Level Up Your B2B Shopify for Wholesale Store with ACH Payments and Trade Credit

When you think about Shopify for wholesale, what comes to mind? For many businesses, it’s a fantastic platform for managing bulk orders, streamlining product catalogs, and serving business buyers efficiently. But here’s the truth: if your payments and checkout process aren’t built for B2B, you’re leaving money on the table.

Wholesale buyers, or B2B buyers for that matter, have unique needs. They expect multiple payment methods—not only credit card but also bank wire or ACH. They also look to pay by invoice with flexible payment terms—all seamlessly integrated at the point of sale. Yet, many Shopify stores operate with processes designed for B2C. The result? Frustrated buyers, abandoned carts, and missed opportunities.

In this blog, we’ll cover why optimizing payments and checkout is crucial for Shopify for wholesale ecommerce sites and explore strategies to transform your buyer experience. By the end, you’ll have everything you need to take your Shopify site to the next level.

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Why Improving the Payments and Checkout Experience is Crucial

Running a Shopify for wholesale site means you’ve already made a smart move using a powerful platform. However, the success of your business doesn’t stop there. The payment and checkout experience plays a significant role in driving buyer satisfaction, conversions, and long-term loyalty.

Today’s B2B Buyers Demand Simplicity and Self-Service

Did you know that 83% of B2B buyers now prefer to purchase online? But that’s not the most striking finding of Gartner’s survey, it’s rather this: Only 24% of B2B buyers relying on sales reps closed a high-quality deal, compared to 65% of buyers who guided themselves through the purchasing process.

This shift means your ecommerce site needs to handle all the complexities of B2B, from offering bulk discounts to extending net terms, without slowing buyers down. And as you streamline the online purchasing process, it also must be delivered in a way that is easy for buyers to navigate, particularly, if they prefer to manage the buying experience on their own.

Friction is a Dealbreaker

Complicated checkout processes are one of the top reasons for cart abandonment. Imagine a buyer placing a $10,000 order but abandoning it because your store doesn’t offer flexible terms or payment methods like ACH or bank wire. That’s a loss you can’t afford.

In fact, according to Hokodo, 31% of B2B buyers reported abandoning purchases due to a lack of suitable settlement options, while 27% cited inadequate payment terms at checkout as the reason.

Trust Drives Repeat Business

Wholesale buyers are not one-time customers—they’re long-term partners. So, it’s important to get the purchasing experience right. With 73% of B2B buyers wanting a personalized B2C-like experience, a frictionless checkout process with a variety of ways to complete the purchase is the minimum. What solidifies trust and loyalty, and guarantees repeat purchases? It’s when you offer tailored net terms.

Providing net terms conveys a powerful message: you trust your buyers to honor their payment schedules. This trust often fosters loyalty in return. Buyers who feel trusted are more inclined to remain loyal, make bigger purchases, and promote you to others. Moreover, it demonstrates a commitment to supporting your buyer's business, distinguishing your brand from competitors with stricter payment policies or inflexible terms.

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3 Ways to Optimize Shopify for Wholesale Payments and Unlock Benefits

Your Shopify ecommerce site has immense potential, but fully tapping into it requires a strategic approach to payments. By implementing these three key strategies, you can streamline operations, increase buyer satisfaction, and drive growth. Here’s how:

1. Offer Net Terms to Grow Revenue

Net terms are a proven way to attract and retain wholesale buyers. By offering terms like net 30 or net 60, you make it easier for buyers to manage their cash flow, which encourages larger purchases, repeat business, and the acquisition of new customers. This approach not only increases average order value (AOV) but also retains customers and builds long-term loyalty, positioning your brand as a trusted partner in your buyers’ success.

When you offer net terms, credit application and risk management come with it. Instead of manually assessing buyer creditworthiness, implement automated tools that approve buyers in a timely manner while reducing your risk. This is important as B2B buyers are increasingly expecting faster credit decisions—less than a day (83%), less than an hour (22%), and instant (9%).

Another important aspect to consider is your credit approvals. By leveraging alternative data sources, you can approve more buyers, especially SMBs with limited financial history. With faster and higher approval rates, you’re setting up the foundation for a successful net terms program that drives growth.

2. Enable Seamless ACH Debit to Save on Payment Processing Costs

For B2B transactions, credit card fees, typically ranging from 2.5% to 3%, can take a significant bite out of your margins. Enabling ACH debit as a payment option on your Shopify ecommerce site is a cost-effective alternative. It offers lower processing fees, ranging from 1% to 2%, which is far below credit card costs. 

Seamlessly integrating ACH payments into your checkout process reduces friction for buyers while helping you protect your bottom line. In industries where large transactions are common, this small adjustment can lead to substantial savings.

In fact, eMarketer found that from 2019 to 2024, the use of ACH grew. This payment method now comprises the majority share of B2B transaction value at 47.9%, followed by check and cash, wire, and card.

3. Leverage the Right Application to Maximize Resources

The tools you use to manage your Shopify for wholesale site can make or break your ability to scale efficiently. Choosing a tech-first, digitally native application for your payments and checkout that integrates with Shopify allows you to launch features faster and manage your operations with ease. The right solution should empower your team to focus on growth, reduce manual tasks, and accelerate your time to market.

In addition to flexible payment methods and terms, consider features such as instant credit approvals, automated cash application, and built-in analytics for tracking performance. With these functions, you’ll not only save time but also redirect resources toward improving and growing your business. The result? You stay agile, adaptable, and ready to meet the evolving needs of your buyers.

By implementing these strategies, your Shopify ecommerce site will see measurable improvements. Offering net terms helps grow revenue by fostering loyalty and unlocking new buyers. ACH payments save on processing costs, giving you more resources to invest in your business. And leveraging a tech-first payments and checkout solution maximizes efficiency, allowing you to scale with confidence. Together, these approaches not only enhance the buyer experience but also strengthen your brand’s competitive edge.

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Time to Elevate Your B2B Payments and Checkout Experience

Improving your Shopify wholesale site’s checkout and payment capabilities starts with finding the right tools. Balance is a solution built for B2B payments that enables you to lower payment processing costs, streamline cash flow, and grow sales by accepting multiple payment methods, extending trade credit, and automating your processes—all while integrating seamlessly with Shopify.

With Balance, your B2B buyers gain access to payment methods like credit card, ACH, and bank wire, along with flexible net terms. Its AI-powered underwriting enables you to extend instant credit limits to 4x more SMBs. You can also guarantee steady cash flow by having Balance own the risk and collections. By combining net terms financing, credit risk management, and AR automation with Balance, you get to deliver the best-in-class, flexible payment experiences that your buyers are looking for.

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Final Thoughts: Building a Better Shopify Wholesale Store

Your Shopify for wholesale site has the potential to become a powerhouse in the B2B market—but only if your payments and checkout processes meet buyer expectations. By implementing flexible terms like net 30, enabling cost-effective payment methods such as ACH, and leveraging the right tools to streamline operations, you can boost conversions, reduce costs, build trust, and scale your business effortlessly.

Don’t let complex payment processes hold you back. Take the first step toward transforming your Shopify ecommerce site experience and unlocking its full potential.