The 2022 Definitive: Magento 2 B2B User Guide in One Place

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If you are searching keywords like “Magento 2 B2B user guide” or “Magento B2B user guide” or “Magento 2 user guide for B2B,” you’ve come to the right place. 

Through this blog, let us give you a definitive guide of Magento 2 B2B in an easy-to-understand way. You are going to go through all areas for which you have to deal with running a B2B business. Get the ball rolling with must-know basics in Magento 2 B2B.

I. Introduction to Magento 2 B2B Commerce

Not similar to the usual business-to-consumer (B2C) model, Magento B2B Commerce is developed to meet the needs of wholesalers whose clients are companies. Those companies might feature complex organizational structures and numerous clients with different parts and levels of permission.

A typical B2B client may be the seller of retail stores or a buyer who represents his (her) company to place orders. In both cases, the exchange is made between the two businesses. 

However, Magento Commerce supports not only B2B but also B2C businesses.

READ NOW: A B2B Business Dictionary for Magento 2: Strategies & Solutions to do wholesale professionally.

Quick Gain – No Pain: What Is B2B API And Why It’s A Must For Your B2B Strategy?

Application Programming Interface (API) is a group of programming guidelines and gauges for getting to electronic programming applications that permit programming stages to speak with one another. APIs have a few key attributes that are driving their appropriation, including but not limited to:

• Real-time communication
• Cost-effective
• Connectivity

Due to its characteristic and real-life application, numerous huge endeavors are quickly receiving APIs to acknowledge new income streams and reap the rewards of the API economy. 

Reasons to adapt API into B2B 

I give you six.

First, It will enable your organization to associate with outsiders, regardless of whether they are suppliers, accomplices or even clients themselves, as it permits powerful correspondence. The improvement API applications bring to the client experience is key for expanding execution.

In addition to that, API makes the integration of old and new data as smooth as butter. The API makes overseeing and sorting out these sources progressively dexterous, on the grounds that it can likewise take a shot at the administration frameworks and procedures of the acquired information. 

Another reason for including API in your B2B business is security advancement. It will diminish security issues in the advancement forms, as the usage of an API will mean your organization’s designers should compartmentalize the business applications and forms and fortify the most touchy inside frameworks.

Moreover, the designers and engineers in your organization must survey the arrangements accessible to guarantee the applications’ exhibition so they can consider it in the system. To improve this work procedure, the net must be upgraded and coordinated.

APIs will permit organizations to consolidate programming as assistance, and versatile applications with increasingly customary B2B conventions, and furthermore with the gauges set down in the various guidelines.

And last but not least, your organization’s designers can manufacture reusable administrations from the contributions from all the accomplices in the B2B procedure on a solitary stage.

Some applications of APIs in B2B

Business incorporation

Business merchants look for eCommerce answers for twofold obligation: to get their eCommerce directors, deals, and care staff working all the more adequately and to help their business clients arrive at their objectives. This implies going past oneself to help entryway and obliging their littlest shopping, requesting, and buying inclinations.

B2B clients can utilize the eCommerce API to push information legitimately to their ERP, diminishing manual information passage and human mistakes. Open customer-facing facade eCommerce APIs make it conceivable to take care of vital item information to your business customers’ favored frameworks without the need to put resources into complex combinations with different 3d-party frameworks. In conclusion, the API can be utilized to rebrand or reproduce self-administration entryways without any preparation to more readily address the issues of end clients making B2B2C situations simple to oversee.

Headless eCommerce

Organizations with conventional eCommerce stages must surrender with adjusting their answer for their tech stack – as opposed to having their tech stack adjust to their business needs. The headless design gets rid of these impediments with the adaptability and nimbleness to manufacture customized encounters.

