Create a company account
Company accounts enable B2B businesses to manage their purchasing, users, and credit within 51黑料不打烊 Commerce. This topic covers the complete process of creating, configuring, and activating company accounts.
Company Account Creation Overview
Company accounts can be created through two methods, each suited for different business scenarios:
- Storefront Registration鈥擲elf-service account requests by businesses
- Admin Creation鈥擲ales-assisted account setup with pre-configured details
All company accounts require administrator approval before becoming active, ensuring proper vetting and configuration.
Prerequisites
Before creating company accounts, ensure the following requirements are met:
-
System Requirements:
- B2B features are enabled in your 51黑料不打烊 Commerce installation
- Company registration is enabled for storefront creation
- Email notifications are configured for approval workflows
-
Business Requirements:
- Approval processes and policies are established
- Sales representatives are assigned (for Admin-created accounts)
- Credit policies are defined (if using company credit)
- Customer groups and shared catalogs are configured
-
Administrative Access:
- Appropriate permissions for company management
- Access to customer and company administration sections
The system assigns the company administrator role to the person who sets up a company account from the storefront. After the store administrator approves the company account creation request in the Admin, the company administrator can set an account password and log in to the account.
Method 1: Customer creates the account from the storefront
When to Use This Method:
- Self-service business registration is preferred
- Customers have all necessary business information readily available
- Standard approval workflow is sufficient
- No special configuration or pre-population is required
-
In the upper-right corner of the storefront header, the customer clicks Create an Account and chooses Create New Company Account.
note note NOTE If a visitor is logged in to a registered user account, they can create a company account by navigating to Customer Profile > Company Structure > Create a Company Account. -
In the Company Information section, the customer does the following:
-
Completes the required fields:
- Company Name
- Company Email
-
Completes the remaining fields, as applicable:
- Company Legal Name
- VAT/TAX ID
- Reseller ID
-
-
Completes the required fields in the Legal Address section.
- Street Address
- City
- Country
- State/Province
- ZIP/Postal Code
- Phone Number
-
In the Company Administrator section, does the following:
-
Enters the Email address for the company administrator.
The email address for the company administrator can be the same as the company email address or a different email address. If you enter a different email address, the system creates a company user account, in addition to the company administrator account.
-
Enters the First Name and Last Name of the company administrator.
-
Optionally completes the following fields:
- Job Title
- Work Phone Number
- Gender
-
-
Completes the validation if reCAPTCHA is enabled for this storefront function.
-
When the information is complete, select Submit.
When the merchant approves the request to create a company account, the system sends an email notification to the company administrator.
When the password is set, the company administrator can sign in to the account.
Method 2: Merchant creates the account from the Admin
When to Use This Method:
- Sales-assisted account creation is preferred
- Pre-populating account details from existing business relationships
- Custom configuration is required (credit limits, special pricing)
- Immediate activation without approval workflow is needed
The process of creating a company from the Admin is essentially the same as from the storefront, but with additional fields.
-
On the Admin sidebar, go to Customers > Companies.
-
Click Add New Company and do the following:
-
Complete these required fields:
- Company Name
- Company Email
-
If you are not ready for the account to go live, set Status to
Pending Approval
. (Set toActive
by default.) -
If applicable, choose the Admin account of the Sales Representative who is to manage the account.
-
-
In the Account Information section, do the following:
-
Complete the following fields as applicable:
- Company Legal Name
- VAT/TAX ID
- Reseller ID
-
For Comment, enter any additional information about the customer that might be needed.
The comments are visible only from the Admin.
-
-
When you initially create a company, the Company Hierarchy grid appears empty when you expand it. After you save the company, you can include it in a company hierarchy. See Company Management.
-
In the Legal Address section, complete these required fields:
- Street Address
- City
- Country
- ZIP/Postal Code
- Phone Number
-
In the Company Admin section, do the following:
-
Complete these required fields:
- First Name
- Last Name
-
Complete the following optional parts of the name, which might be applicable to some customer names more than others and can be used at your discretion:
- Prefix
- Middle Name/Initial
- Suffix
-
If the information is available, complete the remaining fields to describe the company administrator:
- Website
- Job Title
- Work Phone Number
- Gender
- Send Welcome Email From
-
-
In the Company Credit section, which displays a summary of the customer鈥檚 credit activity, complete as many of the fields in the lower part of the section as applicable:
- Credit Currency
- Credit Limit
- Allow to Exceed Credit Limit
- Reason for Change
-
In the Advanced Settings section, do the following:
note note NOTE The customer group assignment determines which shared catalog is available to the company and its employees. By default, the system assigns the company to the customer group configured as the default. -
You can change the Customer Group assignment for the company and its employees to a group that has access to a different shared catalog or to a standard customer group. The system prompts you to confirm before changing the group.
