An account approval process is what separates a real wholesale operation from a store that just has discount codes. Without account approval, any retail customer who discovers your wholesale pricing URL can access your trade prices. With account approval, you vet every trade account, assign appropriate pricing tiers, and maintain control over who gets access to your wholesale programme.

This guide covers the complete B2B account approval workflow — from form design through to ongoing account lifecycle management.

Why manual account approval is worth the effort

Some wholesale merchants consider self-service account creation — any business can sign up and get wholesale access immediately. The appeal is automation and frictionless onboarding. The problem is leakage.

Self-service wholesale access consistently results in retail customers and individual consumers accessing wholesale prices. Someone discovers the trade sign-up page, provides a plausible business name (even a fake GST number works if you are not verifying), and starts placing orders at your wholesale prices. The financial impact is direct: every consumer who buys at wholesale prices costs you 30–40% of retail margin.

Manual approval with even minimal verification — confirming the GST number is valid and matches the business type — eliminates most of this leakage. The additional time investment is 3–5 minutes per application. For a programme with 10–20 new applications per week, that is a manageable 30–100 minutes per week for protection of your entire wholesale margin structure.

Designing the B2B application form

The application form collects the information you need to make an approval decision. Fields that belong in every trade account application:

Essential fields (always include):

  • Business name (legal entity name)
  • GST number / company registration number
  • Business type (retailer, distributor, interior designer, hospitality operator, etc.)
  • Registered business address
  • Contact name and mobile number
  • Business email address

Useful fields (include if relevant to your approval process):

  • Business website or social media URL (quick verification that the business has a public presence)
  • Expected monthly purchase volume (helps with tier assignment)
  • Product categories of interest (useful for targeted communication)
  • How they heard about your wholesale programme (attribution data)
  • Current supplier of similar products (competitive intelligence)

Fields for net terms applicants only (collect separately, after initial approval):

  • Trade references (2–3 supplier names and contacts)
  • Years in business
  • Requested credit limit and terms

Keep the initial application to 8–10 fields. Long forms reduce completion rates. Collect credit-specific information only from accounts that request net terms — not from all wholesale applicants.

Verifying applications

Verification level should match the credit and discount exposure you are accepting:

Standard verification (30% discount, prepaid only):

  1. Verify GST number on gst.gov.in — confirm it is valid and the business type matches what the applicant stated
  2. Check the business has a verifiable public presence (website, Instagram, Google Maps listing for physical stores)
  3. Confirm the business category matches your wholesale programme requirements

Time required: 3–5 minutes per application. Automated via GST verification API if you have development resources.

Enhanced verification (40–50% discount, net terms):

  1. All standard verification steps
  2. Contact trade references provided by the applicant
  3. CIBIL Business Credit Report if available
  4. Video call with business owner for accounts above a credit limit threshold

Time required: 15–30 minutes per application. Justified only for accounts you will extend significant credit to.

The approval workflow

B2B Portal includes a pre-built approval queue in your Shopify admin. When an application is submitted:

  1. You receive an email notification with the application details
  2. Open B2B Portal's application queue in Shopify admin
  3. Review the application and run your verification checks
  4. Click Approve (assigns the wholesale customer tag automatically) or Reject (sends your configured rejection message)
  5. Approved customers receive a welcome email and can immediately see wholesale pricing on their next login

For approved accounts: The welcome email should include: confirmation of their pricing tier, a link to your wholesale ordering guide or FAQ, the contact details of their account manager or support contact, and a summary of ordering minimums and payment terms.

For rejected applications: Write rejection messages that are specific and professional. Vague rejections frustrate legitimate applicants who may be eligible with different circumstances. Be specific: "We currently have an exclusive distribution arrangement for your region" or "We require a minimum of 12 months of trading history for new accounts."

Ongoing account management

Approval is the beginning of the account relationship, not the end. B2B account management requires ongoing attention:

Quarterly tier reviews: Pull each account's last 3 months of orders. Accounts exceeding the next tier's volume threshold should be proactively upgraded. Contact them to announce the upgrade — this is a retention action as much as an administrative one. Merchants who surprise accounts with better pricing build loyalty; those who wait for accounts to ask for upgrades risk losing them to competitors who offer proactively.

Inactive account management: Accounts that have not ordered in 90 days should trigger a re-engagement communication — a new product announcement, a seasonal buying opportunity, or simply a check-in call. Accounts dormant for 6 months should have their wholesale access reviewed.

Net terms credit monitoring: For accounts on payment terms, monitor outstanding invoice totals weekly. When any account approaches their credit limit, pause new orders automatically via B2B Portal's credit limit feature and contact the account to arrange payment before the next order ships.