• Requirements
  • Step 1: Get a Storefront `customerAccessToken`
  • Step 2: Get a Company Location ID
  • Step 3: Contextualize Storefront API Requests
  • Step 4: Set the Buyer Identity on Cart
  • (Optional) Building a gated B2B store

Headless with B2B

Note

B2B only works with new customer accounts. To use new customer accounts, you'll need to update existing auth/login code that's related to classic customer accounts.

This guide will help you build either a dedicated or blended B2B custom storefront. It'll take you through the following steps:

  1. Creating a storefront customerAccessToken
  2. Retrieving a companyLocationId
  3. Using the customerAccessToken and companyLocationId, contextualize storefront queries to get B2B pricing, volume pricing, and quantity rules
  4. Using the customerAccessToken and companyLocationId, update cart to be aware of B2B specific rules and pricing

Completing these steps should result in a storefront and cart that's contextualized for a B2B customer. Checking out with the cart will lead to a B2B checkout.

Without contextualization, your store's base pricing and product publishing will be used. Your B2B customers won't see a tailored experience from Catalogs, Payment Terms, and other B2B features that you have set up.

Requirements

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  • Your store is on a Shopify Plus plan.
  • You have Apps and channels permissions on the Shopify store that you’re working with.
  • You’ve completed the Getting started with the Storefront API guide.
  • You’re familiar with Creating and updating a cart with the Storefront API.
  • You’ve completed the Getting started with the Customer Account API guide.
  • You’ve obtained a Customer Accounts API token.

Step 1: Get a Storefront customerAccessToken

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A storefront customerAccessToken is one component needed to contextualize Storefront API queries for B2B and set a buyer identity on cart.

After authenticating with the Customer Accounts API, call the storefrontCustomerAccessTokenCreate mutation to get a Storefront customerAccessToken. Save the Storefront customerAccessToken that's returned by this request as it will be used to contextualize product queries and cart.

Step 2: Get a Company Location ID

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A companyLocationId is the other component needed to contextualize Storefront API queries for B2B and set a buyer identity on cart.

To obtain a companyLocationId, make a Customer Account API query on the customer to get the locations they have access to.

  • If this query returns a single location, save the companyLocationId and move on to Step 3: Contextualize Storefront API Requests
  • Otherwise continue to the next sub section, Building a location selector for a multi-location customer

Note

A CompanyContact object can't be accessed using the Storefront API. All requests for B2B customers should be made through the Customer Account API.

Building a location selector for a multi-location customer

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If the B2B customer can buy for multiple locations, then you'll need to build a location selector so that they can choose which location they want to buy for. The selector can be rendered anywhere on your storefront. To provide a seamless user experience, we recommend redirecting the user to the location selector after successfully authenticating with the Customer Account API.

  1. Display all locations from the customer query in a location selector on your storefront
  2. Allow the user to select a location
  3. Save the selected location’s ID for later requests

Step 3: Contextualize Storefront API Requests

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Including the buyer argument on the @inContext directive will contextualize any storefront queries for a B2B customer. Any queries and mutations that need to be contextualized should be updated to include a buyer.

With a contextualized query, you can access a quantityRule and quantityPriceBreaks on a product variant, as well as get a price that's contextualized for the B2B customer.

Note

The buyer argument for @inContext is ignored for cart queries. In order to get a contextualized cart, follow Step 4: Set the Buyer Identity on Cart and set the buyer identity with cartBuyerIdentityUpdate, or include the buyer identity on cartCreate.

Other arguments on the @inContext directive (country and language) will still work as expected for cart queries.

Step 4: Set the Buyer Identity on Cart

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Include buyer identity on cart with the storefront customerAccessToken from an authenticated user and the companyLocationId. For more details on carts, see the Create and update a cart with the Storefront API guide.

Call the cartCreate mutation. The buyerIdentity argument should be supplied with the input fields customerAccessToken and companyLocationId.

The cartBuyerIdentityUpdate mutation also supports a buyerIdentity argument. Use this mutation to update and existing cart with the customerAccessToken and companyLocationId.

Caution

Updating the buyer identity on an existing cart with added products may result in an invalid cart.

Products not published for the current B2B customer will be removed from cart. Products that are published, but with new quantity rules, will remain unchanged. Querying the cart will not return an error, but making updates to the cart may result in an error which can be read in the returned userErrors field.

If the B2B customer continues to checkout with an invalid cart, the issues will be displayed as an error message.

(Optional) Building a gated B2B store

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With headless you have the flexibility to gate specific features to B2B customers. For example, you can, allow potential B2B customers to view products, but without prices or the ability to order.

When querying for a product, only include the price if there is a logged in session (valid customerAccessToken with a saved companyLocationId). Only show the "add to cart" button if there is a logged in session (valid customerAccessToken with a saved companyLocationId).

On this page

  • Requirements
  • Step 1: Get a Storefront `customerAccessToken`
  • Step 2: Get a Company Location ID
  • Step 3: Contextualize Storefront API Requests
  • Step 4: Set the Buyer Identity on Cart
  • (Optional) Building a gated B2B store