What does your storefront eCommerce need to attract users and keep up with business competitiveness? Great user experience, and availability of any product in one place per click.
To maximize positive results from these parameters, you want to use different tools and technologies. One of these could be a Multisite CMS.
In this article we will explain the definition of this technology: why multistore systems are crucial for digital business and how they may help not only to retain the customer, but also to expand the business with minimum costs.
What’s the Point of Multi-Store or Multisite eCommerce?
In terms of accessibility, all in one eCommerce platform is hardly different from its physical counterpart — supermarket. Customers enter a single place where they can immediately find a whole list of different products from different manufacturers: starting from food to clothes and cosmetics. Now imagine the same, only in digital format.
So, a multi-store eCommerce platform is a system that allows the storefronts of various stores to be integrated into the ecosystem of one website. This usability goes in both directions: as the user doesn’t move around dozens of sites, multisite management is able to operate from a single panel. All windows work with a singular knowledge base, despite showcases having different design, product catalogs, buyer lists and settings.
Each shop could remain separately themed: differ in the menus, buttons, and show offers only for specific target audience. This allows for quick management decisions taking into account various factors. Let’s say, in the summer season it is definitely worth highlighting vacation-related goods, while in winter lights, sweets and gifts will be more appropriate.
The main task of multi-store eCommerce is not only to attract buyers, but also to provide a seamless experience. At the same time, it keeps each showcase unique, serving different purposes and providing different products.
As for the purposes, the use of multi-store may be reasoned by different designs, or legal aspects. For example, multisite allows you to apply different domains, languages, provide prices in different currencies, and deploy different offer grids for B2C and B2B eCommerce business directions. But we will talk about this in more specific details later. So far, let’s sum up the main points why your business needs a multi-store management system.
Inventory management
First of all, we talk about the pain point of a large or expanding business — inventory tracking. Multi-store management system allows businesses to track inventory in real time across different stores. Working with stores’ networks as a whole or each store individually, the system helps you to avoid overstock or stockout risks, therefore avoiding unnecessary costs.
Improved market segmentation
You get the tool to thoroughly explore your audience’s needs. Collecting data from each store, your multi-store network could effectively expand taking into account target audience, demographics, region and niches. As a result, your stores provide more relevant offers to customers.
Increased SEO visibility
From a content optimization perspective, running a system with multi digital stores allows you to apply keywords, most relevant to a particular region or niche, to products’ name or description which leads to increased appearance in search engines. Overall being a helpful marketing tool in case your business needs to improve local positioning, so your customers will find you faster and easier.
Personalized offers and services
Multi-store management system provides centralized information about customers and their shopping history. Based on this data, you can configure different offer scenarios: discounts for buying products from the same segment, compilation of recommended products and so on. With a multi-storefront you can customize it for each store individually.
Staff and documentation management
Implemented multi-store system navigating not only processes between eCommerce platform and customers, but company’s internal communication as well. Management tools coordinate schedules, manage payments, provide staff with current news and updates, etc. Overall, simplifying interactions and reducing administrative overhead.
Scalability
Ultimately, if your business decides to expand, the platform will follow. Multisite system is easily adapted to adding new stores, logistics routes and offers. Because your business has a chance to work precisely with each store, you get the opportunity to test different business hypotheses without critical losses for the whole system.
But here is the main reason to use multichannel eCommerce platform — it allows you to carry out all the advantages of a one-stop system for several directions:
- Vertical — to sell products from the same segment;
- Horizontal — to sell products from many different categories and industries;
- Global — include in the trade relationship not only consumers, but also vendors, expanding your business to B2C and B2B.
Are There Different Types of Multi-Stores?
Given the wide possibilities, there is no surprise that we can get different types of their implementations.
Depending on the business’ size, its focus and business model, multi-store can be used for international expansion, brand separation, or multi-segment targeting. But we want to highlight each type separately, providing you with our cases as examples.
Read more: Choosing the Right eCommerce Backend for Your Project: Popular Solutions and Features
Multiple Domains
To put it short, it is the same multi storefront available on multiple domains.
To be more specific, many web hosts will allow a host to have only one domain name related to one account. But what if you need more than one site – do you have to pay for several accounts at once?
In this case, the multi-domain store saves you from having to pay for multiple domains at once. This way the store will work with multiple domain hosting, which in turn is provided with a properly selected and built eCommerce tech stack specifically for your business needs.
