Wholesale customers can shop your store in two different ways:
- The Wholesale Shop
- This is a dedicated area of your store that only approved B2B customers can access. This part of your store is entirely managed by Wholesale Gorilla. While logged in to the Wholesale Shop, customers cannot access the retail side of your Online Store.
- Theme Integration
- Advanced and Premium tier users have the option to run Wholesale Gorilla on top of their existing retail store (aka your Shopify theme). When a wholesale customer logs in, they will shop the same pages as retail customers, except with wholesale prices and functionality.
To determine whether your shop is using the Wholesale Shop or has active Theme Integration, open the Wholesale Gorilla app and navigate to “Online Store.” Under “Wholesale Store Setup,” you’ll see either “Theme Integration - enabled” (indicating they are using theme integration) or “Wholesale Shop - enabled.”
Which wholesale setup is right for me?
Both the Wholesale Shop and Theme Integration have their advantages and disadvantages, but we recommend starting with the Wholesale Shop, and requesting a Theme Integration if it doesn't meet your needs. Since Wholesale Gorilla controls the entire Wholesale Shop experience, the B2B shopping experience is more consistent, less prone to error, and easier for buyers to navigate.
- Wholesale Shop
-
Pros
- Easy for buyers to navigate and use
- Isn't affected by theme changes or conflicting apps
- Automatically updated as we deploy new features and bug fixes
Cons- May not give enough control to stores with complex needs or buying experiences
- Limited control over structure and page layout
- Incompatible with Shopify Markets
- Theme Integration
-
Pros
- It sits on top of your existing Shopify theme, giving you control over the structure and design of your store
- It can often support complex buying experiences, or other apps that you may want to run in tandem with Wholesale Gorilla
- Compatible with Shopify Markets
Cons- Changing your theme or installing apps can temporarily break Wholesale Gorilla. Our support team is always on hand to resolve issues as fast as possible, but there can be downtime if you don't plan ahead
- Custom code and other apps can prevent Wholesale Gorilla from working at all. Generally this is not the case, however there are times where an integration is not possible.
Not sure which is right for you? We recommend starting with the Wholesale Shop, then moving to the Theme Integration if it doesn't meet your needs.
When in doubt, reach out! Our support team is happy to advise which option is best considering the unique needs of your business.
Enabling the Wholesale Shop
When you install Wholesale Gorilla the Wholesale Shop is enabled automatically.
If you are running the Theme Integration and want to switch to the Wholesale Shop:
- In the Wholesale Gorilla app navigation, click Online Store.
- In the Wholesale store section, click Edit.
- A section will slide down called, Activate Wholesale Shop. Click Activate.
- When the confirmation modal appears, click Enable.
- Done! Now you can click the Settings page button to set up your Wholesale Shop.
How to enable the Theme Integration
- In the Wholesale Gorilla app navigation, click Online Store.
- In the Wholesale store section, click Edit.
- A section will slide down called, Activate Theme Integration. Click Activate.
- When the confirmation modal appears, click Ok.
- Done! One of our Shopify experts will set up the Theme Integration on your store within 1-2 business days. The Wholesale Shop will continue to run until the Theme Integration is enabled, so your B2B customers won't experience any downtime. We'll email you when the transition is complete.
- Keep an eye on your email. If we encounter any issues we'll reach out.