The headless methodology implies the capacity to offer B2B purchasers an exclusively custom-made retail facade, web, telephone, smartwatch, TV, or voice-actuated buying while at the same time depending on B2B-focal highlights for back-office capacities. This can incorporate item the executives, request preparing, and reconciliations with your ERP, PIM, or CRM. In a headless situation, APIs are utilized between various frameworks to speak with one another, successfully decoupling the backend from what occurs toward the front.

PWA (progressive web application)

A PWA is a web application that runs as a site while offering an application like encounter to clients. It has promising utilizations in B2B eCommerce, offering portable business clients a speedy stacking and lightweight versatile experience without the high improvement expenses of local applications. The best part is that PWAs make laser-centered personalization that upgrades the client experience conceivable, expanding commitment and change rates for your intended interest group.

Building up a PWA utilizes your eCommerce API. With OroCommerce’s Rest API, designers can actualize administration laborers, web stockpiling, requesting, installment, pop-up messages, and that’s just the beginning.

CAN’T IGNORE Magento 2 B2B extension package if you are using Magento Open Source that doesn’t support B2B functionality.

II. A Definitive Guide of Magento 2 B2B User Guide

💡Free Source for you: Magento B2B Starter Guide – Everything you must know before implementing a Magento B2B Ecommerce.

⇒ To download this guide, please enter information in the following form: 

 

If configuring B2B features is still unfamiliar to you, this Magento 2 B2B user guide will make it more pleasant. 

In Magento B2B Commerce, you can enable some or all these B2B features on each website: 

• Company Account
• Quick order 
• Requisition List
• Quotes Submission

Once ‘Enable Company” is set up at the “Yes” value, shared catalogs, negotiable quotes, and default B2B payment methods become available.

B2B features are always available from the Admin, no matter whether they are enabled or disabled for the storefront.

To attempt full configuration settings, you can explore the B2B Configuration Reference.

Now, let’s kick off with initial configurations. 

On the Admin sidebar, select Stores > Settings > Configuration.
If you have a multi-site setup, set the Store View control in the upper-left corner of the website to apply the configuration.  

Select B2B Features in the left side panel under General. Then, follow these steps:

• If you want to allow your customers to manage their company accounts, set Enable Company to “Yes.”
  This configuration shows extra fields to enable Shared Catalog and B2B Quote, and a new section for configuring Default B2B Payment Methods as well.
• To make custom pricing accessible to different companies, set Enable Shared Catalog to “Yes.”
  Enabling shared catalogs means that category permissions are also enabled for all stores.
• In order to enable buyers to negotiate prices, switch Enable B2B Quote to “Yes.”

To set up a default payment method for B2B orders, set Applicable Payment Methods as “All Payment Methods” or “Specific Payment Methods.”

In Specific Methods, choose the Payment Methods that you allow your customers to use by keeping the Ctrl key (PC) or the Command key (Mac) as you select each option.
The list of payment methods shows which are currently enabled or disabled. Besides the standard payment methods, the list also contains the following:

• No Payment Information is Required
• Payment on Account
• Stored Accounts
• Stored Cards

To complete, click Save Config.

1. Company accounts

CLICK TO KNOW >>> Why Is Magento 2 B2B Company Structure Required?

Below we will give a detailed introduction of Company Accounts

The Companies Grid records all active company accounts and pending requests in any case of status setting. Besides, it also gives the required tools to form and control company accounts. You can use the standard grid controls to filter the list and modify the column format. 

To have a view of a list of column depictions, access the Column Depictions in Overseeing Company Accounts.

Company accounts can be set up from both the storefront and the Admin. By default, creating company accounts from the storefront is enabled. It means when a guest accesses the store, they can ask to open a company account. 

Once this account is accepted, the company administrator can set up the company structure and users with different levels of permission. 

How to list company accounts? It’s easy, just following these steps: 

• Select Customers from the Admin Sidebar
• Access Companies.
• Click Add New Company, then create a new one.

1.1 Create a company account

A company account can be created from both the front end and backend. 

From front end: First, click Create an Account and choose the Create New Company Account. Register required fields including company information, a legal address, and company administrator. Then, submit your information.  

