How to Add a "Request a Quote" Feature in Shopify?

If you have a Shopify store, and sell B2B or wholesale products (or custom products), a simple "Add to Cart" button might not be sufficient. A "Request a Quote" will allow for flexible pricing, offer customer interaction at a personal level, and create a better sales process. This blog will identify what a "Request a Quote" feature means for your store, outline how to add "Request a Quote" using a Shopify app or coding, what some of the main benefits are (higher sales and more satisfied customers), and provide answers to frequently asked questions to help you evaluate whether this solution is right for your store.

All online shopping has a "get out of jail free card" with the "add to cart" button. The button works fine for easy purchases. But for businesses selling custom products, bulk orders, and B2B sales it's a clunky process. These types of sales require flexibility that a fixed price and quick check-out won't provide. This is where a Request a Quote feature is useful.

The Request a Quote feature allows businesses to offer custom prices, negotiate with their customers, and accommodate customer specific needs which many customers now expect. Adding a "request a quote" feature makes your Shopify store more meaningful to customers while building stronger relationships and making more sales. In this article we will discuss why it is important, how to implement one, and the benefits; including examples and statistics.

Why Your Shopify Store Needs a "Request a Quote" Feature

The "Add to Cart" and fixed - price approach is suitable for many online retailers, but they do not fit all businesses or all customers. Here are five reasons why flexible pricing, such as Request a Quote, is important:

B2B Sales: Business-to-business sales often require pricing per quotation. Buyers want to negotiate different pricing based on customizing pricing based on large volume or long-term offers. A fixed price on an online storefront may force customers to choose other options for negotiating pricing.

Bulk Orders: Customers purchasing bulk orders expect custom pricing or pricing that includes discount options. When a wholesale seller of consumer goods features only retail pricing options on their site, buyers may get confused or discouraged to make a bulk purchase. As such, a quote request feature allows you to fairly consider pricing for the bulk buyer.

Custom Products: There are many items, such as custom furniture or specialized machinery for example, which require price pricing estimates based on the customer's specific needs and closure. Flexible pricing allows customers an opportunity to describe their needs and provide details for a fair and reasonable estimate.

High Value Items: High dollar items, such as luxury goods or specialized equipment, are often "negotiated" before being sold. A request for quote feature allows customers an opportunity to ask questions/answers and negotiate price offers; this will improve feedback regarding the trust between the customer and the business!

Services: Professional services businesses, such as consulting or design work, require some level of custom pricing based on the client's need. The quote request allows consultants and agency consultants an opportunity to develop fair and reasonable pricing for the client per the work requirements.

Flexible pricing options negotiate customer's unique needs, suggest improvements for their shopping experience, and lead to increased sales opportunities.

Key Benefits of Implementing a "Request a Quote" System

When you add a “Request a Quote” option to your Shopify store, you'll see better sales, stronger customer relations, and a smoother process. Here’s why it’s a good idea:

Increased Sales for All Your Complex Products: Not every product fits the classic “Add to Cart” approach. Custom products and higher-value items are products that fall outside the "Add to Cart" paradigm. When a customer can request a quote, their request gives them a chance to ask for personal pricing. The customer’s confusion is reduced - and they’re more likely to move toward a buying decision. Your revenue can be enhanced by 10-15%, because personalized offers will often convert hesitant prospects, especially if you’re in B2B sales.

Building Stronger Customer Connections: When a customer requests a quote, it establishes a dialogue. You have to understand what they’re looking for, provide a custom solution to their needs, and establish trust. The personal connection is nearly 70% of the customer's value, and that can result in repeat business and a long-term relationship.

Customer Data: If a customer wants to request a quote, that means you can see what customers actually want prior to purchase, like a specific item, amounts, etc. Having these requests can help you determine market behaviors, altering pricing, and based on demand and feet wet, and when to expect it, making you more competitive in the marketplace.

Better for B2B and Bulk Buyers: Since B2B customers and bulk buyers often need a range of pricing, during checkout, a quote feature makes pricing flexible and appears very professional when you quote a customer. Shopify also represents a growing B2B market, which represents a 130% sales growth rate from the first part of 2024. Essentially, this feature will make your store easier to purchase from by accepting bigger orders and building stronger partnerships with buyers.

Better sales process: If a B2B customer or bulk buyer decides to make a complex purchase decision, it could leave them frustrated and abandon their products in their cart. A quote provides the customer the ability to express interest in your products without needing to pay immediately, the less friction there is in a process, the better chance you will have at converting buyers to customers.

