Hosted catalogs for B2B distributors: private, priced, and current

Hosted catalogs in B2B mean the supplier runs the catalog on their infrastructure: buyers authenticate, see only what they are allowed to buy, and order against live pricing. That is different from uploading a CSV to a marketplace or emailing a quarterly PDF.

Why distributors search for hosted catalogs

The trigger is usually control: competitors or job bidders should not browse your full line and pricing. Hosted catalogs combine authentication, assignment, and audit-friendly order history — the same requirements behind distributor catalogue management, delivered as a service rather than a file share.

Hosted vs self-hosted storefront

A public Shopify or ecommerce site is self-hosted merchandising for unknown visitors. A hosted B2B catalog is invite-only, often with PO and Net terms instead of card checkout. If your buyers are already on account, the hosted catalog replaces repeat phone orders — not consumer discovery.

What to verify in a vendor

• Per-account catalog and price: not one global cart price.
• Selling unit clarity: each, pack, and case on the line item.
• Accounting handoff: structured orders into QuickBooks or your review queue.

See hosted catalog workflow for distributors →