From backend: Just navigate Customers => Companies => Add New Company, then fill in the necessary information. Besides the above fields, the form also contains Company Credit and Advanced Settings. 

 

If you want to make any change in Company Admin or Sales Representative, expand the corresponding settings in company edit mode. 

To approve a pending company account:

• Go to Customers => Companies, in the Action column, click Edit
• In Actions, select Active, then click Change Status
• Click Save to complete, then a confirmation email will be sent to the company to guide the user on how to set a password. 

1.2 Company structure

Now, this is a detailed introduction of Company Accounts

An account can reflect how a company is structured. Users can be aligned with teams or grouped within a hierarchy of departments and subdivisions in the company. 

The entire company structure is expressed in the Companies and Customers Grid. Regardless of a company’s status, it is listed in the Companies Grid.  

The company admin must identify the team structure, set up Company Users, and empower roles and permissions for each after creating the company account. 

To create a company team: 

• Go to Company Structure => Business Structure => Add team
• Enter all required information and click Save

To move a team: 

• You can move a team or division to another position by clicking and dragging that team to a new location of the company structure. 

To delete a team: 

• Define the team you want to delete
• Tap Delete Selected => Delete

1.3 Company users

Company users are individuals associated with a company and are typically shoppers with various levels of permission to access storage resources. 

• To add Company Users: 
• Sign in your company account from the storefront as the administrator
• Go to Company User => Add New User => Save

Deleting a company user is similar to deleting a team. 

To assign users to a team:

• Choose Company Structure 
• Drag the user under the expected team

Magento 2 store owners can assign a customer to a company from the backend: 

• Navigate Customers=> All Customers, choose a customer => Edit
• Select Account Information => Associate to Company
• Define the company you want to assign a customer to => Click Done
• Click Save Customer

1.4 Company roles and permissions

Under this Magento 2 user guide for B2B, we will instruct you to set up company roles and permissions.

The company admin can create many roles to fit the company structure, such as Default User, Senior Buyer, or Assistant Buyer. 

• Default User: The default customer has full access to sales and quotes-related activities as well as view-only access to company profile and credit information.
• Senior Buyer: Users in this role may have access to all Sales and Quotes resources, and view-only permissions to the Company Profile, User and Teams, Payment Information, and Company Credit.
• Assistant Buyer: An assistant buyer may be allowed to place an order using Checkout with Quote and to see orders, quotes, and company profile.

In Roles and Permissions, the company admin can easily create, modify, duplicate, or delete a role. 

To assign a role to company users: 

• The company admin go to Company Users
• Select a user and click Edit
• Choose a User Role and click Save

1.5 Managing company accounts

Magento 2 allows store owners to manage company accounts with many actions, including activate, block, edit, and delete. Follow the following the Magento 2 user guide for B2B to do those actions with a company account: 

• Navigate Customers => Companies
• Tick the checkbox of each row you need updating
• Set the Action column, choose Activate, Block, Edit, etc. 
• To complete, click OK (if you edit an account, click Save after making changes)

To convert credit currency: 

• In Action column, set to Convert Currency
• Click Ok when prompted to confirm
• Choose the credit currency you want to apply for the selected company
• Select Proceed to finish the conversion

2. Shared catalog

Keep reading Magento 2 B2B User Guide for a detailed guide on managing shared catalogs. 

Magento allows you to maintain gated “shared” catalogs for several companies for custom pricing. Besides the standard “master” item catalog, customers are allowed to navigate two types of shared catalogs with different pricing structures. 

If Shared Catalog is configured as “enable,” the first displayed catalog proceeds to be seen from the Admin. However, only the “default” public shared catalog is visible from the storefront.

Moreover, custom catalogs can be set up to be seen by individuals of particular company accounts. 

The Shared Catalogs Grid records all shared catalogs that exist recently and is a tool to create and keep track of the catalogs.

