Managing access and permissions in Shopify B2B is essential for keeping customer data secure, ensuring staff only see what they need, and maintaining smooth operations. This guide explains how to configure roles, assign permissions, and enforce access restrictions for sales staff using the Shopify B2B platform.
1. Guiding Principles
Before configuring permissions, it’s important to follow these core principles:
- Least privilege – grant staff the minimum permissions required to do their job.
- Confidentiality – treat all company, customer, and order data as sensitive.
- Role-based access control – assign permissions according to role, not individual preference.
2. Defined Sales Roles
There are two primary roles for B2B sales staff in Shopify:
Sales Manager
- Oversees sales representatives.
- Assigns staff to company locations.
- Manages team coverage and account allocation.
Sales Representative
- Manages a set portfolio of B2B companies and their locations.
- Can only view and manage data for accounts they’ve been assigned to.
3. Setting up Access
Step 1: Create Individual Staff Accounts
- Each staff member must have their own Shopify account.
- Access must never be shared between staff.
Step 2: Apply Role Permissions
Use the permissions matrix below when setting up each account:
| Category | Permission | Sales Rep | Sales Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies | View companies | ✅ | ✅ |
| Companies | Assign staff to company locations | ❌ | ✅ |
| Companies | Restrict permissions to assigned company locations | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customers | View customers | ✅ | ✅ |
| Orders | View orders | ✅ | ✅ |
| Draft orders | Create and manage draft orders | ✅ | ✅ |
Tip: The “Restrict permissions to assigned company locations” option is vital. It ensures staff can only see data for their assigned companies.
Step 3: Enforce Data Restrictions
With restrictions enabled, staff can only access data for their assigned company locations in:
-
- Companies
- Customers
- Orders
- Draft orders
Other sections of the Shopify admin are not filtered by these assignments.
Step 4: Block Prohibited Permissions
Do not grant sales staff access to:
- Analytics (organisation-wide data, not filtered by location)
- Marketing (data not limited to assigned accounts)
- Home dashboard (displays global data)
4. Operational Procedures
Assigning Staff to Company Locations
- Only Sales Managers can assign staff to company locations.
- Go to: Customers > Companies > [Company] > [Location] > Assigned staff.
- You can assign up to 10 staff members to a location.
- For efficiency, assign staff in bulk at the parent company level if required.
Creating Orders on Behalf of Customers
- Sales staff must always begin with a Draft Order.
- Drafts include product, pricing, and inventory data for the staff member’s assigned locations.
- Once the order is ready, use Send invoice so the customer can securely complete checkout.
5. Reviewing and Maintaining Access
- Review staff permissions regularly to ensure they match role requirements.
- Update assignments promptly when staff change roles, accounts, or regions.
- Audit access annually (or more frequently if needed) to ensure compliance with security principles.
Quick Recap for Admins
- ✅ Assign each staff member an individual account.
- ✅ Apply role-based permissions (see matrix).
- ✅ Restrict access to assigned company locations.
- ❌ Do not grant Analytics, Marketing, or Home access.
- 🔄 Review assignments and permissions regularly.
This guide gives you a straightforward framework for setting up and maintaining permissions in Shopify B2B. Done correctly, it ensures your sales staff have the tools they need without compromising security or data integrity.
