Customer accounts by invite only

[Print_2002]

Hello,

I have customer accounts set to required, but ultimately I also need to only allow users to create an account by invitation. We don't want random users creating an account unless we send an invitation. Is this possible?

Thanks!

[Qualitycheck]

Hi,

Please go through below Shopify tutorial for managing Customer accounts.

https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-accounts

Please let me know if it works for you!

Would like to add new functionality or customize existing one, please hire me.
If helpful then please Like and Accept the solution.
Email: info@perennialsolution.com
Skype: infoperennialsolution

[Julie]

Hi, @Print_2002!

Julie, here from Shopify Support.

Are you wanting to create a "members-only" store, where customers must have an account prior to purchasing but are only able to be invited to create an account? If so, there are a couple of ways you can achieve this.

While you could follow our help doc on how to create a members-only store, this would show customers a login page when they navigate to your website. To provide customers with their login credentials, you would then just need to create a customer account for them from your Shopify Admin and then send them a manual invite. We also have some instructions on how to manually send customer account invites you can check out. This would ensure that any customer that accesses your website is an invited customer.

Another way you can limit customers to only creating accounts by invitation would be to use an app like Locksmith. This app allows you to lock things like pages and products on your store, preventing customers from accessing them unless they meet certain conditions (one of these conditions could be having a customer account). This app also gives you the ability to manually approve accounts for new customers, which is probably the most beneficial feature for you. They also have a help doc you can check out here, which goes over a few different ways you can approve customer accounts after they are created. This might be the best option for you, as it will reduce the need to manually create customer accounts, saving you a lot of time. Instead, customers can still create accounts, but you will just need to approve them first, giving you more control.

Alternatively, you could connect with a Shopify Expert who may be able to implement a customization that would prevent customers from creating an account, while still requiring them to enter their account credentials in order to make a purchase. This would still require you to manually send account invites, however. As @Qualitycheck mentioned above, they would be happy to look into some custom options for you. 

I'd love to learn a bit more about your business and the reasoning behind needing to send account invites. Are you also wanting to lock your website from customers who haven't been invited as customers? Are you looking to lock certain pages? Or are you just wanting to limit purchases to those with customer accounts? 

[Print_2002]

Hello and thank you for the useful information!

We already have an established business where we only sell through distributors and per agreements aren't allowed to sell to end users. This is why we don't want to allow just anyone to create an account and place an order. Our vendors currently email or phone in orders and having a storefront would help streamline order, tracking, and inventory processes.

I will look into Locksmith. It sounds like what we need!

[michael-helium]

Another option to consider:

The Customer Fields app allows you to create a registration form that requires account approval for new customer accounts. That way, you can collect additional information from customers and manually approve those who meet your criteria. You may also configure email templates that customers will receive if you approve or deny their account.