Case Study

Case Study

Case Study

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Launching Brooklinen for Business (B4B) – A Gated Experience for Trade & Hospitality

In 2024, Brooklinen launched Brooklinen for Business (B4B) — a gated, purpose-built eCommerce platform designed to serve the needs of our trade and hospitality partners. While Brooklinen’s core direct-to-consumer (DTC) business focused on high-quality bedding and home essentials for everyday shoppers, the B4B site marked a significant strategic expansion into the B2B space. Tailored for hotels, short-term rentals, and interior designers, the platform offers exclusive product catalogs, role-based user access, volume pricing, and invoicing capabilities — all within the familiar Shopify ecosystem.

The Opportunity

As Brooklinen gained popularity among short-term rentals and boutique hotels for its luxurious yet durable linens, we saw a growing demand from trade partners for:

  • Bulk purchasing capabilities

  • Invoicing over time instead of credit card checkout

  • Access to hospitality-grade products not available on the DTC site

  • Company-based pricing and curated catalogs

  • User roles and permission controls for large organizations

Our DTC site wasn’t equipped to support these needs, and our existing manual trade order process was inefficient and error-prone. It was time to scale.

Goals

  1. Launch a gated eCommerce site for hospitality and trade customers within the Shopify Plus ecosystem.

  2. Scale the business with self-serve automation instead of the current burdensome workflow for the sales and business development teams.

  3. Enable custom pricing, catalogs, and user roles by company account.

  4. Introduce volume-based pricing and invoicing workflows, a major departure from the DTC model.

  5. Ensure the experience felt "Brooklinen": premium, minimal, and intuitive.

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Key Features
🔐 Gated Access & Onboarding

  • Registration gated behind an application and approval flow.

  • Only verified trade and hospitality businesses are granted access.

  • Upon approval, businesses are assigned to company profiles with permissions.

🧾 Role-Based User Permissions

  • Users are assigned roles (e.g., Admin, Buyer, Finance) at the company level.

  • Admins can invite new users, view order history, and manage billing preferences.

  • Buyers can place orders but not view company-level invoices or change settings.

🏢 Company Profiles with Custom Catalogs

  • Each company is mapped to a unique catalog, which includes:

    • Products made specifically for hospitality (e.g., triple-sheeted bedding, wholesale bundles).

    • Custom pricing tiers based on account type or negotiated contracts.

📦 Volume Pricing & Invoicing

  • Built-in volume discounting logic (e.g., buy 50+ duvet covers, save 15%).

  • Customers can select Pay by Invoice at checkout.

  • Finance teams receive consolidated invoices on NET terms (e.g., NET30).

  • Integrated with backend systems for reconciliation and order tracking.

Key Features
🔐 Gated Access & Onboarding

  • Registration gated behind an application and approval flow.

  • Only verified trade and hospitality businesses are granted access.

  • Upon approval, businesses are assigned to company profiles with permissions.

🧾 Role-Based User Permissions

  • Users are assigned roles (e.g., Admin, Buyer, Finance) at the company level.

  • Admins can invite new users, view order history, and manage billing preferences.

  • Buyers can place orders but not view company-level invoices or change settings.

🏢 Company Profiles with Custom Catalogs

  • Each company is mapped to a unique catalog, which includes:

    • Products made specifically for hospitality (e.g., triple-sheeted bedding, wholesale bundles).

    • Custom pricing tiers based on account type or negotiated contracts.

📦 Volume Pricing & Invoicing

  • Built-in volume discounting logic (e.g., buy 50+ duvet covers, save 15%).

  • Customers can select Pay by Invoice at checkout.

  • Finance teams receive consolidated invoices on NET terms (e.g., NET30).

  • Integrated with backend systems for reconciliation and order tracking.

Key Features
🔐 Gated Access & Onboarding

  • Registration gated behind an application and approval flow.

  • Only verified trade and hospitality businesses are granted access.

  • Upon approval, businesses are assigned to company profiles with permissions.

🧾 Role-Based User Permissions

  • Users are assigned roles (e.g., Admin, Buyer, Finance) at the company level.

  • Admins can invite new users, view order history, and manage billing preferences.

  • Buyers can place orders but not view company-level invoices or change settings.

🏢 Company Profiles with Custom Catalogs

  • Each company is mapped to a unique catalog, which includes:

    • Products made specifically for hospitality (e.g., triple-sheeted bedding, wholesale bundles).

    • Custom pricing tiers based on account type or negotiated contracts.

📦 Volume Pricing & Invoicing

  • Built-in volume discounting logic (e.g., buy 50+ duvet covers, save 15%).

  • Customers can select Pay by Invoice at checkout.

  • Finance teams receive consolidated invoices on NET terms (e.g., NET30).

  • Integrated with backend systems for reconciliation and order tracking.

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Results (Post-Launch Metrics)

  • 100+ companies onboarded within the first month

  • 51% repeat order rate from trade customers

  • 168% increase in AOV compared to the DTC site

  • Faster ordering process compared to previous manual workflows

Final Thoughts

Brooklinen for Business was more than just a new site — it was a strategic reimagining of how Brooklinen serves its trade customers. By marrying Shopify flexibility with custom B2B features, we created a differentiated experience tailored to the needs of our growing hospitality audience — all while staying true to the Brooklinen brand.

Results (Post-Launch Metrics)

  • 100+ companies onboarded within the first month

  • 51% repeat order rate from trade customers

  • 168% increase in AOV compared to the DTC site

  • Faster ordering process compared to previous manual workflows

Final Thoughts

Brooklinen for Business was more than just a new site — it was a strategic reimagining of how Brooklinen serves its trade customers. By marrying Shopify flexibility with custom B2B features, we created a differentiated experience tailored to the needs of our growing hospitality audience — all while staying true to the Brooklinen brand.

Results (Post-Launch Metrics)

  • 100+ companies onboarded within the first month

  • 51% repeat order rate from trade customers

  • 168% increase in AOV compared to the DTC site

  • Faster ordering process compared to previous manual workflows

Final Thoughts

Brooklinen for Business was more than just a new site — it was a strategic reimagining of how Brooklinen serves its trade customers. By marrying Shopify flexibility with custom B2B features, we created a differentiated experience tailored to the needs of our growing hospitality audience — all while staying true to the Brooklinen brand.