Stand Out from the Competition: Offering quotes allows your store to stand out from your competition in a crowded market. It allows your store to be flexible and user friendly to prospective clients; this could also bring in more clients that want specific quotes for customized needs or larger orders.

By implementing a Request a Quote, your Shopify store can engage new customers, offer loyalty so they return, and add to your sales, especially for B2B customers.

Implementing "Request a Quote" on Shopify: Methods and Considerations

Okay, you've acknowledged the strategic potential of a Request a Quote feature and now you're ready to move on to actually setting it up in your Shopify store. There are two main ways to do this: actually using some of the dedicated Shopify apps or using your own custom code. There are pros and cons to both methods. Which route is best for you depends on your technical skills, budget, and your specific business needs.

Method 1: Utilizing Shopify Apps (Recommended for most users)

Most Shopify store owners know that using a Request a Quote app is the easiest way to allow customers to request a custom price. These quote request apps integrate with your store and offer functionality such as pre-made forms and buttons with no coding required. Best of all, they save time together and install seamlessly into your store!

Key Features to Look for

When you're choosing a Request a Quote app, look for some or all of these features that will work for your business:

• Customizable Forms: Create forms that collect items that you want your customers to specify, like product quantities or customer information. You should be able to easily add, remove, or rearrange fields.
• Smart Form Logic: Some apps get smarter with their forms, and will show or hide fields within the form reviewed based on what they chose to create forms that are as simple and relevant as possible.
• Hide Prices Option: For items that require a quote request, hide the prices and just add a "Request Quote" button. Look for apps that allow you to hide prices by products, collections, or customers simply group customers as B2B customers for sure.
• Add to Quote: Allow your customers to collect items for quotes in a simple process, it would become similar to adding items to their shopping carts and making them easily able to request
• Quote Dashboard: A central place to view and edit quote requests within your Shopify admin area and to approve or convert their quote into an order.
• Auto Emails: Allow your Requests for Quotes app to send instant notifications to you and the customer when a quote is requested and when the quote has been updated.
• Quote to Order: Make it easy for your customers by converting approved quotes to draft orders to make checking out that much quicker and easier.
• App Integrations: Use apps that connect with lots of applications such as CRM apps or accounting apps.
• Easy to Use: Choose apps that are simple for you and your customers to use.

Method 2: Custom Code Implementation (For advanced users)

Custom coding a "Request a Quote" on Shopify allows merchants to have extra control, custom designs and removes some costly app subscription fees. Unlike apps, this is something you can get done using the code within your Shopify theme, so you'll need some experience in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Shopify's Liquid language. This is the best option for businesses who require a unique quoting process or even a specific design direction that apps cannot provide!

Why Choose Custom Coding?

• Unique Workflow: Perfect for businesses with specific quoting needs that apps can’t meet.
• Full Design Control: Create a design that matches your brand perfectly.
• No App Dependency: Avoid reliance on third-party apps, which may slow your site or cause issues later.
• Cost Savings: Higher upfront costs but no recurring fees.

Basic Steps to Implement:

1. Choose Products: Decide which products or collections will use the quote feature instead of direct purchase.
2. Hide Price and Add to Cart: Edit your theme’s product-template.liquid file to hide prices and show a "Request a Quote" button for specific products. For example, use Liquid code to check product tags and display the button only when needed.
3. Create a Quote Form: Build a custom form (or tweak Shopify’s contact form) to collect quote details, linked from the button.
4. Handle Form Submissions: Use JavaScript to send form data to your email or a custom system. Shopify’s AJAX API can help with complex tasks.
5. Manage Quotes: Use a spreadsheet, CRM, or custom database to track and respond to quote requests.

Things to Consider:

• Maintenance: Custom code needs updates, especially after theme or Shopify changes.
• Scalability: Growing businesses may need to rework the solution.
• Security: Follow best practices to protect customer data.
• Cost: Hiring a developer can be expensive upfront.

For most, a Shopify app is easier and offers support. But for unique needs, custom coding provides unmatched flexibility.

Key Features for an Effective Shopify Quote System

A proper Shopify quote system, whether it's an app or custom-built, should have features to help a salesperson close more deals and improve conversion rates, especially on custom products or other complicated sales.

