Whether you're a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer, operating both B2B and D2C channels requires an ecommerce tech stack that can handle complexity without becoming unmanageable.
Lean teams especially need reliable, connected tools to manage inventory, sales, marketing, and fulfillment efficiently. The right digital infrastructure can bridge the gap between wholesale distribution and direct-to-consumer retail while remaining scalable as you grow.
This is a very high level listicle that covers the following areas of your business:
- Sales channels
- Inventory
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Returns
- Support
- Data Protection & Analytics
Within each of these areas there are also loads of tools to further refine your processes, but I've chosen to just explain these and recommend what we think most merchants should use.
Sales Channels
Unified Wholesale & Retail
At the center of the stack is Shopify, powering the online store for D2C customers. It also supports wholesale and B2B transactions through native Shopify B2B features or custom solutions. Retailers and manufacturers selling directly to consumers and distributors benefit from maintaining one storefront with multiple pricing tiers and customer groups.
“Running both B2B and D2C operations through a single Shopify storefront reduces overhead and simplifies management.”
This unified commerce approach helps brands streamline sales operations and ensure consistency across channels.
Inventory
Stock Management for Ecommerce Manufacturers
Cin7 Core (formerly Dear Inventory) acts as the operations engine. It provides centralized inventory and order management for ecommerce businesses selling wholesale and D2C. When connected with Shopify, Cin7 Core keeps product stock synchronized across channels and automates purchasing and warehouse workflows.
“Brands using connected inventory systems see up to 40% fewer fulfillment errors, boosting customer satisfaction and reducing returns.”
For manufacturers and distributors, this kind of visibility is key to managing complex fulfillment and restocking across multiple sales pipelines.
Accounting
Seamless Financial Management With Xero
Accounting is handled by Xero, which integrates cleanly with both Shopify and Cin7 Core. This enables automatic syncing of orders, invoices, and payments across your wholesale and retail operations. Whether you’re billing retailers, reconciling D2C revenue, or tracking profitability across product lines, Xero keeps everything organized.
Manufacturers and ecommerce brands alike benefit from the clear financial reporting and automation Xero offers, especially when scaling across B2B and D2C.
Marketing
Automated Ecommerce Marketing for Wholesalers & Retailers
For email and SMS marketing, Klaviyo helps ecommerce businesses target both retail customers and wholesale accounts. It uses behavioral and transactional data to automate messaging that converts first-time buyers into repeat customers—and keeps wholesale buyers informed of updates or promotions.
“Automated, behavior-based campaigns can generate 3x more revenue per recipient than one-size-fits-all blasts.”
With Klaviyo, wholesalers and manufacturers with retail channels can maintain personalized communication at scale.
Returns
Handling That Works for D2C Brands
Loop Returns simplifies post-purchase experiences by providing a branded, self-serve returns portal for D2C buyers. This helps maintain customer satisfaction while reducing manual support work for your team.
Retail-facing manufacturers and brands see higher retention and lower churn when the return experience is fast, fair, and easy.
Support
Customer Support & Workflow Automation
Gorgias acts as the help desk platform for retail and wholesale customer service. It centralizes support channels—including email, chat, and social—into a single view. Pair this with Zapier to automate workflows like notifying your team when large wholesale orders are placed or syncing order data to internal tools.
This allows ecommerce teams to stay lean while maintaining a professional, responsive support presence across all customer types.
Data Protection & Analytics
For Smarter Decisions
Rewind provides automated backup for Shopify, ensuring that your product listings, customer data, and store settings are always safe. For insight into customer behavior and campaign performance, Google Analytics provides conversion tracking and traffic analysis across wholesale and retail segments.
“Understanding conversion paths across channels helps brands fine-tune acquisition spend and improve ROI.”
Whether you're an established wholesaler adding retail or a D2C brand expanding to B2B, clear reporting is essential to scaling smartly.
Conclusion
A Scalable Tech Stack for Ecommerce Growth
This basic but powerful stack covers the essentials for any ecommerce business that sells both wholesale and D2C. By connecting Shopify, Cin7 Core, and Xero with purpose-built tools like Klaviyo and Gorgias, manufacturers, distributors, and modern retailers can simplify operations and grow confidently—without the burden of overly complex systems.