Speclite gives professional lighting buyers a self-service way to order using their company’s pricing and payment terms. Founded in Montreal in 2010, they design and distribute certified LED lighting for contractors, architects, and designers. Their team provides photometric studies, return-on-investment analysis, and grant-application support to help customers choose fixtures and prepare competitive project bids.
Contractors often reorder familiar parts in bulk, while designers need detailed specifications to evaluate a fixture for a project. Company pricing, payment terms, credit limits, and freight requirements all shape purchasing decisions.
With Maze, Speclite opened a Shopify B2B store where approved companies can research fixtures, view their account pricing and stock, and place multi-item orders on agreed terms. Sales representatives remain available for project advice and account support.
With Shopify, Speclite achieved:
- 14x increase in the share of orders placed online, from 1.3% in October 2025 to 18.2% in September 2026
- More than 20% improvement in sales-team efficiency, giving representatives more time for customers and new markets
- 45% increase in conversion over a 180-day reporting period compared with the preceding period
- Approximately 70% increase in average order value in the first four months of 2026 compared with September–December 2025
The challenge
Opening company-account purchasing to more customers
Speclite used WordPress to present their products, but the previous website did not include an online store. Instead, a separate ordering portal served a small group of accounts with one fixed buying experience. Other customers had to get quotes from a sales representative. Speclite wanted to bring company pricing, live stock, and payment terms online for every approved company.
A typical electrical contractor order arrived by email, phone, or an in-person visit. A representative checked stock, applied the company’s price, and confirmed whether the account would pay by card or on terms. Staff entered the order, arranged the invoice, and passed it to the warehouse partner for fulfillment. Customers relied on the representative to confirm their prices and payment terms before ordering.
Speclite needed to develop both the online store and their internal inventory and purchasing tools simultaneously. The new buying experience had to move forward while the internal team continued to manage operational work.
Supporting technical decisions and repeat purchases
The catalog spans more than 400 products, with fixtures offered in combinations of wattage, color temperature, voltage, and installation options. Buyers need to validate specifications, choose compatible accessories, and plan delivery.
Designers evaluating fixtures need detailed specifications, while returning contractors need a fast way to assemble an order from familiar part numbers.
Four-foot and eight-foot fixtures ship by the box or pallet, with shipping costs and minimum order requirements varying by destination and order size. Previously, shipping charges weren't revealed until late in the buying process, contributing to checkout abandonment. Speclite wanted buyers to understand freight requirements while choosing products.
The solution
Choosing Shopify for company-account commerce
Leonard Xu, Speclite’s president and general manager, considered extending the ordering portal or building the store within Speclite’s own system, where product and account data already lived. Adding commerce to the WordPress site was another option the company had already tried.
Shopify already offered the company accounts, catalogs, and checkout rules needed for wholesale purchasing. Leonard chose Shopify for the public store and retained the existing portal for quotes and representative-assisted orders. Company accounts now live in Shopify, and inventory information syncs from Speclite’s internal system. Speclite’s team can continue improving its inventory and purchasing systems while managing daily operations and the online store.
Speclite chose Maze to connect commerce strategy, technical development, and ongoing operations for their specialized lighting business. Company accounts, pricing, and contractor ordering had to work together in a store Speclite’s team could manage. Maze turned those requirements into a roadmap, built the store, and continued refining it as the business grew.
Keeping orders moving during the rollout
The project began with an audit in February 2025. Maze reviewed the configuration, data, and storefront and defined the B2B purchasing flows. Development followed in March and April, covering the theme, company accounts, catalogs, product data, and initial connections.
The phased rollout from May through July moved company and contact records, the catalog, discounts, stock, and existing identifiers into the store. The team prepared price lists and stock information during the import process, while representatives continued taking orders through the existing portal.
Account pricing and credit were the most demanding requirements because day-to-day ordering had to continue without interruption. Maze implemented credit controls once the system could track payments and update each company’s available credit balance.
Carrying account terms into the order
Shopify catalogs display each approved company’s pricing, with quantity-based discounts for larger purchases. Shopify B2B payment terms appear at checkout, ranging from payment due on receipt to each account’s agreed net terms. As soon as customers sign in, they can see their account-specific pricing across the store. They can also check what’s in stock and place the order during the same visit.
New customers can apply from the main navigation, a product page, or the Express Order table. Speclite reviews each request and contacts the applicant within 24–48 hours. Once approved, the company’s buyers can see their prices and preferred terms. A tiered first-order offer helps newly activated accounts try the online experience.
Applying credit policy throughout the order
For the accounts Speclite has selected, Maze built custom credit controls using Shopify Functions. Each company’s credit limit and remaining balance are stored as company metafields, and custom theme code displays the balance in the cart. Buyers can see how much credit they have available on their account before confirming an order.
