# Do subscription-migration best practices differ meaningfully for consumer (DTC) subscriptions versus B2B recurring/replenishment orders?

Reviewed by Martin Dejnicki, Director of SEO & AI Search · facts verified October 9, 2026 · canonical: https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/subscription-migration-dtc-vs-b2b-replenishment

## Short answer

Subscription-migration practice for direct-to-consumer (DTC) and business-to-business (B2B) recurring orders differs at the payment mechanism, not the cadence. Shopify lists Subscriptions among the features that aren't compatible with B2B ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations), October 2026), so wholesale standing orders can't move as subscriptions. A DTC migration is a billing-token problem; a B2B one is a purchase-order and approvals problem.

- **Subscriptions on B2B orders:** Not compatible, on any subscription app. Shopify lists Subscriptions among features that aren't compatible with B2B, and its developer docs say B2B doesn't support purchase options such as subscriptions (October 2026). ([Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for using B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations); [Shopify developer docs, Apps and B2B](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/b2b))
- **B2B standing-order apps:** Free to $29 a month, no reviews yet. Orumio Standing Orders ($29 a month) and OrderCadence (free for one schedule, $19 a month for unlimited) draft a company location's order on schedule; both launched in August or September 2026. ([Orumio, Orumio Standing Orders on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/standing-orders-for-b2b); [Burmolle Dev, OrderCadence on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/repeat-order))
- **B2B payment terms:** Net 7 to net 90, not captured automatically. Terms also run due on fulfillment or on a fixed date. Flow can charge a vaulted card when a payment schedule is due, on Shopify Payments; Shopify's payment terms page says to charge saved cards manually (October 2026). ([Shopify Help Center, Setting up payment terms in B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/payment-terms); [Shopify Help Center, Charge vaulted payment for B2B order action](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/reference/actions/charge-vaulted-payment-for-b2b-order))
- **DTC payment methods into Shopify:** Tokens on any plan; card numbers on Plus or Enterprise. Stripe, Braintree, PayPal Express or Authorize.net tokens bill through a secondary gateway; moving card numbers is a paid service for Plus or Enterprise stores (October 2026). ([Shopify Help Center, Migrating payment methods to your Shopify account](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrating-payment-methods))

## Deploi's call

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscriptions and business-to-business (B2B) standing orders differ enough to run as two migrations: the subscriptions move on the subscription playbook, and the standing orders get rebuilt as draft orders on payment terms. Most "B2B subscriptions" are standing orders with a subscription word attached. Migrating them onto consumer subscription rails is how merchants end up with invoices they cannot reconcile.

**CUSTOMIZE: Move DTC subscribers on the subscription playbook when**

- Subscribers renew on a stored card, so whether those payment methods transfer or need re-collection decides half the risk, per [our subscription migration record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/subscription-platform-migration) (October 2026).
- The old processor is Stripe, Braintree, PayPal Express or Authorize.net, so its tokens keep billing through a secondary gateway ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrating-payment-methods), October 2026).
- The old app can pause billing while contracts and payment methods move, as Shopify's migration guide recommends ([Shopify developer docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrate-to-subscriptions-api/migrate-customer-information), October 2026).

**CUSTOMIZE: Rebuild B2B standing orders on Shopify B2B when**

- Accounts buy on payment terms or with a purchase order (PO) number, which every Shopify B2B plan supports ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features), October 2026).
- A standing-order app passes a pilot on one account: Orumio ($29 a month) and OrderCadence (free for one schedule) draft a company location's order on schedule, but neither had reviews in October 2026 ([Orumio](https://apps.shopify.com/standing-orders-for-b2b) and [OrderCadence](https://apps.shopify.com/repeat-order) listings).
- Bespoke items, negotiated prices or staged approval make the ordering flow part of how you sell, which [our draft-order custom flows record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/draft-orders-custom-flows) scores BUILD (October 2026).

