Shopify B2B, B2C and D2C in Sri Lanka are three different stores that happen to share a platform. Choosing the wrong one at the start means the theme, the prices and the customer accounts all have to be rebuilt.
XLOXI PVT LTD scopes this before design. We are based in Vavuniya and deliver the store remotely. Wholesale work has its own page: Shopify B2B in Sri Lanka.
Three models
- B2C. A retail store. Any customer can see the price and check out. PayHere or another local gateway matters. Shipping zones matter. Wholesale logins do not. Local checkout is covered on PayHere on Shopify.
- D2C. The brand sells to its own customer, often with a shorter catalogue and repeat orders. Checkout is still retail. The difference is merchandising and what you measure after launch, not a separate Shopify product.
- B2B. Trade buyers. Prices may be hidden until a company is approved. Quantities are larger. Payment may be on terms, not a card. Registration of that kind is what Approvefy is for when the public flow fits.
Do not launch all three on day one
A food wholesaler who also wants a public shop can have both, but not as one confused catalogue. Trade prices leaking onto the public store is a real failure. We split the rules: who sees the price, who can check out, and which products exist for which buyer. If only one channel will take orders this month, that channel is version one.
Price is the decision, not the theme. A beautiful product page with the wrong price visible is a broken store. A plain product page with the right buyer, the right price and a tested checkout is a store you can open.
What changes in the build
B2C and D2C spend time on the product page, phone speed and local checkout. B2B spends time on accounts, price lists and approval. Theme polish does not replace either. What you can leave out of version one is the same checklist as Shopify website cost in Sri Lanka: extra apps, extra markets, and a custom workflow you have not run by hand yet.
If the missing piece is software rather than a catalogue, read custom app development. Retail and brand stores that are not wholesale stay on Shopify services. Name the buyer who places the first order on the quote form.
Questions we hear
Is D2C a different Shopify plan from B2C?
No. Both are retail checkout. D2C describes who you sell to and how you merchandise. The plan is chosen from catalogue size, checkout needs and whether you also need B2B accounts.
Can one store sell wholesale and retail?
Yes, when the price rules are separate. Trade prices must not appear on the public product page. If you cannot describe that rule yet, launch the channel that will take this month’s orders and add the second channel after.
Do wholesale buyers pay with PayHere?
Sometimes, for smaller trade orders. Many wholesale accounts pay on terms. Say which one your first buyers actually use. We do not add a card gateway that your trade customers will never open.
When do we need a custom app?
When approval, a price list from another system, or a document your buyers already expect cannot be done with Shopify’s own B2B tools or with Approvefy. Otherwise start with the platform feature that already matches.