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
Launch a gated eCommerce site for hospitality and trade customers within the Shopify Plus ecosystem.
Scale the business with self-serve automation instead of the current burdensome workflow for the sales and business development teams.
Enable custom pricing, catalogs, and user roles by company account.
Introduce volume-based pricing and invoicing workflows, a major departure from the DTC model.
Ensure the experience felt "Brooklinen": premium, minimal, and intuitive.
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.
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.