Invite a buyer
How it works
Inviting a buyer does the setup for you. SparkLayer adds them to Shopify as a customer with the customer group's tag (such as b2b-trade), so they're a B2B customer in that group straight away. It then emails them to create their account.
You invite them
They're added
They get an email
They sign in
Invite a buyer
Invite a buyer from Customers (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab), or from any of the places in Where to invite from. The box is slightly different in each version of the app.
- Click Invite buyer (or Invite a buyer).
- Enter their First name and Last name, and their Email. Email is required.
- Under Company, choose one of your Shopify B2B companies, or leave No company.
- Under Customer group, choose their group. Each option shows the group and its price list, for example Trade · Trade 20%.
- Click Send invite.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| First name, Last name | Their name on the Shopify customer. |
| Required. The address they sign in with. | |
| Company | "Adds them as a contact at this Shopify B2B company." See Companies. |
| Customer group | "Adds the group's tag, like b2b-trade". The group sets their prices, payment methods and order rules. |
What the buyer receives: "Shopify emails them an invite to your store. They sign in with a one-time code, no password, and see trade prices straight away." Click Edit the email in Shopify to change it at Settings,Notifications (opens in your Shopify admin in a new tab).
More detail
- Without a company, Shopify sends its customer account invite.
- With a company, Shopify sends its B2B access email for company contacts.
- Click Invite buyer (or Invite a buyer).
- Enter their Email (required), for example
buyer@theirshop.com, and their Name, for examplePriya Shah. - Optionally, type their company under Company (optional), for example
Northwind Toys. - Under Customer group, choose their group.
- Click Send invite.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Required. The address they sign in with. | |
| Name | Their name. |
| Company (optional) | The business they buy for. |
| Customer group | The group sets their prices, payment methods and order rules. |
What the buyer receives: a SparkLayer email in your store's name. The What they'll get box shows a preview: your store's name and "invited you to order wholesale", then "Create your trade account to see your prices and order any time.", with a Create trade account button.
"They're added to Shopify with the group's tag, so SparkLayer shows them trade prices as soon as they log in."
You'll see "Invite sent to" and their email. The buyer appears at Customers (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) with Access set to Invited until they create their account.
If something's wrong, you'll see one of these instead:
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Enter the buyer's email address | The email is missing or isn't a valid address. |
| That buyer already has an account | Someone with that email is already a customer. Find them at Customers (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab). To move them to another group, see Assign customers to a customer group. |
Your first invite also completes the Setup step Invite your first buyer.
Where to invite from
The same Invite a buyer box opens from each of these places:
| Where | What to click |
|---|---|
| Customers (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) | Invite buyer, at the top of the page. |
| Home,Setup (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) | Step 3, Invite your first buyer: Invite a buyer. |
| Home (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) | The getting-started card on Home lists the same steps as Setup, including Invite a buyer. |
| Customers,Groups (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) | Under Common tasks, Add a buyer to a group ("Invite them straight into the group you choose"). |
| A customer group's page | More actions, then Invite a buyer. |
Share your registration link
To let buyers apply themselves, share the link to your trade registration form:
- In the Invite a buyer box, click Copy registration link. You'll see "Registration link copied".
- Share the link by email, or put it on your website.
Applications arrive as entries on the registration form in Forms. There, you approve or reject each one and choose the customer group. Approving one adds the buyer the same way as an invite, and also completes the Setup step. Forms are in the SparkLayer Dashboard only.
Other ways to add a buyer
| Way | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Tag the customer in Shopify | For customers who already have an account on your store, or to add many at once. Give them b2b, plus the group's tag. |
| Add them as a contact of a Shopify B2B company | For people at a company you already have. They sync to SparkLayer as people at that company. |
| Approve a registration form entry | For buyers who applied through your trade registration form. |
On other platforms, add B2B customers in your platform's admin: see Assign customers to a customer group. Invite a buyer is only available on Shopify.
FAQs
In the Shopify app version, no: Shopify's customer accounts sign them in with a one-time code sent to their email. In the SparkLayer Dashboard version, they create their trade account from the invite email.
In the Shopify app, Shopify sends it: click Edit the email in Shopify in the Invite a buyer box. The SparkLayer Dashboard's invite is sent by SparkLayer in your store's name.
No: you'll see "That buyer already has an account". Move them to the right customer group by changing their tags in Shopify instead.
Check the email address at Customers (opens in your SparkLayer Dashboard in a new tab) and ask them to check their spam folder. In the Shopify app, you can resend Shopify's invite from the customer in your Shopify admin.
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