Understanding User Roles: Shopper, Requester, Approver & Administrator

Whitney Walden

Updated August 06, 2026 22:31

Purpose: This guide compares what the four core roles — Shopper, Requester, Approver, and Administrator — can and cannot do in ESM Purchase™ ESM Consumer Role™, so users and administrators can quickly confirm the right role for a given task.

Before you begin:

1) You are logged into ESM Purchase™ ESM Consumer Role™ (see How to Log Into ESM).

2) You know your own assigned role, or you are an administrator preparing to assign or update a user's role.

Steps — Comparing the Four Roles

Shopper, Requester, and Approver are cumulative — each role includes everything the role before it can do, plus one additional capability. Administrator is a separate track focused on system configuration rather than transacting.

Role	Browse & Add to Cart	Submit Requisitions	Approve / Reject Requests	Invite & Manage Users	Configure Entity Settings
Shopper	Yes	No	No	No	No
Requester	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Approver	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Administrator	No*	No*	No*	Yes	Yes

Note: * Being assigned Administrator does not automatically grant Shopper, Requester, or Approver access. If an administrator also needs to shop, submit, or approve requisitions, that role is assigned separately, the same as for any other user (see Managing Users & Permissions).

Shopper

Can browse The Store and the Quick Buy carousel and build a cart, but cannot select Checkout — the Submit option is not available to this role. Assign Shopper to staff who need visibility into available items without transacting authority.

Requester

Has all Shopper access, plus the ability to complete Checkout, submit requisitions, and track them from Recent Transactions. This is the role most end users are assigned (see Creating a Purchase Request (Quick Buy)).

Approver

Has all Requester access, plus the Purchase Approvals service card to review, approve, or reject requisitions routed to them (see Reviewing a Purchase Request) (see Approving and Rejecting Requests).

Administrator

A separate role focused on system configuration rather than day-to-day purchasing. Administrators can invite users and assign or update roles (see Managing Users & Permissions), and hold entity-level configuration authority such as approval workflow settings, receiving rules, and transaction copy / change order permissions.

CAUTION Watch out for: A user can hold more than one role at a time — for example, a Requester may also be an Approver for a different queue. Assign every role that reflects the user's actual responsibilities (see Managing Users & Permissions).

NOTE ✓ You're done when: You can identify which of the four roles — Shopper, Requester, Approver, or Administrator — applies to a given user or task, and know which guide to reference for detailed steps.

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