## How do DTC and B2B recurring-order migrations differ?

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) and business-to-business (B2B) recurring-order migrations differ on payment, approvals and audience, and only the cadence carries over. A DTC subscription renews by charging a stored card. So its migration turns on whether payment methods transfer, which [our subscription migration record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/subscription-platform-migration) says decides half the risk (October 2026). A B2B standing order is invoiced to a company location on payment terms. So its migration turns on whether the purchase order (PO) reference, the approver and the accounts payable contact come across. That split is why [the Recharge or Skio to native Subscriptions decision](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/recharge-skio-to-native-subscriptions-cost-benefit) is a consumer question only.

**DTC subscriptions and B2B standing orders differ on payment, native support, cancellation, failure mode, audience and cutover tolerance (Deploi's comparison)**

| Criterion | DTC subscriptions | B2B standing orders |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Payment at renewal | Stored card, charged automatically | Invoice on payment terms or a PO, against a company location |
| Shopify's native option | Shopify Subscriptions, free | No subscription app; native reorders, payment terms and draft order to invoice |
| Who cancels | One person, in a portal, at 11pm | A buyer, a procurement approver and a contract |
| Failure mode on migration | Card does not transfer, silent churn | Invoice goes to the wrong accounts payable contact; nobody churns, nothing ships |
| Who to tell | The subscriber | The buyer, accounts payable and often an account manager |
| Cutover tolerance | Low: a missed charge is a lost customer | Higher: a missed order gets a phone call |

Sources: [Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for using B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations); [Shopify Help Center, Shopify B2B features by plan](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features); [Shopify App Store, Shopify Subscriptions](https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-subscriptions). Verified October 9, 2026.

## Why can't B2B standing orders follow the DTC migration playbook?

Business-to-business (B2B) standing orders can't follow the direct-to-consumer (DTC) playbook, because Shopify gives them no subscription contract to land in. Shopify's developer docs say "B2B doesn't support purchase options, such as subscriptions, pre-orders, and try before you buy" ([Shopify developer docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/b2b), October 2026). Shopify's page on subscription products adds that "Subscriptions can't be used with draft orders" ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/considerations), October 2026). B2B instead offers draft orders that merchants send to company contacts "for approval and invoicing" ([Shopify developer docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/b2b)). So most DTC checks don't carry over: a card-vault audit says little about an account that pays an invoice on net 30 terms. What has to come across is the purchase order (PO) reference, the approver, the accounts payable contact and the terms. [Rebuilding a B2B replenishment schedule in Shopify](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/b2b-recurring-replenishment-orders-migration) lists the fields to export.

## Do B2B standing orders still need a custom order layer?

Business-to-business (B2B) standing orders no longer need a custom order layer by default, because standing-order apps now draft a company location's order on a schedule. Orumio Standing Orders ($29 a month) and OrderCadence (free for one schedule) both launched in August or September 2026 and had no reviews yet ([Orumio](https://apps.shopify.com/standing-orders-for-b2b) and [OrderCadence](https://apps.shopify.com/repeat-order) listings, October 2026). [Which apps run company-level recurring orders](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/b2b-subscriptions-company-level-recurring-orders) compares them. For a migration, that changes the target: each legacy schedule maps onto an app schedule or a scheduled draft order, not onto a subscription contract. Pilot one app on one account before moving the rest, because neither has a track record yet.

Both apps stop at a draft for staff to review, so an auto-charged subscription for a company location still doesn't exist on Shopify. Collection runs on the payment terms instead, and Shopify says "Payments aren't automatically captured when the payment terms expire" ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/payment-terms), October 2026). So map each account's collection method as well. Shopify's credit card vaulting page says you "can automatically charge vaulted credit cards for orders with payment terms using Shopify Flow" ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/vaulted-cards), October 2026). Shopify's payment terms page says that for a saved card "you must manually capture the payment by charging that credit card in your Shopify admin" ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/payment-terms), October 2026). The two pages disagree, so test the Flow charge, which needs Shopify Payments ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/reference/actions/charge-vaulted-payment-for-b2b-order)), on one account before relying on it.

