Overcoming Advanced Shopify B2B Ecommerce Challenges: A Comprehensive Guide for Commerce Leaders

Shopify has rapidly evolved to support the needs of modern B2B commerce through its Shopify Plus platform.

With features like company accounts, custom catalogs, and flexible payment terms, Shopify offers a powerful foundation for wholesale operations. However, B2B merchants with complex operations often have advanced requirements that go beyond native configurations. That’s where certified partners like Novatize step in—a trusted partner to manufacturers and distributors since 2014, extending Shopify’s capabilities through tailored development, seamless integrations, and strategic planning.

B2B ecommerce is entering a new era. According to recent Forrester reports, the global B2B ecommerce market is set to exceed $20 trillion by 2027, fueled by changing buyer expectations and digital transformation across manufacturing and distribution sectors. Over 80% of B2B buyers now expect a seamless, digital-first purchasing experience—making platforms like Shopify increasingly essential for growth-oriented businesses.

In this guide, we explore how commerce leaders can maximize Shopify B2B by leveraging built-in features and strategic enhancements to build scalable, efficient wholesale experiences.

Want to see these strategies in action? Join our on-demand webinar hosted by Novatize in collaboration with Shopify, where we dive deeper into real-world use cases, advanced Shopify B2B configurations, and how merchants are scaling their wholesale operations. Watch the webinar and learn how to future-proof your B2B commerce.

Managing B2B and DTC from One Platform

Shopify’s B2B suite (exclusive to Shopify Plus) allows merchants to serve wholesale and retail customers from the same backend. This means managing:

1. Multiple buyer accounts per company
2. Custom pricing via B2B catalogs
3. Volume-based discounts
4. Net payment terms (e.g., Net 30 or Net 60)

At Novatize, we help B2B brands unify operations under a single Shopify architecture—improving visibility, reducing system complexity, and accelerating go-to-market for hybrid models.

Connecting Shopify to ERP and Core Business Systems

Why it Matters:

B2B commerce is tightly coupled with ERP systems for inventory, pricing, and invoicing. To maintain real-time accuracy, Shopify must integrate cleanly with ERP and back-office platforms.

What Shopify Offers:

Shopify Plus supports integration through its Global ERP Program, with native connectors for platforms like NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and Acumatica. These connectors allow seamless order, inventory, and customer data sync.

How Novatize Extends It:

For merchants using ERPs not natively supported — or with custom logic — we build middleware integrations using Shopify’s Admin and B2B APIs. We ensure proper mapping of:

1. Company identifiers and price lists
2. Payment terms and invoice workflows
3. Inventory levels and fulfillment status

With robust data syncs and Shopify Flow automations, Novatize clients benefit from error-free processes and significant operational time savings. We also offer B2B accelerators that provide a structured foundation for merchants aiming to scale fast on Shopify Plus. These accelerators include pre-built connectors with key business logic and attribute mapping—streamlining everything from custom pricing models to ERP integrations. Extending Shopify’s capabilities through tailored development, seamless integrations, and strategic planning.

Solving Multi-Currency and International Commerce Requirements

The Challenge:

Wholesale businesses operating in multiple markets need precise control over currency, taxes, and localized pricing.

Shopify’s Approach:

Shopify Markets enables multi-currency and region-based experiences. Each B2B company can be assigned to a market and receive prices in their local currency. B2B catalogs are set per currency.

Strategic Enhancements with Novatize:

We help our clients go further by:

1. Creating regional catalogs with fixed price lists
2. Managing multi-store setups where needed (e.g., EU and North America stores)Localizing checkout, tax handling (VAT/GST), and language for each segment

Our tailored implementations ensure international buyers experience a localized and compliant storefront while central teams maintain full control.

Implementing Sophisticated B2B Pricing Models

Native Features:

Shopify B2B supports

1. Fixed-price catalogs
2. Volume pricing (e.g., Buy 100+, get 10% off)
3. Company-specific pricing rules

When to Go Further:

For clients with tiered pricing, bundling, or contract-specific terms, Novatize leverages Shopify Functions to customize discount logic at checkout.

Additionally, we streamline:

1. Catalog management via CSV/API for thousands of SKUs
2. Draft order workflows to support quote-based sales
3. Customer tagging for dynamic discount eligibility

Our approach ensures pricing consistency across catalogs, systems, and sales teams.

Streamlining the Bulk Ordering Experience

B2B buyers often place large, recurring orders. Shopify supports up to 500 line items per order and enables reordering from past purchases.

How Novatize Enhances the Experience:

1. Quick Order Lists: We implement custom interfaces for bulk product entry and CSV imports.
2. Reordering UX: Clients benefit from intuitive reorder flows and personalized dashboards.
3. Freight Shipping Support: We integrate freight carriers and delivery APIs for pallet-level logistics.
4. Order Splitting Logic: Where applicable, we implement rules to optimize orders that exceed Shopify’s cart caps.

These tools reduce friction for high-volume buyers and increase repeat order velocity.

Personalizing Product Access with Customer-Specific Catalogs

Shopify B2B enables segmented catalogs—so only the right customers see the right products at the right price.

At Novatize, we optimize catalog management by:

1. Creating modular catalog combinations per company location
2. Implementing gated navigation based on customer tags
3. Integrating metafields for personalized content (e.g., account manager display)

For large-scale segmentation, we advise on whether to stay within one Shopify store or deploy a multi-store strategy—always with a focus on maintainability.

Conclusion: Scale B2B Commerce with Shopify Plus and Novatize

Shopify Plus offers a powerful platform for modern wholesale commerce. While its native B2B tools cover a wide range of needs, leading merchants benefit from strategic extensions that unlock additional value.

At Novatize, we combine deep Shopify Plus expertise with B2B specialization to:

1. Align Shopify to enterprise systems
2. Personalize pricing and catalogs
3. Simplify complex ordering workflows
4. Enable global commerce operations

Let’s build a Shopify B2B solution tailored to your business model—one that scales with your growth and delivers seamless experiences to your buyers.

Contact Novatize today to explore what’s possible with Shopify Plus for your B2B operations.

Pierre-Olivier Brassard

Vice President - Products and Technology, Partner

contact@novatize.com+1 844 932-6682

Schedule an appointment