Unstructured and hard to query
A PO number in the order note is free text you have to parse. A tag is a flat string with no key, no type, and a practical limit on how much structured data it can carry — clumsy for reporting and integrations.
Order metafields
Trade Account Checkout writes each checkout field — a PO number, trade account number, VAT ID or EIN — to a structured order metafield (namespace.key). Unlike a note or a tag, a metafield is typed, queryable through the Admin API and GraphQL, exportable, and available to Shopify Flow.
Requires Shopify Plus · Free plan available
Quick answer
Trade Account Checkout saves every checkout field value to a Shopify order metafield — for example a PO number to custom.po_number. Because the value lives in a structured namespace.key metafield rather than an order note or tag, it is typed, pinned in the admin, exportable, readable through the Admin API and GraphQL, and usable as a condition or value in Shopify Flow. The app writes the field only; it is not a payment method.
Last updated: 16 June 2026
Why metafields
Order notes and tags are fine for a label, but they are awkward to query, export, and automate against. Metafields are built for structured data.
A PO number in the order note is free text you have to parse. A tag is a flat string with no key, no type, and a practical limit on how much structured data it can carry — clumsy for reporting and integrations.
A metafield has a namespace, a key, and a type. You can read it by key through the Admin API or GraphQL, pin it in the admin, include it in exports, and reference it directly in Shopify Flow conditions and actions.
How it works
Configure once; every matching order gets the metafield written automatically.
Add a checkout field — say a PO number — and Trade Account Checkout maps it to an order metafield such as custom.po_number.
The buyer types the value at checkout; it is validated against your rules before the order is placed.
When the order is created, the value is written to the mapped metafield and pinned in the admin for visibility.
Read the metafield by key through the Admin API or GraphQL, include it in exports, or reference it in Shopify Flow.
At a glance
Why a structured order metafield is the right home for B2B checkout data.
| Capability | Order metafield | Order tag | Order note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structured key | Yes — namespace.key | No — flat string | No — free text |
| Typed value | Yes | No | No |
| Read by key via Admin API / GraphQL | Yes | Filter only | Hard to parse |
| Usable in Shopify Flow | Yes, as a value | Yes, as a trigger | No |
| Best home for | The PO / account reference | Flagging trade orders | Ad-hoc comments |
For example, the order metafield PO number value is written to custom.po_number — so you can save a PO number to an order metafield and read it straight back by key, with no parsing of an order note.
On the order
Each value lands in its own metafield with a clear key — not buried in free-text notes.
Metafields — pinned
Tags
trade-accountFAQ
For the developers and agencies evaluating the data model.
An order metafield is structured custom data attached to an order, stored under a namespace and key with a defined type. Unlike a note or tag, it can be read precisely by key through the Admin API and GraphQL.
Trade Account Checkout writes each field to a clear, consistent metafield key per field, such as custom.po_number. This keeps the data predictable for exports, the API, and Shopify Flow.
Yes. A PO number entered at checkout is validated and written to its own order metafield, pinned in the admin and available to your reporting and automation.
Yes. Because the value is stored as a metafield, you can query it by key through Shopify's Admin API and GraphQL, rather than parsing it out of free-text notes.
Yes. Order metafields are available to Shopify Flow, so you can branch on a value or pass it into actions. See the Shopify Flow for B2B orders guide for examples.
The value is written to the order metafield inside your Shopify store. Trade Account Checkout itself stores only shop-level configuration and no customer data — see the security and data access page.
Capture checkout fields and write them to clean, queryable order metafields on your Shopify Plus store.
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