Which Industries Benefit from Shopify Plus and Shopify B2B Upgrades

3 min read ● Silk Team

Understanding Shopify Plus and Shopify B2B

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise offering and is designed to support high-volume merchants with advanced customization, automation, and dedicated support. Shopify Plus offers enhanced performance for stores that need scalability, flexibility, and the ability to integrate with complex systems. Shopify B2B (Business-to-Business), on the other hand, offers a range of features to support wholesale businesses in Shopify Plus stores. Merchants can offer custom pricing, bulk orders, custom catalogs, net payment terms, and other features specifically tailored to B2B buyers.

Industries that commonly use Shopify Plus

• Fashion and Apparel. Fashion brands, especially those with rapid growth or multiple collections and frequent product launches, choose Shopify Plus for its ability to handle large product catalogs and high traffic, and for seamless integration with third-party logistics and ERP systems.
• Beauty and Cosmetics. Beauty brands often need robust marketing tools, subscription features, and scalable storefronts to support their global expansion. Shopify Plus facilitates multichannel selling and supports regional regulatory compliance.
• Consumer Electronics and Gadgets. Sellers of high-end electronics benefit from Shopify Plus’s robust payment options and fraud protection, as well as its ability to handle complex shipping and inventory management needs.
• Health and Wellness. This industry values Shopify Plus’s flexibility with subscriptions, custom plans, and integrations with specialized fulfillment services.
• Luxury Goods and Jewelry. Shopify Plus supports customization and brand storytelling at scale, ideal for luxury brands looking to deliver a premium user experience.

Industries that commonly use Shopify B2B

• Manufacturing and Industrial Supplies. Manufacturers selling to distributors or retailers need wholesale-specific features like custom pricing, bulk order forms, and credit terms, all of which Shopify B2B offers.
• Wholesale and Distribution. Distributors who manage multiple retail accounts often need personalized catalogs, order approvals, and ERP integrations, which is why Shopify B2B is a great choice.
• Food and Beverage. B2B customers in this industry (such as restaurants or specialty food stores) benefit from optimized bulk orders and insights into stock availability with Shopify B2B.
• Office Supplies and Equipment. These merchants typically handle large volumes of recurring orders and require the flexible payment terms and order management tools available in Shopify B2B.
• Fashion & Apparel (Wholesale Division). Direct selling and wholesale brands use Shopify B2B to manage separate pricing, minimum order quantities, and account-specific promotions for wholesale customers.

When is it a good idea to upgrade to Shopify Plus and Shopify B2B?

Upgrade to Shopify Plus if:

• Your store has high traffic that requires faster load times and more reliable uptime.
• You have complex operational requirements, such as: customized checkout experiences, selling in multiple currencies, or deep integrations with ERP/CRM systems.
• You need advanced automation and scripting to customize workflows.
• Your monthly revenue is growing (often over $800,000 per month) and you need a platform that can support exponential growth.
• You want dedicated support and enterprise-level account management.

Upgrade to Shopify B2B if:

• You sell to wholesale customers in addition to retail and need to offer custom price lists, volume discounts, or net payment terms.
• You need to offer personalized catalogs and payment options to different business customers.
• Your sales process needs features like order management, order approval workflows, or multi-user accounts.
• You need wholesale and retail integration on a single, unified platform.
• You need tools to manage complex B2B sales cycles without a separate wholesale website having to create one.

Conclusion

Shopify Plus and Shopify B2B meet two distinct, partially overlapping, needs. Shopify Plus forms the backbone for enterprise-level e-commerce, providing scalability, adaptability, and performance for fast-growing brands. Shopify B2B enables merchants to efficiently serve wholesale customers by extending the Plus base with wholesale-specific features.

Companies in industries such as fashion and electronics, manufacturing, and hospitality rely on these solutions to address their unique challenges. By assessing your operational complexity, customer base (B2C vs. B2B), revenue, and growth trajectory, you can determine the right time to upgrade and unlock the full potential of Shopify B2B and Shopify Plus.