NetWise manages your wholesale customers through Customer Groups and Wholesale Applications. Customers can appear in NetWise in two ways either by belonging to a Shopify Customer Segment that you've linked to a NetWise Customer Group, or by submitting a wholesale application through the NetWise Wholesale Application Form.
This article explains how customers flow into NetWise, how syncing works, and how to troubleshoot the most common customer-related questions.
Table of Contents
How are customers added to NetWise?
There are two ways customers appear in NetWise:
1.Existing Shopify customers — added through Shopify Customer Segments that you select inside a NetWise Customer Group. When a segment is linked to a Customer Group, all customers in that segment sync into NetWise automatically.
2.Wholesale applicants — customers who fill out and submit the NetWise Wholesale Application Form. Once submitted, their application appears in NetWise for you to review and approve.
Note: Customer Groups are the primary way NetWise manages wholesale customers. Whether a customer comes from a Shopify Segment or a wholesale application, they need to belong to a Customer Group to receive wholesale pricing.
Example: If you already have 50 wholesale buyers tagged in Shopify, you can create a Shopify Customer Segment based on that tag and link it to a NetWise Customer Group - all 50 customers will sync into NetWise. Meanwhile, new buyers who discover your store can apply through the Wholesale Application Form.
How do I add existing Shopify customers to NetWise?
Follow this workflow to bring your existing Shopify customers into NetWise:
Create or update a Shopify Customer Segment in your Shopify admin (for example, a segment of customers tagged
wholesale).Open NetWise from your Shopify admin.
Create or edit a Customer Group.
Select one or more Shopify Customer Segments within the Customer Group.
Save the Customer Group.
NetWise syncs the customers belonging to the selected segments.
Those customers now appear in NetWise.
Assign Pricing Catalogs to the Customer Group so those customers receive wholesale pricing.
Here's the full flow at a glance:
Shopify Customers → Shopify Customer Segments → NetWise Customer Group → Customers appear in NetWise → Assign Pricing Catalogs → Wholesale pricing available
Important: Customers are NOT automatically added to NetWise simply because they exist in Shopify. A customer must belong to a Shopify Customer Segment that is selected in a NetWise Customer Group before they will appear in NetWise.
Tip: Shopify Customer Segments can be built from tags, location, order history, and more. Using a consistent tag like wholesale makes it easy to control exactly who syncs into NetWise.
How does Customer Group syncing work?
Customer Groups keep themselves up to date with Shopify automatically:
Customer Groups sync customers from the Shopify Customer Segments you've selected.
If customers are added to or removed from a selected Shopify Segment, NetWise updates the Customer Group during synchronisation - you don't need to manage the list manually.
Customer details such as Name, Email, Company, Phone, Tags, and Addresses are synced from Shopify, so the information you see in NetWise always reflects your Shopify data.
Example: If you tag a new customer with wholesale in Shopify and that tag drives your segment, the customer will be pulled into the linked NetWise Customer Group during the next sync - no manual steps needed.
Note: Shopify remains the source of truth for customer details. To update a customer's name, email, or address, make the change in Shopify and NetWise will reflect it after syncing.
What happens when customers submit a Wholesale Application?
The Wholesale Application Form lets new buyers request wholesale access directly from your store. Here's the full journey:
The customer opens the Wholesale Application Form.
The customer submits the application.
The application appears in NetWise for review.
You (the merchant) review the application details.
You approve or reject the application.
If approved:
The customer becomes active in NetWise.
You assign the customer to one or more Customer Groups.
The customer receives pricing from the Pricing Catalogs assigned to those groups.
Here's the flow visualised:
Customer submits application → Application appears in NetWise → Merchant reviews → Approve / Reject → Assign Customer Group → Wholesale pricing available
Important: Approving an application does not by itself grant wholesale pricing. The approved customer must also be assigned to a Customer Group that has a Pricing Catalog.
Tip: Review applications promptly - buyers who apply are usually ready to place their first wholesale order.
What is the difference between Shopify Customers and NetWise Customers?
It helps to think of Shopify and NetWise as handling two different layers of your customer relationships:
Shopify Customers
Stored and managed in Shopify.
Handle customer accounts and orders.
Can belong to Shopify Customer Segments.
NetWise Customers
Wholesale customers managed inside NetWise.
Receive B2B pricing through Customer Groups.
May originate from Shopify Segments or from Wholesale Applications.
Note: Every NetWise customer is also a Shopify customer — NetWise adds the wholesale layer (groups, pricing, applications) on top of your existing Shopify customer records.
What are Customer Groups?
Customer Groups are the foundation of wholesale customer management in NetWise:
Customer Groups organize your wholesale customers into meaningful segments (for example, "Gold Tier Retailers" or "Distributors").
