1/23/2025

Setting Up a Shopify Store for Wholesale Customers

Setting up a Shopify store for wholesale customers can be a game-changer for business owners looking to expand their sales channels. Whether you’re looking to cater to retailers, restaurants, or other businesses, creating a dedicated space for wholesale transactions is essential. Lucky for us, Shopify makes it relatively easy to do! Here’s an in-depth guide on how to set up a Wholesale store on Shopify and maximize your potential profits.

Why Set Up a Wholesale Store?

First off, let’s discuss why you want to go down this route. Wholesale customers operate on different metrics compared to retail shoppers. They may need bulk orders, lower pricing, or even custom orders depending on their requirements. That said, having a separate section for wholesale can lead to massive boosts in your profit margins and expand your customer base.

Steps to Set Up Your Wholesale Store on Shopify

1. Create a Separate Wholesale Account

Shopify allows only one Online Store per account. So, if you’re looking to create a dedicated wholesale store, you’ll need to sign up for a new account. Some may find it a hassle, but it offers the advantage of having separate inventory, themes, and user management.

Consider your having two storefronts: one for your retail customers and one specifically targeting your wholesale clients.
- Check out this Shopify Community thread for more information on account setup.

2. Choosing A Theme for Wholesale

Selecting the right theme for your wholesale store entails ensuring it’s user-friendly and navigable. You want your wholesale clients to have an easy time browsing your products and placing bulk orders. Check out this list of ten best wholesale Shopify themes for 2025 that suit various needs – from customization to speed!

3. Install Wholesale Apps

Shopify doesn’t include a native wholesale solution, but several apps can facilitate wholesale sales. Thankfully, there are a plethora of choices on the Shopify App Store. Here are some popular apps you might consider:

Wholesale Pricing Discount B2B: This app lets you set different prices for wholesale customers quickly and effectively.
Wholesale Gorilla: A great app that allows easy management of bulk orders and specific pricing.
Bold Custom Pricing: For setting flexible pricing tiers depending on the quantity.

4. Create a Wholesale Application & Approval Process

Set up a system where prospective wholesale customers can apply to purchase at wholesale prices. You’ll want to approve these applications to maintain the integrity of your wholesale operations. The Customer Fields app can help facilitate this.

Customers could provide information about their businesses, what they plan to buy, and how much they intend to purchase.
This effort reinforces the exclusivity of your wholesale offerings and engages clients meaningfully from the get-go.

5. Organize Your Product Collections

Your wholesale store should have specific collections targeted towards your wholesale customers. Consider categorizing products based on factors such as price, type, and quantity. Here’s how you might do this:

Create a Wholesale Collection that groups all of your wholesale-specific products.
Use tags to segment by category (clothes, gadgets, etc.), ensuring customers can easily find what they need. For more on collections, check out this Shopify Help Center article.

6. Enable Pricing Discounts and Volume Pricing

Wholesale clients expect discounts based on the volume they’re buying. Make sure your Shopify settings and selected apps allow you to manage volume pricing easily. This could mean:

If a client buys 100 units, they might receive a percentage discount compared to a single unit. Check options available within your chosen app to set up these volume pricing tiers, such as in Bidix or the Wholesale Club, which help automate this process.

7. Set Payment Terms

Wholesale businesses often run on different payment terms vs. retail. Creating custom payment options allows you to specify payment terms for your wholesale customers easily.

Set up NET-30 or NET-60 payment terms that might not be standard for your retail customers.
An app like Sufio allows you to send invoices that align with wholesale purchasing habits.

8. Customer Segmentation

Create customer groups and enable specific pricing based on their wholesale history. This means certain customers might get unique pricing based on their purchase volume or loyalty through a program built-in within the Shopify platform. To dive deeper, check how to manage different pricing for wholesale and retail.

9. Train Your Chatbot

Let’s get into the fun stuff – automate your customer service! Using Arsturn can help you leverage AI chatbots that engage customers instantly. Chatbots can be trained to deal with FAQs and even direct customers to specific sections of your online wholesale shop. This keeps your tech stack lean and saves your team numerous hours as they take care of more complex tasks!

Arsturn lets you create a conversational AI chatbot without coding skills, streamlining operations and focusing on growing your business!

10. Analytics & Insights

To measure your wholesale store’s performance, use Shopify’s built-in analytics or install an app that helps track bulk orders and customer behavior. This ensures you can adapt to your customers quickly, meeting their needs effectively.

Focus on metrics such as average order value (AOV), the number of repeat customers, and customer satisfaction levels to continually refine your wholesale strategy.

11. Marketing Strategies for Wholesale Customers

Once your store is set, it’s time to dive into marketing strategies:

Use email marketing to reach and retain wholesale customers. Segment your lists to ensure your messages are relevant to businesses.
Consider running special promotions for bulk purchases or seasonal discounts.
Leverage social media targeting B2B strategies to engage potential wholesellers.

12. Economies of Scale

Lastly, don't forget about economies of scale! As orders increase, your margins may begin to improve, due to lower costs per unit. Encourage larger transactions by offering discounts for larger orders.

Conclusion

Once you’ve set everything up, remember to regularly refine your strategies. The wholesale landscape is evolving rapidly, and staying adaptable will keep your Shopify store relevant. Embrace this opportunity to engage with a new segment of customers and watch your business grow!

With tools like Arsturn, you can drastically enhance customer engagement and streamline your operations. Dive into the world of AI chatbots, connect effectively, and make the experience seamless for wholesale clients. Don’t wait, optimize your store today!