How to Give Your Florists a 24/7 Ordering Portal (Free)

Your florists plan tomorrow's arrangements tonight. If they can't see your inventory and place an order at 11 PM, they're ordering from whoever is online.

A B2B ordering portal solves this. It gives each of your florist customers a private login where they can browse your catalog, see their pricing, build an order, and submit it — all without calling, texting, or emailing you.

You wake up to orders in your dashboard instead of voicemails.

What a B2B Portal Actually Does

Think of it as a private online store, but built for wholesale:

For your florists:

  • Browse your full catalog with photos and real-time availability
  • See their specific pricing tier (not your retail or default pricing)
  • Build an order by adding products to a cart
  • Submit the order with delivery notes
  • View past orders and reorder quickly

For you:

  • Receive orders in a single dashboard
  • Review and confirm before fulfilling
  • See which products are popular (and which aren't moving)
  • Reduce phone tag, missed orders, and miscommunication
  • Keep selling while you sleep

Why This Matters More Than You Think

The average wholesale florist I've talked to loses orders for one reason: response time.

When a florist needs product for an event, they reach out to their preferred wholesaler first. But if they don't hear back within an hour or two, they call the next one on their list. And the next one. The first wholesaler to confirm gets the order.

A portal eliminates that gap. The florist doesn't need to wait for your response to know what's available. They can see it, order it, and move on — all while you're asleep, driving, or working the cooler.

Setting Up a Portal: What You Need

Option 1: Shopify B2B (Expensive)

Shopify recently added B2B features, but they're locked behind their top-tier plan or require third-party apps. You'd need:

  • Shopify Plus OR a B2B wholesale app
  • A separate price list app for tiered pricing
  • A customer login app for private access
  • Potentially a bulk ordering app

Total cost: $200-2,000/month depending on your setup. Works, but expensive for what you get.

Option 2: Password-Protected Page (Basic)

Some wholesalers create a password-protected page on their website with a PDF catalog or product list. Better than nothing, but:

  • No real-time inventory
  • No ordering (they still have to call/email)
  • Pricing isn't personalized
  • You manually update the PDF every time inventory changes

Option 3: Purpose-Built Wholesale Portal (Free with PetalPost)

This is what I built PetalPost for. The B2B portal is a core free feature:

  • Each florist gets their own login
  • They see their assigned pricing tier
  • Catalog updates automatically when you update products
  • Orders come through to your dashboard
  • Works on mobile (florists browse on their phones)

Setup takes about 10 minutes once your catalog is loaded.

Step-by-Step: Portal Setup

Here's how to get a B2B portal running, regardless of which tool you use.

Step 1: Get Your Catalog Online

You can't have a portal without products. If you haven't digitized your catalog yet, start with your top 50 products. Include:

  • Product name and variety
  • Photo
  • Pack size
  • Price (at least your default tier)

Step 2: Create Customer Accounts

For each florist customer, you need:

  • Their business name
  • Contact email (this becomes their login)
  • Pricing tier (standard, volume, VIP — whatever your structure is)
  • Delivery preferences (optional but helpful)

Step 3: Set Pricing Tiers

Most wholesalers have 2-4 pricing levels:

Tier Who Gets It Example Discount
Standard New customers, small accounts List price
Silver Regular accounts, steady orders 5-10% off
Gold High-volume accounts 10-20% off
VIP Your biggest customers Custom pricing

Assign each florist to their tier. When they log in, they only see their price.

Step 4: Invite Your Florists

Send each florist a simple message:

"Hey [Name], we just launched an online ordering portal. You can browse our full catalog and place orders anytime — no more phone tag. Here's your login: [link]. Let me know if you have questions."

Keep it casual. Don't oversell it. They'll appreciate the convenience.

Step 5: Set Up Order Notifications

Make sure you get notified when orders come in:

  • Email notification for each new order
  • Dashboard view for reviewing and confirming
  • Optional: mobile push notification

Nothing is worse than a florist placing an order through your portal and not hearing back because you didn't see it.

What to Expect

Week 1: A few florists will try it. Some will love it immediately. Others will keep calling because that's what they're used to. Don't force it.

Week 2-4: The early adopters start ordering regularly through the portal. You notice you're getting orders at 10 PM, 6 AM, weekends — times you'd never pick up the phone.

Month 2+: More florists switch to the portal because it's easier than calling. Your mornings shift from taking phone orders to reviewing and fulfilling portal orders. You're more organized, your florists are happier, and you're catching orders you would have missed.

Common Questions

"Will my florists actually use it?"
Some will immediately. Others need a nudge. The ones who order for events and weddings will love it because they can place orders outside business hours. Start with your most tech-comfortable customers.

"What about florists who prefer to call?"
Let them call. The portal doesn't replace phone orders — it adds a channel. Over time, most florists prefer the convenience of ordering on their own schedule.

"What if my inventory changes during the day?"
If your platform syncs inventory in real-time, the portal always shows current availability. If you're updating manually, try to update at least twice a day (morning and afternoon).

"Do I need to be tech-savvy?"
If you can use email and a spreadsheet, you can set up a portal. The initial setup is the hardest part, and it's still easier than managing a week of phone orders.

The Bottom Line

A B2B portal isn't about being trendy or "going digital for the sake of it." It's about being available when your customers need you — which is often when you're not at your desk.

The wholesalers who give their florists 24/7 access to their catalog capture more orders. It's that simple.

Start with your catalog. Add your florists. See what happens overnight.

PetalPost includes a free B2B ordering portal for wholesale florists. No credit card, no limits. Start at api.petalpost.shop.

Back to blog