Publishing versus activating a B2B store
Key Takeaway
Publishing pushes out your changes but doesn't open the store. Activating opens the store to buyers, and activating also publishes it.
Publishing and activating are the two steps that take a B2B Commerce store from a work in progress to a live site. The two steps do different jobs, so a store can be published and still be closed to buyers.
Publishing versus activating
Publishing pushes your latest storefront design and changes out. Publishing alone doesn't open the store, because the store isn't available to buyers until you activate it. A published but inactive store is like a finished shop with the doors still locked.
Activating opens the doors, making the store available to buyers and accessible to external services and online search engines. Activating the store also publishes it. So an activated store goes live for buyers, external services and search engines even if you didn't publish it first.
Publishing isn't a one-time step. After you activate the store, republish it whenever you make changes, or buyers won't see those changes.
Dana runs an active B2B store that sells office supplies. She changes the store's home page to add a banner about a new bulk-order discount. Buyers who visit the store still see the old home page, because she hasn't republished. After she publishes the store again, buyers see the new banner.