Is Shopify's Native B2B Enough? The Truth About Wholesale Apps in 2024
Hey everyone! I've been seeing a lot of chatter lately about Shopify's native B2B features, especially since they opened them up to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, not just Plus. It's a huge deal, and it sparked a great discussion in the community, kicked off by ishaklekbir asking a very direct question: "Are you still using B2B wholesale pricing apps? Or are they dead?"
It's a question many of you are probably asking yourselves right now, and the short answer, as our fellow merchants and experts in the thread highlighted, is: it's complicated, but mostly, no, they're not dead. Their role has simply shifted. Let's dive into what the community had to say and what it means for your store.
The Game Changer: Shopify's Native B2B Expansion
As Mustafa_Ali confirmed, as of April 2023, Shopify rolled out key B2B features to non-Plus plans. This includes some pretty powerful stuff:
- Up to 3 active B2B catalogs
- Company profiles
- Payment terms
- Volume pricing
- ACH payments (U.S. only)
- Vaulted credit cards
All of this, at no extra cost! That's a significant move, and it means many stores with relatively straightforward wholesale needs can now leverage these native tools directly. As sainthesam pointed out, for the "pricing side" of things, native has definitely "taken over the simple cases."
When Native B2B Shines (and How to Check if It's Right for You)
If your wholesale setup is pretty basic, Shopify's native features might just be your new best friend. VikashJ offered some fantastic practical advice on how to actually test this rather than just guessing. Here's his wisdom, distilled into actionable steps:
Step-by-Step: Evaluate Your Wholesale Pricing Needs
- Analyze Your Pricing Structure: Look at your current wholesale pricing. How many distinct price levels do you actually have? If you're running 3 or fewer distinct wholesale price levels, native B2B is likely to cover your needs. Remember, non-Plus plans are capped at 3 active catalogs.
- Check Your Pricing Assignment Method: This is a crucial one. Is your pricing genuinely per-market/per-catalog? Or are you assigning custom pricing per-individual-customer account using customer tags or metafields? If it's the former, native B2B is probably a good fit. If it's the latter, as VikashJ noted, "that's the exact gap native B2B still doesn't close." Many older wholesale setups were built this way because it was the only option before native B2B existed, so don't just assume a straightforward switch.
- Consider Your Payment Terms & Enforcement: Native B2B handles company profiles, catalogs, volume pricing, and payment terms. It even shows an order as Overdue once the due date passes. However, as sainthesam detailed, "nothing stops that company placing the next order while it owes you." There's no native credit limit, and the only lever is a manual "Submit all orders as drafts for review" toggle. If you need automated credit holds or limits, native B2B won't cut it on its own.
If your answers point to simpler pricing needs and you're comfortable with the native payment term limitations, you might be able to ditch that monthly app cost!
The Gaps: Where Dedicated B2B Apps Still Rule
So, where do those "wholesale pricing apps" like BSS, Sami, Clay, Massy, or even newer ones like B2B Guru come into play? They're far from dead. They've just become specialists, filling the specific gaps that native B2B doesn't quite cover yet.
1. Advanced Pricing Complexity
Sachin_3 and Mustafa_Ali both highlighted this. If you need:
- More than 3 pricing tiers/catalogs (native is capped at 3 for non-Plus).
- Direct per-company or per-customer (not per-market) pricing. This is key, as native pricing tiers are catalog-based.
- More granular approval workflows, custom registration forms, or tiered discount logic beyond simple volume pricing.
Then an app like B2B Guru – Wholesale Pricing, which Sachin_3 mentioned, could be incredibly useful. It's designed for customer-specific pricing, tiered/volume discounts, and flexible wholesale rules, all from the same store.
2. Automated Payment Enforcement & Credit Management
This is where native B2B truly has a significant gap, as sainthesam eloquently explained. While native offers payment terms, it doesn't *act* on them. For instance:
- No credit limit field.
- No automatic stop to new orders if an account is overdue or over its limit.
- Payment reminders are limited to after the due date (up to five emails), with no pre-due date notifications.
This is where specialized apps come in. Sainthesam, who builds one such app called Credit Guard, explained how it "sets a credit limit per company and places a credit hold at checkout when a company is over its limit or has an overdue invoice." These types of apps work *alongside* the native setup, not replacing the pricing features, but enhancing the "getting paid" side of your B2B operations.
The Takeaway: It's "Native + App for Gaps," Not "App vs. Native"
The consensus from the community is clear: it's no longer an either/or situation. Shopify's native B2B features have matured beautifully and are a fantastic foundation for many businesses. For those with more complex needs, dedicated apps aren't obsolete; they simply complement the native functionality by filling specific, critical gaps.
So, if you're wondering if you can simplify your tech stack and save some money, absolutely take VikashJ's advice: "test the switch on a duplicate/dev theme first." Removing a pricing app mid-operation can be a bit bumpy if not handled carefully, especially with active carts or saved payment methods. Always have a fallback plan!
The goal is to build an efficient, powerful wholesale operation. For many, that means leaning heavily on native features, while for others, it means strategically adding an app to handle unique pricing logic, credit management, or advanced workflows. If you're looking to start or grow your online business, Shopify offers a robust platform that can be tailored to your B2B needs, whether native or app-enhanced.