Shopify B2B comes to Basic, Grow, and Advanced: What really changes

Until now, B2B on Shopify was, in the minds of many merchants, a topic reserved for Shopify Plus. This boundary has just shifted. On April 2, 2026, Shopify announced that several native B2B features are now accessible to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, at no additional cost. This announcement is significant: it opens the door to native wholesale for a much broader population of merchants.

Concretely, a merchant not on Plus can now structure an initial wholesale approach with B2B catalogs, company profiles, payment terms, quantity-based pricing, as well as certain adapted payment methods such as ACH in the United States and stored cards. Shopify clarifies, however, that the most advanced uses remain reserved for Plus, including unlimited catalogs, direct catalog assignment to companies and locations, as well as partial payments and deposits.

For e-merchants, brands, and agencies, this evolution changes the framework of thinking. The real question is no longer "do we need Shopify Plus to sell B2B?", but rather "when does Shopify Plus become necessary for our business complexity?". This article will clarify precisely that.

The essentials in brief

Don't have time to read the whole article? Here's what you need to know:

• Shopify opens key B2B features to Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans.
• Affected merchants can use up to 3 active B2B catalogs via Markets.
• Company profiles become accessible, allowing for proper structuring of professional clients in the Shopify admin.
• Payment terms are included, such as net 7, net 15, net 30, net 45, net 60, or net 90.
• Quantity-based pricing and quantity rules are also available.
• Shopify maintains strong differences with Plus, particularly concerning unlimited catalogs, direct catalog assignment, partial payments, and deposits.
• This announcement makes Shopify more credible for simple to intermediate wholesale projects, without immediately requiring a Plus subscription.

In practice, this novelty will primarily benefit brands looking to test or structure a B2B channel without immediately entering an enterprise logic.

Until now, many companies had to choose between three unsatisfactory options: remaining purely D2C, developing B2B in a makeshift way via apps and specific rules, or directly upgrading to Shopify Plus with a significantly higher budget.

With this evolution, Shopify creates a more realistic intermediate level. It's not yet the full promise of Plus B2B, but it's solid enough to launch a wholesale business, create a professional experience, negotiate payment terms, and customize pricing logic. In other words, Shopify is clearly expanding its playing field. 

What is Shopify B2B?

Shopify B2B refers to all the native features that allow a brand to sell to professional customers directly from Shopify, without having to rebuild its entire wholesale logic from scratch. In the Shopify ecosystem, B2B relies on a specific structure around companies, company locations, catalogs, payment terms, customer accounts, and customization rules adapted to wholesale.

The idea is simple: a B2B customer does not buy like a D2C customer. They may have negotiated prices, minimum order quantities, quantity rules per variant, payment terms, a repeat order history, or even multiple contacts within the same company. Shopify has progressively built these components to meet these professional needs. The official documentation also explains that B2B customers are configured via companies and locations, with distinct settings for catalogs, payment terms, contact permissions, tax exemptions, and payment settings.

This point is important, as many merchants still confuse "doing wholesale on Shopify" with "adding a professional request form." It's not the same thing. Shopify B2B is not limited to capturing a lead. It allows for managing a real wholesale business logic within the admin, with a consistent shopping experience for professional accounts. This is precisely what makes the April 2, 2026 announcement important: Shopify is bringing some of this native logic down to much more accessible plans.

Why this Shopify announcement is important

This announcement is strategic because it changes the entry barrier for B2B on Shopify. Until now, the reflex was often the same: if a merchant wanted serious B2B, they had to look at Shopify Plus or install dedicated (but more limited) applications. This interpretation is becoming less true.

Shopify now indicates that merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced can start selling wholesale with native features present in their admin.

For many brands, this changes the economic calculation. The price difference between standard plans and Shopify Plus remains significant. The Shopify pricing page still shows a massive gap between Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus, with the latter starting at a much higher level. By opening up part of B2B to more affordable plans, Shopify reduces the entry cost for testing a wholesale channel or structuring a professional offering.

This evolution is also important for agencies and integrators. It expands the number of merchants likely to launch a B2B project without heavy redevelopment or a specific technical stack. This means more cases where a native Shopify approach becomes relevant again, especially for brands with a still simple B2B: a few customer segments, volume discount logic, standardized payment terms, and a limited number of catalogs.

Shopify states it itself in its changelog: this evolution expands the merchant base with whom partners can collaborate on B2B use cases, while leaving the door open for an upgrade to Plus when needs become more complex. 

