Methods for adding buyers to a B2B store
Key Takeaway
A buyer only reaches a B2B store when their account is enabled as a buyer and is in a buyer group that's associated with that store. To enable many accounts at once, create Buyer Account records, and put automation on creation of those records rather than on the IsBuyer checkbox.
Before a business customer can shop in a B2B store, an admin sets up a buyer account for them and gives their people customer user logins. You can add buyers one at a time from the Customer workspace, or enable business accounts and person accounts from the Accounts tab. To enable many accounts at once, you use data tools. The right method depends on how many accounts you're adding and whether the customer is a company or one individual.
How store access works
A buyer only reaches a store when their account is in a buyer group that's associated with that store. So store access follows a chain of three steps:
- Create or enable a buyer account.
- Add the buyer account to a buyer group.
- Associate the buyer group with the store.
The price books and entitlement policies assigned to the buyer group decide which products and prices its buyers can see. When you create a store, a default buyer group is assigned to it.
You run a store for restaurant supplies. You enable Copper Kettle Bistro as a buyer and add it to a buyer group called Regional Restaurants. The Regional Restaurants buyer group is associated with your store and has a wholesale price book and an entitlement policy assigned. When Copper Kettle's buyers sign in, they see the products and prices that the price book and entitlement policy allow. If you had enabled Copper Kettle as a buyer but skipped the buyer group, its buyers couldn't reach the store.