For example, a UK based DIY store implemented a multi-level extension chain to different domains and subdomains. Simtech Development helped integrate Royal Mail Service with the Click&Drop functionality for stores in the UK, the rest of Europe and the US. As well as redirection from marketplace main pages to vendor mini-stores on subdomains through the “Continue shopping” button. So, customers seamlessly made their way through different domains to purchase product.
Multiple Languages
If your business is already international or plans to expand beyond a given region or country, you will need to personalize the platform for foreign consumers.
Of course, the first thing we think about is language change. Indeed, making your multi-site eCommerce available to non-native speakers is a great solution. Multilingual platform does not only cover communication nuances, but also solves problems with different currencies, contacts, delivery and payment conditions, which obviously vary depending on the region.
B2C + B2B
Multi-store eCommerce could be a solution when your business is able to combine three entities: the owner (you), vendors and customers. This is a very useful opportunity if your business works both B2C and B2B.
By segmenting your business in terms of directions, you can work with two different sales scenarios simultaneously. For B2B it is wholesale, accompanied by more advanced search filters and sorting of goods by SKU (stock-keeping unit). For B2C the same goods available, but sold individually and with a more simplified search.
For business, this means both simplified documentation and better stock management. Within one admin panel, different types of documentation are available: contracts, reconciliation statements, invoices, and shipping documents for B2B, and fiscal receipt and user manuals for B2C. While B2B is more dependent on the function of placing a pre-order for out-of-stock goods, B2C customers are just waiting for the goods to be available again. Tracking these data in one place has a significant impact on providing a smooth supply chain.
Simtech Development has a case of coexisting B2B and B2C in one platform. For example, we worked for G-shopping, a marketplace that sells home decor, health and beauty products, both retail and wholesale. As a result, achieving a more extended inventory management functionality and opportunity for business to grow with full support of further business needs.
Multi-Vendor Storefronts
If you know what Amazon or Walmart is, then you are at least superficially familiar with multiple storefronts systems more than you think.
Multi-shop in this case covers a whole list of stores, like one big shopping center: different page designs, store names, domains, languages. For example, when you go to the clothing category you can see the showcases of Adidas or Nike — both will be made in different layouts and remain distinct, still being in one place.
Vendors retain all rights to intellectual property to protect and manage their brands through access to administration tools.
This approach is capable of expanding with additional entities. For example, in one of our cases Simtech Development added vendor storefront administrators. This was done to extend the standard Multi-Vendor system into a conglomerate of vendor-administered sites. With that we achieve a vendor-focused marketing platform with consistent design among all the storefronts, and a handy quick order creation function.
Multiple Stores
It may seem like multi-vendor storefronts and multiple stores are not that different, right? Yes, almost, but there is one tricky part.
Multiple stores are completely different projects in terms of goods from different niches and characteristics that multisite hosting could manage from one administrative panel.
In this multi-store type, you as the owner have a centralized store manager and one codebase to manage stores with unique domains and multisite subdomains, product catalogs, customization capabilities and targeting on niches, market segments and geopositions. It can also be separated, having nothing to do with another shop-mate from the same network.
You get control over the installation of plugins to run your stores, only in those you consider necessary.
This option is suitable for businesses that are interested in more personalized customization of each site, multisite rebranding and a more subtle SEO management.
Benefits of Working with Multi-Shop eCommerce
There is much to be said about how multistore eCommerce allows business to reach a wide audience, as well as increasing the range of centralized opportunities.
Launching each individual site as an independent unit is gradually becoming obsolete. Just imagine the necessary number of resources and specialists needed to maintain and update several databases. And what would it require if you’re going to expand?
Multi-store comes as a cost-effective solution with a single dashboard and a single database, able to manage multiple sites simultaneously and individually:
Multi-Store Management from a One Platform
As we mentioned above, the main advantage of a centralized commerce platform is convenience. And if the convenience lies in the root technical aspect, it affects the whole business one way or another.
Instead of storing, organizing and being responsible for the security measures of complex systems with different logins and accesses, you can effectively manage your multichannel business from one place. This includes inventory, orders, customer data, approved lists, design and so on.
By rationalizing and automating routine work, you minimize the risk of mistakes that may occur when using individual storages. In one panel everything remains visible, any mistake can be traced in time and analyzed later.