Pricing Catalogs are assigned to Customer Groups - not to individual customers.
Customers inherit pricing from the Customer Groups they belong to.
Customer Groups can sync customers automatically from Shopify Customer Segments.
Customers approved through the Wholesale Application Form can also be assigned manually to Customer Groups.
Example: You might create a "VIP Wholesale" group with a Pricing Catalog offering 30% off, and a "Standard Wholesale" group at 20% off. Each customer receives the pricing of the group they belong to.
Tip: Design your Customer Groups around your pricing tiers. If two sets of customers should receive different prices, they belong in different groups.
Can a customer belong to multiple Customer Groups?
Yes. A customer can belong to more than one Customer Group at the same time. This can happen when:
A customer is part of multiple Shopify Customer Segments, each linked to a different Customer Group.
You manually assign an approved application customer to several groups.
When a customer belongs to multiple groups, they have access to the Pricing Catalogs from all of those groups. If more than one catalog defines a price for the same product, the customer receives the best (lowest) available price at checkout.
Example: A customer belongs to "Standard Wholesale" (20% off) and "Seasonal Promo" (35% off selected items). For products included in the Seasonal Promo catalog, they'll receive the 35% discount; for everything else, they'll receive the standard 20% off.
Tip: Keep group memberships intentional. Overlapping groups are powerful for promotions, but auditing which customers belong to which groups periodically helps avoid unintended pricing.
Why isn't my Shopify customer appearing in NetWise?
If a customer you expect to see in NetWise isn't showing up, it's almost always one of these reasons:
The customer is not in a selected Shopify Customer Segment. NetWise only syncs customers from segments that are linked to a Customer Group.
The Customer Group hasn't been synced yet. Recent changes in Shopify may not have been picked up yet.
The Customer Segment isn't linked to a Customer Group. The segment may exist in Shopify, but if no NetWise Customer Group has selected it, its customers won't sync.
Troubleshooting steps
Check the customer in Shopify. Open the customer record and confirm they meet the segment's conditions (for example, they have the required tag).
Verify the segment in Shopify. Open the Customer Segment and confirm the customer appears in its member list.
Check the Customer Group in NetWise. Open the Customer Group and confirm the correct Shopify Segment is selected.
Re-save the Customer Group. Saving the group triggers a fresh sync from the selected segments.
Wait for the sync to complete, then check the customer list again.
Tip: Shopify segments based on newly added tags can take a few minutes to update on Shopify's side before NetWise can sync them.
Why isn't an approved customer receiving wholesale pricing?
An approved application alone doesn't grant pricing - the customer also needs an active pricing path. Check these three things:
The customer isn't assigned to a Customer Group. Approval makes the customer active, but pricing only flows through group membership.
The Customer Group doesn't have a Pricing Catalog. A group without an assigned catalog gives its members no wholesale prices.
The Pricing Catalog isn't active. An inactive or draft catalog won't apply pricing, even if it's assigned to the group.
Troubleshooting tips
Open the customer in NetWise and confirm their status is Approved/Active.
Check their Customer Group assignments. Assign them to at least one group if the list is empty.
Open the Customer Group and confirm a Pricing Catalog is assigned.
Open the Pricing Catalog and confirm it is active and includes the products in question.
Test as the customer - log in with the customer's account (or a test account in the same group) and check product prices in the store.
Important: The full chain must be intact: Customer → Customer Group → Active Pricing Catalog. If any link is missing, wholesale pricing won't apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I manually add customers to Customer Groups?
Yes. Customers approved through the Wholesale Application Form can be manually assigned to one or more Customer Groups. Customers synced from Shopify Segments are managed automatically by the segment, so to control their membership, adjust the segment in Shopify.
Can customers belong to multiple Customer Groups?
Yes. A customer can belong to several groups at once and will have access to the Pricing Catalogs from all of them. Where prices overlap, the customer receives the best available price.
What happens if I remove a customer from a Shopify Customer Segment?
During the next sync, NetWise will remove that customer from any Customer Group that relies on that segment. If the customer no longer belongs to any group, they will stop receiving wholesale pricing.
Will customer information stay synced with Shopify?
Yes. Details such as Name, Email, Company, Phone, Tags, and Addresses are synced from Shopify. Update them in Shopify and NetWise will reflect the changes after synchronisation.
Can I approve applications later?
Yes. Applications remain in NetWise until you act on them, so you can review and approve them whenever you're ready. The customer only becomes active once you approve.
Can I reject and approve applications later?
Yes. Rejecting an application isn't permanent - if circumstances change, you can revisit the application and approve the customer later. Once approved, remember to assign them to a Customer Group so they receive pricing.
Need more help? Reach out to our support team through the in-app chat - we're happy to walk you through setting up Customer Groups and reviewing wholesale applications.