B2B ecommerce
Trade credit and account balances in a wholesale portal: what to define
By Julián Medina · Director of SourcingUp and creator of CommerceUp
The portal needs rules for checking available credit, accounting for pending orders and handling purchases that exceed the limit. Displaying a balance is not a substitute for a sales approval process.
Agree on what available credit means
An account balance may exclude uninvoiced orders or transactions awaiting approval. Agree with the responsible team on what counts toward available credit and when it updates. If the portal uses delayed information, buyers and salespeople need to know what can be confirmed and what requires review.
Design the exception workflow
For example, a customer without enough available credit might submit the order for approval or choose another payment option the business offers. That is a business decision. The portal should explain the status and the next step so the customer does not place a duplicate order out of uncertainty.
Connect approvals to the order workflow
Record who approved an exception and which order it applies to. If available credit changes during checkout, apply the agreed final validation rule. Sales, administration and systems teams need to coordinate these rules so they do not have to reconstruct approvals from scattered conversations.
Put it into practice
- Define what counts toward available credit.
- Identify when it is validated again.
- Agree on the options when available credit is insufficient.
- Record the owner and any exceptions for each order.
The thinking behind this guide
A guide by Julián Medina. The scenarios are illustrative, not measured customer outcomes. Explore CommerceUp.