Plantscraper manual

Goal

Make specific products purchasable only by approved B2B customers, and visible only inside the B2B collection.

How your store is set up

  • The B2B collection uses the theme template “b2b”. This is a smart collection that will add a product to itself if a product is tagged with “b2b”.

  • B2B product pages need to use the product template “b2b”.

  • Only logged-in customers with the customer tag B2B are allowed to view the B2B collection and product pages.

  • The B2B collection shows only products tagged “b2b”.

Theme Customiser

Do these once to confirm the setup is correct.

  1. Collection template
    Online Store > Themes > Customize > Collections > open the B2B collection > in the right sidebar, Template = b2b.

  2. Product template available
    Online Store > Themes > Customize > Products > check Template dropdown includes b2b.

Day-to-day workflow to add a product to B2B only

Do these steps for any product you want to sell only to B2B customers.

  1. Tag the product

  • Shopify admin > Products > open the product.

  • In Tags, add b2b.

  • Save.

  1. Put the product into the B2B collection

  • If your B2B collection is automated by tag, this happens automatically when you add the b2b tag. If it’s a manual collection, click Browse and add the product.

  1. Switch the product template

  • On the product page, find the Theme template dropdown.

  • Select b2b.

  • Save.

  1. Make sure it’s not in retail collections

  • In the product’s Collections list, remove it from any public retail collections.

  • If you use automated retail collections, add an exclude rule on those collections like “Product tag is not equal to b2b.”

  1. Confirm sales channel and status

  • Product status = Active.

  • Sales channels include Online Store.

  • Save.

Approving a B2B customer

Only customers with the B2B tag can access B2B pages and place orders.

When a customer submits the B2B application form on your storefront:

  • A customer account is created with the tag shopify-forms-648255.

  • An automated email is sent to staff to notify them of the new application.

Upon receiving this internal email, follow these steps to approve or decline the customer:

  1. Add company details

    • Open the customer account.

    • Copy the Company name and Address from the form metafields into the customer record.

    • Do this first without it, the VAT validation option will not appear.

  2. Validate VAT number

    • Copy the VAT number from the corresponding metafield into the Tax Details field.

    • Wait for Shopify to validate the number.

    • Once validated, decide whether to approve or decline.

  3. Apply tags

    • If VAT number is approved: add the tag: B2B and the tag: send-b2b-welcome.

    • If VAT number is declined: add the tag: B2B and the tag send-b2b-invalid-tax.

    • If you do not want to accept the customer as a B2B customer: add the tag send-b2b-declined.

  4. Save the customer account

What happens next

  • For approved customers:

    • An automated email is sent with approval instructions.

    • The customer gains access to B2B products on the website.

    • The tag send-b2b-welcome is automatically replaced with b2b-welcome-sent.

  • For declined customers:

    • An automated email is sent explaining the next steps, when the tax/vat number was invalid, and another email is sent if you have a different reason for declining this.

    • The tag send-b2b-invalid-tax is automatically replaced with b2b-decline-sent, and should a tag B2B be present it is removed.

     

    Testing checklist

    Always test both states after you change products or customer tags.

    1. As a visitor or a logged-in customer without the B2B tag

    • Open the B2B collection URL.

    • Expected: collection page is blocked or shows a members only message and does not reveal products.

    • Try opening a B2B product URL directly.

    • Expected: page is blocked and cannot be purchased.

    1. As a logged-in customer with the B2B tag

    • Open the B2B collection URL.

    • Expected: you see only the products tagged b2b.

    • Open a product.

    • Expected: page loads, add to cart works, checkout flows normally.

    Bulk actions (faster for many products)

    When you have many products to move to B2B:

    • Bulk add the b2b tag
      Products > tick multiple products > More actions > Add tags.

    • Bulk assign the b2b template
      Products > tick multiple products > Bulk edit > add the column “Theme template” > set to b2b for all selected > Save.

    • Bulk collection management
      If your B2B collection is automated with condition “Product tag equals b2b”, adding the tag will auto-include them. For retail collections, add an exclude rule “Product tag is not equal to b2b.”

     

    Discounts

    • We use a customer segment called B2D that includes every customer except those tagged B2B.

    • Segment rule (for reference): NOT customer_tags CONTAINS 'B2B'.

    When creating a new discount in Shopify:

    1. Go to Discounts → Create discount.

    2. Under Customer eligibility, choose Specific customer segments.

    3. Select the segment Customers: B2D.

    4. Set the rest of the discount settings and Save.

    Use this when editing a discount in Shopify:

    1. Sales channels
      Set Available on to All sales channels.

    2. Eligibility
      Choose Specific customer segments.

    3. Pick the segment
      In Search customer segments, select B2D customers.

    4. Save
      Complete the rest of the discount settings and Save.

    Notes

    B2D customers includes everyone except customers tagged B2B.

    Use the same steps for both Discount codes and Automatic discounts.

    If you do not see B2D customers, open Customers → Segments and confirm the segment exists with the rule: NOT customer_tags CONTAINS 'B2B'.

     

    Common mistakes and how to fix them

    • Product not showing in B2B collection
      Usually missing the b2b tag or not added to the B2B collection. Add the tag and save.

    • B2B product appears on public collections
      Remove from retail collections or add exclude rules. Also keep the product template on b2b so even if found, it cannot be purchased by non-B2B customers.

    • Approved customer still cannot see B2B pages
      Make sure the customer is logged in and has the exact tag B2B on their customer record. Tag is case sensitive. Then refresh.

    • Prices look wrong for B2B
      Edit prices on the product or use compare-at price as needed. If you use separate pricing logic for B2B, apply it to these B2B products only.


    Owner quick reference

    • To make a product B2B only: add tag b2b + assign to B2B collection + set template b2b + remove from retail collections.

    • To grant access: tag the customer B2B and send them an account invite.

    • To test: try the B2B collection and a B2B product while logged out, then while logged in as a B2B tagged customer.

    • To send a newsletter to B2D customers use the customer segment called B2D, to send a newsletter to B2B, use the segment B2B.