Wholesale Portal
The Wholesale Portal is a web-based storefront for your wholesale customers who do not use Brother POS. It allows them to browse your wholesale catalog, see pricing for their tier, and place orders -- all through a secure, access-controlled portal.
What Is the Wholesale Portal?
The wholesale portal serves a different audience than the B2B retailer connection:
| Feature | B2B Retailer Connection | Wholesale Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Customer type | Brother POS retailers | Any wholesale buyer |
| Access method | Brother POS admin panel | Web browser |
| Encryption | Per-retailer encryption keys | Shared catalog read key |
| Requires Brother POS | Yes | No |
| Best for | Established retailer partnerships | Walk-in wholesale customers, new accounts |
Think of it as a lightweight wholesale ordering website that connects directly to your Brother POS inventory.
Prerequisites
- Your store must be in distributor mode.
- The Wholesale Portal feature must be enabled.
- Your store must have a catalog read key (generated automatically).
- Encryption keys must be generated (done automatically on first use).
Setting Up the Portal
Step 1: Enable the Feature
- Go to Settings > Edit Settings > Sales & Integrations tab.
- Enable the Wholesale Portal toggle.
- Save settings.
Step 2: Configure Portal Settings
- Navigate to B2B > Wholesale Portal > Settings.
- Configure the portal URL (if using a custom domain).
- Review the default pricing tier and access expiration settings.
Step 3: Generate Customer Access Codes
To give a wholesale customer access to your portal:
- Navigate to B2B > Wholesale Portal > Customer Access.
- Click Generate Access Code.
- Fill in the details:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Name | The wholesale buyer's business name | "Mountain View Dispensary" |
| Pricing Tier | Which pricing tier to show them | Standard, Premium, VIP |
| Expires In | How long the access code is valid | 7 days (default) |
- Click Generate.
- A 6-character access code is created.
- Share the code and portal URL with your customer.
How Customer Access Works
Access Code Details
Each access code is a 6-character alphanumeric string (e.g., X7K9M2) that acts as a lookup key. When the code is generated, the following information is registered on the relay server:
| Registered Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Customer name | Identifies the buyer |
| Distributor connection ID | Links to your store |
| Distributor public key | Enables secure communication |
| Catalog read key | Allows decryption of catalog data |
| Pricing tier | Determines which prices they see |
| Expiration | When access expires |
When the customer enters the code, the portal retrieves the associated information from the relay server to load the catalog and establish the session.
Customer Flow
- Customer receives the access code and portal URL from you.
- Customer opens the portal URL in their web browser.
- Customer enters the 6-character code.
- The portal loads your wholesale catalog with prices for their tier.
- Customer browses products, adds items to cart, and places an order.
- The order appears in your Brother POS admin as a wholesale order.
The portal URL follows the pattern: https://wholesale.yourcdn.com/?code=X7K9M2. You can share the full URL with the code included so customers can access the portal directly.
Managing Customer Access
Viewing Active Access Codes
- Navigate to B2B > Wholesale Portal > Customer Access.
- All access codes are listed with their status and details.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | The 6-character access code |
| Customer Name | The business name |
| Pricing Tier | Which tier they are on |
| Status | Pending, Active, Expired, or Revoked |
| Expires At | When the access expires |
| Activated At | When the customer first used the code |
Access Code Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending | Code generated but not yet used by the customer |
| Active | Customer has used the code and can access the portal |
| Expired | Access period has passed |
| Revoked | Access manually revoked by the distributor |
Revoking Access
To immediately cut off a customer's portal access:
- Find the access code in the list.
- Click Revoke.
- The status changes to Revoked and the customer can no longer access the portal.
Revoking access takes effect immediately. The customer will be unable to access the portal on their next request. Any orders already placed are not affected.
Expired Access Cleanup
Brother POS automatically cleans up expired access codes:
- Pending codes that pass their expiration date are automatically marked as Expired.
- Expired codes cannot be reused.
- Generate a new code for customers who need continued access.
Pricing Tiers
The wholesale portal supports multiple pricing tiers so different customers see different prices:
Setting Up Tiers
- Navigate to B2B > Wholesale Pricing.
- Create pricing tiers (e.g., Standard, Premium, VIP).
- For each tier, set the wholesale price for each product.
Assigning Tiers to Customers
When generating an access code, select the pricing tier for that customer. The portal will display prices from their assigned tier.
Volume Pricing
Volume pricing tiers (quantity-based price breaks) are also visible on the portal, allowing customers to see discounts for larger orders.
Orders from the Portal
How Portal Orders Appear
When a wholesale customer places an order through the portal:
- The order is created in Brother POS as a Wholesale Order.
- The order source is marked as
web_portal. - Customer information from the access code is attached (business name).
- The order appears in B2B > Wholesale Orders with status Pending.
Portal Order Fields
Portal orders include:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Order Number | Auto-generated (WO-YYYYMMDD-XXXX) |
| Customer Name | From the access code registration |
| Business Name | Customer's business name |
| Source | web_portal |
| Line Items | Products and quantities ordered |
| Subtotal, Tax, Total | Calculated amounts |
| Fulfillment Method | Selected by the customer during checkout |
Processing Portal Orders
Portal orders follow the same fulfillment workflow as B2B orders:
- Review the order in B2B > Wholesale Orders.
- Approve to confirm and deduct inventory.
- Pack and ship (or mark as ready for pickup).
- Mark as delivered (or picked up).
- An invoice is automatically generated.
Catalog Encryption
The wholesale portal uses a simpler encryption model than B2B retailer connections:
- The catalog is encrypted using your catalog read key.
- The catalog read key is shared with portal customers via their access code.
- All customers with active access codes can decrypt the same catalog.
- This is a read-only key -- customers cannot modify your catalog.
B2B retailer connections use per-retailer encryption, where each retailer has a unique key pair. The wholesale portal uses a shared key for simplicity, since portal customers only need read access to the catalog.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| "Store must be in distributor mode" | Enable distributor mode in your store settings. |
| Customer cannot access portal | Check if the access code is Active and has not expired. Generate a new code if needed. |
| Customer sees wrong prices | Verify the pricing tier assigned to their access code. |
| Portal shows no products | Ensure you have wholesale-enabled products with stock greater than zero. Broadcast the catalog. |
| "Failed to register code with relay server" | Check your internet connection and relay server configuration. |
| Orders not appearing | Verify the portal is configured correctly. Contact Brother POS support if orders are still not appearing. |
Best Practices
- Use short expiration periods for new customers until you establish trust.
- Create dedicated pricing tiers for different customer segments (e.g., volume buyers get better rates).
- Broadcast your catalog regularly to ensure portal customers see current stock and pricing.
- Revoke access promptly when a customer relationship ends.
- Monitor portal orders daily to ensure timely fulfillment.
- Encourage B2B pairing for long-term customers -- it offers stronger encryption and more features.
What's Next?
- Invoicing -- Generate invoices for wholesale portal orders.
- Distributor Features -- Complete guide to distributor operations.
- Pairing -- Set up B2B connections for established retailers.
- B2B Wholesale Overview -- Review the overall wholesale architecture.