing grids, and tiered minimum orders. Recommendation: Advanced if you can manage with 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-order or custom manufacturing
A manufacturer who takes orders with a deposit upon signing and the balance upon delivery, to secure their production cycles. Recommendation: Plus is essential. The deposit function is not natively available anywhere else, and bypassing 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 specific 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.
- Enter the company's locations (delivery addresses, contacts).
- Create a first B2B catalog via Products then Catalogs, define its pricing grid.
- Link the catalog to a market (Markets) to activate it.
- Configure applicable payment terms (net 30, net 60 according to your agreements).
- Set quantity rules for 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 Liquid adjustments. For technical assistance with complete configuration, see our page on Shopify agency for wholesale sales configuration.
Pitfalls to avoid before launching your B2B
We observe the same errors recurring in almost all poorly defined 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 coherent B2B experience. You need to consider navigation (clearly identified pro account), the reordering process, the legibility of price tiers, and the clarity of the customer account. A professional buyer who has to search for their price list will not place an order.
Second pitfall: underestimating the number of catalogs. Starting with 2 catalogs and saying "we'll see later" is dangerous. Going from 3 to 4 catalogs means switching to Plus, which means multiplying 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 and connector dimension. As B2B volume increases, the Shopify admin alone is no longer sufficient. It becomes necessary to connect an ERP (Sage, Cegid, Odoo), a PIM (Akeneo), and sometimes a dedicated order preparation tool. This is a major undertaking that must be budgeted from the start, otherwise you risk falling back into the same patchwork approach as before.
Fourth pitfall: not anticipating intra-EU B2B taxation. For professional customers based in another EU 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 rectify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shopify B2B truly included for free on Basic, Grow, and Advanced?
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 the 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 is the difference between payment terms and deposits on Shopify?
Payment terms (net 30, for example) mean that the buyer pays the full amount of the order 30 days after invoicing. A deposit means that they pay a percentage upon order and the balance later. Payment terms are now accessible on all paid plans. Deposits remain reserved for 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?
The migration requires mapping existing rules (customer tags, price groups, automatic discounts), transcribing them into native Shopify logic (companies, catalogs, payment terms), then smoothly transitioning customers by testing each profile. We always recommend a dual operation phase for 2 to 4 weeks to ensure the transition is reliable before uninstalling the third-party app. For personalized guidance, our teams can assist you with this migration.
Key takeaways
The opening of Shopify B2B to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans changes the landscape of the professional e-commerce market. 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 companies that had a semi-manual B2B system made of tags and draft orders.
However, this opening does not eliminate the trade-off. It merely shifts it. The right questions now become: 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 warrant a thorough assessment before going into production. If you want to perform this assessment calmly, schedule an appointment with a Shopify expert from our team: 30 minutes are enough to identify your optimal plan and the levers to prioritize.