Steps to access the Shared Catalogs page:

1. Tap Catalog on the Admin Sidebar
2. Select Shared Catalogs.

Configuring the price scope:

• Go to Store => Settings => Configuration => Catalog => Catalog
• Expand Price, set Catalog Price Scope to “Website” 
• Choose Save Config 

2.1 Create a new shared catalog

• Magento 2 store owners can choose Shared Catalog on the admin sidebar => Add a Shared Catalog
• Enter information, including Name, Customer Tax Class, Type, and Description
• Click Save

To duplicate an existing shared catalog: 

• Go to Catalog => Shared Catalog 
• Select a shared catalog in the grid
• In Action, select General Settings
• Click Duplicate in the options at the top of the page
• Modify fields if necessary
• Click Save
• Configure product selection, company assignments, and category permissions

2.2 Set up Pricing and Structure

• In Catalog, choose Shared Catalogs
• In Actions, choose Set pricing and Structure
• When you first configure the shared catalog, click Configure

Step 1: Select the products

• Define the products that you want to add to the shared catalog. The category tree is shown on the left of the product selection page. When you select a category in the tree, the items in the category are displayed in the grid. 
• Choose the scope of the configuration
• Select specific from the checkbox or all items by Select All
• Tap the category name to see category product in the grid
• You can also use the filters mass actions to find items that you want
• Tap Next

Step 2: Set custom prices

• You can set individual custom pricing as a fixed amount or percentage for each product or use the mass actions for various items. 
• Use Custom Price to set a discount to a fixed amount or a percentage to apply for these product types: Simple, Bundle, Downloadable, and Virtual. This column is blank for Configurable and Group products and Gift cards.    

Apply a custom price:  

• First, select a website you want to apply the custom price in case you have multiple sites
• Define products you want to apply the custom price 
• In Action, choose Set Discount or Set Fixed Price
• Enter expected value
• Choose Apply
• To finish, click General Catalog => Click Save

Apply a tier price:

• Choose the product that you want to apply a tier price
• In Tier Price, choose Configure
• Choose Add Price on the Advanced pricing page
• Select a website to apply
• Type the amount of the product that must be ordered to obtain the discount.
• Set Price to Fixed or Discount
• Type the amount of the discount
• For another tier, choose Add Price and repeat those steps
• Click Done to complete

2.3 Assign companies 

The next part of the guide is about access to shared catalogs.

Magento Open Source allows store owners to assign companies in two ways:

Method 1: Assign from shared catalogs

• Go to Catalog => Shared Catalogs 
• Choose the shared catalog in the grid. In Action, choose Assign Companies. The list does not include companies that are already assigned to the catalog.     
• Select the company that you want to assign to the shared catalog. Then, click Assign in the Action column
• Click Save

Method 2: Edit the company

• Go to Customers => Companies
• Choose the company on the grid. Then, tap Edit in the Action column
• Expand Advanced Settings, choose Customer Group
• To complete, tap Proceed, then tap Save

2.4 Manage a shared catalog: 

The shared catalog provides the admin of a Magento 2 store with management tools in Action column such as:

• Set Pricing and Structure
• Assign companies
• General settings
• Delete

Besides, you can use mass actions in the upper-left corner of the grid for multiple catalogs. 

3. Quick order 

Get to know this B2B feature with ease as you have Magento 2 B2B User Guide. 

Being one of the B2B features, “Quick order” optimizes the order process to be speedy for buyers who know the product name or SKU of the items they want to order. Instead of entering one by one SKUs, they can import an available list into a quick order form. Store owners can config to enable this form. 

The quick order link can be seen at the top of the page if it is enabled. 

Step 1: Enable Quick Orders

• Choose Stores from the admin sidebar.
• Choose Configuration in the Setting sections
• In the General section on the left panel, click B2B Features.
• Set Enable Quick Order to “Yes.”

• Enable Quick Order
• Click Save Config.
• Tap Cache Management to refresh any invalid caches.

