Handshake B2B Hit Its Limits: Growth Guide for Wholesale Suppliers

So… Handshake’s Not Really Handshake Anymore

What Happened to Handshake by Shopify?

If you were a supplier relying on Handshake for B2B eCommerce, you might have noticed some significant changes, or perhaps the platform's disappearance altogether.

Since the acquisition by Shopify in 2019,  the direction of Handshake has transformed from being an e-commerce portal to a large-scale marketplace, giving retailers access to handpicked wholesale suppliers within the Shopify ecosystem. While beneficial for retailers looking for a place to source wholesale products, it leaves many suppliers stranded who want to do business outside of the Shopify environment.

Why Suppliers Need a True B2B eCommerce Alternative

If you’ve been relying on Handshake for wholesale orders, you’ve probably felt the cracks. What started as a promising B2B eCommerce solution now feels like duct tape:

• Retailers logging into yet another portal

• Sales reps are still stuck without proper tools

• Manual order entry ends up piling up for your team

The truth is, Handshake isn’t shutting down, but it stopped being built for suppliers a long time ago. And every week you keep working around it, you’re losing hours that could be spent scaling.

This guide explains why Shopify’s Handshake hit its limits, what wholesale suppliers actually need to grow.

The Handshake B2B Alternative: OrderEase

OrderEase is designed with suppliers in mind, providing automated order capture however your buyers want to order. Whether they're comfortable with Shopify, want to use our customer ordering portals, or feel most comfortable emailing you.

OrderEase offers: 

• Multi-Channel Order Capture: Centralize emailed, EDI, B2B portal, rep-entered, and marketplace orders into one system.

• ERP Integration: Sync orders and pricing directly with your ERP.

• Custom Pricing & Catalogs: Tailor product availability by customer type.

• Sales Rep Tools: A mobile app that empowers reps in the field.

• EDI and PDF Order Automation: Capture even the most traditional formats.

OrderEase vs Handshake by Shopify

Why Handshake No Longer Works for Wholesale 

Originally, Handshake, like OrderEase, offered:

• Sales Rep Order Management: A mobile app enabling reps to place orders on the go.

• B2B Customer Catalogs: Customizable catalogs tailored for wholesale buyers.

• Multi-Channel Integration: Support for various sales channels beyond Shopify.

• EDI Capabilities: Electronic Data Interchange for seamless order transmission.

Post-acquisition, these functionalities have been phased out, focusing instead on integrating Handshake as a sales channel within Shopify, primarily serving U.S.-based retailers.

B2B order workflows don't have the simplicity of DTC or small-scale retail:

• You sell in large volumes.

• Orders require customization.

• You have complex fulfillment rules.

Here’s what suppliers are struggling with:

• Limited Flexibility: Suppliers who sell beyond Shopify have to add yet another portal to manage to their day-to-day.

• Reduced Features: EDI and sales rep tools were removed, which are critical for B2B order operations.

• Poor Buyer Experience: Your buyers have to log in to multiple portals to place orders. 

The Challenges of Using the Handshake B2B Marketplace

B2B workflows function differently for the supply side of order operations. When you sell in large quantities, need catalogs/pricing, and have multiple locations to fulfill, complexity only increases. Shopify's handshake wholesale marketplace simply was not built to handle and automate B2B order workflows.

Here are the biggest challenges suppliers face when trying to use Handshake today:

1. Locked Into Shopify

Handshake only works if your store runs on Shopify. For suppliers who sell through other channels like EDI portals, marketplaces, or direct licensee orders, there's unnecessary silos that require manual efforts to manage.

2. No True Multi-Channel Management

Your buyers aren’t all in one place. Some prefer portals, others send PDFs or EDI, and your sales reps still take orders in the field. Handshake doesn’t consolidate these, it adds one more login for buyers to juggle.

3. Reduced Functionality Over Time

Sales rep tools were phased out. Custom catalogs became limited. Advanced wholesale features were stripped back. Suppliers are left with a generic experience that doesn’t reflect the realities of B2B selling.

4. No ERP Integration

For growing suppliers, ERP is the source of truth. Handshake doesn’t sync orders, pricing, or inventory bi-directionally. That means manual entry, errors, and wasted hours.

5. Buyer Experience Suffers

Buyers don’t want another clunky portal. They want a frictionless, branded ordering experience that makes reordering easy. With Handshake, suppliers can’t control that experience.

What Wholesale Suppliers Actually Need

B2B businesses are already feeling the pain of having to use Shopify - it truly wasn't built to solve the B2B e-commerce workflows you need to manage. What's worse is that it impedes your ability to enhance customer experiences. 

Your buyers have to log in individually to multiple supplier sites just to place their orders. 

Most tools, whether they're a high-end OMS or what was Handshake, aren't built to consider the entire order ecosystem. From a product development standpoint, it can make sense. For SaaS companies, it's fairly standard to build a product based on your ideal customer. But that means it's solely built for them.

What we end up seeing is order management systems that service brands selling DTC and large retailers that force brands to adapt to their standards.

To scale, suppliers need to:

• Sell through multiple channels.

• Standardize all orders.

• Sync orders with their ERP.

Wholesale suppliers don't just sell through Shopify,  so why should they be limited to it?

A better system supports every order source and syncs data where it needs to go.

Frequently Asked Questions About Handshake's Future

Can I use Handshake without Shopify?
No. It’s exclusive to the Shopify ecosystem.

Can I use Handshake for B2B transactions and wholesale deals?

Selling Wholesale With a Dedicated Wholesale Platform

Your B2B business needs more than a rebranded DTC marketplace. While Handshake may no longer meet the needs of most wholesale suppliers, Shopify itself should play a role in your omnichannel expansion.