B2B Ecommerce Website Design UK

How B2B ecommerce differs from a consumer shop

A consumer shop is built for a first time buyer who needs persuading. A trade shop is built for a repeat buyer who already knows what they want and wants it ordered in two minutes. That changes nearly every page.

• Login before price. Many wholesalers hide prices until a business account is approved. Others show a list price and reveal account pricing after login.
• Ordering by SKU. Buyers often have a part number in front of them. A quick order form where they type codes and quantities beats browsing.
• Pack sizes and minimums. Sold in boxes of 50, a minimum order value, or price breaks at 10, 50 and 100 units.
• Paying on account. Established customers expect 30 day terms, not a card payment every time.
• Documents. Data sheets, safety sheets, CAD files and certificates of conformity attached to products.

If you also sell to the public, we can run both from one store. Retail visitors see VAT inclusive prices. Logged in trade accounts see their own prices excluding VAT.

VAT display for trade and retail buyers

The Price Marking Order 2004 requires prices shown to consumers to include VAT. The Order defines a consumer as an individual buying for purposes outside their business, so a trade only site can show prices excluding VAT, as long as it is obvious that is what they are. We label every price clearly as ex VAT and show the VAT amount and total in the basket and on the invoice.

For mixed shops the risk is a member of the public seeing ex VAT prices and thinking they are being misled. The usual fixes are a VAT toggle that defaults to including VAT for visitors who are not logged in, or separate trade pricing visible only after account approval. Both are standard on Shopify and WooCommerce. You can also collect and store a customer's VAT number on their account; HMRC offers an online service to check UK VAT numbers are valid.

Shopify B2B or WooCommerce wholesale?

For a long time, proper B2B on Shopify meant Shopify Plus. That has changed. Shopifreaks reported that in April 2026 Shopify extended key native B2B features, including company accounts, catalogues, quantity rules, volume pricing and payment terms, to its standard plans. Third party guides report that some features, such as unlimited B2B catalogues and deposits, remain on Plus, so we check your needs against the current plan list before recommending it.

WooCommerce gets B2B features from plugins. Established options handle wholesale roles, tiered pricing, hidden prices, minimum orders and quote requests. The advantage is flexibility and no per order platform fee. The trade off is that you, or your WooCommerce developer, look after plugin updates and compatibility. If your business is mostly B2B and price rules are complicated, WooCommerce often gives more room. If you want less to maintain, Shopify is now a serious option even for smaller wholesalers.

Connecting to your accounts, stock and ERP

The real time saver in B2B is not the website. It is the orders arriving in your systems without anyone retyping them. Our Ecommerce package covers accounts or EPOS integration where a ready made connector exists, such as orders flowing into Xero or QuickBooks.

Bigger setups, such as two way sync with Sage 200, an ERP, a warehouse system or a custom pricing engine, are scoped and given a fixed quote. Where off the shelf connectors do not exist, our sister company dijitul developments builds custom integrations and web apps. We will tell you early if your integration falls into that category so the budget is clear before anything starts.

Making it easy for trade buyers to come back

Repeat orders are the whole point of a trade shop, so the account area gets as much design attention as the home page. We include order history with one click reorder, saved delivery addresses for customers with several sites, downloadable invoices and, where your platform supports it, multiple buyers under one company account.

Product pages for trade work best with a specification table, pack size and lead time near the price. Our product page design work covers that layout. Manufacturers who also need a brochure style site explaining capabilities can see our web design for manufacturers page. To get a price, send us your number of products, customer groups and systems through the quote form.

What you get

• Trade account application form with manual or automatic approval
• Price lists or catalogues per customer group
• Excluding VAT display for trade, including VAT for retail where you sell to both
• Minimum order quantities, pack sizes and volume price breaks
• Quick order form by SKU and a reorder button in the account area
• Request a quote flow for large or custom orders
• Pay by card or on account with invoice terms where your platform supports it

Prices and how it works

Websites from £250 + VAT, business websites from £500 + VAT and ecommerce from £750 + VAT. Small changes are £45 an hour + VAT. You get a fixed quote before we start.

1. Free chat

   Tell us about your business, who your customers are and what the website needs to do. No charge, no obligation.

2. Fixed quote

   You get a fixed price and a clear list of what is included, in writing, before anything starts.

3. Design

   We plan the pages and design the site around your customers, then share it for your comments.

4. Build and test

   We build it mobile-first, write or polish the copy, set up SEO foundations and test it on real phones.

5. Launch and hand over

   We launch, connect analytics and Search Console, and show you how to update it. You own it all.

Related