Step 2: Specify Products for Quick Order

You can use either of the following methods to specify products for Quick Order. 

Method 1: Enter single products

1. Tap the Quick Order link.
2. Select the product by SKU or product name:
   • To make a quick purchase by SKU, follow these steps:
     • Enter the SKU.
     • Click Add to List.
       The SKU appears in the input line, with the product details below.

1. To make a quick purchase by Product Name, follow these steps:
2. Type the first few characters of the Product Name.
   Do not use the Enter key when you choose the name of the product.
3. When the list of matching results appears, click the product that you are seeking.

1. Click to choose the product name
2. Enter Qty.
3. Use the next input line, repeat this process as many times as necessary.
4. Click Add to Cart.

Method 2: Enter Multiple Products

1. In the Enter Multiple SKUs box, take one of these steps:
   • Enter one SKU per line
   • Enter all SKUs on the same line, separate them by commas without spaces.

1. Enter Multiple SKUs
2. Click Add to List to add items to the list.
3. Enter the Qty to be ordered for each item in the list.

If the product has the required options, you have to select the options. Wait until you hit the shopping cart to add product options.

Method 3: Upload a List of Products

1. Click Download Sample to download an order template in the Add File section. 

1. Add from File
2. Open the file in the lower-left corner of your browser window. 
3. Use the template to add the product SKUs to upload for the Quick Order list.
4. Finally, click Save.

1. Click Choose to upload the file.
2. Pick the file from your directory.
   The items are added to the Quick Order list.

1. When ready, click Add to Cart.

After creating the quick order, you can go to checkout as usual.

4. Magento 2 B2B Requisition List

Thanks to a Magento 2 B2B requisition list supported by Magento Commerce, buyers can save time when purchasing frequently-ordered items since those are included in the shopping cart directly from the list.

You are able to keep different records that center on items from different sellers, buyers, groups, campaigns, or anything. As high as 999 requisition lists that a customer account can keep up. The number depends on the setup in Magento B2B Commerce. 

4.1. Steps to create a Magento 2 B2B requisition list

• Method 1: From Customer Account
  • In the sidebar of your account, select My Requisition Lists.
  • On the Requisition Lists page, tap Create New Requisition List.
• Method 2: From Product Page
  • Select Add to Requíition List from any product page.
  • Click Create New Requisition List.
• Enter the Requisition List Name and Description.
• Click Save to complete

4.2. To add products to a Magento 2 B2B requisition list

It’s possible to add items to a Magento 2 B2B requisition list from product pages in the storefront, from the shopping cart, and from existing orders.

Method 1: From the Product Detail Page

• From the storefront, go to the detail page of the product that needs adding to the requisition list.
• Click Add to Requisition List. In the next steps:
  • Choose an available Magento 2 B2B requisition list.
  • Create a new Magento 2 B2B requisition list.

Method 2: From an Existing Order

1. In the sidebar of your account dashboard, choose My Orders.
2. Add to Requisition List at the top of the order. Then, take one of these steps:
   • Choose an existing Magento 2 B2B requisition list.
   • Create a new one.

4.3. To view the updated Magento 2 B2B requisition list

Log in to your account. Then, use either of the following methods to view any of Magento 2 B2B requisition lists.

Method 1: From Your Account

1. Select My Requisition Lists in the sidebar of your dashboard account.
2. In the list of requisition lists, click View in the Actions column.

Method 2: From the Storefront

• Click on your user name in the quick links bar at the top of the site.
• On the menu, click My Requisition Lists.

. 5. Quote

Flexible pricing is one very typical feature in B2B transactions, which is requested regularly by buyers. In this part of the Magento 2 B2B user guide, you will learn easy steps to request a quote. 

First, once B2B Quote is enabled, buyers can submit their quotes to the seller to negotiate the best reasonable price. 

