# Invite a buyer

URL: https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/invite-buyers

Invite a buyer from SparkLayer: they get an email to create their trade account, join the customer group you choose and see your trade prices when they sign in.

> **Quick summary**
>
> - **Invite a buyer** adds a person to your store as a B2B customer in the customer group you choose, and emails them an invite. They see your trade prices as soon as they sign in.
> - Click **Invite buyer** at **Customers** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app. You can also open it from Setup, Home and customer groups.
> - In the Shopify app, Shopify sends the invite and you can add the buyer to one of your Shopify B2B companies. In the SparkLayer Dashboard, SparkLayer sends its own branded invite.
> - **Copy registration link** gives you a link to your trade registration form instead, so buyers can apply themselves. You can still add customers by [tagging them in Shopify](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md#assign-customers-to-a-customer-group).

## 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.

From invite to first order:

1. **You invite them**: Enter their email and choose their customer group
2. **They're added**: They're added to Shopify with the group's tag, and show as Invited in Customers
3. **They get an email**: It asks them to create their trade account
4. **They sign in**: They see your trade prices and can order any time

## Invite a buyer

Invite a buyer from **Customers** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app, or from any of the places in [Where to invite from](#where-to-invite-from). The box is slightly different in each version of the app.

**Shopify app:**

1. Click **Invite buyer** (or **Invite a buyer**).
2. Enter their **First name** and **Last name**, and their **Email**. Email is required.
3. Under **Company**, choose one of your Shopify B2B companies, or leave **No company**.
4. Under **Customer group**, choose their group. Each option shows the group and its price list, for example **Trade · Trade 20%**.
5. Click **Send invite**.

| Field | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **First name**, **Last name** | Their name on the Shopify customer. |
| **Email** | Required. The address they sign in with. |
| **Company** | "Adds them as a contact at this Shopify B2B company." See [Companies](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/companies.md). |
| **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** ([open in the Shopify admin](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/notifications)).

**More detail**

- Without a company, Shopify sends its customer account invite.
- With a company, Shopify sends its B2B access email for company contacts.

**SparkLayer Dashboard:**

1. Click **Invite buyer** (or **Invite a buyer**).
2. Enter their **Email** (required), for example `buyer@theirshop.com`, and their **Name**, for example `Priya Shah`.
3. Optionally, type their company under **Company (optional)**, for example `Northwind Toys`.
4. Under **Customer group**, choose their group.
5. Click **Send invite**.

| Field | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Email** | 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** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app 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** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app. To move them to another group, see [Assign customers to a customer group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md#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** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app | **Invite buyer**, at the top of the page. |
| **Home > Setup** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Setup** in the Shopify app | Step 3, **Invite your first buyer**: **Invite a buyer**. |
| **Home** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale** in the Shopify app | The getting-started card on Home lists the same steps as Setup, including **Invite a buyer**. |
| **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app | 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:

1. In the **Invite a buyer** box, click **Copy registration link**. You'll see "Registration link copied".
2. Share the link by email, or put it on your website.

Applications arrive as entries on the registration form in [Forms](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/forms.md). 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](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md#assign-customers-to-a-customer-group) | 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](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/companies.md) | For people at a company you already have. They sync to SparkLayer as people at that company. |
| [Approve a registration form entry](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/forms/entries.md) | 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](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/add-customers-to-a-group.md#assign-customers-to-a-customer-group). Invite a buyer is only available on Shopify.

## FAQs

**Does the buyer need a password?**

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.

**Can I change 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.

**Can I invite someone who already has an account?**

No: you'll see "That buyer already has an account". Move them to the right customer group by changing their tags in Shopify instead.

**What if the buyer hasn't received their invite?**

Check the email address at **Customers** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app 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.