How Medusa Approaches B2B Commerce

Business customers rarely buy in the same way as retail shoppers. They negotiate pricing, expect tailored product visibility, require controlled checkout flows and often work across multiple markets. Medusa supports these scenarios through a clear separation of concerns: sales channels define which products appear in a given context, customer groups determine access and entitlements and price lists shape the commercial model. Together, these components create a predictable structure that works across wholesale, distribution and partner-based sales.

The Medusa documentation highlights that pricing, inventory access and catalog visibility can all be controlled through these three mechanisms. Each plays a different role, but it is their combination that makes B2B commerce manageable and scalable.

Sales Channels in Medusa - How to Organize Your B2B Markets and Sales Models

A sales channel functions as a controlled slice of the catalog. It defines:

• which products are visible,
• which payment and shipping methods are enabled,
• which price lists apply to the customer,
• which integrations or logistics processes are active.

This design makes it possible to manage multiple B2B models without duplicating the catalog. Common configurations include:

• Wholesale channel with bulk packaging and variant sets tailored for large orders,
• Partner channel aligned with contractual terms such as fixed rebates or restricted availability,
• Reseller or distributor channels mapped to separate logistics or fulfillment workflows.

The benefit is structural clarity: each channel encapsulates a specific commercial context while sharing the same underlying data.

Customer Groups in Medusa - How to Segment B2B Buyers

Segmentation is the backbone of B2B commerce. Medusa implements it through customer groups, a simple object that ties deeply into pricing and product visibility rules.

Once a customer is assigned to a group, Medusa automatically:

• applies the correct price lists,
• grants access to specific sales channels,
• restricts or enables product and variant visibility,
• activates the appropriate payment or delivery preferences.

The strength of this model lies in its consistency. Customer groups are part of the domain layer, not an add-on attached to checkout, which ensures that pricing, catalog logic and checkout behavior remain aligned.

Price Lists in Medusa - Managing Complex B2B Pricing Structures

In B2B, a price list is often a set of rules rather than a static table. Medusa reproduces this reality through a flexible price lists module. Each price list can be assigned to a channel or a customer group and can define:

• catalog prices or percentage discounts,
• variant-specific pricing,
• validity ranges (start and end dates),
• regional or currency-based scope.

This allows companies to recreate established B2B pricing practices with ease. For example:

• “Wholesale A” – percentage discounts assigned to a wholesale channel,
• “Premium Partners” – fixed contracted prices for strategic partners,
• “EU Distribution” – euro-based pricing with dedicated variants.

Each price list evolves independently, which keeps the pricing structure maintainable as the organization scales.

Product Availability Control - Delivering Tailored B2B Offers

Medusa combines sales channels, customer groups and price lists to control product visibility with precision. A product becomes available only if:

• it is assigned to the customer's sales channel,
• the correct price list is active,
• variant-level rules are satisfied (e.g., minimum order quantities or bulk packs).

This eliminates the need to duplicate catalogs or create parallel inventory structures. Every partner works on the same dataset, while the system ensures that each buyer sees only the offer aligned with their contract or market.

This model is particularly effective for organizations that operate across multiple regions or customer tiers.

Checkout and Orders in B2B - How Medusa Handles Complex Flows

The checkout layer in Medusa inherits all upstream rules. The price selection mechanism automatically determines:

• the correct price list,
• the applicable currency and region,
• channel-specific constraints,
• variant requirements such as pack sizes or minimum quantities.

This logic stays in the backend, meaning the frontend (Next.js, Remix or any other framework) does not need to replicate B2B algorithms. The result is a predictable, maintainable flow that supports gradual rollout without disrupting active sales.

ERP and PIM Integrations - Connecting B2B Commerce in Medusa With Existing Systems

Most B2B companies rely on extensive infrastructure: ERP, PIM, EDI, WMS or CRM systems. Medusa does not attempt to replace them. Instead, it provides a structure that aligns naturally with enterprise integrations:

• each sales channel can follow its own synchronization logic,
• customer groups may be populated directly from ERP data,
• price lists can be generated in ERP and updated on a schedule,
• workflows and webhooks ensure transactional consistency.

This makes Medusa an effective sales layer over existing operational systems, rather than a competing replacement.

Designing a Scalable B2B Commerce Architecture in Medusa - Key Takeaways

Working with Medusa’s B2B tools does not require building complex extensions. The platform already provides the essential components. Sales channels define visibility, customer groups define access and price lists define the pricing model. Together, they form a predictable and scalable approach that works across markets and partner tiers.

This architecture is especially effective for businesses that:

• operate multiple partnership levels and contract-based pricing,
• sell in several currencies or regions,
• develop wholesale and retail channels in parallel,
• maintain a strong ERP or PIM integration.

Even in demanding B2B environments, Medusa remains lightweight because each module is cleanly separated. Implementation teams gain the freedom to develop the platform iteratively, without refactoring entire domains at once.

Want to Build or Improve Your B2B Commerce With Medusa?

U11d designs and delivers B2B architectures built on Medusa — from channel configuration to custom workflows, ERP integrations and contract-based pricing. If you’re planning to launch a wholesale offer or migrate an existing B2B module into a headless setup, we can help you define the right architecture and scale it safely.