Search
Your B2B customers love your products, but they dread your checkout. It feels clunky, rigid, and clearly designed for retail shoppers, not professional buyers. You know the frustration: you need to accept Purchase Orders, offer Net 30 payment terms, and provide a frictionless experience, but the path forward is a confusing maze of apps, workarounds, and expensive upgrades.
You're not just looking for a list of features. You need a strategic roadmap.
This is that roadmap. This definitive guide moves beyond simple how-to articles to become a practical decision-making framework for your eCommerce business. We will walk you through the three core paths to a powerful B2B checkout—Native Shopify B2B features, third-party apps, and the unparalleled power of Shopify Plus. By the end, you'll know exactly which solution is right for your specific budget, scale, and operational needs.
We’ll take a deep dive into implementing mission-critical features like Purchase Orders and Net Terms, explore advanced customizations, and equip you with the knowledge to finally build the B2B checkout your wholesale customers deserve.
The standard Shopify checkout is a masterpiece of conversion optimization... for B2C. It's fast, simple, and designed to get a retail customer from cart to confirmation with minimal friction. But the very simplicity that makes it great for consumers creates significant Shopify checkout limitations for B2B.
Your wholesale buyers aren't making an impulse purchase; they're executing a business transaction. Their needs are fundamentally different.
In B2C, the goal is to win a single transaction. In B2B, the goal is to win a long-term purchasing relationship. Every point of friction in the checkout process—every missing field, every confusing payment option—is a threat to that relationship. Reducing friction for repeat B2B buyers isn't just about conversion; it's about maximizing the lifetime value of your most important customers.
Here’s a breakdown of how B2B checkout needs diverge from the standard B2C flow:
The default Shopify checkout not for wholesale is a common and valid frustration. To succeed, you need to transform it from a simple payment gateway into a robust B2B transaction portal.
There is no single "best" way to customize your Shopify B2B checkout. The right approach depends entirely on your current Shopify plan, budget, operational complexity, and technical resources. We've distilled the options into three clear paths.
.jpg)
Consider this your decision-making framework:
Which B2B Checkout Path is Right for You?
We will now explore how to implement the most critical B2B features using these three paths. For a foundational overview of the native feature set, Shopify's Official B2B Manual is a great starting point.
One of the most common questions we hear is, "How do I add a purchase order payment option to Shopify?" First, let's clear up a common misconception. As Shopify's own guide on purchase order management explains, a Purchase Order (PO) is an official document where a buyer commits to a purchase; it is not a payment method itself, but a promise to pay later via an invoice[1].
.jpg)
Your goal is to allow customers to enter a PO number at checkout to formalize this promise. Here’s how to do it.
The Purchase Order Lifecycle on Shopify
The myth that there is "no native purchase order support Shopify" is outdated. The modern B2B on Shopify suite includes a native PO number field, solving a major historical pain point.
Method 1: Using Native 'B2B on Shopify' PO Feature
If your store uses the modern "B2B on Shopify" features, enabling PO acceptance is straightforward.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Now, when an assigned user from that company location logs in and proceeds to checkout, they will see a dedicated field to enter their PO number.
Limitations to Note:
Method 2: Workarounds & Apps for Standard Shopify Plans
If you're on a standard Shopify plan or need more control, you have two excellent options. This is how to accept purchase orders on Shopify without Shopify Plus.
The "Cart Note" Workaround
You can add a custom text field to your cart page where customers can enter their PO number before checkout.
Liquid Code Snippet for your cart.liquid or main-cart-items.liquid file:
<p class="cart-attribute__field">
<label for="purchase-order-number">Purchase Order Number (if applicable)</label>
<input id="purchase-order-number" type="text" name="attributes[Purchase Order Number]">
</p>The entered PO number will appear in the order details under "Additional information." This is a simple, free method, but it relies on the customer entering the information on the cart page, not the checkout page.
