How to add a wholesale application form to Shopify B2B (and approve buyers in one click)
Before a buyer can see wholesale prices or order on Net 30, you need to know who they are: company name, tax ID or resale certificate, what they sell and how much they expect to order. That means a wholesale application form, and a way to turn an approved application into a Shopify B2B company without retyping everything. This guide covers Shopify's own option, its limits, and how to add notifications and one-click setup on top.
Short answer: Shopify has a built-in route called company account requests. You build a wholesale form in the free Shopify Forms app; each submission creates a company, location and customer that can't order until you approve them under Customers → Companies. What it doesn't do: tell you when someone applies, work on a fully gated store, add a buyer to an existing company, or set payment terms and send a welcome email as part of approval. For those, add Shopify Flow or an automation.
Option 1: Shopify's company account requests (built in)
How it works, per Shopify's help center:
- Install the Shopify Forms app and create a form for wholesale buyers (popup or inline), then add it to your online store.
- When a buyer submits it, Shopify creates a company, a company location and a customer. Company name and email are required.
- The new company can't place orders or see B2B pricing until you approve it. Pending requests are under Customers → Companies → Ordering not approved.
- To approve, open the company, click Manage permissions, assign locations and permissions. You can tick an option to notify the customer they can start ordering. To reject, you delete the company.
Shopify Flow has a template that approves every new request automatically, which only makes sense if you don't need to vet buyers.
Where it falls short
- No alert when someone applies. You find new requests by checking the Companies list. A good buyer can wait days for an answer.
- Gated stores can't use it. If your whole B2B store is behind a login, logged-out buyers can't see the form.
- New companies only. A second buyer from a company you already have can't be added through the form.
- Approval is a few screens, not one decision. Payment terms, catalog, tags and a proper welcome email are still separate steps after you approve.
- Rejecting means deleting. There's no record of who applied and why they were turned down, unless you keep one yourself.
Option 2: Shopify Flow on top of the built-in form
Flow can react when a company is created and, for example, add a tag or send an internal email (Flow's email action goes to your staff, not to the buyer). It's a reasonable way to get notified. Setting payment terms, choosing between approve and reject, and emailing the buyer a tailored welcome still happen by hand.
Option 3: An application form with one-click approval (n8n)
This is what we built and tested on a Shopify development store. The flow:
- The buyer applies on a hosted form you link from your store menu ("Apply for wholesale"): company, contact, address, business type, tax ID, expected order volume. Because it's not a storefront form, it also works when your store is gated.
- The application is saved in Shopify as a customer
tagged
wholesale-pending, with the answers in the customer note. - You're told straight away by email (and Slack, if you use it), with Approve and Reject buttons. Every application is logged in a Google Sheet.
- Approve creates the B2B company and location with the address and tax ID, adds the buyer as a contact, sets payment terms (for example Net 30), assigns your catalog where your plan allows, swaps the tags and sends a welcome email. Nothing is retyped, so there are no typos in email addresses or tax IDs.
- Reject tags the customer and can send a polite no, so you keep a record. If an application waits too long, you get a reminder.
Which one should you use?
| Shopify company account requests | n8n application form | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (Shopify Forms) | Free version; Pro $29 once |
| Alert when someone applies | No (Flow can add one) | Email, plus Slack in Pro |
| Works on a gated store | No | Yes (hosted form) |
| Creates company and location | On submit | On approval (Pro) |
| Payment terms and welcome email | Set by hand after approval | Part of the one-click approval (Pro) |
| Record of rejected applicants | No (rejecting deletes the company) | Tagged customer and Sheets row |
| Where it runs | Inside Shopify | Your n8n (self-hosted or Cloud) |
If you get a handful of applications a month and don't mind checking the Companies list, Shopify's built-in requests are enough. If applications are a real sales channel, or you sell on payment terms, the time goes into the steps after approval, and that's what the one-click version removes.
What to ask on a wholesale application
- Company name, contact name, email and phone
- Shipping address (it becomes the company location)
- Tax ID or resale certificate number, so you can sell tax-exempt where that applies
- Business type (retail store, online shop, distributor, …) and website
- Expected monthly order volume, to decide on terms and minimums
- A free-text message ("how did you hear about us", product interest)
Keep it to one page. Every extra field costs you applications, and you can ask for documents after a first approval.
FAQ
Does Shopify have a wholesale application form? Yes: company account requests, built with the Shopify Forms app. It creates the company when the buyer applies and waits for your approval. It doesn't notify you or set payment terms for you.
Do I need Shopify Plus? No. B2B is on every plan since April 2026, and both the built-in requests and the n8n templates work without Plus. Some catalog features depend on your plan.
Can I automatically approve wholesale applications? Shopify Flow has a template that approves every request. Most wholesale businesses vet buyers first, so a one-click approval after a quick look is usually the better trade-off.
Can an existing company's second buyer apply? Not through Shopify's company account requests (new companies only). Add them as a contact on the company in admin.
Skip the setup
The Wholesale Applications Pro n8n template adds the form, alerts and one-click approval for $29 once. Just want the form and an email? The free version does that. Or have it installed and adapted for your store.
More guides
- How to sell classes and workshops on Shopify without overbooking
- n8n for Shopify: setup, one-time cost and what it changes (vs monthly apps)
- Automated payment reminders for Shopify B2B: built-in, apps or n8n (Net 30 without a monthly fee)
- Repurchase & replenishment reminder apps for Shopify: prices compared, plus a no-monthly-fee option
- Why Shopify orders go missing from your n8n workflow (and how to catch them)
- How to send Shopify B2B invoices and receipts to accounts payable (not just the buyer)
- How to spot Shopify wholesale buyers who stopped reordering (and remind them on the right day)
- How to track who owes you on Shopify B2B (outstanding balances, partial payments and credit hold)
- How to get alerts for wholesale and B2B orders in Shopify (email, Slack and Sheets)
- Automatic Net 30 payment reminders in Shopify (before and after the due date)