Wholesale Ecommerce: How It Works and Benefits (2026)

Wholesale ecommerce refers to selling products online to other businesses, typically in bulk and at discounted rates. The global business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce market is projected to grow from $28 trillion in 2026 to $105.9 trillion by 2033.

Wholesale ecommerce can increase order volume and reduce time spent on manual entry and administrative tasks. It also gives wholesalers a new way to reach business buyers and generate revenue. For ecommerce businesses, that makes wholesale a potential growth channel that can expand reach while making repeat B2B sales more efficient to manage.

This guide explains how wholesale ecommerce works, the types of wholesalers, and how to choose the right ecommerce platform to support wholesale growth.

How wholesale ecommerce works

Adding wholesale gives ecommerce businesses a way to grow through larger orders and a new sales channel. In a 2025 Shopify survey of store owners, businesses selling through both B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels were significantly more likely to have scaled than B2B-only businesses.*

One way to start a wholesale business is to add B2B pricing and bulk ordering to an existing ecommerce store. Many begin with a small group of retail accounts and expand as demand grows.

The most common wholesale relationship involves a producer selling to retailers. Some wholesalers also sell to other wholesalers or directly to consumers. With the right B2B ecommerce platform, businesses can automate account signup and checkout. They can also offer wholesale-specific pricing as their wholesale channel grows.

Wholesale ecommerce trends and statistics for 2026

Wholesale ecommerce continues to grow as B2B buyers move more product research and purchasing online. At the same time, self-service tools are changing how businesses research, order, and reorder products.

Market size and growth projections

Grand View Research estimates the global B2B ecommerce market will reach $28 trillion in 2026. It projects the market will reach $105.9 trillion by 2033.

In the US, ecommerce sales within merchant wholesale trade reached about $3.8 trillion in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

B2B buyer behavior evolution

B2B buyers increasingly research purchases on their own. Forrester’s 2025 “Buyers’ Journey Survey” found that 94% of business buyers used AI. Twice as many rated generative AI or conversational search as an important information source compared with any other source.

Gartner’s 2026 “Sales Survey” of 646 B2B buyers found that 67% prefer a rep-free buying experience. That preference makes clear product information and account-specific pricing that buyers can access online more relevant to the wholesale buying experience.

Technology adoption in wholesale

Self-service tools let wholesale buyers research products and place orders online. Shopify reports that businesses adopting Shopify B2B see up to a 33% increase in self-serve orders within six months. They also see up to a 20% increase in reorder frequency.

Shopify B2B lets wholesalers:

• Set customer-specific prices and quantity breaks
• Publish customer-specific catalogs
• Assign net payment terms
• Manage multiple buyers and locations through company profiles
• Apply tax exemptions to company profiles

B2B wholesale versus retail ecommerce

Wholesale and retail ecommerce differ in four main areas:

• Target audience
• Order volume
• Pricing
• Relationship management

Target audience

Wholesale businesses sell to other businesses. Buyers purchase products for resale or business use. Retail ecommerce businesses sell directly to individual consumers.

Order volume

Wholesale orders typically include larger quantities and may have minimum purchase requirements. Retail orders usually contain one item or a few units.

Pricing

Wholesale prices are lower per unit because each order contains more products. Sellers calculate a wholesale price from the per-unit cost and target profit margin. They can lower the per-unit price as order size increases.

For example, a wholesaler may sell 100 LED bulbs at $5 each while a retailer sells one bulb for $10.

Relationship management

Wholesale customers often reorder and negotiate account-specific terms. B2B ecommerce portals can store account-specific pricing and order history, making repeat purchases easier.

Retail relationships involve smaller or less frequent purchases. Retail ecommerce generally focuses more on individual purchases and consumer retention than on negotiated account terms.

Types of wholesalers

Understanding each type can help you choose a wholesale partner or business model. Some businesses also use a hybrid model, combining wholesale sales to other businesses with direct retail sales to consumers.

Manufacturers

Manufacturers produce goods and also act as wholesalers. For example, a company that makes LED lights may sell them in bulk to retailers or other businesses.

Distributors

Distributors buy products from manufacturers and resell them in bulk to retailers. This process, known as wholesale distribution, often includes handling logistics and customer relationships while manufacturers focus on production.

Some distributors use a hybrid model that combines wholesale and retail sales. They sell bulk orders to businesses and individual products directly to consumers.

The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors says the US wholesale distribution industry is worth $8.6 trillion and supports more than 6 million jobs.

Agents and brokers

Agents and brokers arrange sales between suppliers and buyers while the supplier retains ownership of the goods. They earn a commission or fee for each transaction. For example, a food broker may help a snack brand secure orders from grocery chains.

