Allowing Customers to Apply for a B2B Company Account

Besides manually creating a company profile for a new B2B customer, you can now streamline the process using SHOPLINE's Company account application feature. 

Enabling the Company Account Application Form

To enable this feature, follow these steps:

1. From your SHOPLINE admin panel, go to Settings > Customer account.
   
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Edit in the Company account application section.
   
3. The Allow company account application option appears. Check the box to enable this feature and reveal relevant configurations. This will automatically add the portal to the application form to the customer sign-up page. If you later disable this feature, the form will still be accessible, but submitting it will not create a company profile.
   
4. In the URL section, click Copy to copy the link to the application page. You can add this link to specific positions in your store, such as the navigation bar or footer, to allow customers to access the application form.
5. In the Display position section, check the box for Show on new customer account if you want the form to appear on the sign-in page for new customer accounts. Customers will see the form when they visit the new customer account URL. Click Preview to see how it will appear.
   

   Note: If you're using the New customer account type, it is recommended to enable this setting.

6. In the Form fields section, you can customize the fields to include in the form. Default fields are email, company name, company shipping address, and company billing address. You can also optionally include fields for first and last name.
7. Click Update to save your changes.

You can provide customers with access to the application form in the following ways:

• Once you enable this feature, the form will automatically appear on the sign-up page for classic customer accounts. No additional setup is required.
• If your store is using the new customer account type, the classic customer sign-up page will redirect to the new customer sign-in page. Therefore, enabling the Show on new customer account option is recommended.
• You can also add the application form URL to your store's navigation bar, footer, or a custom B2B introduction page to guide customers to the form.

Below is how the application form appears on the storefront:

On the sign-up page

The application form

Reviewing Company Account Applications

When customers submit the application form to apply for B2B purchasing privileges, the system will create a company profile for review. The newly created company will automatically be associated with the customer who submitted the form (as the main contact) and have a default location.

Initially, customers cannot place orders through the companies created via the application form. You need to associate customers with company locations to grant B2B purchasing permissions.

1. From your SHOPLINE admin panel, go to Customers > Companies.
2. In the company list, locate companies marked as Disallow Ordering. These companies have been created, but no customers are associated with a location, meaning no orders can be placed. Click the company to review its details.
   
3. On the details page, you can view the company name and default location. The customer who submitted the application is the main contact and the only customer initially. You can add more locations here if needed.
4. To associate the customer with a location, click Add in the Ordering is not approved section. In the pop-up window, click the three-dot icon and select Add customer to company.
   
5. From the location list, select the location(s) where the customer can place orders. Click Save when finished. You can also choose to send email notifications to the customer.
   
6. To add more customers to the company, click +Add customer in the Customers section and follow the on-screen instructions.
   
7. If you disapprove of the application, click Delete company at the bottom of the page.

Account Management by B2B Customers

B2B customers can easily manage their accounts and replace orders after logging into your SHOPLINE store.

Updating Personal Information

Once a B2B customer's profile is created, they can log in to their B2B account to review company information. On the Profile page, they can update the following details:

• Location Name
• Shipping Address
• Billing Address

Reordering with One Click

After placing an order, B2B customers can quickly reorder the same items using SHOPLINE's convenient Buy again feature. Simply go to the Orders page and click the Buy again button next to the desired order.