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Wholesale stockist orders with Shopify and Xero

Trade order automation lets stockists reorder through a simple form instead of by email. It checks their account and trade prices, creates a Shopify draft order for approval and raises the invoice or pro forma in Xero once a person approves it.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a stockist’s reorder to an approved order and invoice.

  1. Step 01

    Reorder sent

    A stockist chooses products and quantities on your trade order form, identified by their account email.

  2. Step 02

    Account checked

    Match the stockist, apply their trade prices and minimum order, and check Xero for overdue invoices.

  3. Step 03

    Draft order

    Create a Shopify draft order at trade prices, so the order sits alongside your retail orders.

  4. Step 04

    Order approved

    A person checks stock and any notes, then approves the draft order.

  5. Step 05

    Invoice raised

    Complete the order and create the invoice in Xero on the stockist’s agreed terms, or a pro forma for accounts that pay first.

The result

Wholesale orders that arrive complete and priced correctly.

Nothing is invoiced or dispatched until a person approves the draft order. Each form submission creates one draft, and a resubmitted form is flagged as a possible duplicate rather than doubled.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for makers and small brands that sell to independent shops and gift retailers, where orders arrive by email with missing quantities or old prices. A sensible first version handles reorders from existing stockists only, with new accounts set up by a person.

What we need to connect

  1. 01A trade order form on your website, with your wholesale range, pack quantities and minimum order rules.
  2. 02Shopify access to products, stock and draft orders, with trade prices held for each stockist or price list.
  3. 03Xero access to contacts and invoices, each stockist’s payment terms and a rule for accounts with overdue balances.

What needs careful handling

Stockists sometimes order more than you have, so the draft shows what is available now and a person agrees part-shipping or a back order. A stockist with overdue invoices is flagged before approval rather than refused automatically, because there may be a good reason. Prices and pack quantities change, so the form reads them from Shopify each time rather than from a copy that can go stale.

Questions people ask.

Shopify has B2B features. Why not use those?

Shopify’s B2B features are available on some plans, and they may suit you well. This approach fits brands on other plans, or those who want each order checked against Xero balances and approved before it is confirmed.

Can stockists see their past orders and invoices?

That can follow as a simple trade portal built on the same data. Starting with the form keeps things simple while stockists get used to ordering online.

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