Customer groups

How it works

The Base customer group

The Base customer group covers all your B2B customers. If every B2B customer orders on the same terms, the Base group is all you need: set your rules there and they apply to everyone.

When some customers need different rules, create more groups. Every new group inherits its rules from the Base group. A rule the group hasn't changed shows as Inherited. Override a rule to give the group its own setting. Anything you don't override keeps following the Base group.

So to change something for every B2B customer, such as turning on stock display, change it in the Base group.

What can replace a group's settings

A group's settings are the starting point for its customers. A single customer can have their own price lists, with customer pricing. See What overrides what.

Create a customer group

Create a group for customers who need different rules from the rest. If all your B2B customers order on the same terms, you don't need one: set up the Base customer group instead.

Try itCustomers > GroupsSparkLayer DashboardPro

Your store's name

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Guided tour

Customers > Groups

Walk through a working copy of Customers > Groups, step by step. Nothing you do here changes your store.

Take the tourExplore on your own

1. Go to Customers,Groups (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab)Opens in your SparkLayer DashboardTakes you straight to Customers › Groups to do this now, whichever platform you're on. Opens in a new tab. and click Create customer group.
2. Enter a Name, for example Trade.
3. Choose a Price list, or leave Base pricing to use the Base group's prices.
4. Optionally, enter a Minimum order value, for example 250.
5. Click Create group. You'll see "Customer group created".

SparkLayer makes the group's Handle (or ID) from its name and creates its tag: a group called Trade gets the handle trade and the tag b2b-trade.

Then finish setting up the group:

1. Check its price lists.
2. Choose its payment methods.
3. Optionally, change its order limits.
4. Add customers to the group.
5. Test as a B2B customer to check what they'll see.

Edit a customer group's rules

1. Go to Customers,Groups (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab)Opens in your SparkLayer DashboardTakes you straight to Customers › Groups to do this now, whichever platform you're on. Opens in a new tab..
2. Click the group's name. For the Base group, click Edit on the Base customer group card.
3. Find the rule under Inherited rules and click Override (on the Base group, Customize). The rule moves up to Customized rules.
4. Change the rule's settings.
5. Click Save in the bar at the top of the page. You'll see "Customer group saved". One save covers every rule you've changed.

To hand a rule back, click Reset next to it under Customized rules, then save. On a group, the rule goes back to following the Base group. On the Base group, it goes back to SparkLayer's default.

The group page

The customer groups screen

The customer groups screen shows the Base customer group and every other group, with what each one sets. Go to Customers,Groups (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab)Opens in your SparkLayer DashboardTakes you straight to Customers › Groups to do this now, whichever platform you're on. Opens in a new tab.. In the SparkLayer Dashboard, it's Groups in the sidebar. In the Shopify app, it's the Customer groups tab.

Base customer group comes first: "Every B2B customer gets these settings. Groups inherit them unless they override one." Click Edit to open it. Four tiles sum it up: its Shopify tag (b2b), its Price list, its Payment methods and any Other settings it customizes.

Additional customer groups lists your other groups:

With no other groups, it says No customer groups yet: "Every B2B customer gets the base settings until you add a group."

What a customer group controls

Each group has the same 11 rules.

Most groups only need their own price lists and payment methods. Every other rule is optional, and follows the Base group until you override it: see Optional rules.

Assign price lists

1. Edit the customer group. If Price lists is under Inherited rules, click Override (or Customize on the Base group).
2. Choose a price list. Each option shows its currency and name, for example USD - Trade 20%.
3. To add another, click Add price list. To remove one, click the bin icon next to it.
4. Click Save in the bar at the top.

When a product is in several price lists

A group's price lists are numbered in order, and if a product is in more than one, the first list it's in wins. So put the most specific list first, and check this order first when a customer sees the wrong price. See Which price list wins.

Prices from outside the group

Some customers can get prices from somewhere other than their group. An individual customer can have their own price lists or a percentage discount: see Prices for one customer.

Choose payment methods

1. Edit the customer group and override Payment methods.
2. Tick the methods the group can use: Pay by invoice, Payment on account or Card at checkout. Then click Save.

At checkout, the customer sees the methods their group allows, as Pay by Invoice, Pay on Account and Pay Online by Card. A group with only Card at checkout ticked shows card payment and nothing else. For what each method means, how the order arrives in your platform and how to rename or reorder them, see Payment methods and How orders arrive.