## What should a merchant running both models migrate first?

A merchant running both models should migrate the direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscriptions first and the business-to-business (B2B) standing orders second, because the two migrations share almost nothing. The DTC side is time-critical: billing is automated, so a failed card transfer surfaces as silent churn at the next renewal. The B2B side is relationship-buffered, because a missed order gets a phone call, so it can follow on its own date. Each side also needs its own message: subscribers get [a notice that their subscription hasn't been cancelled](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/subscription-migration-messaging-active-subscribers), and each wholesale account gets a call.

> **When one combined migration is the wrong plan**
> - **When one vendor quotes a single migration for both programs.** Shopify lists Subscriptions as incompatible with B2B ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations), October 2026), so ask where the wholesale accounts land.
> - **When the DTC cutover and the B2B rebuild share a date.** A billing fault and an ordering fault look the same on the first morning.
> - **When wholesale buyers would get the subscriber email.** A buyer on net terms needs the account manager, not a portal link.
> - **When the B2B channel itself is still launching.** Launch the channel first, then decide whether a standing order is still needed.

## Deploi's point of view

**Where we disagree.** Subscription vendors market B2B support as a checkbox alongside DTC. The payment mechanism underneath is different enough that treating them as one product is the source of the problem.

**Where we look first.** The approvals chain, not the cadence logic. In our judgment that is where B2B replenishment fails: a scheduled order fires, the approver has left the company, and the order sits until someone calls.

**What this page adds.** The parent weighs native Shopify Subscriptions against Recharge and Skio for consumer programs. B2B standing orders sit outside that choice on every app, because Shopify rules subscriptions out of B2B, so the migration practices change for wholesale accounts: what to export, who to tell and what to rebuild.

## When this answer changes

- Shopify makes Subscriptions or other purchase options compatible with B2B.
- Shopify ships native standing or scheduled draft orders for company locations.
- Orumio Standing Orders or OrderCadence gathers reviews, changes its price, or starts taking payment.
- Shopify starts capturing B2B payments automatically when terms expire, or opens Flow's charge action beyond Shopify Payments.
- Shopify changes which processors can bill migrated subscription tokens, or opens card-number migration below Plus.

## Sources

1. [Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for using B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/considerations), checked October 9, 2026
2. [Shopify developer docs, Apps and B2B](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/b2b), checked October 9, 2026
3. [Shopify Help Center, Considerations and payment gateways for subscription products](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/considerations), checked October 9, 2026
4. [Shopify Help Center, Shopify B2B features by plan](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/getting-started/plan-features), checked October 9, 2026
5. [Shopify Help Center, Setting up payment terms in B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/payment-terms), checked October 9, 2026
6. [Orumio, Orumio Standing Orders on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/standing-orders-for-b2b), checked October 9, 2026
7. [Burmolle Dev, OrderCadence on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/repeat-order), checked October 9, 2026
8. [Shopify Help Center, Charge vaulted payment for B2B order action](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/reference/actions/charge-vaulted-payment-for-b2b-order), checked October 9, 2026
9. [Shopify Help Center, Migrating payment methods to your Shopify account](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrating-payment-methods), checked October 9, 2026
10. [Shopify developer docs, Migrate customer information to Shopify](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/purchase-options/subscriptions/migrate-to-subscriptions-api/migrate-customer-information), checked October 9, 2026
11. [Shopify App Store, Shopify Subscriptions](https://apps.shopify.com/shopify-subscriptions), checked October 9, 2026
12. [Shopify Help Center, Setting up credit card vaulting for B2B](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/b2b/checkout-and-orders/vaulted-cards), checked October 9, 2026
13. [Deploi Build vs. Buy, Recharge Alternatives: Build or Buy the Subscription Migration?](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/subscription-platform-migration), checked October 9, 2026, Deploi research
14. [Deploi Build vs. Buy, Build or Buy Draft-Order Custom Flows on Shopify?](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/draft-orders-custom-flows), checked October 9, 2026, Deploi research