# Customers and customer groups

URL: https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers

How your B2B customers, the customer groups they belong to and their prices fit together in SparkLayer, and where to manage each one in the app.

> **Quick summary**
>
> - A **customer** is a person who signs in to your store and orders.
> - A **customer group** sets prices (through its price lists), payment methods and order rules. Every B2B customer is in one. The **Base customer group** covers everyone else.
> - Customers and customer groups work on every platform.

## Where a buyer's prices come from

A buyer's prices come from a customer group and its price lists:

Where a buyer's prices come from:

1. **Customer group**: The customer's group
2. **Price list**: The group's price lists, unless the customer has a price list of its own
3. **Buyer signs in**: They see those prices, the group's payment methods and its order rules

## What overrides what

Each setting starts broad, and you can replace it with a more specific one. The most specific setting wins.

| What | Starts from | Replaced by |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Prices** | The [customer group's price lists](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md#assign-price-lists). | For one person, use [customer pricing](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/pricing/customer-pricing.md). |

Which sales agents can order for a customer is set on the sales agent's page, where you tick the [customer groups they can see](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-reps.md#restrict-which-customers-a-sales-agent-can-see).

### How a buyer's price is chosen

SparkLayer uses the most specific price list that applies, in this order:

1. **The customer's own price lists**, set with [customer pricing](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/pricing/customer-pricing.md).
2. **Their customer group's price lists.** A group without price lists uses the Base customer group's. If a product is in several of the group's lists, the first list it's in wins.

With no price list at any level, the buyer sees your standard prices.

## Where to find it

| To do this | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Find a customer and check customer sync errors | **Customers** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app |
| Set price lists, payment methods and order rules for groups of customers | **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app |
| Make a customer a sales agent and choose who they look after | **Customers > Agents** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/v2/customers/agents)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Sales agents** in the Shopify app |
| Turn company users on or off | **Settings > Configurations > Ordering** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/configuration/settings/general)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Settings > Configurations > Ordering** in the Shopify app |
| Turn on messages on orders and quotes | **Settings > Configurations > Quotes and invoices** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/configuration/settings/general)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Settings > Configurations > Quotes and invoices** in the Shopify app |

## Get your first buyer ordering

1. [Create a price list](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/pricing/managing-pricing.md#create-a-price-list) at **Pricing > Price lists** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/pricing/lists)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Pricing > Price lists** in the Shopify app.
2. [Give it to a customer group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md#assign-price-lists) at **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app. Use the Base customer group, or a [new group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md#create-a-customer-group) with its own prices.
3. [Add a buyer to the group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md) in your platform (on Shopify, with a tag). On Shopify, buyers can also [apply for a trade account](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/approve-trade-applications.md) with a SparkLayer form, for you to approve into a group.
4. [Place a test order](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/get-started/launching.md#place-a-test-order) as a buyer to check their prices and checkout.

**More detail**

- [Setup](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/get-started.md) walks you through the same steps, and ticks each one off as you go. For the same steps as one guide, see [Set up wholesale prices for your trade customers](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/set-up-wholesale-prices.md).
- Already have trade customers in Shopify? See [Move your existing wholesale customers onto SparkLayer](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/move-existing-customers.md).

## Key terms

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| [B2B customer](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/glossary.md#b2b-customer) | A customer who sees your B2B prices and ordering rules when they sign in. |
| [Customer group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md) | The rules shared by a set of B2B customers. Every store has a **Base customer group**. |
| [Company user](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/company-users.md) | A colleague a customer invites to share their account, with a **Standard** or **Limited** role. |
| [Sales agent](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-reps.md) | A member of your team who orders on behalf of customers. |

## In this section

- [Find and manage customers](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/managing-customers.md): Find a customer, check what they'll see and fix sync errors
- [Customer groups](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md): Set price lists, payment methods and order rules for groups of customers
- [Add customers to a group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md): Tag customers into the right group, check they've synced and test as one
- [Company users](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/company-users.md): Let customers invite colleagues and approve each other's orders
- [Customise My Account](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/account-and-addresses.md): Customise the My Account area, addresses, order statuses and redirects
- [Order timeline and messages](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/timeline.md): Message customers and keep internal notes on orders and quotes