At checkout, a function checks that sufficient credit remains for an on-account order. If the order exceeds the limit, the buyer can adjust quantities or pay using a different payment method available in their account. Shopify Flow updates the balance and restores available credit when the order is marked paid.
Speclite continues to decide which accounts receive credit and on what terms. Approved buyers can use that credit when placing orders themselves.
Ordering a project from one screen
An Express Order button in the site header takes repeat buyers to a Quick Order Form. Maze built the form directly into the custom theme, using Shopify’s cart, catalog pricing, and inventory.
Customers can search by product name or part number, filter by category, and enter quantities in a single table. Each row shows current stock and, after login, the account’s price. Filters distinguish new, clearance, and refurbished products.
As customers update quantities, the cart automatically updates to reflect the estimated order total. A contractor who previously sent a project list to a representative can now enter those quantities, review the cart, and check out on the company’s agreed terms. One completed order replaces the separate quote, confirmation, and manual handoff to operations. The operations team and warehouse partner handle fulfillment from the completed order.
Buyers still selecting products can narrow a search to a product family, use a name or exact part number, and view previews as they type. Buyers can filter and compare results in either a grid or list view. For example, searching for the LF04 series returns both the fixture and its compatible row-mounting kit.
Validating the fixture and delivery before checkout
Product pages bring the technical and commercial decisions together. Buyers can review photos, dimension drawings, photometric diagrams, certifications, and downloadable technical sheets. A part-number breakdown explains the fixture’s series, size, lens, voltage, color temperature, power, and options.
Packaging and pallet information help contractors plan delivery. Compatible drivers and accessories appear below the product, with a quick-add table showing quantities, stock, and account pricing. Speclite’s photometric, return-on-investment, warranty, and grant-support services remain available when a project calls for additional help.
Since May 2026, Speclite has added pack pricing, specification sheets, incoming stock, delivery dates, and backorder guidance. Oversized-item notices explain freight implications, zone-based minimums account for the destination, and a free-shipping progress bar updates as customers add items to their cart. Customers can assess stock and delivery requirements as they build their orders.
Making technical answers easier to find
Speclite organized frequently asked questions into six themes covering ordering, products, certifications, lighting analysis, support, and grants. Specific, factual answers help buyers check practical questions about delivery, compliance, and project services.
The FAQ is also designed to make that information easier for AI assistants to interpret and cite. Speclite is monitoring how the brand appears in AI-assisted lighting discovery. Speclite appeared in 21% of AI assistant citations tracked for indoor LED lighting searches.
The results
Growing the share of business ordered online
Online orders accounted for 1.3% of all Speclite orders in October 2025. By September 2026, that share had reached 18.2%, a 14-fold increase. About 95% of post-launch online orders were B2B company-account orders, many of which had previously gone through sales representatives offline. Existing accounts now have a self-service route alongside their representative relationship.
Ordering volume has grown too. Average monthly online orders in February–May 2026 were approximately 12 times as high as the August–December 2025 average. Newly approved accounts also received a tiered first-order offer during the February–May period. The higher ordering volume has held, with 43 online orders between September 20 and October 19, 2026, in line with the February–May monthly average.
Improving conversion and order value
Over a 180-day reporting period, Speclite’s conversion rate was 45% higher than in the preceding period. Speclite continued improving product selection, account pricing, Quick Order, and shipping guidance with Maze as customers began using the store.
Average order value was approximately 70% higher in the first four months of 2026 than in September–December 2025. The increase coincided with improvements to the buying experience by Maze and paid advertising efforts by Speclite.
Shopify Analytics showed a returning-customer rate of 76.48% across company accounts in the 90-day reporting window ending October 19, 2026, compared with 65% in the preceding 90-day period.
Giving the sales team more time with customers
Speclite reached their 20% efficiency goal for the sales team. Customers enter their own online orders, with account prices and payment terms already in place. Routine price requests are answered in the store, and staff no longer need to retype those orders from a quote.
Representatives use that time for customer visits, developing accounts, and entering new markets. Speclite’s team still prepares quotes, supports representative-assisted orders, approves accounts and terms, and provides technical advice and project support.
Speclite retained their internal team and reduced the need for additional hires as more orders moved online. The team can now focus on inventory, purchasing, and warehouse operations. Time previously spent on email order intake and retyping quotes is now devoted to account pricing, specification sheets, pack quantities, and delivery guidance.
Speclite’s next priority is to offer preorders for incoming products with a stated availability date. Inventory planning is already in place, and the team is preparing for a new warehouse as they improve shipping operations. Customers can manage more of their routine purchasing online, while Speclite’s team members remain available to support the next lighting project.
Shopify has enabled us to move faster and leaner. We’ve reached an efficiency gain of over 20%, and our team can now focus on giving the best service to our customers.