Kundegrupper og B2B-priser: giv forskellige kunder forskellige priser
Do you sell to both individual customers and resellers? Or do you have customers who have negotiated special prices? With customer groups in Shoporama, you can automatically assign different prices to different customers. When a customer is logged in, they see their own prices without you having to do anything manually. This article shows you how it all works.
What is a customer group?
A customer group is a collection of customers who receive the same pricing treatment. For example, you could create a group called “Retailers” and add your retailers to it. Each customer is assigned to one group, and they automatically see their own prices as soon as they log in to the online store.
Customers who aren’t assigned to a group shop as regular consumers at your standard prices. So you don’t need to do anything special for your private customers. Only the customers you place in a group receive different pricing.
You can create and edit customer groups under “Customers” in the admin panel. From there, you can manage the group’s discount, any special prices, and which brands the group is allowed to purchase. If you need to use customer groups for a true B2B solution with login and tax-exempt prices, you can read more on the page about B2B webstores.
The four ways to assign a group its own price
A customer group can have four different types of pricing rules. You can use one of them or combine several, depending on what fits your agreement with your customers.
- General discount percentage. A fixed percentage deducted from all prices for the group. If you set it to 15 percent, the entire group will see prices 15 percent below the regular price on all items.
- Fixed special prices per product. An agreed-upon price for selected items. The fixed price always takes precedence over the general discount for those specific products.
- Volume discount with tiered pricing. A price that decreases the more the customer buys. The correct tier is automatically selected based on the quantity in the cart.
- Brand access. A list of the brands the group is allowed to view and purchase, possibly with a discount percentage per brand.
Below, we’ll go through each of these with specific examples.
General discount percentage
The easiest way to offer a group better prices is through a general discount percentage. You apply this directly to the customer group. The percentage is deducted from all prices the group sees, so you don’t need to adjust your products individually to offer a broad discount.
Example: Your “Retailer” group has a 20 percent general discount. An item that normally costs 500 kroner will then be displayed at 400 kroner for everyone in that group. This applies to the entire product range until you override it with a fixed price or a tiered price on individual items.
Fixed Special Prices per Product
Sometimes you’ve agreed on a specific price for a single item, regardless of the general discount. You set this up on the product page itself in the admin panel under the tab labeled “B2B Prices (Customer Groups).” Here, you select the group and enter the fixed price.
A fixed price per product always takes precedence over the group’s general discount. For example, if the group has a 20 percent general discount but you set a fixed price of 350 kroner for a specific item, the customer will pay 350 kroner. The general discount is not added on top of that. This gives you full control over the items for which you have a specific agreement.
On the same card, you can create a volume-based pricing structure with multiple tiers per group, so that the fixed price can also depend on the quantity. This brings us to tiered pricing.
Volume Discounts with Tiered Pricing
With tiered pricing, the price decreases the more the customer buys. You set up a tiered structure with multiple levels, where each level has a starting quantity and a price. The system automatically selects the correct level based on how many items the customer adds to the cart.
Example of a two-tiered pricing structure:
- From 1 item: 100 kroner per item
- From 50 units: 90 kroner per unit
If the customer buys 30 items, they pay 100 kroner per item. If the customer buys 60 items, they reach step two and pay 90 kroner per item for all 60. The customer doesn’t need to do anything; the correct tier is automatically determined based on the quantity. You can add as many tiers as you need so you can reward large orders with a better unit price.
Brand Access: Control Which Brands a Group Can Purchase
Sometimes a specific group of customers is only allowed to shop for selected brands. You control this with brand access for the customer group. Here, you select a list of the brands the group has access to. It functions as a whitelist, where only the selected brands are visible.
Products from brands the group does not have access to are completely hidden from the group and cannot be added to the cart. This is useful if, for example, you’re only allowed to sell certain brands to specific retailers.
Example: Your “Retailer North” group has access to the brands Alfa and Beta, but not Gamma. When a customer from that group shops, they see only products from Alfa and Beta. Gamma products are invisible and cannot be purchased. For each brand, you can optionally set a discount percentage that applies specifically to that brand for the group. For example, Alfa products might have a 25 percent discount, while Beta products have a 10 percent discount.
If you leave the list blank, no restrictions apply, and the group will see all your brands as usual.
Minimum Order Value per Group
You can also set a minimum order value per customer group. This means that customers in the group must spend at least a certain amount before they can complete an order. This is useful in B2B, where you might not want to pack and ship very small orders. Each group can have its own minimum, so you can adjust it differently from group to group.
Prices Excluding VAT in B2B
In the B2B theme, prices are displayed without VAT. This is suitable for business customers who calculate amounts excluding VAT. Your retail customers in a standard consumer store are not affected by this; they will still see prices including VAT as usual.
How to Get Started
- Create a customer group under Customers in the admin panel, for example, “Reseller.”
- Choose how the group should be priced: a general discount percentage, fixed special prices per product, tiered pricing, or a combination.
- If necessary, set brand access if the group is only allowed to purchase specific brands, and a minimum order value if applicable.
- Assign your customers to the group. When they log in, they’ll automatically see their own prices.
If you’d like a thorough walkthrough of the entire B2B setup from scratch, read Getting Started with B2B.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to do anything for my regular retail customers?
No. Customers who aren’t in a group will shop as usual at your standard prices. You only need to make changes for the customers you choose to add to a customer group. Everything else will continue exactly as before.
What happens if a group has both a general discount and a fixed price for an item?
The fixed price per product takes precedence. The general discount is not applied on top of it. You can therefore safely offer a broad discount to the entire group while simultaneously setting fixed prices for the items where you have a specific agreement.
Can I automatically offer a better unit price for large orders?
Yes, you can do this with tiered pricing. You set a starting quantity and a price per tier, and the system automatically selects the correct tier based on the quantity in the cart. If the customer buys enough to qualify for a lower tier, the lower unit price applies to the entire quantity.
How are prices displayed in the accounting system when they’re exclusive of VAT?
In the B2B theme, prices are displayed without VAT in the store, which is appropriate for business customers. VAT is handled on the order as usual, so your bookkeeping and tax calculations are processed in the standard way. It’s only the display in the store that shows prices without VAT.
Can I prevent a group from seeing certain brands?
Yes. With brand access, you choose which brands the group can view and purchase. Products from brands not on the list are completely hidden and cannot be added to the cart. If you leave the list empty, the group will see all your brands.
Can I require a minimum purchase from a B2B group?
Yes. You can set a minimum order value per customer group, so customers must spend at least a certain amount before they can complete their order. Each group can have its own minimum, allowing you to tailor it to who you’re selling to.
Can a group receive different discounts on different brands?
Yes. In the brand settings, you can optionally set a discount percentage per brand for the group. For example, one brand might have a 25 percent discount, while another has 10 percent, depending on what you’ve agreed upon with your suppliers.
How does the customer know they’re getting their own prices?
The customer simply needs to be logged into the online store. As soon as the customer is logged in, they automatically see their group prices throughout the store. There are no discount codes or extra steps for the customer—the prices adjust automatically.
