How to setup and use B2B Preorders in Shopify using STOQ

B2B preorders allow merchants to sell products to other businesses before they are available, enabling better inventory management and production planning. With STOQ, you can offer preorders to your wholesale and business customers through Shopify's B2B features. This guide walks you through setting up B2B preorders, the customer login process, and different checkout and payment scenarios.

What is B2B in Shopify?

Shopify's B2B (Business-to-Business) features allow you to sell directly to other businesses through your online store. B2B customers are organized into companies with specific pricing, payment terms, and ordering rules.

Key B2B Features

• Company accounts: Create accounts for business customers with multiple buyers.
• Custom pricing: Set wholesale or volume-based pricing for B2B customers.
• Payment terms: Offer net payment terms (e.g., Net 30) instead of immediate payment.
• Order submission: Choose whether orders are automatically accepted or submitted as drafts for review.
• Catalogs: Create custom product catalogs with specific pricing for different companies.

B2B Preorders with STOQ

When you combine Shopify's B2B features with STOQ's preorder functionality, your business customers can place preorders for products that aren't yet available. This is particularly useful for:

• Wholesale buyers reserving upcoming product releases
• Retailers ordering seasonal inventory in advance
• Distributors securing allocation before product launches

Prerequisites

Before setting up B2B preorders, ensure you have the following in place.

Requirements

• Your store must be on the Shopify Plus plan (B2B features require Shopify Plus).
• B2B must be set up in your Shopify admin with at least one company created.
• STOQ must be installed and configured for preorders.
• You should have at least one preorder offer created in STOQ.

Step 1: Set Up B2B in Shopify Admin

If you haven't already set up B2B in Shopify, follow these steps.

Creating a Company

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Customers > Companies.
2. Click Add company.
3. Enter the company details including name, address, and contact information.
4. Add at least one customer as a buyer for the company.
5. Configure payment terms and order submission settings.
6. Click Save.

Configuring Payment Terms

When setting up a company, you can configure how payments are collected:

• Due on fulfillment: Payment is collected when the order is fulfilled.
• Net terms: Payment is due within a specified number of days (e.g., Net 30, Net 60).
• Due on receipt: Payment is due immediately upon receiving the invoice.

Configuring Order Submission

You can also configure how orders are processed:

• Automatically accept orders: Orders are placed immediately and appear in your Orders list.
• Submit orders as drafts: Orders are submitted as draft orders for your review before processing.

Step 2: Add Products to Your Preorder Offer

Once B2B is set up, add the products you want to offer for B2B preorders.

Adding Products in STOQ

1. From your Shopify admin, open the STOQ app.
2. Go to Preorders > Offers.
3. Click Edit on the offer you want to use for B2B preorders, or create a new offer.
4. Go to the Products tab.
5. Add the products you want to sell as B2B preorders.
6. Ensure the products are out of stock and have Continue selling when out of stock enabled.
7. Click Save.

After completing this step, the "Preorder" button will appear for the selected products on your store, allowing B2B customers to place orders.

Step 3: Customer Login and Preorder Process

B2B customers must be logged in to place orders. Here's how the process works from the customer's perspective.

Logging In

1. The customer visits your store and clicks the user icon or login link.
2. They enter their email address associated with the B2B company.
3. A verification code is sent to their email.
4. They enter the code to complete the login.

Placing a Preorder

Once logged in, B2B customers can place preorders:

1. The customer navigates to a product page with an active preorder offer.
2. They see the Preorder button instead of "Add to Cart".
3. They click Preorder to add the product to their cart.
4. In the cart, they can see line item properties indicating "Purchase Type: Preorder".

Step 4: Checkout and Payment Scenarios

The checkout process for B2B preorders depends on the payment collection method and order submission settings configured for the company. Here are common scenarios.

Scenario 1: Upfront Deposit with Automatic Order Acceptance

This scenario is ideal when you want to collect a partial payment upfront and the remaining balance later.

How it works:

1. The customer proceeds to checkout and enters payment details for the deposit amount.
2. Upon successful payment, the customer sees a confirmation screen.
3. The order is automatically accepted and appears in your Orders list.
4. When the products are ready to ship, you fulfill the order and collect the remaining payment.

Collecting the remaining payment:

1. When ready to ship, go to the order in Shopify admin.
2. Click Collect payment to charge the remaining balance.
3. Once payment is collected, fulfill the order.

