Start with an order your team recognises
B2B order management covers everything from receiving a purchase order (PO) to dispatching the goods at the agreed price. Whether a dealer orders through a portal, emails a PO or calls a rep, the warehouse should receive the same instructions.
Imagine a dealer buying work gloves by the case from a New Brunswick manufacturer. Its Ottawa warehouse takes full pallets at a dock. Its Kingston store orders the same gloves but needs a truck with a tailgate. The buyer emails “same as last time, Kingston please” and attaches last month’s PO. Copying the old order gets the product right and the delivery wrong.
Test the reorder twice: once through a rep handling email, and once through your wholesale ordering portal. Compare what reaches the warehouse and accounts receivable.
Separate what belongs to the dealer from what belongs to the branch
The purchasing office can be the customer for billing while each branch has its own receiving hours, ship-to address and authorized buyers. Give each field an owner. A delivery contact belongs on the shipping instructions; a billing change goes to finance. Neither belongs in a note someone might miss.
| Record | What to keep there | What the buyer should see |
|---|---|---|
| Dealer account | Contract currency, invoice recipient, approved terms and credit contact. | Prices in CAD for this agreement and the agreed way to pay. |
| Branch | Ship-to ID, receiving hours, dock or tailgate requirement and delivery contact. | A choice between Ottawa and Kingston, with recognizable branch names. |
| Item | SKU, units per case, cases per pallet and quantity available to promise. | A choice expressed in the units the buyer actually orders. |
| Order | Buyer’s PO reference, selected branch, agreed quantities and freight decision. | One confirmation for the order they just placed. |
On Shopify, company locations let the Ottawa and Kingston branches have different terms and checkout settings. If each location needs its own directly assigned catalogue, check the plan: Shopify Plus supports that assignment, while Basic, Grow and Advanced assign catalogues through markets. Confirm how the agreed dealer prices will be applied before importing them.[1][5]
Follow the Kingston pallet from PO to dispatch
- Identify the order. Match the buyer and branch against their account. Compare the attached PO reference with recent orders. If it matches a completed order, have the rep confirm whether the buyer wants a new order or is following up on the old one.
- Price the actual quantity. Turn the requested pallet into cases using the pack size on the item record. Apply the dealer’s CAD price for that quantity. If there isn’t a current contract price, send the line to its account rep before promising a total.
- Check stock at the shipping location. Some gloves on the shelf may already be promised elsewhere. If the available quantity falls short, ask whether the buyer wants a partial shipment or prefers to wait. Save their answer with the order.
- Quote the agreed delivery. Use the Kingston postal code, packed dimensions and weight, and its tailgate requirement. If the carrier can’t quote that combination, hold it for review and show the buyer that freight is pending. A missing rate must never turn into free shipping.
- Release it once. Send the approved order to the ERP, record the ERP order number, and pass the picking instructions to the warehouse. If the connection times out, look for that order before sending it again. Send the buyer tracking when the shipment has actually been booked.
For less-than-truckload (LTL) freight, an appointment or power tailgate can carry a separate charge. Decide who approves a change if the receiving branch asks for an extra service after checkout. Our Canadian LTL freight guide covers the quoting side in more detail.[2]
Test delivery and pickup as separate Canadian tax scenarios
The buyer’s head office doesn’t, by itself, tell you which GST/HST treatment applies. The Canada Revenue Agency looks at the type of supply and its place of supply. For goods, how delivery is arranged can matter. Its guidance gives an example of a purchaser using its own truck to collect goods at a manufacturer’s premises in Prince Edward Island: the purchaser’s British Columbia headquarters does not move that supply to British Columbia.[3][4]
Ask finance for expected invoices for two versions of your sample order: one delivered by the supplier to Ontario and one collected by the buyer at the New Brunswick warehouse. Test the actual product and delivery agreement. Compare the portal, ERP and invoice against finance’s expected result. A test passes when those records agree for the right reason, not just when the totals happen to match.[3][4]
Run a pilot the warehouse can sign off on
Pick a cooperative dealer with two delivery addresses and a rep who knows its ordering habits. Pull a recent order with a complication, remove personal details, and reproduce it in a test environment. Ask whoever normally fixes it to judge the result.
- Change the branch after a freight quote. Pass if the system requests a new quote for the new delivery requirements. Fail if the Ottawa rate silently follows the order to Kingston.
- Send the same PO through two channels. Pass if staff can spot the duplicate before dispatch. Check the ERP and the warehouse queue, not just the storefront.
- Change the stock after checkout. Pass if the warehouse sees the exception and the buyer gets a clear choice. Fail if the buyer gets a dispatch email for a pallet nobody can pick.
- Ask support for an update. Give the agent only the buyer’s PO reference. They should be able to find the order, the receiving branch and its latest shipment status without calling the rep.
Track where someone still rekeys data or has to ask a colleague what happened. If a rep must copy the PO into the ERP after the buyer has checked out, fix the ERP handoff before inviting more dealers. If every exception is a carrier quote, focus on freight automation instead. A useful pilot tells you what to fix next.
Frequently asked questions
Do buyers have to stop ordering by email?
No. Give emailed POs and portal orders the same account, pricing and duplicate checks. Let willing buyers self-serve on repeat purchases and keep the rep involved when a quote, substitution or delivery exception needs a conversation.
Do we need a separate order management system if we already have an ERP?
Only if there is work your existing setup cannot handle reliably. First test whether it can receive the dealer’s PO, preserve its branch and terms, reserve stock, and return order status. A separate system earns its place when it closes a specific gap.
Should freight be charged at checkout or added later?
Show a confirmed amount when the carrier can rate the requested service. If the quote needs review, say that before submission and agree who will send the final amount for approval. Keep pending freight visibly different from free freight.
Can one wholesale customer have different checkout rules at different branches?
Yes. Shopify B2B lets you configure terms and checkout settings by location, including whether an order needs review. How you assign catalogues depends on the plan. Test the buyer’s permissions and the result for each branch.[1][5]
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Creating and managing B2B customers using companies
- Day & Ross: Guides and domestic freight accessorial charges
- Canada Revenue Agency: GST/HST rates and place-of-supply rules
- Canada Revenue Agency: Place of supply in a province for tangible personal property
- Shopify Help Center: How catalog assignment varies by plan