WooCommerce Wholesale Catalogs: Hiding Prices From Retail Customers

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Picture this: You’re running a successful online store selling premium kitchen equipment. Your retail customers love browsing your catalog and making purchases at full price. But you also have a growing wholesale business with restaurant owners and commercial buyers who expect to see different pricing entirely.

The challenge? How do you show both audiences exactly what they need to see without confusing anyone or accidentally revealing wholesale pricing to retail customers?

If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common requests we get from our WooCommerce clients at Built Mighty. The good news? There are several smart ways to set up wholesale catalogs that keep your pricing strategy intact while providing an excellent experience for both customer types.

Why You Might Need Wholesale Pricing (And Why It’s Trickier Than It Seems)

Before we dive into the technical solutions, let’s talk about when wholesale catalogs make sense for your business:

You’re selling B2B and B2C simultaneously – Maybe you started selling direct to consumers but now restaurants or retailers want to buy in bulk. Different customer types, different expectations.

Volume-based pricing is essential – Your cost structure allows for better pricing when someone buys 50 units instead of 5, but you don’t want retail customers expecting those prices.

Product catalogs differ between audiences – Perhaps you have certain products that are wholesale-only, or different variations available to different customer types.

Maintaining brand positioning – You want to protect your retail pricing structure while still being competitive in the wholesale market.

The tricky part? WooCommerce doesn’t have robust wholesale functionality built-in. Out of the box, everyone sees the same products at the same prices. That’s where custom solutions come into play.

The Main Approaches: From Simple to Sophisticated

Let’s walk through the most effective methods we use to create wholesale catalogs, starting with the simplest approach and building up to more complex solutions.

Method 1: User Role-Based Pricing

This is the most straightforward approach and works well if you have a manageable number of wholesale customers.

How it works: Create a custom user role called “Wholesale Customer” and use plugins or custom code to show different pricing based on user roles.

Popular plugins for this approach:

• WooCommerce Wholesale Prices
• B2B Market
• Wholesale Suite

Pros:

• Relatively easy to implement
• Good control over who sees what
• Works with most themes and plugins

Cons:

• Customers need to create accounts and be approved
• Can be limiting if you need more complex pricing structures
• Plugin dependency for ongoing functionality

When to use this: Perfect for businesses with established wholesale relationships and a manageable customer base. This is the simplest form of a wholesale/retail setup. 

Method 2: Separate Wholesale Store Areas

This approach creates distinct sections of your website for wholesale customers, almost like having two stores in one.

How it works: Create password-protected pages or sections that only wholesale customers can access. These areas display products with wholesale pricing and may include different product catalogs entirely.

Technical implementation options:

• WordPress membership plugins (like MemberPress or Restrict Content)
• Custom post types for wholesale products
• Subdirectory approach (/wholesale/) with different pricing logic

Pros:

• Clear separation between retail and wholesale experiences
• Can have completely different branding/messaging. Think different promotions, visuals, etc.
• Easy to track wholesale-specific analytics

Cons:

• More complex to maintain (essentially managing two catalogs)
• SEO considerations with restricted content
• May require more development time

When to use this: Great when your wholesale and retail catalogs are significantly different, or when you want to create a premium wholesale experience.

Method 3: Dynamic Pricing Based on Customer Data

This is the most sophisticated approach and what we typically recommend for larger operations.

How it works: The system automatically detects customer type through login and displays appropriate pricing in real-time. It brings up the catalog that you’ve assigned to them. 

Technical components:

• Custom user registration with business verification
• Database integration to track customer types and pricing tiers
• Dynamic pricing engine that calculates prices on page load
• Integration with your accounting/ERP systems

Advanced features you can include:

• Quantity-based pricing tiers
• Customer-specific pricing agreements
• Automatic tax calculations based on business type
• Integration with wholesale ordering systems

When to use this: Best for businesses with complex pricing structures, multiple wholesale tiers, or high-volume operations. This is past the two simple catalogs (retail vs wholesale).

Setting Up A Custom Catalog

Now let’s get into some of the technical considerations you’ll want to think about when implementing any of these approaches.

Database Structure Considerations

Depending on your approach, you might need to store additional data:

• Customer business information and verification status
• Multiple price points per product (retail, wholesale, VIP wholesale, etc.)
• Product availability by customer type
• Purchase history and tier qualifications

Performance Implications

Wholesale catalogs can impact your site’s performance if not implemented carefully:

• Caching challenges: Dynamic pricing can conflict with caching plugins
• Database queries: Additional lookups for pricing can slow page loads
• Plugin conflicts: Multiple pricing plugins can cause conflicts

Security Considerations

Protecting wholesale pricing is crucial:

• Access control: Ensure retail customers can’t accidentally access wholesale prices
• URL security: Wholesale pages shouldn’t be discoverable through sitemaps or search
• Data protection: Business customer information requires extra security measures

Common Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)

After implementing dozens of wholesale catalog solutions, here are the mistakes we see most often:

Forgetting about mobile experience – Wholesale customers increasingly shop on mobile devices. Make sure your solution works seamlessly across all devices.

Overcomplicating the approval process – If it’s too difficult to become a wholesale customer, you’ll lose potential business. Strike a balance between verification and user experience. Utilize an email marketing drip campaign to help keep wholesale customers informed and engaged.

Ignoring inventory management – Different customer types might have different inventory allocations. Plan for this from the start. Are you managing inventory the same across the board? Or differently?

Not planning for growth – Choose a solution that can scale with your business. Starting simple is fine, but make sure you can add complexity later.

Forgetting about taxes – Wholesale customers often have different tax requirements (like tax-exempt status). Make sure your solution can handle this.

Shipping – Do wholesale customers need a special shipping class or different shipping options? Make sure those are set up for their needs. 

Integration Considerations

Your wholesale catalog won’t exist in isolation. Consider how it integrates with:

Your existing systems:

• Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero, etc.)
• Inventory management systems
• Email marketing platforms (different messaging for different customer types)
• CRM systems for managing wholesale relationships

Shipping and fulfillment:

• Different shipping methods for bulk orders
• Integration with freight carriers
• Dropshipping considerations for wholesale orders

The Built Mighty Difference

As an official WooCommerce agency partner, we’ve seen wholesale catalog projects succeed and fail. The difference usually comes down to:

• Understanding your business model first – Technology should support your strategy, not drive it
• Planning for scalability from day one – Even if you start simple
• Focusing on user experience – For both wholesale and retail customers
• Integration with your broader business systems – Your wholesale catalog shouldn’t be an island

Whether you’re just exploring wholesale opportunities or ready to overhaul your existing system, the key is choosing an approach that fits your current needs while leaving room for growth.

Ready to Build Your Wholesale Catalog?

Implementing a wholesale catalog system touches every part of your WooCommerce store – from user management and pricing logic to inventory control and checkout processes. While there are DIY options available, most businesses find that custom development provides the flexibility and scalability they need.

At Built Mighty, we specialize in creating wholesale solutions that grow with your business. From simple role-based pricing to complex multi-tier systems integrated with your existing business tools, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes create wholesale catalogs that actually drive results.

Ready to explore what a wholesale catalog could do for your business? Let’s talk about your specific needs and create a solution that works for both your wholesale and retail customers.

About Built Mighty We’re a WooCommerce agency partner specializing in custom plugin development, integrations, and solutions that help online businesses grow. Based on Bainbridge Island, WA, we work with businesses nationwide to create WooCommerce stores that don’t just look good—they perform.