Retail and Wholesale on Shopify: One Store or Two?
You can run retail and wholesale in the same Shopify store or in two. Shopify B2B supports a blended store, with one admin, one storefront and shared inventory for both, and a dedicated store, a separate Shopify store only for business customers. Decide before you set anything up: Shopify warns that switching later means redoing most of the work, including companies, catalogs and storefront customizations.
The comparison below follows Shopify’s Help Center page on choosing a B2B store type, read on October 23, 2026.
Blended vs dedicated at a glance
| Blended store | Dedicated store | |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | One admin for retail and wholesale customers, orders and products | A separate admin for B2B only |
| Inventory | Shared; can’t be allocated by customer type | Separate by default |
| Products and prices | All products available to both by default; catalogs set B2B availability and pricing | All products B2B-only; catalogs per B2B customer |
| Discounts | Discounts for All customers apply to both; a B2B market limits a discount to business buyers | Discounts apply only to B2B customers |
| Checkout, shipping and tax | Same payment and delivery options, rates and global tax settings for both by default; apps can split payment and shipping options, and tax exemptions are set per company and location | Everything applies to B2B only |
| Branding | Same theme and brand for everyone; B2B-specific content in the theme editor on Advanced and higher with a free Shopify theme 11.0+, or with the customer.b2b Liquid variable |
A distinct B2B theme and branding |
| Gating | Not possible; only logged-in B2B customers see B2B prices and products | The whole store and its login can be restricted to B2B customers |
| Notifications | Same notifications and abandoned cart emails for both; content can vary by customer through Liquid | All notifications are for B2B |
| Apps and integrations | Set up and paid for once | Set up and paid for again in the new store |
Customer accounts matter in both setups. B2B requires customer accounts; in a blended store, retail customers can stay on legacy accounts while B2B customers use the new ones. Gift cards for B2B buyers need Shopify Plus in either setup.
Choose blended when, choose dedicated when
Shopify’s fit lists, side by side:
| A blended store fits when you | A dedicated store fits when you |
|---|---|
| Sell similar products to business and retail customers | Want a separate B2B experience |
| Share inventory between B2B and retail | Need separate inventory for B2B and retail |
| Have the same staff running both | Want the store closed to everyone but B2B customers |
| Have different staff for B2B and retail |
Our two checks before anything else:
- Must retail visitors be kept out of the wholesale offer entirely? A blended store can’t be gated, because retail customers must still be able to buy. If your trade customers expect a login-only store, or your wholesale range shouldn’t be visible to the public at all, that points to a dedicated store.
- Does stock need to be split? In a blended store, inventory can’t be allocated by customer type: a wholesale order for 200 units takes them from the same pool your retail site sells from. If you need to hold stock back for one side, that points to a dedicated store.
If neither check points to a dedicated store, in our view the blended setup is less work to run, because everything from apps to reports lives in one place.
What a blended store needs extra care with
- Discounts. A retail sale set to All customers also applies to B2B buyers by default. To limit a discount to specific B2B customers, Shopify’s route is to create a B2B market and assign it in the discount’s eligibility settings; check every retail promotion’s eligibility before it goes live.
- Notifications. Both groups get the same notification types and abandoned cart emails. If a wholesale buyer shouldn’t get a consumer-style reminder, use Liquid in the notification templates to change the content for B2B customers.
- Storefront content. Product pages, banners and policies are the same for both unless you segment them: in the theme editor on Advanced and higher with a recent free Shopify theme, or with
customer.b2bin custom themes. - Checkout and shipping. Payment methods and shipping rates are shared by default; Shopify points to apps such as the free Checkout Blocks app to show different options to each group.
What a dedicated store costs you
A dedicated store is a second Shopify store: a new store, or an existing expansion store adapted for B2B. Everything that isn’t shared has to be done twice: settings, integrations and the apps you rely on, each set up and, where it has a price, paid for again. Products and stock that exist in both stores have to be kept in sync, by hand or with a tool. Plan the second store’s subscription and app costs before deciding; plan prices are on Shopify’s pricing page.
The setup itself is covered in set up wholesale on Shopify, the plan requirements in Shopify B2B by plan, and price lists in wholesale pricing. All of them sit in the B2B and wholesale hub.
FAQ
Can retail customers see my wholesale prices in a blended store? Only logged-in B2B customers see B2B prices, products and account information in a blended store. Retail visitors see the regular store.
Can I gate a blended Shopify store to B2B customers only? A blended store can’t be gated, because retail customers have to be able to place orders. Gating the whole store to B2B customers requires a dedicated store.
Can I switch from a blended to a dedicated store later? You can, but Shopify warns it’s not easy: you’ll need to redo most of the setup, including companies, catalogs and storefront customizations.
Do a blended and a dedicated store share inventory? A blended store shares one inventory between retail and B2B. A dedicated store has its own inventory by default.