A buyer at a small manufacturing firm needs fittings today. She finds a supplier's online store, but prices show only as "log in for trade pricing". She does not have a login. There is an application form asking for details she needs from her finance manager, who is on leave. She orders from a competitor who showed prices openly.
B2B stores lose orders at the login wall, not the product page.
What trade buyers ask
Trade buyers usually ask how to open an account, how long approval takes, why prices are hidden, whether they can order without an account, how to add colleagues to an account, whether they can pay on credit terms or only by card, what the delivery cut-off is, whether they can collect, how to see past orders and how to reorder quickly.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a supplier might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Buyer: Why can't I see prices? Assistant: Trade prices show once your account is approved and you are logged in, because they depend on your account terms. The account page explains what is needed to apply and how long approval usually takes. If you need something urgently, the team can quote directly, so I can pass your details on.
Buyer: Can I add my colleague to our account? Assistant: Yes. The account page explains how additional users are added under one trade account, each with their own login and the ordering permissions you choose.
Buyer: What time is the cut-off for next-day delivery? Assistant: The delivery page shows the daily cut-off time and which postcodes are covered for next-day, along with collection times if you would rather pick up.
Show something, even before approval
Hiding every price stops new buyers from evaluating you. Showing list prices, or indicative pricing, with trade discount applied after approval, keeps the enquiry alive.
Approval speed is a competitive advantage
A trade account approved the same day wins the order. One that takes a week loses it to whoever answered fastest. If approval genuinely takes longer, offer a way to order in the meantime.
Credit questions
Credit terms matter more than price to many buyers. Being clear about who qualifies, what references are needed and what new accounts start on removes a stalling point. Application friction is covered in trade account applications that stall.
Minimums and pricing tiers
Buyers want to know order minimums and where the price breaks sit, covered in minimum order and pricing questions from trade buyers.
Buyers arriving through the retail door
Trade enquiries often land in a consumer inbox first, a pattern described in wholesale enquiries hiding in your retail store inbox.
Delivery and returns
Trade buyers return goods more often than consumers, because a wrong part stops a job. Clear returns terms for trade orders matter, in the way described in how ecommerce chatbots handle shipping and returns questions.
Answering at any hour
SpideyChat for wholesalers and distributors answers account, pricing and delivery questions from your own pages at any hour, including early mornings when trade buyers order.
Getting started
Publish account requirements, approval times, credit terms and delivery cut-offs, then answer at any hour. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.