Shopify’s B2B Tools vs. Custom Wholesale Portals – What’s Better for Scaling?

Shopify’s B2B Tools vs. Custom Wholesale Portals – What’s Better for Scaling?

Introduction

In 2025, Shopify is doubling down on B2B commerce with powerful built-in features for wholesale selling. But many fast-growing brands still opt for custom wholesale portals instead.

So, which one is right for your business?

In this blog, we compare Shopify’s native B2B tools with fully custom wholesale portals, helping you choose the best approach to scale your B2B operations on Shopify.

What Are Shopify’s Built-in B2B Features?

Shopify's native B2B suite is designed to help Plus merchants manage wholesale buyers directly from the same admin as their DTC store.

Key features include:

  • Company profiles & buyer roles

  • Volume-based price lists

  • Net payment terms (15, 30, 60 days)

  • Custom catalogs & checkout workflows

  • B2B-only storefronts

  • Purchase orders & draft orders

All of this is manageable without third-party apps.

What Is a Custom Wholesale Portal?

A custom wholesale portal is a purpose-built interface (often headless or embedded) that:

  • Offers gated logins for B2B customers

  • Shows unique catalogs, pricing, and payment terms

  • Connects to Shopify via Storefront API or Admin API

  • Integrates with external systems (e.g., ERPs, CRM, Inventory tools)

  • Can live on a subdomain (e.g., wholesale.brand.com) or within your main store

These portals are fully customizable and built for specific business logic.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Shopify B2B (Built-in) Custom Wholesale Portal
Setup Speed ✅ Fast (within admin) ❌ Slower (development needed)
Flexibility ⚠️ Limited by Shopify’s structure ✅ Fully customizable
Branding Control ⚠️ Matches Shopify UI ✅ Full design control
Complex Pricing Rules ⚠️ Basic tiers, price lists ✅ Advanced pricing logic possible
ERP/API Integration ⚠️ Limited app support ✅ Full system integrations
Scalability ✅ Great for growing merchants ✅ Great for scaling enterprises
Maintenance ✅ Shopify-managed ❌ Requires dev support
Ideal For Shopify Plus stores with basic B2B needs High-volume wholesale businesses or complex logic

Use Case Examples

Shopify B2B is ideal for:

  • Retailers adding a B2B channel quickly

  • Simple buyer segmentation (e.g., bronze/silver/gold pricing)

  • Brands that want to manage B2B + DTC in one backend

Custom Wholesale Portals are ideal for:

  • Brands with unique order workflows (MOQs, custom quotes, approval chains)

  • Global suppliers with multiple warehouses

  • B2B businesses needing tiered access, custom reports, or integrations with external systems

Questions to Ask Before Choosing

  1. Do you need flexible design and logic?

  2. Are your pricing rules more complex than simple tiers?

  3. Do you require integration with ERP, CRM, or custom inventory logic?

  4. Are you already on Shopify Plus?

If you answered yes to most—a custom wholesale portal may be the smarter choice.

How RootSyntax Supports B2B Growth

At RootSyntax, we help you:

  • Set up Shopify's native B2B features for fast wholesale enablement

  • Build custom wholesale portals that sync with your existing Shopify store

  • Integrate advanced features like:

    • Dynamic product visibility

    • Quote requests

    • Tiered onboarding workflows

    • Role-based access

    • Multi-location logistics sync

Whether you're starting or scaling, we’ll tailor the right B2B system for your business.

Final Thoughts

Shopify’s B2B tools are great—but not one-size-fits-all. If you’re scaling fast or need deep customization, a custom wholesale portal gives you full control and long-term flexibility.

Need help building or upgrading your B2B solution on Shopify?
📈 Talk to the B2B experts at RootSyntax today.

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