How to approve or reject wholesale applications
In Process Wholesale, every wholesale application waits on the Customers page under the Pending tab until you review it. Select Accept B2B to make the applicant a wholesale customer (B2B customer) or Reject B2B to turn the application down. Accepting replaces the pending tag B2B_Registeration with B2B, adds your auto-assigned discount tags and sends the "Application approved" email. Reviewing applications works on every plan, and nothing is approved automatically.
At a glance
- Plan: All plans
- Where: Process Wholesale > Customers, tabs Pending and Active
- Applies to: Customers tagged
B2B_Registeration(Pending tab) andB2B(Active tab) - Emails: Accept B2B sends "Application approved" and Reject B2B sends "Application rejected", when those emails are turned on
- Bulk actions: Yes, for the customers on the current page
The Customers page#
The Customers page has two tabs:
- Pending (opens first): customers tagged
B2B_Registeration, waiting for review. Columns: Customer and Actions. - Active: approved wholesale customers tagged
B2B. Columns: Customer, Discount tags and Actions. Discount tags lists only the customer's tags that match a Process Wholesale discount.
Each tab lists 10 customers per page, with next and previous buttons. Use Search customers to search inside the open tab. Refresh reloads the open tab.
Steps to review an application#
- In Shopify admin, open the Process Wholesale app and select Customers.
- On the Pending tab, find the applicant.
- Select the pencil button in the Actions column, then View details. The Customer details window shows the name, Email:, Signup notes: (the answers from the signup form, with links to any uploaded files) and Tags:. Select Close.
- Select the pencil button again and choose one action:
- Accept B2B to approve. The toast reads "Customer approved".
- Reject B2B to decline. The toast reads "Customer rejected".
The customer leaves the Pending tab at once. An accepted customer appears on the Active tab.
Steps to accept or reject several applications at once#
- On the Pending tab, select the checkbox next to each customer, or the checkbox in the header to select every customer on the page.
- Select Accept B2B or Reject B2B in the bulk action bar.
The toast reads "Customers approved" or "Customers rejected". Only the customers on the current page can be selected, so repeat for each page. On the Active tab the bulk actions are Return to pending and Remove B2B.
What each action changes#
| Action | Tab | Tags | Discounts | Tax exemption | Email to the customer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accept B2B | Pending | Removes B2B_Registeration, adds B2B |
Adds every tag selected under Auto assign discount tags | Set to the B2B customer tax exemption setting | "Application approved", if on |
| Reject B2B | Pending | Removes B2B_Registeration and B2B |
Discount tags stay on the customer | Set to the B2B customer tax exemption setting | "Application rejected", if on |
| Return to pending | Active | Removes B2B, adds B2B_Registeration |
Discount tags stay | Set to the setting | None |
| Remove B2B access | Active | Removes B2B and B2B_Registeration |
Discount tags stay | Set to the setting | None |
| Manage discount tags | Active | Adds or removes discount tags only | Changes the customer's discounts | Set to the setting | None |
When the customer has a note in Shopify, every one of these actions also adds or updates a "(Last modified: YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS)" line in it.
When an approval brings your number of wholesale customers (customers tagged B2B) to 10, 25 or 50, Process Wholesale sends a milestone email to your store email.
Example. A pending customer has the tags B2B_Registeration, vip, and gold is selected under Auto assign discount tags. After Accept B2B, the customer's tags are vip, B2B, gold. The customer receives "Acme Supply - B2B Application Approved!" (with your store name) if the approval email is on.
Rejection does not delete anything. The Shopify customer account stays, with its order history and note. The customer no longer appears on either tab.
What the applicant sees#
- After applying: the signup form shows your pending message, such as "Thank you! your wholesale account is currently under review", and the "Application received" email arrives if it is on.
- While pending: checkout charges retail prices. Some storefront blocks treat any tag containing
b2bas wholesale, so a pending customer can already see wholesale prices in the Product Wholesale block. See wholesale customers and tags. - After approval: the customer receives "Application approved", logs in with their usual account, gets wholesale discounts at checkout and sees "You are logged into your wholesale account" on the signup form page.
- After rejection: the customer receives "Application rejected", shops at retail prices and sees the signup form again, so they can apply again.
Email wording and on/off settings are in wholesale application emails.
Limits and things to know#
- Approval is manual. No setting approves applications automatically.
- Tax exemption is rewritten by every action. Each action in the table sets the customer's tax status to the B2B customer tax exemption setting, which replaces a tax exemption you set by hand in Shopify. See tax-exempt wholesale customers.
- Discount tags stay after rejection. They have no effect without the
B2Btag, but they come back into effect if the customer is approved later. Remove them with Manage discount tags before rejecting if you do not want that. - The approval email needs the pending tag. "Application approved" and the auto-assigned discounts are sent and added only for customers who had
B2B_Registerationwhen you accepted them, and the email needs an email address on the customer. - Bulk actions cover one page. Select and act on each page of 10 customers in turn.
Troubleshooting#
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| An applicant is not on the Pending tab | The tag is missing or spelled differently, or the list has not reloaded | Select Refresh. In Shopify admin, check that the customer has the exact tag B2B_Registeration. |
| The customer did not receive the approval email | "Application approved" is off, the customer has no email, or the customer was not pending when accepted | Check Settings > Customer settings > B2B customer emails. See wholesale emails not being received. |
| An approved customer has no discount at checkout | No discount tag is assigned, or the customer is not logged in | Use Manage discount tags on the Active tab, or set up auto-assigned discounts. |
| A customer lost a tax exemption after approval | B2B customer tax exemption is off, and approval applies it | Turn the setting on, or set the exemption again in Shopify admin after the action. |
| "Accept failed", "Reject failed" or "Update failed" | Shopify did not accept the change | Select Refresh and try again. |
Frequently asked questions#
How do I approve a wholesale application in Process Wholesale?#
Open Customers, find the applicant on the Pending tab, select the pencil button and choose Accept B2B. The customer is tagged B2B and moves to the Active tab.
Can I approve several wholesale customers at once?#
Yes. On the Pending tab, select the customers with the checkboxes and choose Accept B2B in the bulk action bar. Selection covers the 10 customers on the current page.
Does rejecting a customer delete their Shopify account?#
No. Reject B2B removes the wholesale tags and sends the rejection email if it is on. The Shopify account, orders and note stay.
Can a rejected customer apply again?#
Yes. A rejected customer has neither B2B nor B2B_Registeration, so the signup form shows to them again and a new application puts them back on the Pending tab.
Can I undo an approval?#
Yes. On the Active tab, select Return to pending to move the customer back to review, or Remove B2B access to end wholesale access. Neither sends an email. See removing wholesale access.