To run a B2B or wholesale store on Shopify in 2026, start with Shopify's own B2B. Since April 2, 2026, native B2B is available on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, and its catalogs include quantity rules — a minimum, maximum and increment per variant. That covers tiered minimums and case packs for trade buyers with no app. What native B2B still doesn't do is when trade accounts can order, how many orders you accept per day, and limits that count a buyer's orders over time. That's where an order-rules app such as OrderRules fits, enforced at checkout with Shopify Functions.
This guide covers what native B2B does now, the gaps that remain, and how to set up both.
Wholesale often runs on business hours. Restricting trade ordering to Monday–Friday keeps invoicing and picking predictable. See How to Set Store Hours on Shopify.
Why wholesale needs different rules from retail
Retail buyers order single units, across the catalog, driven by promotions. Wholesale buyers order cases or pallets of a few SKUs, on net terms, in recurring cycles, with procurement budgets. Treating them the same causes three problems:
- Retail shoppers stumble into wholesale SKUs and place under-case orders.
- Wholesale buyers can't tell what applies to them, and abandon carts.
- Production gets overbooked when a few big trade orders land on the same day.
Native B2B solves the first two. The third, and a few others, need rules that native B2B doesn't have.
What Shopify B2B does natively (2026)
Since April 2, 2026, B2B is available on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Non-Plus plans get up to 3 active B2B catalogs; Plus gets more. See Shopify's B2B features by plan.
Native B2B gives you:
- Companies and company locations for trade buyers, with their own payment terms.
- Catalogs that control which products and prices each company sees.
- Quantity rules per variant: minimum, maximum and increment, plus volume price breaks. See setting up quantity rules.
Separately, Checkout Blocks order value limits set a minimum or maximum order subtotal, for all customers or only B2B companies, on every payment method. See order value limits.
For tiered minimums and case packs, use native B2B. Give each tier its own catalog and quantity rules: bronze buys in 12s, gold in 48s.
What native B2B still doesn't cover
| Need | Native B2B | OrderRules |
|---|---|---|
| Minimums, maximums, increments for trade buyers | Yes, per variant, per catalog | Minimum and step per product/variant, for everyone |
| Tier-specific minimums | Yes, one catalog per tier | No — rules can't target customer tags |
| Minimum order value | Yes, via Checkout Blocks | No |
| Ordering hours for wholesale (e.g. Mon–Fri only) | No | Yes — store hours checked at checkout |
| Cap on orders accepted per day or week (production) | No | Yes — storewide, product and collection caps |
| Limits across a buyer's orders (e.g. 3 orders per month) | No — quantity rules count within one order | Yes, for logged-in customers |
| Weight caps per buyer per period | No | Yes, for logged-in customers |
| Spend cap per buyer per period | No | Soft cap: blocks the next order once reached |
So a typical setup combines both: native B2B for catalogs, pricing and quantity rules; OrderRules for hours, capacity and limits over time. For every rule type side by side, see Shopify's native order limits vs apps.
The rules OrderRules adds for wholesale
Wholesale ordering hours
Many wholesalers only want orders on working days. OrderRules closes checkout outside the hours you set, with holiday dates, checked at checkout on every payment method. It applies to the whole store, so decide whether retail should follow the same hours.
Daily production caps
If you make what you sell — a bakery supplying cafés, a brewery supplying bars — capacity is the real limit. A storewide daily order cap stops new orders once the day is full, and product or collection caps limit orders per day, week or month for a specific line. These count across all buyers. See how to limit daily orders on Shopify.
Per-account limits across orders
Native quantity rules count within one order. OrderRules customer limits count a logged-in buyer's orders, units, weight or spend over a day, week, month, year, rolling 30 days or lifetime — for example "3 orders per account per rolling 30 days". The same rule applies to every logged-in customer.
Two things to know:
- Customers must log in. While customer limits are on, guest checkout is blocked. Trade buyers usually log in anyway.
- Spend caps are soft. The cap is checked against what the account has already spent, so the order that crosses it goes through and the next is blocked.