Expanding Business Horizons
As your business grows, you will want to try out different markets. Usage of multiple storefronts is unlikely to meet the needs of small niche businesses, only add costs. But if you are a promising mid-market company, your list of plans for the near future certainly includes expanding business horizons.
Having мultiple stores on one website provides fast scaling almost with no loss. Among other things, it allows you to test different hypotheses if you are thinking about launching a new product line. Online space already relieves business of the need to rent a commercial space and other limiting aspects, and scalability quite exalts this quality to maximum values.
Improved Target Strategy
The single eCommerce store is limited by a specific target audience. In addition, when expanding the list of products there is always a big risk that customers will simply not notice or find interesting changes taking place.
Multi-store eCommerce platform gives a generous opportunity to combine different groups of buyers in one place, based on demographics, gender, age and so on. Up to recommendations based on previous purchases.
The result is a more personalized approach with a wide choice — users will always return to the site in case of looking for already familiar goods, or thinking about buying something new. This increases the user satisfaction and loyalty metrics.
Cost-Effectiveness
Although the multi-store solution seems expensive at first, especially if you consider the possible need for improvements or purchase of a more advanced license, in the long term it is more cost-effective.
The costs of maintaining and servicing individual stores with their own hosting, and technical support can be a major obstacle for businesses wishing to develop on a digital basis. Multi-store excludes these problems, because business management is centralized.
This strategic approach does not multiply unnecessary obstacles to growth and improves the speed and efficiency of management decisions.
Creating a White-Label Space
As the content and functionality of multisite website attracts new customers, the presence of well-known brands also plays an important role.
White-label website literally has an official confirmed brand with the name and symbol of another company in it. This way, people looking for a particular brand can visit your platform, which obviously is good for your business.
Top 5 Multi-Store eCommerce Platforms That Help Business Grow
Let’s move from theory to practice: if your business is interested in a sustainable digital presence, as well as the expansion of its own capabilities, you can use an out-of-the-box solution.
We list CRM, ERP and headless systems, as well as Laravel multisite developers, that deserve your attention.
However, it should be noted that such solutions in their vast majority are suitable for established companies.
CS-Cart
CS-Cart is a platform or «engine» for creating online marketplaces. It provides comprehensive tools and functionality for managing multi-site eCommerce. With this platform you can run a digital business of any size and capabilities: from small shops with few products to large marketplaces with up to 2 millions of products and vendors.
CS-Cart may help you with:
- Creating and managing a catalog: add, edit and delete goods, categories, attributes, options;
- Order and payment management: tracking of orders, integration with different payment systems and notifications to customers;
- Delivery management: configuration of delivery methods, calculation of additional costs, integration with logistics services;
- User management: log in and sign in, access rights configuration, customers and administrators accounts;
- Marketing tools: discounts, promotions, sales, loyalty programs, integration with social networks and other marketing opportunities;
- Multilingualism and multi-currency: support for multiple languages and currencies for international trade;
- User interface: customizable design, templates, layouts, integration with already existing platforms and programs.
CS-Cart open code allows businesses to customize and expand its functionality with the help of add-ons and modules, even multi-vendor eCommerce store.
The platform provides several solutions for companies of different sizes and for different business goals. You can also request a demo version for your project and find out all the details by clicking on this link.
BigCommerce
This online service is a low-code platform where users without special skills of development can build and configure their own online store. However, running eCommerce multiple storefronts will require more advanced knowledge, but you can apply for this in technical support and learn about their offers on the website.
The main advantage of BigCommerce is that the user does not need to spend money on a separate hosting or domain, and also have extensive knowledge of design and coding.
This platform is aimed primarily at businesses that want to quickly launch their commercial resource, integrated with global payment systems and social services such as Facebook, Google Shopping, Ebay and Amazon.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is a well-known eCommerce platform that provides a user with more control over the digital commerce setup and automation, combined with higher service speeds and multi-channel services.
Integrating Shopify Plus as a multi-store management software gives you access to a powerful hosting network designed to search your products or services. As well as relatively simple creation of complex scenarios: gift for purchase, free delivery, bonus summing and so on.
Magento
Magento developers describe their service as being as simple as possible. But newcomers in the field of multi-store eCommerce software will still have to learn its features.
However, spending very little time, you get an extensive menu with pages, products and scripts in an uncluttered visual layout admin panel.
