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B2B Wholesale Enablement on Shopify Without Shopify Plus
BSS B2B wholesale layer, permission-based catalog access, ERP-anticipatory architecture, and quote/bulk ordering for a DACH-region D2C brand's Shopify storefront
Project Summary
Following its D2C-focused migration to Shopify, a natural cosmetics brand in the DACH region needed to extend the platform to support B2B customers, retailers and cosmeticians, with wholesale pricing, quoting, and bulk ordering, while keeping the architecture aligned with a planned ERP integration. Elogic Commerce built the B2B commercial layer directly on standard Shopify, without upgrading to Shopify Plus, using a single-product, permission-based catalog model that serves three distinct commercial views (consumer, retailer, cosmetician) from one product record, avoiding the cloned-catalog approach that would have complicated future ERP sync, stock accuracy, and SEO.
Key Outcomes
+38.8%
average B2B order value (€850 → €1,180)
3
commercial views consumer, retailer, and cosmetician served from one shared product catalog
1
catalog architecture shared across D2C and B2B instead of duplicated product records
Zero
dedicated catalog-access or search apps required
About the Client
The client is a natural cosmetics brand with an established following across the DACH region, known for clean formulations and a sustainable ethos. Having already migrated from Shopware to Shopify and relaunched its D2C storefront with Elogic, the brand’s next priority was enabling a genuine B2B sales channel, serving retailers and cosmeticians, without duplicating its catalog or compromising its planned ERP integration.
Project Complexity
Consumers, retailers, and cosmeticians needed to see different pricing, tax treatment, and product visibility from the same underlying catalog, without resorting to cloned products, which would have complicated ERP synchronization, stock accuracy, and SEO down the line.
Bulk ordering, quote requests, and net-price wholesale terms needed to be built on standard Shopify, using BSS B2B Solution’s quoting and quick-order capability rather than Shopify Plus-native B2B catalogs, while keeping the implementation on standard Shopify.
B2B-only products, collections, and pages needed to be hidden from unauthorized customer groups and public discovery, and correctly restored after login, without adding a separate lock/hide-price app or a store-wide B2B login wall, both of which would have added cost and complexity for a relatively contained requirement.
The same product needed to display consumer pricing inclusive of VAT (native Shopify tax handling) and B2B pricing exclusive of VAT with country-specific rates (handled in BSS), on a single product record rather than two separate SKUs.
The architecture needed to anticipate a future ERP integration for stock, base pricing, and product data, meaning group-level pricing and permissions had to be structured in Shopify in a way that wouldn’t need to be redesigned once that sync begins.
Business Challenge
01
The brand needed a genuine B2B sales channel serving retailers and cosmeticians, not a workaround bolted onto the consumer storefront
02
Wholesale pricing, volume pricing, and net payment terms needed to be supported without upgrading to Shopify Plus
03
B2B-only products needed to stay hidden from unauthorized visitors and public discovery, while remaining fully accessible to authenticated, permissioned B2B customers
04
The architecture needed to be built to anticipate a planned ERP integration, rather than requiring redesign once that work began
05
Retailers and cosmeticians needed practical bulk-ordering tools, quotes and quick order via CSV, not just a standard single-item add-to-cart flow
Elogic Commerce's Solution
Single-Catalog, Multi-View Architecture
Elogic Commerce implemented a “one product, three commercial views” model using BSS B2B Solution price lists to set net pricing, volume pricing, and payment terms per customer group, avoiding the cloned-product approach that would have fragmented stock, SEO, and the future ERP sync.
Permission-Based Access at the Storefront Layer
Elogic Commerce implemented customer-group permission checks at the Shopify storefront/theme layer, controlling access to products, collections, and pages, with unauthorized visitors returning a 404, and menus and on-site search following the same rule, avoiding a dedicated lock/hide-price app or a store-wide B2B login wall. BSS handled the associated B2B pricing, quotes, and quick ordering.
Controlled Discovery for B2B Products
B2B-only products were excluded from public storefront discovery, while authenticated retailers and cosmeticians could access the products permitted for their customer group.
Wholesale Ordering and Quoting
Elogic Commerce implemented BSS B2B Quotes/Quick Order, enabling bulk ordering via CSV and quote requests for retailer and cosmetician accounts, delivering genuine wholesale ordering functionality without Shopify Plus.
Dual VAT Handling
Elogic Commerce configured consumer pricing inclusive of VAT through native Shopify Taxes, alongside B2B pricing exclusive of VAT with country-specific rates handled in BSS, both served from the same product record.
ERP-Anticipatory Architecture
Elogic Commerce structured the pricing and permissions model within Shopify with a future ERP system-of-record model in mind, reducing the need for the B2B architecture to be redesigned once ERP synchronization is introduced.
Supporting Storefront Work
Elogic Commerce also delivered supporting Shopify storefront enhancements covering customer registration, login, back-in-stock notifications, reviews, localization, marketing capture, store-locator functionality, returns, and data migration.
Results & Business Impact
B2B Order Value
Average B2B order value increased from €850 to €1,180 (+38.8%) following the launch of the wholesale ordering experience.
QA Validation
QA identified 16 defects during testing; all 16 were resolved before handover, with two minor items remaining open at go-live.
Architecture Efficiency
The permission-based access model and controlled product discovery were delivered without a dedicated catalog-lock or search application, avoiding additional app dependencies for those requirements.
ERP-Anticipatory Foundation
Pricing and permissions were structured in Shopify to anticipate the planned ERP integration, reducing the need for the B2B architecture to be redesigned when ERP synchronization is introduced, while still meeting the B2B access-control and pricing requirements.
Capabilities Demonstrated
01
B2B wholesale enablement on standard Shopify (no Shopify Plus required)
02
Single-catalog, multi-audience commercial architecture
03
Permission-based catalog access and controlled product discovery
04
Dual VAT/tax handling on shared product records
05
Wholesale quoting and bulk/CSV ordering implementation
06
ERP-anticipatory architecture design
07
Multi-app storefront integration and localization (DACH region)
When This Solution Is a Good Fit
This approach is ideal for D2C brands whose next stage of growth includes a wholesale or B2B channel, and who want that functionality delivered on standard Shopify with an architecture that anticipates future ERP integration, rather than immediately upgrading to Shopify Plus or accepting a fragmented, app-heavy workaround.
It is generally not the right fit for businesses with B2B requirements complex enough to require native multi-catalog or advanced quoting logic beyond what BSS-based tooling supports, where Shopify Plus B2B or a different platform may be the better foundation.
Planning to Add a B2B or Wholesale Channel to Your Shopify Store?
If your D2C brand is ready to serve retailers, wholesalers, or B2B customers without immediately upgrading to Shopify Plus, Elogic Commerce can design a permission-based catalog architecture that supports wholesale pricing and ordering today and integrates cleanly with your ERP tomorrow.