Most auto parts businesses sell both direct to consumer (DTC) and business to business (B2B). If you are on Shopify Plus you need to take advantage of the B2B features to automate your internal processes and reduce friction for your buyers.
To begin with you should set up all your existing companies you do business with in Shopify. You can create multiple locations per business and then build out product catalogs with associated prices lists and any appropriate discounts. Give options for bulk ordering and if applicable show price breaks for quantity ordered. Shopify price catalogs offer robust pricing options allowing you to set a fixed wholesale price for a product or a percent discount off the retail price, additionally you can mix and match these in the same price catalog allowing you to set pricing that best fits your business needs.
Shopify's native B2B functionality includes role-based access controls that accommodate the distinct responsibilities within automotive parts procurement teams. The platform supports two primary user roles designed to match real-world business operations.
Location administrators maintain comprehensive oversight of their company's operations, including the ability to place orders, view complete order histories for all users within their location, and manage critical account details such as billing and shipping addresses. This centralized control ensures proper accountability while maintaining visibility across purchasing activities for tires, shocks, engines, transmissions, and other aftermarket parts.
Buyers operate with focused procurement access; they can place orders and review their personal order history without administrative responsibilities. This separation prevents unauthorized account modifications while empowering buyers to execute purchases efficiently within their defined scope.
The result is a procurement system that aligns with your customers' organizational structure, reducing administrative friction while maintaining appropriate oversight throughout the purchasing process.
If your buyers are ordering large quantities or items like suspensions, engines and transmission systems that have large average order values (AOV), then you need to make sure you have configured the proper payment terms. Set up draft orders, invoicing or the ability to pay with checks for your aftermarket auto parts suppliers and wholesale buyers. Automate your credit checks and notify internal employees when orders come through by setting up Shopify Flows. These allow you to automate your processes by creating triggers then actions, think of it like: if this, then that.
Year, make and model (YMM) functionality isn’t just important for your DTC customers, your B2B buyers are looking for the same thing. Make sure to provide this feature and educate your B2B buyers as this will make their bulk purchasing experience much easier.
The entire goal of your B2B experience for your buyers is to make it as easy as possible for them to purchase from your extensive parts catalog. Your buyers are increasingly younger, out in the field and using iphones and mobile devices to buy. Ambaum can help you get the look you need to increase your sales.
