Trade account applications
Trade account applications, without the paper forms
New customers apply from your storefront’s log in page. You approve them with an account code, customer group and terms, and their head user is invited to start ordering.
From application to first order
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Apply online
Business name, ABN, contact and delivery address, plus anything you add, such as a signed credit application.
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Approve or decline
Set up a new account with its terms, or link to one already in your ERP. Declines go with a note.
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Invite buyers
One at a time, or up to 1,000 from a CSV, with every row checked first.
How it fits together
Every login starts with a request you approve or an invitation you send, so you always know who’s ordering.
How buyers get in
Every login is approved or invited
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Request an account From your storefront’s log in page
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Invitation from your team One person, or a CSV of many
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Invitation from a head user Customers add their own staff
Your approval
- Email confirmed before it reaches you
- Your own questions, files and trade references
- Account code, customer group, ways to pay and terms
- Never shows whether an email has a login
What it sets up
Ready to order once approved
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An account for your ERP Linked by its account code
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A head user Invited to set their password
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Ways to pay and terms Set for this account
How it works
How Coastline Office Group goes from a new enquiry to a trade account with its first order.
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1
They apply from your storefront
On the log in page, a new customer selects Request a trade account. The form asks for their business name, ABN, contact, phone, email and delivery address, then the questions you add.
- File uploads, such as a signed credit application
- Repeating rows, such as trade references
- Required fields, section headings and help text
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2
You hear about it once it’s real
A request only reaches you once the requester confirms their email. Staff who manage customers are emailed, and the number beside Customers in the sidebar shows how many are waiting.
- Someone who already has a login is emailed to say so
- The form never shows who has a login
- Unconfirmed requests are removed after 7 days
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3
Approve it, and their head user is invited
Choose New account and give it the account code you’ll use in your ERP, a customer group, ways to pay and, if you like, a credit limit and terms. Or link the request to an account that’s already synced. Either way, the contact is invited as the account’s head user.
- Orders wait until the account syncs from your ERP, then go
- Declines are emailed to the requester with your note
- The head user then invites their own team
Inviting the customers you already have
Bring your existing trade customers online in one go, with one CSV.
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1
Upload a CSV
Account code, email, role and name, for up to 1,000 buyers across your accounts.
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2
Check and confirm
Every row is checked first: unknown accounts, bad emails, roles that don’t exist and repeated rows are shown at the top.
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3
Send
The ready invitations go out in batches, and a retried batch never emails anyone twice.
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4
They accept
Each link works for 7 days. Someone who already has a login adds the account to it, and uses one login for every account.
Everything a new trade account needs
- Business name, ABN and delivery address on every request
- Your own questions, file uploads and trade references
- Email confirmed before a request reaches you
- Account code, customer group, ways to pay and terms set on approval
- The contact invited as head user
- Up to 1,000 buyers invited from one CSV
Need a credit application form?
Start from our free trade credit application template, then ask for the signed copy as a file upload on your request form.
Trade account applications questions
Can new customers apply for a trade account online?
Yes. Switch on account requests for each storefront, and buyers can request a trade account from its log in page.
Can we ask our own questions?
Yes. Add your own fields to the form, including file uploads, such as a signed credit application, and repeating rows, such as trade references.
What happens in our ERP when we approve a request?
You give the new account the code you’ll use in your ERP, then add the customer there. Its orders wait until it syncs, then go. You can also link a request to an account that’s already synced.
Can one buyer order for several accounts?
Yes. If an invited email already has a login, the new account is added to it, and they switch between accounts.
Can we invite our existing customers in bulk?
Yes. Upload a CSV of up to 1,000 buyers with their account code, email and role. Every row is checked before anything is sent.
More in manage accounts
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