Dropshippers

Dropshipping wholesalers list a manufacturer’s products and forward customer orders to the supplier for fulfillment.

Shopify businesses can use Shopify Collective to dropship products from other Shopify brands with automatic inventory sync. Eligible businesses can also use automatic supplier payments and begin with zero up-front inventory costs.

Import/export

These wholesalers specialize in international trade. They import products from other countries or export domestic products. For example, a B2B wholesaler may import wine from France for US retailers.

Marketplace wholesalers

These companies operate on third-party B2B marketplaces such as Faire or Amazon Business. The platforms connect suppliers with retailers and process payments.

Marketplaces give suppliers access to retailers on the platform. For example, a specialty coffee roaster can upload its catalog to Faire and set a minimum order quantity.

How B2B ecommerce helps wholesalers

B2B ecommerce can move more of the wholesale buying and ordering process online, reducing manual work for sellers while giving buyers more self-service options.

It simplifies the buying process

B2B ecommerce simplifies complex wholesale purchases with customer-specific pricing and terms. Shopify’s B2B catalogs control which products and prices each customer can access. Businesses can also set volume pricing and quantity rules. 

A private storefront gives buyers access to product information and account details. They can place orders when they’re ready. 

"The myth that a memorable purchasing experience matters—that’s false. The online experience for wholesale ecommerce websites should be as minimal as possible. Buyers want products that perform. Buyers have POs to enter and want the least amount of hiccups possible,” says Neil Stuber, brand manager at Hurraw! Balm.

It helps automate wholesale processes

B2B ecommerce automation reduces the time teams spend processing wholesale orders. Shopify B2B features can:

• Apply customer-specific catalogs and prices
• Approve company account requests
• Route orders for review
• Sync orders and inventory with connected systems

Shopify Flow can be used to automate company account creation and invoice delivery. It can also invite new customers to place an order.

It improves the buyer experience

B2B ecommerce improves the buyer experience by making common purchasing tasks available online. Shopify B2B includes quick-order lists, easy reorders, and purchase order numbers. 

The customer accounts portal lets buyers review order details and manage their account at any time. Buyers can place, track, and reorder products on their own while sales reps focus on complex requests.

It increases sales while lowering spend

Wholesale ecommerce can increase order volume while lowering the cost of serving each order. Larger orders spread selling and fulfillment costs across more units. Repeat buyers can also place orders online, reducing manual processing.

It helps enter new markets

Wholesale ecommerce helps businesses reach buyers in new markets through an online storefront.

With Shopify B2B and Markets, businesses can create customer groups for different countries. Each market has its own currency and catalog. Businesses can also configure taxes and duties. Retail partners can provide an established route to local customers.

It enables data-driven decision-making

B2B ecommerce gives wholesalers customer and order data they can use to make business decisions. Shopify organizes buyers under companies and company locations. Each location can store its pricing, payment terms, tax details, and contacts.

Shopify Analytics lets teams create dashboards and reports for B2B sales. Connected business systems can also sync product and order data with Shopify.

How to choose a wholesale ecommerce platform

Use the following criteria to compare wholesale ecommerce platforms for your business.

A single, unified storefront for B2B and DTC

A unified storefront keeps B2B and direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales in one place. Logged-in wholesale buyers see their assigned products, prices, payment terms, and checkout options. Retail customers continue using the standard storefront.

Shopify includes access to the Trade theme, which is designed for B2B storefronts. Brands can manage products and inventory from the same back end used for DTC sales.

Custom catalogs for each buyer

Custom catalogs let wholesalers control which products and prices each buyer sees. With B2B Markets, businesses can group buyers by region or customer segment. They can then assign a catalog to each market for group-level pricing.

Shopify also offers quantity rules and volume pricing. Quantity rules set purchase increments and minimums. Volume pricing adds price breaks for larger orders.

Who Is Elijah used custom catalogs across eight expansion stores. The fragrance brand reported 50% year-over-year B2B international growth in 2024. “One of the reasons we needed custom pricing for our wholesale customers was that many of them fall into different B2B categories; some have hard margins, and some we can control,” says Brylee Lonesborough, technical leader at Who Is Elijah.

“The custom catalog capabilities in B2B on Shopify meant we could set individual pricing categories and attach them to the various types of B2B customers we have so they get a more personalized experience.”

Integrations and flexible APIs

Flexible application programming interfaces (APIs) enable a wholesale platform to connect with the systems that run the business. Shopify’s GraphQL Admin API can power B2B integrations for order management systems (OMS) and customer relationship management (CRM). The Storefront API also lets developers create custom buying experiences.