Minimums and case packs for everyone
If retail shoppers must also buy a minimum — six bottles of one wine, say — OrderRules sets a minimum order quantity and a step quantity per product or variant, enforced for every shopper. See minimum order quantity and selling in multiples.
Case pricing vs quantity rules
Case pricing lists "Case of 12" as one product. It needs no rules, but you lose per-unit inventory and pricing.
Quantity rules keep per-unit products and require buyers to order in the right amounts. With native B2B, that's now free for trade buyers.
| Scenario | Case pricing | Quantity rules |
|---|---|---|
| Standard case packs, B2B-only catalog | ✓ | Optional |
| Retail also sells the same SKU | — | ✓ (native B2B for trade; OrderRules if retail needs one too) |
| Per-unit inventory matters | — | ✓ |
| Mixed case (any 12 from a range) | — | Needs a bundle or mixed-case product |
Step by step
Step 1: Set up native B2B
Create companies and company locations for trade buyers and assign each a catalog. On Basic, Grow and Advanced you get up to 3 active catalogs, which covers most tier structures.
Step 2: Add quantity rules
In each catalog, set the minimum, maximum and increment per variant. Tier 1: minimum 12, increment 12. Tier 2: minimum 24, increment 12.
Step 3: Add a minimum order value if you want one
Use Checkout Blocks → order value limits, applied to B2B companies only.
Step 4: Install OrderRules for the rest
Install OrderRules. Store hours and a storewide daily cap are on the free Starter plan. Weekly and monthly caps, collection caps and customer limits are on Pro ($9.99/month).
- Store hours: set wholesale ordering days and times.
- Order limits: set a daily cap that matches production.
- Customer limits: add per-account rules across orders, such as 3 orders per rolling 30 days.
Step 5: Test both paths
Log in as a B2B contact and try an order below the catalog minimum — checkout should block it. Try an order outside your wholesale hours. Then check out as a retail shopper to confirm B2B-only rules don't affect them.
Step 6 (large catalogs): bulk edit
Native B2B quantity rules can be managed in catalogs and imported by CSV. OrderRules product limits (minimums, step quantities, caps) can be exported and imported by CSV on Pro. See Shopify bulk product limits: CSV import guide.
How order-limit apps compare for wholesale
| App | Minimum quantity | Customer-tag rules | Limits across orders | Storewide daily caps | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify B2B (native) | Per variant, per catalog | By company/catalog | No | No | — |
| OrderRules | Per product/variant, everyone | No | Yes (login required) | Yes | — |
| Avada Order Limits | Per product, collection | Yes | Limited | No | vs Avada |
| KOR Order Limits | Per product, collection | Yes (Pro) | No | No | vs KOR |
| DC Customer Order Limits | See listing | Tier-based | Yes | No | vs DC |
| MinCart | Cart, product | Limited | No | No | vs MinCart |
Competitor capabilities as listed on their App Store pages; see the comparison hub for details. If you need rules that differ by customer tag without setting up B2B catalogs, Avada, KOR or DC fit better than OrderRules.
Frequently asked questions
Does Shopify B2B include minimum order quantities?
Yes — catalog quantity rules set a minimum, maximum and increment per variant, on every plan since April 2026, for B2B company buyers.
Do I still need an app for wholesale?
For hours, production caps and limits across orders, yes. For tiered minimums and case packs, native B2B is enough.
Can I run wholesale and retail on one store?
Yes. B2B catalogs keep trade rules away from retail shoppers.
Can OrderRules set different minimums per tier?
No. Use one B2B catalog per tier.
Can I cap a trade account's monthly spend?
Yes, as a soft cap for logged-in customers: once an account reaches the cap, its next order is blocked. The same cap applies to every logged-in customer.
How do I tag or group customers as wholesale?
With native B2B you add them to a company, rather than tagging. Shopify Flow can automate onboarding from a wholesale application form.
Next steps
Set up native B2B catalogs and quantity rules first — they're free on your plan now. Then add the rules native B2B doesn't have: install OrderRules for wholesale hours, daily production caps and per-account limits across orders.
For the underlying mechanics, see minimum order quantity on Shopify, customer spending caps, and the complete guide to Shopify order rules.