Migration guide
BlueCart to Crate
BlueCart is a wholesale ordering platform built for food and beverage distributors, with route management, a sales rep app and BlueCart Pay. This guide is for roasters, bakeries and brands whose products already live in Square, Clover or Shopify and who want buyers ordering at their own prices without a second catalog to keep.
By the Crate teamUpdated
The short answer
- BlueCart does not publish prices: its pricing link opens a demo request. BlueCart says there are no termination fees.
- Crate Starter is $50/month, Growth $80/month and Plus $150/month, with a 14-day free trial and no card.
- Your Square, Clover or Shopify catalog syncs in, so the products you sell at retail are the products your buyers order.
Why switch to Crate
- A price you can check before a call. Crate lists every plan on its pricing page and you can start a 14-day trial on your own. BlueCart quotes after a demo.
- One catalog, not two. Crate imports the products and stock you keep in Square, Clover or Shopify, and confirmed wholesale orders land in Square on the same items. BlueCart's pages describe building the catalog in BlueCart and do not mention Square, Clover or Shopify.
- Your brand on the portal. Buyers order from a portal with your logo, on a subdomain of your website such as wholesale.yourbrand.com. BlueCart's buyer app is listed in the App Store as BlueCart.
- Keep QuickBooks Online. Crate connects to QuickBooks Online on every plan, and buys shipping labels through your own ShipStation or Shippo account from the order page.
- Standing orders and roaster tools. On Growth, buyers set, skip and pause weekly, 14-day or 28-day orders. Roast weekdays, cutoffs and a production sheet are built in.
When staying put is fine: BlueCart may still fit if you run delivery routes and sales reps, want a team to load your catalog for you, or need partial payments or NetSuite or Xero sync.
Cost: BlueCart vs Crate
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| BlueCart Wholesale, eCommerce and Subscriptions | Not published: the pricing link opens a demo request |
| Termination fees | None, according to BlueCart |
| Crate Starter (up to 20 active buyers) | $50/month |
| Crate Growth (up to 50 active buyers) | $80/month |
| Crate Plus (more than 50 active buyers) | $150/month |
What each BlueCart feature becomes in Crate
| BlueCart | In Crate |
|---|---|
| Subcatalogs with prices and SKUs per client (source) | Price lists per account, prices for one customer and quantity breaks, plus a custom catalog per account with only the products you list |
| Payment terms per account (source) | Prepaid, COD or Net 7 to Net 90, set per account, with overdue reminders |
| Standing orders (source) | Standing orders every 7, 14 or 28 days that the buyer or you can change, skip or pause (Growth) |
| BlueCart Pay: card, bank transfer and ACH, partial payments (source) | Invoices paid online by card, or a standing order charged to a saved card. Crate has no partial payments. |
| QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite sync (source) | QuickBooks Online on every plan. Crate has no Xero or NetSuite connection. |
| Route management and sales rep app (source) | Not on Crate's public plans. Buyers order online from their portal; you can also place orders for them from the dashboard. |
How to switch
- 01Bring your products. Connect Shopify, Square or Clover and your catalog syncs. No store? Upload a product spreadsheet.
- 02Upload your customers. Upload the customer CSV in any column layout. Each account needs a business name and an email. Set payment terms, such as Net 30, as you import.
- 03Set prices. Recreate your price lists and customer prices. Send us your export and we will help.
- 04Invite buyers. Run both tools side by side until prices check out, then invite each buyer to their portal.
What to export from BlueCart
| Data | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Products | Nothing to export if your catalog lives in Square, Shopify or Clover: connect it and it syncs. Otherwise upload a product spreadsheet. |
| Customers | BlueCart has no public help center, and its site does not describe exports. Ask BlueCart support for a CSV of your buyer accounts with business name, email and payment terms, then upload it to Crate in any column layout. |
| If you sync BlueCart to QuickBooks Online | BlueCart syncs orders and invoices with QuickBooks, so the customers on those invoices are in QuickBooks too. In QuickBooks Online, open Settings, then Export data, switch on the lists you need and select Export to Excel. (source) |
| Prices and subcatalogs | Ask BlueCart support to include each buyer's subcatalog and prices, or note them by account. Send them to us and we will help rebuild your price lists and customer prices. |
| Orders and invoices | Your BlueCart order history stays in BlueCart, and in your accounting system if you sync it. Crate starts new order history from your switch date. |
Keep in mind: BlueCart does not publish its contract terms. It says there are no termination fees, but check your agreement for the renewal date before you set a switch date.
Keep in mind: Ask for your exports before you cancel, and run both side by side until each buyer has placed a first order in Crate.
Questions about leaving BlueCart
- How much does BlueCart cost?
- BlueCart does not publish prices. Its pricing page lists BlueCart Wholesale, eCommerce and Subscriptions with a demo request form, so you get a quote after talking to sales. BlueCart says there are no termination fees.
- Can I export my data from BlueCart?
- BlueCart's public site does not describe exports and it has no public help center, so ask BlueCart support for CSV files of your customers, products and prices. If BlueCart syncs to QuickBooks Online, you can also export your customer list from QuickBooks under Settings, Export data.
- Does Crate work with Square, Clover and Shopify?
- Yes. Crate imports your products and stock from Square, Clover or Shopify, or you can keep a standalone Crate catalog. BlueCart's pages do not mention any of the three.
- Does Crate have delivery routes like BlueCart?
- Not on Crate's public plans. Crate is built for buyers who order online from your portal, with roast or bake days and cutoffs. If you run your own trucks with route planning and sales reps, BlueCart lists both.
Send us your BlueCart export
Upload your customer list and we will help set up prices before your buyers move.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Sources
- 1. BlueCart pricing link (opens Book a Demo)
- 2. BlueCart B2B eCommerce
- 3. BlueCart digital catalog software
- 4. BlueCart Pay and wholesale invoicing
- 5. BlueCart route management
- 6. QuickBooks Online: export your data
Based on published information on the review date. Plans change, so check with the provider.