The Onboard B2B app has been built from the ground up to work in conjunction with Shopify's native B2B features, exclusive to merchants using Shopify Plus.
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Shopify's new B2B system provides tools and features for wholesale eCommerce, including a way to organize related customers and give customers within these groups a customized set of B2B-specific benefits. Within Shopify, this is done by creating a 'Company' and assigning certain customers as 'Contacts' for the company. Companies have the concept of 'Locations', and company locations can be assigned things like 'Catalogs', 'Payment Terms', and more!

While Shopify's B2B system offers most of the things that a typical wholesale merchant needs for eCommerce, we've noticed some pieces of the puzzle that are either missing or could be improved, which is why we've developed the Onboard B2B app.

To confirm, Onboard is not a replacement for Shopify B2B nor is it a workaround solution; instead, it is purpose-built to extend the native B2B features within Shopify, helping to streamline the CX for your wholesale operations.
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Onboard B2B includes several key features to streamline your B2B business on Shopify. Depending on your use case, you may want to use all of the app's features at once, but that is not a requirement. Each feature is modular, so you have full control over feature utilization. Read more below for details on each feature.
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Allow potential B2B customers to apply for a B2B account using the customer account portal. Review these company applications and decide whether to approve, request more information, or reject.

Collect important business information from potential B2B customers using a customizable form

​​How it works: Use the app's form builder to customize the form's layout and add custom fields to collect the company data you desire. Use Shopify's Account and Checkout editor to install the form on a new page in your store's customer account portal. Use a link to the new page in your store's navigation, emails, theme, etc.
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The form is designed to collect necessary Contact, Company, and Company Location information from authenticated customers using a Customer Account Extension. When the form is submitted, the data is saved in Shopify as a metaobject entry.

Suggested use cases: Dedicated (B2B only) and Blended (D2C/B2B) stores that want to allow potential B2B customers to provide information and apply for an account before gaining access to B2B-specific benefits.

Review company applications and decide whether to approve, request more information, or reject

How it works: Use the app to review the information the customer provided on the form and decide whether to approve, request a revision, or reject the application.

If you choose to approve, then the app will create a fully functional Company in Shopify using the information from the application form. Behind the scenes, this includes assigning the customer as the Main Contact, using the billing/shipping addresses to create a Main Location, and setting metafield values for any custom data collected by the form. During the approval process, you're able to control all of the critical Shopify B2B-specific settings for the new Company, including the assignment of Product Catalogs and Payment Terms.

If you do not want to approve the application, then you have the option of requesting the customer to re-apply and correct certain pieces of information. Otherwise, you can reject and close the application so the customer cannot submit it again.

Suggested use cases: Dedicated (B2B only) and Blended (D2C/B2B) stores that want to review the details of each business before granting them access to B2B-specific benefits.

Allow approved B2B customers to add, edit, and delete Contacts associated with their Company

How it works: Use Shopify's Account and Checkout editor to install the management tool on a new page in your store's customer account portal. Use a link to the new page in your store's navigation, emails, theme, etc.

This tool is designed to allow customers to manage the Contacts within their Company using a Customer Account Extension. Customers can use this tool on their own to add new Contacts, edit existing Contacts, and even remove Contacts from the Company. To use the tool, customers are required to have the 'Location admin' Role.

Suggested use cases: Dedicated (B2B only) and Blended (D2C/B2B) stores that want to allow their B2B customers to manage their own team members.

Prevent non-B2B customers from viewing your storefront

How it works: Use Shopify's theme editor to enable the app embed and lock your storefront for all guests and non-B2B customers, meaning only customers who are part of a company can browse catalogs and see pricing.

This feature is designed to detect B2B customers automatically whenever someone visits your Online Store. If a visitor is not logged in as a B2B customer, then the app's Theme App Extension will display a customizable login prompt to the visitor. This login prompt cannot be dismissed, thus forcing B2B customers to log in before they can access any other parts of your storefront.

Suggested use cases: Dedicated B2B stores for members only. This feature can be used alongside checkout access control (see below) for an extra layer of protection.

Prevent non-B2B customers from placing orders

How it works: Enable the app's checkout rule in Shopify's checkout settings to prevent guests and non-B2B customers from making purchases.

This feature is designed to detect B2B customers automatically whenever someone starts the checkout process. If a customer is not logged in to a B2B account, then a login prompt is displayed and the rest of the checkout process disabled, thus forcing B2B customers to login/apply before they can proceed with checkout. The feature uses a Checkout Validation Rule powered by a Shopify Function, which ensures this important business logic cannot be manipulated or skipped.

Suggested use cases: Dedicated B2B stores that allow the public to browse but only allow members to purchase.

Looking for a feature we don't offer? Submit your feedback and feature requests for Onboard B2B by contacting our team via in-app chat or email (support@heliumdev.com).