B2B Project Intake
Use this questionnaire during the kickoff with a new wholesale or B2B client. The answers help the team understand the buyer journey, pricing model, and operational needs so we can make the right decisions on platform configuration and feature scope.
TIP
Does the client also sell direct-to-consumer? Use the B2C Intake alongside this one.
1. Business Model
- Is this pure wholesale, or a mix of DTC and B2B?
- If mixed: should both channels run on a single Shopify store, or separate stores?
- Who are the buyers? (retailers, distributors, internal teams, franchisees)
- How many active wholesale accounts are there today, and how fast is that growing?
2. Buyer Onboarding
- How do new wholesale customers sign up today? (trade shows, sales reps, website inquiry, cold outreach)
- Should buyers be able to self-register, or is it invite-only / approval-based?
- What information is collected during onboarding? (company name, tax ID, trade references, minimum order commitment)
- Are there different buyer tiers or groups? (e.g. gold/silver/bronze, regional, by channel)
3. Catalog and Pricing
- Does every buyer see the same products, or are some products restricted to certain accounts?
- How many different price lists are needed? (one for all, tiered by group, or per-account custom pricing)
- Are prices set as a percentage off retail, fixed wholesale prices, or a combination?
- Are there volume or tiered discounts? (e.g. 10% off above 100 units, 15% off above 500)
- Are there quantity rules? (minimum order quantities, case packs, order increments)
Shopify plan impact
Basic/Grow/Advanced plans support up to 3 custom catalogs. Plus is required for unlimited catalogs, per-company catalog assignment, and partial payments. See Shopify B2B for all plans.
4. Ordering and Reordering
- Is the ordering process fully self-serve, or do sales reps place orders on behalf of buyers?
- Do buyers frequently reorder the same products? (quick reorder or standing orders)
- Is there a minimum order value or minimum order quantity per order?
- Do buyers order for multiple shipping locations? (e.g. a retailer restocking 10 branches)
5. Payment and Terms
- What payment methods are used? (credit card, bank transfer, purchase order, on-account)
- Are payment terms offered? (e.g. net 30, net 60, due on fulfillment)
- Are deposits or partial payments required?
- Does the client need to set credit limits per account?
6. Shipping and Fulfillment
- How are wholesale orders shipped? (pallet, freight, parcel, customer pickup)
- Are shipping rates fixed, calculated, or negotiated per account?
- Are there different fulfillment workflows for B2B vs. DTC? (e.g. separate warehouse, longer lead times)
- Is international wholesale shipping needed?
7. Inventory Visibility
- Should buyers see real-time stock levels?
- Is stock visibility needed per warehouse or fulfillment location?
- How should out-of-stock products be handled? (hide, show with backorder option, notify when available)
- Are there products with long lead times that need pre-order or made-to-order flows?
8. Integrations and Systems
- What systems does the client use today? (ERP, accounting, CRM, PIM, WMS)
- Which of those need to sync with the Shopify store? (orders, inventory, customers, products)
- Are there existing B2B portals or ordering systems being replaced?
- Does the sales team need CRM integration for account management?
9. Content and Brand Experience
- How important is the B2B storefront experience? (utilitarian catalog vs. branded experience)
- Are there B2B-specific content needs? (line sheets, downloadable catalogs, trade resources)
- Does the buyer portal need custom branding or is the default Shopify B2B experience sufficient?
- Is there a separate marketing strategy for B2B buyers? (email campaigns, trade show follow-ups)
10. Timeline and Migration
- What is the target launch date?
- Is this replacing an existing wholesale process? (manual orders, email/phone, another platform)
- What data needs to be migrated? (company profiles, price lists, order history, product data)
- Should the rollout be phased? (start with top accounts, then open to all)
- What does success look like? (self-serve adoption rate, order volume, time saved)
Next Steps
Once complete, use the answers to determine:
- Whether the Shopify plan supports the required B2B features (question 3)
- Catalog and pricing architecture in Shopify admin
- Feature scope and companion app configuration
- Follow the New Shop Onboarding checklist when ready to build