Shopify B2B Catalogs, Companies, and Locations Explained

Companies

A company is the business you sell to. It can contain one or more locations and one or more customers. The company record is the foundation for B2B buying because it connects buyers to the business account.

Company locations

A company location can have its own catalogs, payment terms, checkout options, and shipping addresses. This matters when one business has multiple departments, branches, regions, or purchasing groups.

Customers

A B2B customer is the person logging in. That person must be connected to the correct company and location. If the customer is attached to the wrong location, they may see the wrong products, wrong prices, wrong payment terms, or wrong checkout options.

Catalogs

Catalogs determine product availability and pricing for B2B customers. Shopify's B2B catalog documentation describes catalogs as the way to control which products and prices B2B customers can access.

Common causes of wrong B2B prices

• The customer is not assigned to the expected company.
• The customer is assigned to the wrong company location.
• The catalog is assigned to the wrong company or location.
• Another catalog is taking priority or creating confusion.
• The buyer is not logged in as the expected B2B customer.
• The store is being tested in the wrong market or currency context.

How to troubleshoot

1. Open the customer record and confirm the company assignment.
2. Open the company and confirm the relevant company location.
3. Check which catalogs are assigned to that company or location.
4. Confirm payment terms, tax settings, and checkout settings at the location level.
5. Log in as the customer and test from the storefront, not only the admin.

Common misunderstanding

Sources

• B2B terminology
• B2B catalogs and pricing
• Creating and managing B2B customers using companies
• B2B plan features