Top Shopify Purchase Order Apps
For a more robust and integrated solution, dedicated apps are the way to go. They solve the manual workflow issues and provide a much better user experience. Developers are also leveraging Shopify's latest GraphQL Admin API mutations to make these solutions more powerful than ever[2].
Offering Net Terms—allowing qualified buyers to "buy now, pay later"—is a cornerstone of B2B commerce. It builds trust, encourages larger orders, and aligns with standard business procurement processes. However, it also introduces complexity and financial risk.
Expert Insight from Kensium: Manage Your Cash Flow Risk
Offering Net Terms is extending credit to your customers. Before you enable this feature, you must have a clear policy and process in place.
Offering Net Terms without managing the associated cash flow risk can be disastrous for a growing business.
To help you establish your policy, you can adapt a standard Net Terms Policy Template to outline your requirements, payment cycles, and late fee structure.
The biggest challenge merchants face is the difficulty managing B2B payment terms in Shopify. The process can be manual and prone to error. Let's look at the best ways to streamline it. For official guidance, Shopify's documentation on Setting Up B2B Payment Terms is the authoritative source for native functionality.
Method 1: Native B2B Payment Terms (For Shopify Plus)
Shopify has built-in Net Terms functionality, but it's crucial to know that, as the official Shopify Help Center confirms, this feature is available exclusively to stores on the Shopify Plus plan[3].
Step-by-Step Guide:
When a user from that company logs in, they will see their assigned Net term as a payment option at checkout. The order is created with a "Payment pending" status.
The Critical Operational Challenge:
The native system does not automatically capture payment when the term expires. You must have a manual process to track due dates, send invoices, and collect payment outside of the Shopify checkout flow. You then manually mark the order as "Paid."
Method 2: Top Shopify Apps for Automating Net Terms
For merchants not on Shopify Plus, or for Plus merchants who want to automate the manual work, a dedicated Shopify net terms app is the solution. These apps handle the entire lifecycle, from credit application to collections.
These apps, particularly comprehensive solutions recommended by authoritative sources like ResolvePay's own blog[4], fill the automation gap left by Shopify's native features.
When native features and apps aren't enough, Shopify Plus provides the ultimate toolkit for B2B checkout customization. This is where you can solve the most complex challenges and create a truly bespoke buying experience.
The modern, recommended approach is Checkout Extensibility. This framework uses Checkout UI Extensions and Shopify Functions to add functionality in an upgrade-safe way that is fully compatible with Shop Pay.
Warning: The End of checkout.liquid
For years, Shopify Plus merchants customized their checkout by directly editing the checkout.liquid file. This method is being deprecated and is no longer recommended. Editing checkout.liquid is not upgrade-safe (meaning Shopify updates can break your checkout), is incompatible with Shop Pay, and requires significant developer maintenance. Always opt for Checkout Extensibility and Shopify Functions for new customizations.
Customer-Specific Payment & Shipping with Shopify Functions
This is the solution to the "Shopify B2B customer specific payment methods" problem. Shopify Functions are small pieces of code that run on Shopify's servers to execute your custom business logic at checkout.
As the official Shopify Developer Docs on Payment Customization state, you can use a function to "hide, reorder, or rename payment options" for specific customers[5].
Example Use Case: VIP Customer Shipping
Imagine you want to offer free freight shipping to customers tagged with "VIP", but only if their order is over 500 lbs.
Workflow using a Shopify Function:
This same logic can be applied to payment methods, a concept highlighted by experts at agencies like Makro[6]. For example, you could hide all payment options except "Pay by Invoice" for customers with outstanding balances. For those who want to dive deep, the Shopify B2B Developer Documentation is the ultimate resource.
Adding Custom Fields and UI with Checkout Extensibility
Need to add a "Requested Delivery Date" picker or display a custom "Hazardous Material" warning for certain products? Checkout UI Extensions are the answer. These allow you and your apps to safely add new UI components directly into the checkout flow.
Before: Standard Checkout
A standard checkout page with billing, shipping, and payment sections.