To do that, follow these steps: 

• Sign in to your company account as a customer with permission to submit a quote.
• Add the items to the shopping cart to be included in the quote.
• Click Request a Quote. Then:
• Enter a brief note describing the request in the Comment box.  
• Enter a Quote Name.
• Click Add file to add a supporting document or image to the quote. After that, choose the file from your directory.
  In any of the following file formats, an attached file can be up to 2 MB by default: DOC, DOCX, XLSX, PDF, TXT, JPG or JPEG, PNG.

6. Pay on Account

This is an offline method of payment that enables businesses to make transactions up to the credit limit stated in their profile. Payment on Account can be allowed on a global scale or per customer and only appears in the checkout if it enabled.

While using Payment on Account is used as a method of payment, a message appears at the top of the order showing the account status. 

Let the Magento 2 User Guide show you steps to configure Payment on Account: 

To configure payment on account:

On the Admin sidebar, select Stores => Settings => Configuration.

Choose Payment Methods in the tab on the left.

Expand the Payment on Account section. Then, follow these steps:

• Clear the Use System quality checkbox after the Enabled sector. Then set “Yes”. 
• In case you need to modify the default title, “Payment on Account,” clear the Use system value checkbox. Then, enter the title that you expect to appear in checkout.
• By default, New Order Status is set to “Pending” until receipt of payment is confirmed. To change the default status, clear the Use system value checkbox. Then, choose “Processing” or “Suspected Fraud.” 
• In Payment from Applicable Countries, choose one of these options:

All Allowed Countries: This form of payment can be used by customers from all countries listed in your store configuration.

Specific Countries: After selecting this option, the Payment Specific Country list will appear. Keep the Ctrl key down and select from your store each country on the list where customers can make purchases.

• Set Minimum Order Total and Maximum Order Total to the sum of the order required to qualify for this method of payment.

An order qualifies if the sum falls between the minimum or maximum total values, or exactly matches them.

• Enter a Sort Order number in the list of payment methods shown during checkout to determine the position of Payment on Account (0 = first, 1 = second, 2 = third, and so on.)
• To complete, choose Save Config.

7. Integration

Establishes OAuth credentials location and redirects third-party authentication URLs, then defines the available Magento 2 B2B API resources needed for integration.

Onboarding workflow

• Authorize the integration: go to the system/integration window, identify and approve the correct integration.
• Verify and establish login: When prompted, approve the requested entry. Log in to the network or create a new account if forwarded to a third party. You will return to the integration page after a good login.
• Receive confirmation of authorized integration: The system sends a notification to notify the successful authorization of integration. It is no longer necessary to make calls to connect or request tokens after setting up integration and obtaining the credentials.

Add a new integration

• On the Admin sidebar, go to System > Extensions > Integrations.
• Enter the following Integration Info:
  • Type the integration name and contact email address.
  • Enter the callback URL where you can send OAuth credentials when you use OAuth to exchange tokens. We strongly recommend using https://.
  • Enter the Identity Link URL to connect users with these credentials to a third-party account.

In the left panel, tap Magento 2 B2B API and do as follow:

• Set Resource Access to “Al” or “Custom.”
• Select the checkbox for each resource for custom access.
• To complete, choose Save.

Change the Magento 2 B2B API guest access security setting

By default, anonymous guest access to CMS, catalog, and other store tools is not permitted by the program. If you want to change the setting, do as follow:

• Go to Store > Preferences > Setup on the sidebar
• Expand Services in the left panel and pick Magento Web API.
• Expand the Web API Security Setting section.

• Set Allow Anonymous Guest Access to Yes.
• To complete, choose Save Config.

For a detailed guide about Restricting access to anonymous web APIs, read more in Magento 2 B2B User Guide. 

Summary

Through Magento 2 B2B User Guide by BSS Commerce, we hope you have had a clear understanding of Magento Open Source for B2B and how to use it. For those who are running a B2B business, it doesn’t take much time to look through our Magento 2 extensions for quality extensions for B2B.