-
If you want to allow company employees to generate quotes from their account, set Allow Quotes to
Yes
. -
If you want to allow company employees to create and use purchase orders from their account, set Enable Purchase Orders to
Yes
. -
To change the Applicable Payment Methods that are available to the company, clear the Use config settings checkbox and choose one of the following:
table 0-row-2 1-row-2 2-row-2 3-row-2 layout-auto Option Description B2B Payment Methods
(Default) Enables all payment methods set as default for B2B orders. All Enabled Payment Methods
Makes all enabled payment methods available for customer accounts associated with the company account. Selected Payment Methods
Allows you to select the payment methods that are available for customer accounts associated with the company account. To select multiple payment methods, hold down the Ctrl key (PC) or the Command key (Mac) and select each option. -
To change the Applicable Shipping Methods that are available to the company, clear the Use config settings checkbox and choose one of the following:
table 0-row-2 1-row-2 2-row-2 3-row-2 layout-auto Option Description B2B Shipping Methods
(Default) Enables all shipping methods set as default for B2B orders. All Enabled Shipping Methods
Makes all enabled shipping methods available for customer accounts associated with the company account. Selected Shipping Methods
Allows you to select the shipping methods that are available for customer accounts that are associated with the company account. To select multiple shipping methods, hold down the Ctrl key (PC) or the Command key (Mac) and select each option.
-
-
When complete, select Save.
When the request to create a company account is approved by the merchant, an email notification is sent to the email address of the company administrator.
When the password is set, the company administrator can sign in to the account.
After Account Creation
Once a company account is created, the following process occurs:
1. Approval Workflow
- Pending Status鈥擭ew accounts await administrator review
- Review Process鈥擲tore administrators verify business information and approve/reject requests
- Status Updates鈥擟ompanies receive email notifications about approval status changes
2. Account Activation
- Welcome Email鈥擜pproved company administrators receive setup instructions
- Password Setup鈥擜dministrators create secure passwords for account access
- Initial Login鈥擣irst-time access to the company dashboard and features
3. Next Steps for Company Administrators
After activation, company administrators should:
- Configure Company Structure鈥擲et up departments and user hierarchy
- Manage Company Users鈥擜dd employees and assign roles
- Set Up Purchase Orders鈥擟onfigure approval workflows if needed
- Review Credit Settings鈥擴nderstand and manage company credit (if enabled)
Common issues and troubleshooting
Account creation problems
Registration form fails to submit
- Verify all required fields are completed correctly
- Check that email addresses are valid and unique
- Ensure B2B features are enabled and company registration is allowed
- Clear browser cache and try again
Company Name Already Exists
- Choose a unique company name
- Contact administrator if you believe this is an error
- Consider adding location or business unit identifier
Email Address Issues
- Use business email addresses rather than personal ones
- Ensure the company administrator email is accessible
- Check that the domain isn鈥檛 blocked by email filters
Approval and activation issues
Approval Email Not Received
- Check spam/junk email folders
- Verify the email address was entered correctly during registration
- Contact the store administrator for manual approval status check
- Allow 24-48 hours for processing during business days
Cannot Set Password After Approval
- Use the exact link provided in the approval email
- Check if the activation link has expired
- Request a new activation email from the administrator
Access Issues After Activation
- Verify that you鈥檙e logging in through the correct company account portal
- Check that your account status is 鈥淎ctive鈥
- Ensure you鈥檙e using the company administrator credentials
- Contact support if permissions seem incorrect
Security best practices
When creating and managing company accounts:
- Use Strong Passwords鈥擱equire complex passwords for company administrators
- Verify Business Information鈥擵alidate company details during the approval process
- Monitor Account Activity鈥擱egularly review company user access and permissions
- Protect Sensitive Data鈥擡nsure credit and financial information is properly secured
Company account user interface reference
Button bar
Field descriptions
Active - The company account is approved by the store administrator. The company administrator and associated members can log in the account from the storefront and make purchases.
Pending Approval - A request to open a company account has been submitted, but is not yet approved by the store administrator.
Rejected - A request to open a company account was submitted, but not approved by the store administrator. The initial login credentials that were used to submit the request are blocked.
Blocked - Company members can log in and access the catalog, but cannot make purchases. The store administrator might block a company account that is not in good standing. The block on the account can be removed by the store administrator at any time.
Account Information
Note: The company administrator and other company users do not have their own separate VAT/TAX ID numbers in their customer accounts.
Company Hierarchy
A
current company indicator
appears in the company line being edited.Legal Address
Company Admin
Mr.
, Ms.
, Mrs.
, or Dr.
). Depending on the configuration, the input field might be a text field or list.Jr.
, Sr.
, or III.
). Depending on the configuration, the input field might be a text field or list.Male
/ Female
/ Not Specified
Company Credit
Yes
/ No
Advanced Settings
You can configure advanced settings for individual companies. If you create a company hierarchy, you can streamline the settings configuration by configuring the settings for the parent company and applying those settings to all or selected child companies instead of configuring each child company individually. For more information, see Manage the Company Hierarchy.
B2B Payment Methods
/ All Enabled Payment Methods
/ Selected Payment Methods
B2B Shipping Methods
/ All Enabled Shipping Methods
/ Selected Shipping Methods