Scenario 2: Draft Orders for Review (No Immediate Payment)

This scenario is ideal when you want to review orders before accepting them, or when using net payment terms.

How it works:

1. The customer proceeds to checkout and confirms the order details.
2. The order is created as a draft order instead of being immediately processed.
3. The customer sees a confirmation that their order has been submitted for review.
4. You review the draft order in Shopify admin under Orders > Drafts.
5. After reviewing, you can accept the order and send an invoice to the customer.

Processing draft orders:

1. Go to Orders > Drafts in your Shopify admin.
2. Find the preorder draft and click to open it.
3. Review the order details, quantities, and pricing.
4. Click Send invoice to request payment from the customer, or Create order to accept it with net terms.

Scenario 3: Net Payment Terms

If you've configured net payment terms (e.g., Net 30) for a company:

1. The customer places the preorder without immediate payment.
2. The order is created with the payment due date based on your terms.
3. You can send an invoice when the order is ready to ship.
4. The customer pays within the agreed terms.

Managing B2B Preorders

Once B2B preorders are placed, you can manage them like regular preorders in STOQ.

Viewing B2B Preorders in STOQ

1. Go to Preorders > Reports in STOQ.
2. B2B preorders appear alongside regular preorders.
3. You can filter, search, and manage these orders as usual.

Fulfilling B2B Preorders

1. When products are ready to ship, go to the order in Shopify admin.
2. Collect any remaining payment if applicable.
3. Fulfill the order and provide tracking information.
4. The customer receives fulfillment notifications.

Best Practices for B2B Preorders

Follow these recommendations for a successful B2B preorder experience.

Communication

• Clearly communicate expected shipping dates and any potential delays.
• Send confirmation emails when preorders are placed.
• Notify customers when products are ready to ship.

Payment Terms

• Choose payment terms that align with your cash flow needs.
• For high-value preorders, consider requiring a deposit upfront.
• Clearly state payment terms in your B2B agreements.

Inventory Management

• Use preorder limits to avoid overselling.
• Keep B2B customers informed about allocation and availability.
• Consider creating separate offers for B2B and retail customers if needed.

Order Review

• For large orders, use draft order submission to review before accepting.
• Verify pricing and quantities before processing.
• Confirm inventory allocation before accepting orders.

Known Limitations

B2B preorders have some constraints to be aware of.

• B2B features require Shopify Plus. They are not available on other Shopify plans.
• Payment and fulfillment settings from STOQ preorder offers do not apply to B2B orders. B2B orders use the company's configured payment terms.
• B2B customers must be logged in to see B2B pricing and place orders.
• Some STOQ features like deposit collection through STOQ may work differently for B2B orders since Shopify handles B2B payment terms.
• B2B preorders follow Shopify's B2B checkout flow, which may differ from the standard checkout experience.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with B2B preorders, use this guide to identify and resolve common problems.

FAQs

Q : Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B preorders?

A : Yes, Shopify's B2B features are only available on Shopify Plus. If you're on a different plan, you'll need to upgrade to use B2B functionality with preorders.

Q : Can I use different preorder offers for B2B and retail customers?

A : Yes, you can create separate preorder offers for different customer segments. However, the same products can be in multiple offers. B2B customers will see the preorder button when logged in, while retail customers see it based on your standard offer settings.

Q : Do STOQ's payment settings apply to B2B orders?

A : No, B2B orders use the payment terms configured for the company in Shopify admin, not the payment settings in your STOQ preorder offer. This includes deposit amounts, net terms, and payment collection timing.

Q : Can B2B customers cancel their preorders?

A : This depends on your business policies. You can handle cancellations manually through Shopify admin. The customer cancellation portal in STOQ may not apply to B2B orders depending on your configuration.

Q : How do I offer volume discounts on B2B preorders?

A : Use Shopify's B2B catalog features to set up volume pricing and quantity rules. These discounts will apply to preorder products just like regular products. Refer to Shopify's B2B documentation for detailed instructions.

Q : Can I track B2B preorders separately from retail preorders?

A : B2B orders are tagged and can be identified in Shopify admin. In STOQ's reports, you can see all preorders together. You can use Shopify's filtering and reporting features to analyze B2B orders separately.

Updated on: 25/03/2026