Wholesale signup forms: which form to use
Process Wholesale gives you a wholesale signup form (also called a wholesale application form or B2B registration form) in four versions: a standard form and a custom form for stores on legacy customer accounts, and a standard form and a custom form for stores on new customer accounts. The right one depends on which Shopify customer account type your store uses, which you can see in Shopify admin under Settings > Customer accounts. The standard forms work on every plan; the custom forms need the Enterprise or Professional plan. Every form creates an application that you approve or reject by hand.
At a glance
- Plan: Standard forms on every plan. Custom forms on Enterprise or Professional.
- Check your account type: Shopify admin > Settings > Customer accounts. Shopify labels the two types Customer accounts (new customer accounts) and Legacy (legacy customer accounts, email and password).
- Result of a submission: A pending customer (tagged
B2B_Registeration) in Process Wholesale > Customers > Pending - Approval: Always manual
Step 1: check which customer account type your store uses#
Using the signup form built for the other account type is the most common reason a wholesale signup form does not work. Check before you add a form:
- In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer accounts.
- See which version is selected. Customer accounts means your store uses new customer accounts. Legacy means your store uses legacy customer accounts (sometimes called classic customer accounts).
If you change the account type later, review your signup form setup with the table in the next section.
When a theme block form sends the application through Shopify's legacy account creation on a store that uses new customer accounts, Shopify shows the message "Customer account creation has been disabled"; see signup form not working for the fix.
The four Process Wholesale signup forms compared#
| Form | Account type | Where you add it | Who can see and submit it | Plan | Article |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Signup Form (theme app block) | Legacy customer accounts. Also works on new customer accounts with Use new customer flow set correctly. | Shopify theme editor, on a page, collection, product or home page template | Guests and logged-in customers | All plans | Add the signup form to your theme |
| Wholesale Custom Signup (theme app block) | Same as the standard theme block | Shopify theme editor, same templates | Guests and logged-in customers | Enterprise or Professional | Build a custom signup form |
| Wholesale signup Form (customer account extension) | New customer accounts | Shopify checkout and accounts editor, as a page in customer accounts | Only customers who are signed in to their account | All plans | Add the signup form to new customer accounts |
| Wholesale custom signup Form (customer account extension) | New customer accounts | Shopify checkout and accounts editor | Only customers who are signed in to their account | Enterprise or Professional | Build a custom signup form |
The standard forms have a fixed set of fields (name, email, business name, business address, phone number, tax ID, website and additional info) that you can show, hide or make required. The custom forms use the fields you build on the Custom Signup Form page in Process Wholesale, including file uploads and a consent checkbox. One custom form definition feeds both custom forms.
The Quick Buy order form can also show the standard signup form to visitors who are not wholesale customers, so an applicant can sign up on the Quick Buy page.
Which form to choose for each account type#
Legacy customer accounts. Add the Wholesale Signup Form block, or the Wholesale Custom Signup block on Enterprise or Professional, to a page in your theme. Guests fill in the form, including a password, and Shopify creates their account. The customer account extensions do not apply to legacy accounts.
New customer accounts. You have two options, and you can use both:
- Customer account forms. Add the Wholesale signup Form or Wholesale custom signup Form extension in the checkout and accounts editor. Only signed-in customers see it, so a new applicant first creates a store account by signing in, then applies. Pair it with the Wholesaler Information block on the customer's profile page, which shows a sign-up button.
- Theme block forms for guests. The Wholesale Signup Form and Wholesale Custom Signup theme blocks also work on new customer accounts when the block setting Use new customer flow resolves to Yes. The form then has no password field, and Process Wholesale creates the customer account from the email address, with no password. The customer later signs in to the store with that email.
What happens when an applicant submits any signup form#
Every Process Wholesale signup form does the same things on a successful submission:
- The customer gets the tag
B2B_Registeration(spelled this way) and becomes a pending customer. A new customer account is created when the applicant did not have one; a logged-in customer keeps their account and gets the tag added. - The answers are saved in the Shopify customer note. In Process Wholesale, they appear as Signup notes under View details on the Customers page.
- You get a New Wholesale Application email at your Shopify store email address.
- The applicant gets the Application received email, if it is turned on in Settings > Customer settings.
- The applicant sees the pending message, which by default reads "Thank you! your wholesale account is currently under review".
The applicant is not a wholesale customer yet. Wholesale prices, Quick Buy and checkout rules apply only after you approve the application, which replaces B2B_Registeration with B2B. See how to approve or reject wholesale applications.
Approval is always manual#
Process Wholesale has no automatic approval. Every signup form tags the applicant as pending, and only your Accept B2B action on the Customers page, or adding the B2B tag yourself in Shopify admin, makes a customer a wholesale customer (B2B customer). Approving in Process Wholesale also adds any automatic discount tags and sends the approval email (when it is turned on); tagging by hand in Shopify admin does neither.
Differences between new and legacy customer accounts for wholesale signup#
| Legacy customer accounts | New customer accounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Password on the form | Shown and required (at least 5 characters, no spaces) | Not shown |
| Who creates the account | Shopify, from the form | Process Wholesale, from the email address (theme block), or the customer already has one (customer account form) |
| After Submit | The page reloads and shows the pending message | The form is replaced by the pending message without a reload |
| Application received email | For a guest, sent after a short delay, once the account exists; right away for a logged-in customer | Sent right away |
| Applicant whose email already has an account | Should log in first, then submit the form | Sees "An account already exists with this email." with a link to log in, then applies |
| Captcha | Built-in captcha on theme forms | Built-in captcha on theme forms. Customer account forms have no captcha and need sign-in. |
| File uploads | Custom theme form | Custom theme form and custom customer account form |
Redirecting wholesale customers after they log in is also set up differently for each account type. See how to redirect wholesale customers after login.
Worked example#
A store on new customer accounts (Shopify shows Customer accounts under Settings > Customer accounts) is on the Starter plan. It adds the Wholesale signup Form customer account extension and the Wholesaler Information block. A buyer signs in to their store account, opens their profile, selects Sign up, fills in Business Name and Tax ID and selects Submit. The buyer sees the pending message, the store owner gets the New Wholesale Application email, and the buyer appears in Customers > Pending. After the owner selects Accept B2B, the buyer has the B2B tag and is a wholesale customer; wholesale prices apply once the buyer's discount tags are assigned.
Frequently asked questions#
Which Process Wholesale signup form should I use?#
Use the form that matches your Shopify customer account type. On legacy customer accounts, use the Wholesale Signup Form theme block. On new customer accounts, use the Wholesale signup Form customer account extension, the theme block with Use new customer flow set to Yes, or both. On Enterprise or Professional, the custom versions of each work the same way with your own fields.
How do I check if my store uses new or legacy customer accounts?#
In Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer accounts. Customer accounts means new customer accounts; Legacy means legacy customer accounts.
Are wholesale applications approved automatically?#
No. Every application waits in Customers > Pending until you select Accept B2B or Reject B2B.
Can guests apply for wholesale on new customer accounts?#
Yes, through a theme block form. The Wholesale Signup Form and Wholesale Custom Signup theme blocks accept guests and create the account from the email address when Use new customer flow resolves to Yes. The customer account extension forms are only for signed-in customers.
Which signup form needs the Enterprise or Professional plan?#
The custom forms: the Wholesale Custom Signup theme block, the Wholesale custom signup Form customer account extension and the Custom Signup Form builder page. The standard forms work on every plan. Current prices are on the plan page that opens from Plan in the app.