After: Checkout with a Custom Field
The same checkout page, but now with a new section titled "Delivery Information" that includes a calendar date picker for "Requested Delivery Date." This is added seamlessly and safely using a Checkout UI Extension.
This modern framework is the robust solution for Plus users who feel they "can't add PO number field to Shopify checkout" or other necessary fields.
Essential B2B Checkout Toolkit: Recommended Apps
Even with native features, a few key apps can dramatically improve your B2B checkout experience. Here are our top recommendations, categorized by function:
Apps for Wholesale Order Forms
Your wholesale buyers don't want to browse. They want to order. A wholesale order form provides a spreadsheet-style interface for quickly adding dozens of items to a cart.
Apps for Tax Exemption
Managing tax-exempt customers is a critical B2B requirement.
Apps for Advanced Shipping Rules
B2B shipping is complex, often involving freight, pallets, and location-based rules.
For a fully integrated experience, platforms like SparkLayer[7] offer a complete B2B layer on top of Shopify, replacing many individual app functions with a single, cohesive system.
What's the difference between the old 'Wholesale Channel' and the new 'B2B on Shopify'?
This is a common point of confusion. The old Wholesale Channel was essentially a separate, password-protected storefront with its own unique URL. It was completely disconnected from your main D2C store. The new B2B on Shopify integrates wholesale functionality directly into your existing Shopify store. This allows you to manage B2C and B2B customers, products, and orders from a single admin and even offer a blended, unified storefront experience.
How do I handle tax-exempt customers at checkout?
The easiest method is using the native B2B on Shopify functionality. When you set up a Company profile, you can specify that a particular location is tax-exempt. You can also require them to provide their tax ID. Once configured, Shopify will automatically remove taxes for that customer at checkout. For more complex validation or for stores not using the full B2B suite, an app like Exemptify is the best solution.
Can I have different shipping rates for my B2B customers?
Yes. With B2B on Shopify, you can assign company profiles to specific Shipping Profiles in your settings. This allows you to create a set of shipping rates (e.g., "Freight Shipping") that only appears for your B2B customers. For more dynamic rules, like rates based on customer tags or order weight, you will need a Shopify Plus plan with Shopify Functions or a dedicated shipping app like Intuitive Shipping.
Is Shopify Plus necessary for B2B e-commerce?
Not necessarily, but it depends on your scale and complexity. For businesses with basic B2B needs—like offering wholesale pricing and manually processing orders with PO numbers—the standard Shopify plans with the "B2B on Shopify" features can be sufficient. However, if you require automation (automated invoicing, payment reminders), deep checkout customization (custom fields, conditional logic), or are managing a high volume of B2B orders, then Shopify Plus becomes essential to operate efficiently and provide a superior customer experience. You can explore the full range of Shopify Plus B2B Features to see if the upgrade is right for you.
The standard, one-size-fits-all Shopify checkout no longer has to be a barrier to your wholesale growth. You are now equipped with a clear, strategic framework to make the right decisions for your business.
You understand the three distinct paths you can take:
By applying these solutions to core challenges like implementing Purchase Orders and managing Net Terms, you can eliminate friction, streamline your operations, and build the seamless, professional checkout experience your B2B customers expect.
Feeling confident but need an expert partner to build your perfect B2B checkout? Contact the Kensium team today for a comprehensive B2B checkout audit and strategy session. We'll help you implement the right solutions to reduce friction and accelerate your wholesale growth.
Information is accurate as of the publication date. Shopify's platform features and app functionalities are subject to change. Some links to third-party apps may be affiliate links.
.png)
311 S. Wacker Drive
Suite 2575
Chicago, IL 60606
4th Floor, Jyothi Pinnacle
Survey No 11, Kondapur Village
Hyderabad, Telangana 500081
12 Marsanne Place
Eschol Park
New South Wales 2558
Magnia Tower, Street 15 #503
Altabrisa
Mérida, Yucatan 97130