B2B buying is rarely a single click. Deals are negotiated, orders are placed on behalf of a buyer, and larger purchases need internal sign-off. Draft orders and approval workflows are how Shopify supports this reality. Here is how they work and where the boundaries are.
Draft orders: quotes and assisted selling
A draft order lets your team build an order, apply negotiated pricing or discounts, and send it to the customer to review and pay. It is the tool for phone and email orders, bespoke deals, and quotes. The buyer receives a link, checks the order, and completes payment, so the sale is captured properly rather than handled off-platform in a spreadsheet.
Quotes as part of the B2B flow
Many wholesale relationships start with a quote. Draft orders double as quotes: build the order, share it, and convert it when the customer approves. For negotiated or volume deals, this keeps quoting inside Shopify where it flows through to fulfillment and reporting, rather than living in disconnected documents.
Buyer roles and permissions
The Shopify Plus B2B suite supports company accounts with multiple buyers and permission levels. That covers the common case where different people at a company can order under shared pricing and terms, and where some buyers can order while others only browse. This is the native foundation for controlled purchasing.
When you need true approval workflows
Some organisations require multi-step approvals, a buyer raises an order, a manager approves, finance signs off above a threshold. Native B2B handles roles and permissions but not full multi-approver chains, so those are built as custom extensions on top of the suite. Knowing this boundary up front prevents assuming a feature exists that does not.
Purchase orders and terms
B2B buyers often submit a PO number at checkout and pay on net terms rather than immediately. The B2B suite supports PO capture and payment terms, so the order carries the reference and terms your buyer and your finance team both need.
Together, draft orders, quotes, roles and terms let a wholesale operation run the way it actually sells. The wider picture is in B2B and wholesale on Shopify, and onboarding those buyers is covered in B2B customer onboarding.