Shopify B2B Without Plus & Why You Still Require A Wholesale Plugin

Quick summary

Shopify's basic B2B features give merchants on every paid plan access to core wholesale features, like company profiles, B2B catalogues, volume discounts, and net payment terms. While these features suit simpler operations, growing businesses often need more advanced B2B capabilities than Shopify provides natively.

For more on scaling wholesale, explore our best practice guides.

Can you run wholesale on Shopify without Plus? You can, but there is a catch

Yes. Since April 2026, Shopify's core B2B features are available on every paid plan, including Basic, Grow, and Advanced. You no longer need Shopify Plus to launch a wholesale channel.

That said, native B2B is designed as a starting point rather than a complete wholesale solution. Shopify's April 2026 update brought company profiles, catalogues, volume discounts, and net terms to all plans. That removed a major barrier for brands just getting started. However, merchants with complex B2B needs often outgrow Shopify's native features.

What Shopify B2B features are available in 2026 for non-Plus users?

Shopify's April 2026 update brought these wholesale features to all paid plans:

• Company profiles: create dedicated accounts for wholesale buyers with role-based permissions
• Up to three B2B catalogues: assign tailored pricing to different buyer groups or accounts
• Volume discounts and quantity rules: set tiered pricing and minimum order quantities automatically
• Net payment terms: offer Net 30, Net 60, and similar terms natively at checkout
• Vaulted credit cards: buyers can save payment methods for repeat ordering
• Shopify Flow for B2B: automation workflows now support B2B triggers and actions
• One unified admin: B2B and DTC orders managed from the same Shopify backend

For a brand adding wholesale for the first time, this covers the basics. Shopify built these directly into the platform, not as a bolt-on, so they work reliably alongside your existing DTC setup.

Can I sell wholesale on Shopify Basic?

Yes. Shopify Basic now includes company profiles, up to three B2B catalogues, volume discounts, and net payment terms. For small wholesale operations with one or two buyer groups and straightforward pricing, Shopify Basic is a workable starting point for B2B without any additional apps.

The limitations become relevant as your wholesale operation grows. Three catalogues, no rep ordering tool, and no quoting workflow are manageable when you are starting out. They become constraints when your trade channel is a meaningful part of your revenue.

What Shopify Plus still offers that non-Plus plans do not

Even with the update, several capabilities remain exclusive to Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,300/month:

• Unlimited catalogues: non-Plus plans are capped at three. For merchants running regional distributors, manufacturer networks, or multi-tier wholesale pricing, three catalogues are often exhausted quickly
• Direct catalogue assignment: on non-Plus plans, catalogues are assigned via Shopify Markets rather than directly to individual companies and locations
• Partial payments and deposits: only available on Plus

For simple wholesale operations with one or two buyer groups and straightforward pricing, three catalogues is workable. For distributors managing regional pricing, brands with tiered account structures, or merchants selling across multiple markets with different trade terms, the ceiling is real.

What Shopify B2B does not cover on any plan

Beyond the Plus-exclusive features, these Shopify B2B limitations apply to every plan, Plus included. These are the gaps most growing wholesale brands run into.

No rep ordering tool for sales agents

Shopify does not currently include a native tool for sales reps to log in as a buyer account and place orders on their behalf. For brands with reps working trade shows, visiting accounts, or managing relationships by phone, orders typically still flow through manual processes or the store admin.

No quoting or RFQ workflow

Many B2B transactions start with a negotiation, not a checkout. Shopify has no native request-for-quote workflow. Brands managing quote-based selling rely on email and spreadsheets, with manual conversion to an order at the end.

No automated purchase order processing

Wholesale buyers often send orders as emails, PDFs, or spreadsheets. Shopify has no native tool to read these files and convert them to orders automatically. Every one requires manual entry.

No advanced B2B pricing rules

Shopify's native discount system works well for retail promotions. For more complex wholesale pricing needs, such as account-specific rates, volume breaks that vary by buyer group, or promotional pricing that activates automatically at login, most brands look to third-party apps to fill the gap.

Schneider Electric found exactly this. While Shopify Plus offered enterprise features, the costs were prohibitive. Their team needed a solution that delivered robust B2B functionality without compromising performance, scalability, or operational stability. You can read more in our customer case studies.

How SparkLayer fills the gaps in Shopify's native B2B

SparkLayer adds a complete B2B wholesale layer to your existing store, covering the wholesale workflows that most growing brands need beyond Shopify's native B2B. It works without a Plus upgrade and does not replace anything already working in your store.

• Sales Agent Portal for rep-assisted ordering: your reps log into your actual storefront, not the admin. They toggle between buyer accounts, see live account-specific pricing, and place orders on behalf of buyers in real time, at trade shows, on calls, or visiting accounts.
• Quoting Engine for negotiated orders: trade buyers submit quote requests directly through the portal. Your team responds, leaves internal-only notes, adjusts terms, and confirms. The quote converts to an order in one step with no separate email thread.
• AI Intelligent Cart for purchase order automation: buyers who send orders as photos, emails, spreadsheets, PDFs, or purchase order documents get their orders into the system automatically via AI-powered order capture. No manual re-keying, no delay.
• Advanced B2B pricing engine: set account-specific pricing, volume breaks, and promotional rates using SparkLayer's dedicated wholesale pricing engine that applies automatically at login.
• Unlimited B2B catalogues: SparkLayer's B2B Catalogs are assigned directly to customer accounts with no three-catalogue ceiling, regardless of which Shopify plan you are on.
• ERP and accounting integrations: SparkLayer connects natively to Brightpearl, Cin7, Linnworks, Unleashed, Xero, and QuickBooks Online, so your pricing, inventory, and order data stay in sync with the systems you already run. See the full list of SparkLayer integrations.

Shopify B2B without Plus vs Shopify B2B with SparkLayer

Need more than Shopify's native B2B?

SparkLayer adds sales rep ordering, quoting, AI cart, and advanced pricing to your existing Shopify store without a Plus upgrade or store rebuild. Most brands are live within a day. A free plan is available with no time limit or joining fee, and paid plans start from $49/month.

Start free, or book a demo to see SparkLayer running on your store.