Distributors choosing a digital sales workflow

B2B Ecommerce: Quotes, Trade Accounts or Online Checkout?

Decide which business purchases can use checkout and which need pricing, approval or sales follow-up.

Published 2026-10-04 · Updated 2026-10-05 · Published by Let’s Build Your Site · Meet Ferdinand Munoz

Choose the buying route

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Choose the buying route — editable planning example
Model	Use when	Example journey	Required decision
ModelPublic checkoutPublic checkout	Use whenPrice, stock and delivery rules are standardPrice, stock and delivery rules are standard	Example journeyCategory → Variant → Cart → PaymentCategory → Variant → Cart → Payment	Required decisionWho approves prices and fulfillment rules?Who approves prices and fulfillment rules?
ModelQuote requestQuote request	Use whenFreight, volume or specification changes the priceFreight, volume or specification changes the price	Example journeyCategory → Specification → Quantity → Sales follow-upCategory → Specification → Quantity → Sales follow-up	Required decisionWho owns the quote response?Who owns the quote response?
ModelApproved trade accountApproved trade account	Use whenAccess/pricing depends on customer approvalAccess/pricing depends on customer approval	Example journeyApply → Staff approval → Account catalog → OrderApply → Staff approval → Account catalog → Order	Required decisionHow are account permissions and terms maintained?How are account permissions and terms maintained?

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Do not start by assuming checkout

Some products have stable prices and predictable fulfillment. Others require quantities, contract pricing, freight or approval before a sale. List the rules for a representative order and decide where a salesperson must participate. A well-designed quote pathway can be more useful than a checkout that accepts orders the business cannot honor.

Distinguish public information from account access

A public catalog can explain products and specifications without exposing negotiated prices. If customers need account-specific pricing, define who approves accounts and how permissions change. Hiding a page link is not access control. An authenticated portal is a separately designed system with user administration and data boundaries.

Follow an example order through the business

Illustrative journey: product category → specifications → quantity and delivery-area inquiry → assigned salesperson → approved quote. Identify which system owns each stage and how the customer receives confirmation. The DistroDocs case study is relevant to custom business-system work; it does not establish that its functionality is included in a standard website package.

Ask integration questions early

Determine whether catalog, customer and order information already lives in an ERP, CRM or other provider. Ask about supported interfaces, access permissions and failure handling. A custom connection needs someone responsible for reconciliation when records disagree. Agree a safe test account and test order process before implementing live flows.

Use this planning checklist

Mark the decisions you have resolved and bring the remaining questions to your project discussion. You can print this guide without providing an email address.

Identify products suitable for direct checkout.
Document account approval and pricing visibility rules.
Name the owner of quote follow-up.
Define which system owns each customer and order record.
Plan failure handling and permission tests.
Keep portal development separate from marketing-site scope.

Continue your planning

Put your planning into action

Bring your goals, existing website and any scope questions. We’ll discuss the scope and next steps before preparing a proposal.

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