Finally, this announcement will likely evolve comparisons between Shopify and other platforms on the wholesale topic. Where certain obstacles were once immediate, it will now be necessary to enter a finer level of analysis: pricing complexity, number of catalogs, assignment mode, deposit logic, or advanced workflow customization.

And this is probably why Shopify is opening up B2B across all plans: This will force all B2B e-commerce CMS comparisons to systematically take Shopify into account. This means more projects won for Shopify. With the help of Shopify's communication juggernaut, this will certainly lead to migrations to Shopify 

Finally, quantity-based pricing and quantity rules become accessible on these plans. This allows, for example, setting a minimum order, a purchase increment, or tiered pricing based on ordered volumes. This is exactly the type of logic a B2B merchant expects from a native solution.

What's included in Basic, Grow, and Advanced

The official list published by Shopify is clear. Merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced now have access to several native B2B features at no additional cost. The first is access to up to 3 active B2B catalogs, assigned via Markets. This limit is not insignificant, as it immediately defines the level of sophistication of the project that can reasonably be deployed outside of Plus.

Second element, company profiles. For many brands, this is the real gateway to a properly structured B2B. Instead of managing each professional client as a classic client with tags or segmentation hacks, Shopify allows building a cleaner B2B layer in the admin.

Third point, payment terms. Shopify documents several forms of payment terms, with defined deadlines depending on the context. This is essential for B2B, where immediate payment is not always the norm.

Shopify allows applying terms such as net 7, net 15, net 30, net 45, net 60 or net 90, as well as other payment models depending on the case. For a wholesale channel, this is a fundamental building block: many professional buyers do not operate with immediate payment because they have often negotiated commercial conditions.

Fourth point, quantity-based pricing and quantity rules. This gives the merchant native tools to apply price tiers, minimums, maximums, or order multiples. For wholesalers, distributors, or manufacturers, this capability is often indispensable.

Fifth point, Shopify mentions ACH payments in the United States as well as stored credit cards. This part will primarily interest merchants with activity in the American market or recurring buyers who wish to streamline orders.

What remains exclusive to Shopify Plus

The novelty is important, but Shopify is by no means neglecting Shopify Plus. Shopify has not eliminated the logic of upgrading to Plus. It has simply shifted the starting point for B2B. Several advanced functions remain reserved for Shopify Plus, and these are precisely among those that become critical when a wholesale project grows. 

The first limitation concerns unlimited catalogs. A merchant on Basic, Grow, or Advanced can start with three active catalogs, which is sufficient for some simple cases. But as soon as it becomes necessary to manage many customer segments, fine pricing based on accounts, or more complex multi-country segmentation, this limit quickly becomes an issue. Shopify also specifies that direct catalog assignment to companies and locations remains reserved for Plus. Outside of Plus, the logic therefore goes through Markets, which reduces the granularity of certain scenarios.

Another major difference is that partial payments and deposits remain exclusive to Plus. Shopify documentation explicitly states that deposit requirements in payment terms are reserved for the Shopify Plus plan. For B2B projects with pre-orders, on-demand manufacturing, special orders, or commercial security logic, this is a real turning point.

In other words, Shopify Plus retains the layer of complexity that interests businesses with mature B2B operations, numerous strategic accounts, specific negotiations per client, and more sophisticated financial workflows. The opening of non-Plus plans therefore does not replace Plus. It simply creates a better intermediate tier.

Shopify B2B outside Plus vs Shopify Plus

 

This table summarizes the new reality well. B2B on standard plans is no longer symbolic and is becoming truly exploitable. This will, for example, make it possible to run "small" B2B projects on a Grow plan to start in parallel with a B2C store on an Advanced plan, all connected to an ERP.

However, Plus retains the essential levers when customization needs to be scaled, particularly for catalog segmentation and payment logic. 

For which brands is this new feature a real opportunity?

This announcement is particularly interesting for D2C brands that are starting to develop a second wholesale channel. This is the case, for example, for a DNVB that wants to sell to a few resellers, a food brand that wants to approach physical stores, or a manufacturer that wishes to professionalize its B2B order taking without immediately switching to an enterprise logic.

It is also relevant for companies that already had a "semi-manual" B2B on Shopify. Many previously managed their professional accounts with custom discounts, draft orders, third-party apps, and inefficient internal processes. The ability to natively integrate some of these uses can simplify operations, improve the customer experience, and reduce reliance on fragile technical setups.

