August 28, 2025
6 mins
Jack
If you’re running a successful WooCommerce store, you’ve probably had that lightbulb moment: “What if I could sell wholesale to other businesses?” Maybe you’ve already gotten inquiries from retailers wanting to stock your products, or perhaps you’re ready to proactively expand into B2B sales. Either way, you’re in the right place.
At Built Mighty, we’ve helped countless businesses transform their WooCommerce stores into dual-purpose powerhouses that serve both retail customers and wholesale buyers. The good news? It’s more straightforward than you might think. Let’s dive into how you can set up wholesale pricing and customer tiers that’ll have B2B buyers lining up at your virtual door.
Table of Contents
Before we get into the nuts and bolts, let’s talk about why wholesale might be your next big move. Wholesale orders typically mean larger purchase volumes, predictable revenue streams, and long-term business relationships. Plus, with the right setup, you can manage both B2B and B2C sales from the same WooCommerce dashboard. No need for separate systems or complicated workarounds.
Here’s the thing about wholesale buyers: they’re different than your typical retail customers. They’re looking for:
Your WooCommerce store needs to speak their language while still maintaining a smooth experience for your regular customers. That’s where customer tiers come in handy.
Think of customer tiers as VIP levels for your store. Each tier can have its own pricing, payment terms, and shopping experience. Here’s how to approach it:
Start simple. Most businesses do well with three to four tiers:
The key is matching your tier structure to your business model. If you’re selling handmade soaps, maybe you need just two tiers. If you’re distributing electronics, you might want five.
WooCommerce comes with basic user roles, but for wholesale, you’ll want to create custom ones. You can do this with a plugin (more on that in a bit) or with some custom code. Each wholesale tier should have its own user role, like “wholesale_bronze” or “wholesale_gold.”
Unlike retail customers who can buy immediately, wholesale customers typically need approval. You’ll want to:
Pro tip: Include fields for business license numbers and tax ID information in your wholesale application. You’ll thank yourself later when tax season rolls around.
Now for the fun part – pricing! There are several ways to structure wholesale pricing in WooCommerce:
The simplest approach: wholesale customers get X% off retail prices. Maybe Bronze tier gets 20% off, Silver gets 30%, and Gold gets 40%. Easy to understand, easy to implement.
Set specific wholesale prices for each product. This gives you more control and lets you maintain different margins across your product line. That premium item with slim margins? Maybe it only gets a 10% wholesale discount. Your best seller with healthy margins? Go ahead and offer 50% off for bulk buyers.
This is where things get interesting. Set different prices based on quantity:
This encourages larger orders and rewards your biggest buyers.
Set minimum order quantities or values for wholesale customers. Maybe wholesale buyers need to order at least $500 worth of products or 20 units minimum. This ensures your wholesale orders are worth the extra effort.
Alright, let’s talk tools. While you could code everything from scratch (and as a WooCommerce Agency partner, we certainly could help with that!), there are some excellent plugins that’ll get you up and running quickly:
WooCommerce Wholesale Prices (by Wholesale Suite) is a solid starting point. The free version handles basic wholesale pricing, while the premium versions add features like shipping methods, payment gateways, and order forms specifically for wholesale customers.
B2B for WooCommerce offers comprehensive B2B features including quote management, company accounts, and bulk ordering tools.
WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts lets you create complex pricing rules based on user roles, cart quantities, and more.
While each plugin has its own interface, the general process looks like this:
Your wholesale customers shouldn’t feel like they’re shopping in a retail store with a discount code. Here’s how to customize their experience:
Show wholesale customers only the products available to them. Hide retail-only items, display bulk pack options, and show their special pricing right on the product pages.
Wholesale buyers often know exactly what they want. Give them a quick order form where they can enter SKUs and quantities without browsing through product pages. It’s like giving them the express lane at the grocery store.
Create PDF catalogs with wholesale pricing that buyers can download and share with their teams. Include product images, descriptions, SKUs, and wholesale prices for easy reference.
While retail customers pay immediately, wholesale buyers often expect NET payment terms. You can set this up through plugins or integrate with B2B payment solutions that handle invoicing and terms.
Many wholesale buyers are tax-exempt, and managing this correctly is crucial. Here’s your game plan:
Some plugins handle this automatically, or you can integrate with tax management services like Avalara or TaxJar.
After years of setting up wholesale operations for our clients at Built Mighty, here are some golden nuggets:
Start Small, Then Scale: Don’t try to implement every feature at once. Start with basic wholesale pricing, then add features as you learn what your B2B customers actually need.
Communicate Clearly: Make your wholesale terms, minimum orders, and shipping policies crystal clear. Put them in multiple places – the application form, welcome emails, and a dedicated wholesale FAQ page.
Separate But Equal: Consider using subdomain (wholesale.yourstore.com) or a separate landing page for wholesale customers. It helps them feel special and keeps your retail customers from getting confused.
Automate Wisely: Automate repetitive tasks like order confirmations and shipping notifications, but keep the human touch for onboarding new wholesale accounts and handling special requests.
Monitor and Adjust: Track which products sell best at wholesale, which tiers generate the most revenue, and which features get used most. Use this data to refine your wholesale strategy.
We’ve seen it all, so learn from others’ mistakes:
How do you know if your wholesale setup is working? Track these metrics:
Set benchmarks and review them quarterly. If Bronze tier customers never upgrade to Silver, maybe your tiers need adjusting. If wholesale orders cluster around your minimum, consider lowering it.
Setting up wholesale and B2B pricing in WooCommerce opens up entirely new revenue streams for your business. While it requires some initial setup and planning, the payoff in larger orders and stable B2B relationships makes it worthwhile.
Remember, you don’t have to do this alone. Whether you need help choosing the right plugins, customizing your wholesale experience, or building completely custom B2B features, that’s exactly what we do here at Built Mighty. As an official WooCommerce Agency partner, we’ve got the expertise to transform your store into a B2B powerhouse.
Start with the basics we’ve outlined here, test with a few friendly wholesale customers, and iterate based on their feedback. Before you know it, you’ll be managing thriving retail and wholesale operations from a single, powerful WooCommerce store.
Have questions about setting up wholesale in your WooCommerce store? Want to explore custom B2B features that’ll set you apart from the competition? Drop us a line at Built Mighty – we love talking shop about all things WooCommerce.
2025-08-27 
3 mins 
Jack Whether you're kicking off a new project or looking to improve your current site, we're here to make it happen. Let’s build something that not only works for your business but helps it grow.
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