B2B ecommerce may require company accounts, buyer permissions, specific pricing and payment terms, while DTC supports direct consumer purchasing. Derive requirements from the actual order and approval process rather than the label alone.
Define the buyer and their authority
Establish whether ordering, approval and payment involve the same person. Test whether an authorised buyer can access another branch’s prices or orders using representative user accounts.
A consumer journey may prioritise an understandable first purchase; a business journey may require correct account access and an authorised catalogue. These are not universal rules applied with equal strictness everywhere. Investigate how each audience actually decides and buys.
Decide when prices appear and who receives them
Document public pricing, logged-in pricing, quantity breaks and quotation requests as distinct rules. Accidental consumer access to business-only terms is another important test case.
Shopify's B2B documentation distinguishes company relationships, catalogues and payment terms. These provide concrete areas to investigate, rather than establishing identical availability across every plan. Verify the requirements against the platform and plan selected for the project.
Compare requirements through the same categories
Compare catalogue, account, payment, delivery and reorder requirements for both audiences. Verify the selected platform’s current plan or additional solution for each necessary function.
| Area | DTC investigation | B2B investigation |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Individual purchase and order history | Company, branch and user permissions |
| Pricing | Visible prices and offer conditions | Agreements, catalogues and quantities |
| Basket | Product selection and completion | Bulk entry, purchase references and reordering |
| Payment | Suitable methods and clear totals | Terms, approval and collection status |
| Delivery | Individual address and delivery choice | Multiple addresses and operational conditions |
| Content | Product choice and usage information | Technical documents, compatibility and procurement details |
Plan repeat orders and exceptions early
Use a company with two delivery locations as an example. Check location selection, applicable prices and whether repeat orders incorrectly carry over an old delivery address.
Imagine one company buying the same product for two branches with different delivery addresses. The user must select the appropriate company location and receive the relevant price and delivery conditions. A successful first order would not establish that this hypothetical scenario works too.
Make blended-store rules testable
In a blended store, purchase the same product as a guest consumer and an authorised company buyer. Verify price, visibility, payment rule and company information in the order separately.
The requirements document should distinguish standard capability from custom development or integration. The design then supports two purchasing models in an understandable, manageable way instead of merely producing two different visual treatments.