Custom Quote Forms: Your quote form should be flexible. You can add the ability for users to add text fields for details, dropdowns for product options, checkboxes for additional services, or file uploads for designs. This allows you to get everything you need from the customer upfront, which could cut back on back and forth between yourself and the customer and help produce quotes quicker.

Smart Form Logic: Conditional logic adds intelligence to forms. For example, if a customer selects a product type then all related fields should appear at once i.e. size, color options. Conditional logic adds a level of simplicity to the customer's experience and in turn dramatically improves the quality of the response given by the sales representative.

Instant Notifications: Quick communications is essential. When a customer submits a quote request, they should receive an automatic confirmation. Your staff must also be notified immediately so they can follow up on the quote quickly, this helps keep the lead fresh.

Quote Management Dashboard: A central dashboard helps manage multiple quotes easily. You can:

• View all customer details.
• Edit quotes, adjust items, or apply discounts.
• Send messages or updated quotes.
• Update quote status (e.g., pending, approved, or converted).
• Turn accepted quotes into Shopify draft orders with one click for easy checkout.

System Integration: By connecting your quoting system to a CRM or ERP tool, data is synced automatically to eliminate manual work. Integrating with email marketing allows you to create campaigns using leads that did not convert.

"Add to Quote" Button: Customers should be able to add a number of items to a quote and then request the quote just like they add multiple products to their shopping cart. A "Request a Quote" button could completely replace or coexist with an "Add to Cart" button allowing customers to easily build and submit a quote request.

All the above features simplify complex sales processes, improve efficiencies, and positively impact customer satisfaction.

Key Takeaways

• Flexible Pricing: The "Add to Cart" model doesn't suit B2B, wholesale, or custom products. A quote feature allows personalized pricing and negotiations.
• Boosts Sales & Connections: It improves sales by simplifying complex transactions and builds stronger customer relationships, especially for B2B.
• Easy Implementation: Use a Shopify quote app for simplicity or custom code for full control.
• Key Features: Include customizable forms, smart logic, automated alerts, a quote dashboard, easy order conversion, and hide price options.
• Saves Time: Automates lead capture and management, offering data for better business decisions.
• Stands Out: A quote system attracts more customers and shows your store is flexible and customer-focused.

Conclusion: Empowering Your Shopify Store for Future Growth

With e-commerce getting more competitive, businesses that rely solely on "Add to Cart" functionality may not realize their full potential for growth. This may be especially true for B2B clients, unique custom products, or bulk orders as they are not always compatible with adding products to the shopping cart. A request a quote feature is a great way to improve your business flexibility and client-centric focus. It will enable you to hide your prices when necessary, provide a unique quote button, and navigate through complex sales.

Adding a request a quote option to your Shopify store will increase conversions, average order value, and customer satisfaction. You can either use a Shopify quote app or custom code to replace "Add to Cart" functionality with a "Quote" option to unlock your potential, develop closer relationships with clients, and keep ahead of your competitors.

FAQs: Your Questions Answered about "Request a Quote" on Shopify

What is the best way to add a "Request a Quote" feature to my Shopify store?

Rather than have a fixed price, a method based on your budget, skills, and requirements is the best option. For non-coders, a Request a quote app for Shopify works best because those apps have sound features and support. Custom coding will fit a unique need but takes experience and skills.

Can I hide prices for certain products or customer groups?

Definitely! Most quote apps just like the custom builds can hide prices on certain products or certain customer groups and instead show a "Request a Quote" button so only those that are serious inquire about price. You can control who sees the price and who sees the "Request a Quote" button!

How does a "Request a Quote" feature benefit B2B sales?

Shopify's B2B quote feature allows for simplified bulk ordering and custom pricing. The feature means you can offer tiered pricing, volume discounts, and credit terms, all of which enhance your relationship with customers, but also fulfill the needs of corporate buyers, ultimately increasing your sales.

Is it possible to convert a quote directly into an order?

A Great Shopify quote app will allow you to simply convert an accepted quote into a draft order. Once your customer agrees to the quote, you create a draft order that is reflected with the agreed price and agreed-upon products. Once the draft is created, the customer completes their purchase from the Shopify checkout page.

What are the typical costs associated with "Request a Quote" apps?

Shopify "Request a Quote" apps have different fee structures. Most quote apps offer either a free or very low cost trial to explore the features of the app. Each app has a fee after the trial period, charged monthly. App fees vary from being based on features and quote requests to sales totals. The quote apps are less expensive than custom coding, and provide ongoing support. Use all values when making shortcuts.