Set order limits

Order limits stop a customer checking out until the whole order meets your rules: a minimum or maximum order total (Order total limits, per currency) or a minimum or maximum number of items (Order quantity limits). Edit the customer group, override the rule and save. For the steps, the checkout messages and how to change them, see Set order limits.

A minimum, maximum or pack size for one product isn't a group rule: it's a quantity rule set on the product, and can differ by group with product settings.

Add customers to the group

Each customer belongs to one group. You add them in your eCommerce platform: on Shopify, with the b2b tag plus the group's tag, such as b2b-trade. For the steps on each platform, how to check a customer has synced and how to test as one, see Add customers to a group.

Optional rules

These rules are optional. Each one follows the Base group until you override it. Most groups only need price lists, payment methods and perhaps an order limit.

Allow customers to edit addresses

Address management controls whether customers can manage their own address book in the My Account and My Cart interfaces.

1. Edit the customer group and override Address management (on the Base group, it's already customized).
2. Tick or untick the settings below, then click Save.

If addresses are synced to SparkLayer from another system, such as an ERP, the sync may overwrite changes your customers make. Contact us if you're unsure.

Block orders over the credit limit

The Credit settings rule decides what happens when a customer paying on account would go over their credit limit. By default, Checkout blocked if limit exceeded. To let a group order over its limit, override Credit settings, click Configure and turn off Prevent placing an order if exceeding credit limit. See Let customers order over their credit limit.

Show stock levels

The Stock display rule decides what a group's customers see about stock: availability, pre-order messages and, if you want, the number of units. By default, availability and pre-order messages are on and unit counts are off. To change it for every customer, edit the Base group. For the settings and what customers see, see Show stock levels to customers.

Set a stock location

Stock location (also called inventory location) shows a customer group the stock from one location, such as the warehouse that serves their region. For example, with warehouses in London, Paris, Toronto and Madrid, you can show your Canada group the stock held in Toronto. Stock locations need the Growth plan or above.

1. Turn on Multi-location stock at Settings,Configurations,Ordering (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab)Opens in your SparkLayer DashboardTakes you straight to Settings › Configurations › Ordering to do this now, whichever platform you're on. Opens in a new tab. ("Choose which inventory locations customers can buy stock from."). Until it's on, the rule shows The stock location feature isn't on.
2. Edit the customer group, override Stock location and click Configure.
3. Select the location the group should use, then save.

Things to know:

• If you don't choose a location, customers see combined stock from all your locations.
• Stock locations only affect the stock shown to customers. They don't change which location your platform uses to fulfil the order.

Your platform needs some setup too:

Let customers request quotes

If you use the Quoting Engine, the Quoting engine rule decides whether a group can request quotes. By default, Buyers can request quotes. Quotes are included on Pro and Enterprise, and are an add-on on Starter and Growth. See Choose which customer groups can request quotes.

Disable checkout

To stop a group checking out, override Checkout access and click Configure. By default, every customer group can check out once their order meets your rules (Checkout is enabled). A common use is with the Quoting Engine: turn off checkout so the group can only submit a quote.

Allow recurring orders

The Recurring orders rule decides whether a group's buyers can set orders to repeat on a schedule.

1. Turn on Recurring orders at Settings,Configurations,Ordering (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab)Opens in your SparkLayer DashboardTakes you straight to Settings › Configurations › Ordering to do this now, whichever platform you're on. Opens in a new tab. ("Customers can set orders to repeat on a schedule."). Until then, the rule shows The recurring orders feature isn't on.
2. Edit the customer group, override Recurring orders and click Configure.

Delete a customer group

You can't delete a customer group while it still has customers. Move them to another group first, for example the Base customer group, by changing their tags in your platform. See Add customers to a group. On Shopify, View customers on the group's page lists everyone with its tag.

Once the group is empty:

1. Open the group.
2. Click More actions, then Delete group.
3. Click Delete group to confirm.

This can't be undone. You can't delete the Base customer group.

Moving a customer to another group doesn't remove them from SparkLayer. To remove customers altogether, see Remove a customer from B2B.

FAQs and troubleshooting

If a customer sees the wrong prices, payment methods or shipping, check their tags and group first: see Add customers to a group.