Wholster vs. SparkLayer: My B2B Shopify Experiment

Strap in. This gets niche.

I’ve been getting my hands mucky lately, setting up B2B ordering for a client, which has meant testing out two wholesale Shopify solutions - Wholster and SparkLayer.

As with all things in e-comm, you learn as you go, and I’ve now got a solid idea of the pros, cons, and seemingly nonsensical quirks of each. So, if you’re wondering which one is right for your business, here’s what I’ve found so far.

An AI image of donuts being weighed up. Which is more interesting and tasty than comparing SAAS.

How They Work

Wholster and SparkLayer take quite different approaches to B2B for your Shopify store.

• SparkLayer is a layer that sits on top of your existing Shopify store. Once a trade customer logs in, they see their B2B pricing, but everything else about the experience stays the same.

• Wholster creates a completely separate B2B area, with its own product listings and checkout. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s functional and keeps things clearly divided between consumer and trade.

Which one works best depends on what you want. If you like keeping everything in one place, SparkLayer is neat. If you’d rather have a proper trade portal, Wholster makes that distinction more obvious.

What’s Easier on Each?

Hiding Products

• Wholster makes it easy to separate B2C and B2B products. If a product is meant for trade only, it won’t ever show up on your consumer site.

• SparkLayer needs a workaround using the Locksmith app to achieve the same result. It’s doable but requires extra setup.
  
  Here’s something I’ve been thinking about… (those thought kittens again)… if you want to keep your consumer site entirely separate from your B2B (trade) site, you can set up SparkLayer on a separate Shopify instance (this is SparkLayer’s recommendation).

  But that begs the question, why would you need SparkLayer if you’re already using a separate store for B2B and B2C? If all your trade pricing is the same across the board, then it feels a bit redundant. However, if you have different pricing lists for different customer groups, then SparkLayer could still make sense, even with a separate Shopify store. It’s worth considering whether your pricing structure justifies using a separate instance with SparkLayer, or whether a simpler solution like Wholster could suffice.

Pricing & Costs

• SparkLayer is a flat fee: $50 per month for a single warehouse setup, but if you have multiple locations, that jumps to $150.

• Wholster has a flat fee option that charges 3% commission, I tend to go for the $30 per month fee that charges me 1% commission on sales. Depending on your volume, that could work out cheaper or more expensive. You do the math(s).

Invoicing & Admin

Here’s where things get frustrating.

• Wholster lets you send proper invoices and statements to customers. Recently you can now customise them using CSS.

• SparkLayer doesn’t—your customers just get a standard Shopify order confirmation email. You can tweak the email to include VAT numbers, but that’s about it. You can also use something like Invoice Printer Pro, but as far as I can see you can’t have those posher looking invoices sent to trade customers only. It’s a one-size fits all deal, so other than the pricing, the trade customers and consumer customers are all treated the same. Some like that some don’t.

More importantly, neither Wholster or SparkLayer allow you to send invoices to a central accounts team (e.g., a pub group with 60 locations where orders are placed individually but invoicing goes to head office).

I’m currently trying to fix it with Zapier, but it’s an extra faff.

Support: Getting Help When You Need It

Support can be a crucial factor when deciding between these platforms, and there are a few key differences between Wholster and SparkLayer in this area.

• Wholster (by Gist Applications) has helpful support, but they tend to take longer to respond—sometimes up to a week or more. If you need urgent assistance, it can be a bit frustrating. That said, once you’re in touch, the team (I always seem to get Zac) is knowledgeable and familiar with your account history, which is a nice touch. I’ve used other Gist applications in the past for various Shopify tools, and overall, their products are solid. But for urgent issues, the delayed response time can be an issue. Zac could be the only support person or maybe the founder/developer and all-round plate spinner, which he does with great aplomb,

• SparkLayer, on the other hand, offers more comprehensive support and is somewhat more responsive. I’m guessing it’s because they have a bigger team. They even offer an onboarding service, which can be helpful for getting set up quickly and painlessly, but essentially it is a scripted zoom call with lots of pointing towards the (comprehensive) knowledgebase online. You will still need to get your hands mucky like I have. The support is more responsive, which gives you peace of mind when you’re dealing with urgent issues.

The Verdict

There’s been a fair bit of faff, some things that seemed obvious but weren’t, and a lot of learning along the way. If I were setting one of these up again, I’d know what to expect.

If you’re looking for a clean, consumer-style B2B setup, SparkLayer does the job. Just expect to wrestle with some limitations. If you want a proper, separate trade portal, Wholster is the safer, unsexier bet.

If you’re looking at either of these and want a second opinion, drop me a message. I’ve been through the setup pain, so happy to help save you some time.

Cheers, ears,
George