Buyer’s guide
B2B customer portal software your buyers will actually log into
A branded storefront with per-buyer prices, credit limits, order history, and self-service returns — live in a weekend.
What to know about B2B customer portal software
A B2B customer portal is the single biggest lever a distributor has for taking repetitive work out of the ops team's day. Somewhere between 40% and 70% of the orders a typical distributor takes are repeat orders from known buyers — the kind of order that shouldn't need a phone call, an email thread, or a rep's time at all.
The trick is building a portal buyers actually use. That means correct prices the moment they log in, real stock numbers, and a checkout that accepts their real payment terms — not a content site with a 'submit a quote' form pretending to be ecommerce.
Evaluating tools
What to look for
Ask these of every tool in your shortlist — including ours.
- 1
Correct prices from the first page view
Every catalog page, every line item, every search result should reflect the price that buyer pays — enforced server-side. If a buyer ever sees a generic price and has to 'contact us' for a real one, the portal hasn't replaced the email; it's become the email.
- 2
Real-time stock, or a clear explanation
Buyers want to know if they can get it this week. Show live stock, honor reserve rules for stock already on unshipped orders, and communicate lead times where stock is zero. A portal that lets someone order 50 units of a SKU you have 3 of has the wrong default.
- 3
Multi-user accounts with roles
One customer account, many humans. A controller approves, a buyer orders, an AP clerk downloads invoices. Each has their own login, their own email, their own audit trail. Sharing one password is the failure mode you're trying to fix.
- 4
Order history, reordering, and saved lists
Most B2B orders are reorders. 'Reorder from last month' and saved shopping lists save more rep time than any other feature. They're also the feature buyers miss most when they move off a portal that had them.
- 5
Self-service returns without a support ticket
Returns are how trust gets built — or lost. A clear return flow inside the portal, with status updates as staff approve and receive, beats a support email thread every time.
How Distribu handles it
What you get on day one
Prices, stock, and credit shown live in the catalog
Every catalog page in the Distribu storefront renders the logged-in customer's prices, live stock, and their credit-limit headroom. No 'contact sales' fallback for published SKUs; no stale prices pulled from a price sheet.
See the storefront →Multi-user accounts with ADMIN / BUYER / VIEWER roles
Each customer can have any number of contacts. ADMINs manage the address book and invite teammates. BUYERs place orders. VIEWERs read-only. Every action is attributed in the audit log.
Storefront docs →Reorder, saved lists, and order history
Buyers see every order they've ever placed, with one-click reorder and saved shopping lists for recurring SKUs. Staff see the same history from the admin side — so a rep on a phone call can answer 'when did we last ship X' without hunting.
Feature tour →Returns, refunds, and store credit without a detour
Customers request returns right from the storefront. Staff approve, receive, and refund — to the original payment method or as store credit that auto-applies on the next order. The stock ledger updates in lockstep, so returned units don't ghost your counts.
Feature tour →Branded at your slug, white-labelled on email
Your storefront lives at distribu.app/store/{your-slug}. Transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping updates, return approvals) render with your company name and branding — the buyer sees your brand, not ours.
Branding docs →Frequently asked
What is a B2B customer portal?
A B2B customer portal is a logged-in storefront for a distributor's customers. Each buyer sees their own prices, credit limit, order history, and can place, track, and return orders without going through a rep. It's the core feature distinguishing B2B ecommerce from D2C ecommerce.
How is a B2B portal different from a regular ecommerce site?
A B2C site shows public prices to everyone and checks out with a credit card. A B2B portal requires a login, shows per-buyer prices, honors credit limits and payment terms, supports multi-user buyer accounts, and typically integrates with the customer's AP process.
How long does it take to stand up a B2B portal?
On Distribu, most teams go live in a weekend — the bottleneck is cleaning up the product CSV and deciding which customers get which price list. Enterprise B2B platforms typically take 3-6 months with an implementation partner.
Can customers have multiple users?
Yes. Each customer account supports multiple contacts with distinct roles (ADMIN / BUYER / VIEWER). A controller can approve orders a buyer drafts; an AP clerk can download invoices without being able to place orders. Every action is audit-logged per user.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — Distribu's storefront is responsive and used on mobile frequently (reps in the field, buyers at trade shows). A full mobile app isn't the right trade-off for the overhead; the responsive web experience matches what most B2B buyers actually use.
Can I use my own domain?
Custom-domain support is on the near-term roadmap. Today stores live at distribu.app/store/{your-slug} and transactional emails render with your branding. Once custom domains ship, you'll be able to point portal.yourco.com at your Distribu store.
See it in your own tenant
14-day trial, no credit card. Or walk through it with us first — 20 minutes, your catalog, your questions.
Built for
Built for
Wholesale distributors
Per-buyer price lists, credit limits, and one shared order queue. Your reps, your ops team, and your customers all look at the same record.
Built for
Multi-brand retailers
One catalog, per-brand pricing, shared customer records — plus a REST API and webhooks for when your stack gets opinionated.