Sales channels

You can use Shopify to sell your products on different sales channels, like marketplaces, social media sites, or your own physical stores.

Online channels

Popular sales channels include Facebook, Handshake, and Instagram. Find out what channels are available to you here. Note that channel availability may vary depending on your location.

Shopify POS

Shopify POS allows you to connect to your shop’s existing product catalog and customer information to a robust Point of Sale terminal to sell in person. Whether setting up pop-up shops at events, line-busting during busy periods by checking out customers on an iPhone, or managing your brick and mortar locations, Shopify’s sales channel is a great way to sell wherever you connect with potential buyers.

Here are some helpful resources:

• Shopify POS website
• Shopify POS help documentation
• Hardware for Shopify POS

Please note that Shopify’s POS software can be used anywhere Shopify is available, but the hardware may not be available yet in your country. If you have your own hardware, or need to use compatible hardware, make sure it’s supported by Shopify.

Selling B2B / Wholesale

B2B on Shopify

Now it’s possible to run both sides of your business from one store. Choose between a single online store for your direct and wholesale business, or a dedicated B2B store. It’s that simple. Learn more about B2B on Shopify.

Wholesale channel

Shopify’s wholesale channel enables you to expand your business by quickly creating a password-protected storefront for your B2B customers. 

While this channel allows you to quickly create a wholesale buyer experience through a separate storefront, it has some limitations:

• Supports only basic personalization, such as adding your logo and changing the colours
• Cannot integrate with external systems or third-party apps
• Displays only prices that include taxes, and the tax settings are shared with your online store
• Uses the same checkout as your online store, so it may be difficult to offer different shipping and payment options

Before you begin

It’s crucial that you explore your B2B requirements and take a deep dive into the wholesale operation. Some important questions to consider:

• How do you currently take wholesale orders? Phone? Fax? Email? Online?
• How do you come up with pricing for your wholesale customers? And does it require frequent updates?
• How do your wholesale customers pay? Terms? Immediately? Are you storing customer payment details somewhere?
• Do you charge your wholesale customers for shipping? Are you using a 3PL to handle warehousing or logistics?

If your analysis shows that the Wholesale channel is unsuitable to your B2B operation, you can explore the alternatives:

• B2B on Shopify
• A wholesale third-party app on your online store 
• An expansion store dedicated to B2B sales