Common B2B setup mistakes
Written By Floris de Vries
Last updated 16 days ago
Overview
Most issues with B2B bulk ordering are not caused by bugs, but by setup mistakes.
This article lists the most common mistakes and explains how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Showing the bulk order form to all customers
Using “All customers” visibility in a B2B setup is risky.
Why this is a problem
Retail customers can see B2B pricing
Confusion about pricing
Unwanted orders
Better approach
Use Customers with specific tags
Or Logged-in customers only
Mistake 2: Using overlapping visibility rules
Overlapping rules cause customers to see the wrong bulk form.
Common examples
Same tag used in multiple forms
Same customer assigned to multiple forms
Mixing “All customers” with restricted forms
Best practice
One customer → one bulk form
One tag → one bulk form
Mistake 3: Not using collections for product selection
Manually selecting products for large catalogs leads to problems.
Why
New products are not added automatically
Products go missing
High maintenance effort
Best practice
Use collections whenever possible
Maintain products via Shopify collections
Mistake 4: Mixing pricing rules in one form
Combining multiple pricing methods causes confusion.
Examples
Individual prices + fixed price
Fixed price + percentage discount
Result
Unexpected prices
Merchants think pricing is broken
Best practice
Use one pricing strategy per bulk form
Split customer groups into multiple forms if needed
Mistake 5: Relying only on product pages for wholesale
Product pages are not ideal for large B2B orders.
Why
Slow ordering
Too much navigation
Frustration for wholesale customers
Better approach
Use a bulk order page as the primary flow
Keep product pages optional
Mistake 6: Forgetting to add the bulk order page to navigation
Customers can’t use what they can’t find.
Result
“The form is not visible” support tickets
Customers think the feature is missing
Best practice
Add the bulk order page to the main menu
Use clear labels (for example: “Wholesale Order”)
Mistake 7: Not testing as a real customer
Testing as an admin gives misleading results.
Why
Visibility rules don’t apply to admins
Pricing may look incorrect
Best practice
Use test customer accounts
Test in a private/incognito window
Mistake 8: Assuming changes are live immediately
Merchants often forget to save or refresh.
Common causes
Form not saved
Wrong theme active
Cached storefront
Best practice
Always save changes
Refresh the storefront
Re-test after every change
Mistake 9: Changing themes without re-adding extensions
Theme changes reset extensions.
Result
Extensions show as inactive
Forms disappear
Best practice
Re-add extensions after switching themes
Check dashboard status indicators
Summary: avoid these problems
A stable B2B setup usually follows these rules:
Clear customer groups
One bulk form per group
Tag-based visibility
Collection-based products
One pricing strategy per form
Proper testing before launch