With all the advantages of faster page loading and caching, background page indexing and full integration with Google Analytics, a store created on Magento will deliver AI-based recommendations to your customers.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is integrated with WordPress content management system and this is its main difference from all the above eCommerce representatives.
This implies you will have more control over your site, but it will require a little more knowledge about hosting, domain names and coding (primarily, design-wise). This is why WooCommerce has become so popular among more advanced developers.
In return for your efforts you will get a more fine-tuned design, advanced sorting and filtering of goods, as well as access to the REST API to manage and integrate with everything regarding orders, goods, locations and so on. In addition, working with WordPress gives another advantage — the integration with thousands of WordPress plugins to improve the appearance and functionality of your store.
How to Сhoose Multi-Store eCommerce Solution
The process of choosing the right multi-store eCommerce solution depends primarily on the capabilities of your business. And secondly — on your future plans. Both points define the functions you would like to see in your platform. Because trying to take everything at once is a direct path to unnecessary loss.
What Type of Multi-Store eCommerce You Need?
Think about the size of your business, it will help you to determine the type of craft CMS multisite you want.
For example, large companies that sell internationally have many brands and different customer markets (in different countries). Typically, a large business needs the ability to create unique sites that can be managed through one admin panel. Here we can talk about the use of multiple stores and even a combination of B2C and B2B with multi vendor eCommerce store.
If you are not selling internationally, but have several brands and plans for expansion, then it is worth looking for an adaptive multisite to expand, producing advanced order management.
The main thing is not to complicate your backend with unnecessary entities. It is better to find a platform that can quickly implement the necessary extensions on demand. For instance, out-of-the-box solutions can be complemented by various functions. When choosing the right multi-store platform, your business retains freedom from the need to hire developers, perform stress tests and interrupt current business processes.
Development directly impacts business’ launch speed, as it determines the initial workload, reorienting the line to a new digital solution and so on. Whether it is a completely custom solution or headless CMS multisite ones, there is one key factor that needs to be considered.
The platform should be fully technically supported throughout the implementation and use cycle. These offers are not available among all technical partners, but CS-Cart and BigCommerce will be a pleasant discovery for your business. It is directly related to the creation, launch and subsequent scaling of your eCommerce business.
Potential Cons of Сentralized e-Commerce Platforms
The numerous advantages of multi-site eCommerce can also come with some disadvantages. However, they are not something unexpected, but just something to be prepared for.
First of all, it is the complexity of initial implementation and configuration. Not every business owner will be able to gather coding skills, it will require time and effort, as well as possible consultation with technical partners.
There are some problems with maintaining consistency in all stores. Especially with businesses that operate on the international market. It is important to avoid crucial mistakes, as the differences in product details and prices that are not appropriate for certain regions can confuse customers.
Resources and time for effective management. First of all, we talk about technical specialists. The maintenance of safety, as well as the consistency of technical execution is an important issue.
Additional marketing costs. Since your business is unlikely to thrive just by being on a certain site, it’s important to tell potential customers about it. Multi-store management leaves a certain complexity, because you have to present each direction separately.
Successful Cases of Multi-Site eCommerce Platforms
Successful cases of multi-site or even multilingual eCommerce solution introduction are easy to follow on major international brands: most often you can see different designs, advertising offers, approach etc. We have selected some examples for a visual demonstration.
Nestle Multiple Domains and Languages
Here you can see how the Nestle brand demonstrates different approaches: the company’s website and its trademark, popular in Asia and Africa, have almost the same layout and domain, but specific offer works only for a certain region.
Sephora Multiple Storefronts
Canadian brand Sephora sells cosmetics worldwide, and makes offers both its own brand as well as collects all affiliated brands of the world.
Instacart B2B2C Experience
Instacart sells services from grocery stores and other retailers to clients. Buyers place orders, communicate with customers about stock options and other points, then order.
Conclusion
When deciding to move to a multi-store eCommerce platform or expand your business into the eCommerce field you want to meet the needs of your business.
The development market can offer business convenient technical functions, whether it is a plethora of payment options, real-time shop management, personalization of offers, user-friendly interface and flexible design customization. So your best platform is one that fits the size of your business.
After you have made your choice, be ready to create a migration and launch plan. The process of turning an idea into a reality is labor-intensive and big, but the result is worth it, we are sure!