Online purchasing and selling of goods and services is known as e-commerce. Online platforms, including websites, mobile apps, and social media, are used for these transactions. E-commerce includes every step of the internet buying process, from product browsing to payment completion. The nature of such transactions between companies and customers is described by the two main e-commerce models, B2B and B2C.
B2C (business-to-consumer) e-commerce concentrates on online sales from companies to individual customers, while B2B (business-to-business) e-commerce entails online transactions between organizations.
Here we are focusing on a new feature of Odoo 18 ‘Ecommerce Access’ that can be applied to a B2B scenario.
For instance, a software company selling its product to another business for internal use frequently entails large purchases, enduring partnerships, and intricate decision-making procedures within the purchasing organization. A producer selling raw materials to another manufacturer, or a wholesaler selling goods in large quantities to retailers, is also having a transaction between two business entities. This is a B2B business transaction.
What is this feature, ‘Ecommerce Access’, defined for in Odoo 18? This will enforce a customer to be logged in to access 'Shop’ to have visibility on the Shop page, products, carts, and wishlists.
Next, we will configure the Odoo 18 Website & e-commerce application. In the module's settings, enable the ‘Ecommerce access’ feature under the ‘Privacy’ section. See the attached screenshot.
Under this section, there are two options: ‘All users’ and ‘Logged in users’. This allows for the visibility of ecommerce shop pages, products, wishlist, and cart, either for logged-in users or all users.
The implication of this feature becomes clear when considering B2B e-commerce sales. Suppose you are running a wholesale business, and the price you are offering to business entities is different from selling to the public; also, the retail tax might be different. That is, the website is often made for businesses, not private individuals, to purchase goods in large quantities, frequently at discounted rates. The following product offerings and prices are not intended for public display. Personalized prices, Terms of the contract, and restricted products are to be maintained.
Now, let's check the functionality and how this affects the visibility on the website. So firstly, consider the initial setup where e-commerce access is set to ‘All users’ as shown in the above screenshot. As previously mentioned, if the e-commerce access is set to ‘All users’, then all users are allowed to access the shop page, product information, cart, and wishlists. Once the settings are saved, let’s move to the website view.
Here, the user is not logged in. Also, the visitor is allowed to access the shop page, and they can add items to the cart as well as to the wishlist. This allows all visitors to come to the website and see all B2B-related information. This will hinder the privacy of businesses.
Thus, to achieve business privacy for wholesale rates and taxes, a business entity can make use of this feature. Now change the e-commerce access to ‘Logged in users’. Thus, only logged-in people are allowed to see the shop pages, products, cart info, and wishlists. The admin employee can set the e-commerce access to ‘Logged in users’.
We must completely prevent anonymous users from accessing /shop. An unidentified visitor should be sent to the login page if they attempt to access it. The company wishes to keep wholesale sales-related information confidential. The user can only view products, categories, inventory, and pricing that are specific to them after logging in with a valid account. Wholesale pricing is confidential and might differ depending on the customer, region, or contract. Now, let’s look at the website home page.
Here, the shop page is not available on the website for public visitors.
We have a potential customer, say, ‘Loyal Supermarket’, who is a retailer.
If this person logs in with their valid account credentials, then this retailer can view the shop page, products, cart info, and wishlist information with customer-specific prices.
So let’s log in with valid account credentials of the retail customer and see the changes.
Here, the retailer has logged in, and on the right-hand side, one can see the customer information. Also, the cart button and the shop page are available. So the retailer can start purchasing bulk quantities for his business from the shop page.
Thus, the logged-in person can only have restricted visibility to products and other e-commerce access.
In the end, this configuration provides a straightforward yet effective way to customise your eCommerce experience according to your company plan. Odoo's user-based visibility options provide you the flexibility you need to manage a safe and effective online business, whether your goal is to safeguard your wholesale margins or provide transparency to retail customers.
To read more about What are the Differences Between Odoo 18 Community & Enterprise in Website & E-commerce , refer to our blog What are the Differences Between Odoo 18 Community & Enterprise in Website & E-commerce.