Doudlah Farms B2B Site UX & Pricing Strategy

Decisions and rationale from the January 30, 2026 working session to finalize the B2B wholesale ordering site. Covers product image defaults, pricing display, catalog sorting, and checkout field configuration.

Product Image Defaults

Decision: All product catalog images should default to the smallest retail bag (e.g., 1.5 lb flour bag), not the 25 lb bulk bag.

Rationale: The wholesale customer base is mixed — many buyers order retail-ready case packs for shelf placement, not bulk bags. Defaulting to the 25 lb bag image creates confusion for those customers, who may not realize smaller case options exist without hovering or clicking through. The guiding principle: customers should immediately see what they're most likely to order, and be able to discover the bulk option on hover/selection rather than the reverse.

"I think I would rather have them see just like the Emmer Wheat Flour picture. And then when you hover over it, they will then go to the 25-pound bag instead of it being the opposite." — Sherry Doudlah

Implementation notes:
- Set the default (non-hover) image to the smallest bag variant for each product
- On hover or variant selection, image should update to reflect the selected size
- Fix the Amber product image specifically — it was flagged as broken/placeholder during review
- Improve overall image resolution across the catalog

Pricing Display

Decision: Show the total case price as the primary price, with a per-unit breakdown displayed below it.

Rationale: Buyers need to know what they're actually paying for a full case, but the per-unit figure helps them evaluate value. Showing only per-unit pricing causes ambiguity — buyers can't tell whether the displayed price is for the case or a single unit. Showing only case price without a per-unit breakdown obscures value comparison across sizes.

"I think when you click on it, it should be the case price. See, just the way you have it is perfect. It says $42.96, but it's $3.58 per unit. I think that's perfect." — Sherry Doudlah

Implementation notes:
- Primary price = total case price (e.g., $42.96 for a case of 12 × 1 lb bags)
- Secondary line = per-unit price (e.g., $3.58/unit)
- Pricing is profile-based: customers with special pricing agreements will see their negotiated rates; the catalog defaults to standard wholesale pricing
- Per-unit pricing (not per-pound) is the correct unit for all variants — the platform cannot display mixed units (per-unit for small bags, per-pound for 25 lb bags), so per-unit is used consistently

Catalog Sorting

Decision: Add a "sort by size" filter to the product catalog page.

Rationale: Buyers who want to quickly find all 1 lb bag options, or all 25 lb bulk options, have no current way to filter by package size. A size-based sort (e.g., 1 lb → 5 lb → 25 lb) makes the catalog significantly more navigable for buyers with specific format requirements.

Implementation notes:
- Add sort option alongside existing sort controls
- Size sort should reorder the product grid and update displayed images/prices accordingly

Checkout Field Configuration

Transaction Number Field

Decision: Add a non-required "Transaction Number" field to the checkout form, below the existing Purchase Order field.

Rationale: Willie Street Co-op requires both a PO number and a transaction number on every order for their internal payment processing. Without the transaction number on the invoice/packing slip, payment is delayed or withheld. This field is specific to Willie Street but should be available to all customers as an optional field.

"If I don't put that on... I will not get paid. They will call me because I've accidentally not put it in." — Sherry Doudlah

Implementation notes:
- Field label: "Transaction Number"
- Placement: below "Purchase Order" field in checkout
- Required: No — optional for all customers
- This field (along with PO) should be mapped to the ShipStation packing slip — see ^[1]

Field Order in Checkout

Purchase Order Number
Transaction Number (optional)

Shipping option configuration (Farm Pickup FOB, Doudlah Farms Transport free delivery, $50 regional flat rate, UPS/freight profile-based): ^[1]
ShipStation automation and order routing: ^[1]
QuickBooks integration: ^[2]

Source Meeting

^[3]