Buyer’s guide
A B2B ecommerce platform built for distributors, not retrofitted from D2C
Per-buyer pricing, credit limits, multi-user buyer accounts, and a REST API — in the base plan, without jumping to an Enterprise tier.
What to know about B2B ecommerce platform
'B2B ecommerce platform' covers a wide field — from D2C-first tools that added a wholesale module (Shopify Plus, BigCommerce Enterprise) to purpose-built distribution systems. The pick matters because the underlying data model is different: D2C tools start with anonymous shoppers and bolt authentication on; B2B-first tools start from 'every order belongs to a signed-in customer with a price list and a credit limit.'
If wholesale is the majority of your volume, the B2B-first option tends to age better. You don't want to be the customer who's constantly waiting for the next release to close a gap the retail flow doesn't have.
Evaluating tools
What to look for
Ask these of every tool in your shortlist — including ours.
- 1
Every catalog view is priced for the buyer looking at it
Customers should never see a generic retail price. From the moment they log in, prices, availability, and payment terms reflect their account — no 'request a quote' dance for published products.
- 2
Multi-user buyer accounts are native
B2B customers aren't individuals — they're companies with buyers, approvers, and AP people. The platform needs roles (ADMIN / BUYER / VIEWER or similar), so a controller can approve orders a buyer drafts without sharing a password.
- 3
Tax, shipping, and payment terms are per-customer
One buyer pays by card and ships to three warehouses. Another is on Net 30 and ships to whichever of their 12 stores needs stock. The platform should represent both natively, not via workarounds that break the order record.
- 4
The API is first-class, not an upsell
B2B integrations — ERP, PIM, 3PL, accounting — are the rule, not the exception. Look for scoped API keys, signed webhooks with rotation, and per-endpoint rate limits in the base plan. If the API costs extra, you're buying a content site.
- 5
You're not paying D2C-scale fees on wholesale volume
D2C platforms charge per-transaction fees or percentage-of-GMV that make sense at retail margins and don't at wholesale. Flat-tier pricing on orders and integrations ages better as your volume grows.
How Distribu handles it
What you get on day one
A branded storefront at your own slug
Your customers sign in at distribu.app/store/{your-slug} and see a catalog priced for them, with their credit limit and address book already wired up. Multi-user accounts support ADMIN / BUYER / VIEWER roles, so one company can have a controller who approves orders and buyers who just place them.
See the storefront →Multi-user buyer accounts with ADMIN / BUYER / VIEWER roles
Each customer account can have any number of contacts, each with a role. ADMINs can invite teammates, approve orders, and manage the address book. BUYERs place orders. VIEWERs read-only. Every action is attributed in the audit log.
Storefront roles →Per-customer addresses, tax, and payment terms
Each customer has its own address book, tax profile, and payment terms. An order inherits the defaults and lets the buyer override ship-to per order — no duplicate customer records, no tax-rule forks.
Tax docs →A REST API and signed webhooks in the base plan
Nine permission scopes per API key, per-key rate limits, and twelve webhook events with HMAC signatures and zero-downtime secret rotation. Anything the dashboard does, your code can do — no upsell required.
API reference →Flat tiers with no transaction fees
Distribu doesn't charge a percentage of your GMV or a fee per order. Plans price on orders-per-month, staff seats, and integrations — the things that actually track platform load.
See pricing →Frequently asked
What is a B2B ecommerce platform?
A B2B ecommerce platform is software that powers a business-to-business storefront — typically with logged-in customers, per-buyer pricing, credit limits, and multi-user buyer accounts. It differs from retail (B2C) ecommerce in starting from the assumption that every shopper has an account and a contract.
Can Shopify or BigCommerce be a B2B platform?
Shopify B2B (on Plus, ~$2,300/mo) and BigCommerce B2B Edition (on Enterprise) add wholesale features to the D2C core. They work well if you already run a D2C store on those platforms and want to add a wholesale channel. If wholesale is most of your volume, a B2B-first tool is typically better value.
How do B2B ecommerce platforms handle negotiated pricing?
Most support price lists (tier assignments) and product-level overrides per customer. Distribu supports both, enforces them server-side, and shows the buyer their own prices in the portal from the moment they log in.
Do B2B platforms support quoting?
Many do. A buyer requests a quote; sales responds with a priced draft; the buyer converts it to an order. Distribu has a quote flow that inherits per-customer pricing and converts cleanly to an order with the same pricing and credit check.
What about ERP integration?
Distribu ships a REST API with scoped keys and twelve webhook events with HMAC signatures. Most ERP integrations subscribe to order.created / order.updated / inventory.adjusted webhooks and write the orders and stock movements back into the ERP in near-real-time.
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.