Shopify Flow automates tasks across Shopify and connected apps. When comparing platforms, review API access, available connectors, and testing options for the plan under consideration.

Optimized for search and content marketing

Search and publishing tools help business buyers find suppliers during research. Shopify includes built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features that create readable URLs and a logical site structure.

Look for editable metadata and product pages that search engines can crawl. Shopify also includes a built-in blogging engine for publishing buying guides and product information.

Omnichannel inventory management

Unified inventory helps wholesalers keep stock counts current across B2B and DTC channels. Shopify tracks orders and inventory across retail locations, the online store, and other active sales channels.

Accurate inventory counts can help prevent overselling and stockouts. They also give sales teams a current view of product availability.

Mobile-first wholesale experience

A mobile-first storefront lets wholesale buyers place orders from any location. Look for responsive product pages and account tools that work well on phones.

Dermalogica Canada saw buyers become more comfortable placing large mobile orders after moving to Shopify. “Customers used to be so frustrated by our platform that they’d rather call us on the phone to place orders. Now we’re seeing customers be so comfortable with the experience that they’re placing orders for thousands of dollars worth of product from their mobile phones,” says Nicholas Lachhman, associate ecommerce director of Dermalogica Canada. 

Payment flexibility for large orders

Flexible payment terms give business buyers more options for managing large wholesale orders. A 2025 TreviPay benchmark report found that 75% of the largest US, EU, and UK retailers with corporate buyer portals offer a B2B pay-by-invoice option.

Businesses using Shopify B2B can set payment terms for each company location ranging from net periods of 7 to 90 days. They can also choose payment on fulfillment or immediate payment. Brands on the Shopify Plus plan can collect a percentage deposit on an order.

Wholesale ecommerce platform comparison

Use these five pillars to compare wholesale ecommerce platforms. Score each pillar from 1 to 5. Scores of 2 and 4 fall between the adjacent descriptions.

Business scale

Your wholesale platform needs to support your growth. As your business expands, your technology must handle increasing orders and integrations, while remaining fast for buyers.

Before choosing a platform, stress test its capabilities:

• Order volume: Confirm the platform can process the largest expected wholesale orders.
• Account capacity: Check the limits for buyer accounts and internal users.
• Catalog size: Review limits for products, variants, and SKUs.
• Performance under pressure: Test site speed as products, customers, and international stores increase.

Technical architecture requirements

Your ecommerce platform will become part of the technology stack that supports your wholesale business. The technical architecture should connect with your existing systems and support future requirements. 

Assess these areas:

• Integration power: Confirm connectivity with ERP, CRM, and accounting systems. Review the platform’s unified commerce capabilities, APIs, and prebuilt connectors.
• Deep customization: Review the level of control available for checkout and pricing logic.
• Headless capabilities: Confirm whether the front end can be decoupled from the commerce back end.
• Developer tools: Look for testing environments and modern CI/CD workflows.

Wholesale-specific functionality

Wholesale features help manage buyer accounts, pricing, and large orders. Compare platforms across these areas:

• Flexible pricing: Review customer-specific price lists, volume discounts, and pricing tiers.
• B2B order management: Look for quote-to-order workflows, purchase-order approvals, and quick-order tools.
• Customer segmentation: Confirm that each buyer group can receive assigned catalogs, prices, and payment options.
• Net terms and checkout: Check for integrated B2B payments and company-specific payment terms.

Operational efficiency

Operational efficiency depends on how much routine wholesale work the platform can automate and how easily teams can manage orders, accounts, and reporting. 

Evaluate these capabilities:

• Intuitive admin: Nontechnical employees can edit catalogs, update company profiles, and process orders.
• Automation tools: Workflows handle inventory updates, order communications, and customer approvals.
• Wholesale analytics: B2B reports track sales by company, top products, and other wholesale performance data.

Cost structure analysis

The sticker price of a platform is only the beginning. Calculate the full cost across these areas:

• Total cost of ownership (TCO): Include transaction fees, payment processing, maintenance, and development.
• Implementation investment: Estimate setup, migration, and launch costs.
• Additional charges: Review fees for API usage, storage, and essential third-party apps.
• Return on investment: Estimate the payback period using expected revenue and efficiency gains.

An independent study found that Shopify’s total cost of ownership was up to 36% lower than major competitors.

*Based on a 2025 survey of 500 Shopify merchants conducted in English across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Respondents were established merchants with more than two years on the platform. Results reflect the experiences of this specific sample and may not be representative of all merchants.