For years, B2B functionality on Shopify meant either paying for expensive third-party apps or building a separate system. That changed with Shopify Plus’s native B2B features. But the question most Indian businesses ask us is: do these features actually solve our problem, or do we still need custom development?
What Shopify B2B Actually Does
Shopify’s built-in B2B features, launched in 2023 and expanded significantly since, let you create wholesale channels with:
- Tiered pricing per customer group
- Minimum order quantities
- Net payment terms (instead of upfront payment)
- Custom checkout experiences for B2B buyers
- Separate product catalogs for different customer segments
For a growing D2C brand that wants to add a wholesale channel, these features are genuinely useful. You can set up a basic B2B portal without hiring developers or installing complex third-party apps.
Where It Breaks
Shopify B2B works well for simple wholesale operations. It breaks when your business has any of these requirements:
- Multi-warehouse inventory. Shopify doesn’t natively support allocating stock across physical warehouses for B2B vs B2C channels.
- ERP integration at scale. If your backend runs on Tally, SAP, or a custom ERP, Shopify’s native B2B features won’t sync seamlessly.
- Custom approval workflows. If B2B orders need manager approval, credit checks, or manual verification before processing, you’re writing custom code.
- GST-compliant invoicing for B2B. Shopify’s default invoices don’t handle GST rules correctly for Indian B2B transactions.
The Honest Take
For 70% of B2B use cases we see, Shopify’s built-in features + one or two well-chosen apps are sufficient. For the remaining 30% — multi-warehouse, ERP integration, GST compliance, custom checkout logic — you need custom development on top of Shopify or a completely custom platform.
We’ve built both. The key is knowing which category your business falls into before you commit to a platform decision.