However, businesses that already have significant commercial complexity should not view this announcement as the end of the debate. If you require numerous catalogs, ultra-specific rules per client, deposits, or fine segmentation by company and location, the limitations of non-Plus plans will quickly become apparent. In this case, Shopify Plus remains the right playground. The correct strategic interpretation is therefore not "Plus is no longer useful," but "the entry threshold for Shopify B2B is now lower."

Practical advice before launching a B2B channel on Shopify

Before activating a B2B channel on Shopify, you must first clarify your business model. The first point to define is the actual number of pricing segments you need. If three catalogs are sufficient, the new feature announced by Shopify may be largely adequate. If you already know that you will need to manage many specific customer cases, it is better to anticipate the limit from the start.

Next, you need to examine your actual payment terms. If your professional clients operate on net 30 or net 60 terms, you now have a solid native framework. However, if your business relies on systematic deposits, split payments, or multi-stage order securing, you must understand that these uses remain linked to Plus.

Third topic: storefront experience. B2B is not just about showing a crossed-out price or a hidden discount. You need to consider navigation, legibility of pricing tiers, replenishment logic, customer accounts, and clarity of commercial information. Shopify also reminds us that customer accounts play a central role in accessing B2B information, order history, and re-ordering functionalities.

For example, to have prices by quantity (if you order 300, the price goes from €2 to €1.80 per item, for example), your Shopify theme still needs to support it! You can ask your preferred Shopify agency to code this into your theme if it doesn't support it yet.  

Finally, an evolutionary logic must be maintained. A B2B project must not only function today. It must be able to absorb tomorrow's commercial growth. This is where the arbitration between standard and Plus plans becomes strategic.

Mistakes to avoid

The first mistake would be to believe that this announcement puts Shopify Plus out of play. This is not the case. Shopify has opened up a useful B2B foundation, but it has not eliminated the structural differences between the plans. Complex needs clearly remain oriented towards Plus.

The second mistake would be to launch a wholesale channel without mapping out its pricing logic. The number of catalogs, the granularity of personalization, and the quantity rules must be considered before production. Otherwise, there is a risk of recreating operational debt where Shopify actually offers a cleaner alternative.

The third mistake is treating B2B as a simple extension of D2C. Professional customers have different expectations. They want clear payment terms, consistent prices, appropriate quantities, and an efficient ordering experience. If the journey is not designed for these uses, the technical layer alone will not suffice.

Finally, we must not forget the international dimension. The Shopify announcement mentions, for example, that ACH payments only concern the United States. This detail may seem secondary, but it immediately changes the actual scope of certain promises depending on the target market.

FAQ

Is Shopify B2B now included in all Shopify plans?

No. Shopify has announced the opening of key B2B functionalities on the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans. This does not mean that all of Shopify's native B2B is available everywhere. Some advanced features remain exclusive to Shopify Plus.

How many B2B catalogs can be created outside of Shopify Plus?

Shopify states that merchants on Basic, Grow, and Advanced can use up to 3 active B2B catalogs, assigned via Markets. Unlimited catalogs remain exclusive to Shopify Plus.

Can B2B payment terms be managed without Shopify Plus?

Yes. Payment terms are among the features now accessible on the relevant non-Plus plans. Shopify notably documents terms like net 7, net 15, net 30, net 45, net 60, and net 90.

Are down payments available on Basic, Grow, or Advanced?

No. Down payments and, more broadly, partial payments remain features reserved for Shopify Plus. Shopify's documentation also specifies that down payment requirements are limited to the Plus plan.

Is this new feature sufficient to launch a wholesale business?

In many cases, yes. For simple to intermediate B2B, with few segments and a controlled pricing logic, this new feature can be sufficient. However, for complex B2B with many strategic accounts and specific rules, Shopify Plus often remains more suitable.

Conclusion

The announcement on April 2, 2026 marks an important evolution for Shopify B2B. By opening up several native functionalities to the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, Shopify makes wholesale much more accessible than before. Merchants can now structure a first level of serious B2B, with company profiles, catalogs, payment terms, and quantity logic, without immediately upgrading to Plus.

However, Shopify Plus maintains a real advantage in advanced scenarios: unlimited catalogs, direct attribution, partial payments, and down payments. The correct interpretation is therefore not to view this new feature as a replacement for Plus, but as a new stage in the growth of B2B merchants.