Multishop eCommerce: a powerful solution for online growth

When you start a webshop or are ready to expand your online business, you have probably already seen the term multishop eCommerce. But a term is only a term if it is not further explained. In this blog we will explain why multishop eCommerce is a powerful solution for online growth.

What is multishop eCommerce?

Multishop eCommerce is the management of multiple webshops from one central environment. It may concern webshops for different brands and / or target groups, such as companies or consumers. These shops have their own offer, appearance and name, but share the backend.

What are the benefits of multishop eCommerce?

When you offer multiple brands, you have the choice of offering them from one webshop or from multiple separate webshops. If you opt for the latter, you are faced with a second choice: are you going for several separate webshops, each with its own backend or one multishop? We would like to explain a number of important advantages of multishop eCommerce.

1. Central managements of webshops

   The integration with your ERP system is perhaps the biggest gain you will achieve in terms of management. You only have to link once and all processes run the same for the different shops within the multishop environment.
   
   In addition, it regularly happens that the offer of several webshops is partly the same. As soon as you have to make a change in a product description, this only has to be done once from the PIM system that is integrated with the multishop environment.
   
   If you have separate webshops, you have to deal with various integrations and / or you manage the product description of one article in several places. This increases the risk of errors and decreases efficiency.

2. Unique URLs

   This has to do with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In order to be easy to find for the target group of different products, it is important to work with specific keywords. After all, search engines only show the content that is really relevant to a specific search query. With unique URLs you position yourself as a specialist in a specific area.
   
   When you offer all products from one domain, it is more difficult to reach a specific target group than when you do this from different (sub)domains. It would mean that you apply all those different keywords to one domain and it is therefore much more difficult for a search engine to determine what the webshop is really about.

3. Infinite scalability

   With a multishop eCommerce platform it is quite easy to add a new webshop. After all, the integrations have already been made, so it's mainly about design and marketing to get the brand known.
   Adding new products to the various webshops is also very easy. You add this once to the PIM system and choose to which shops the product may be added.
   
   And do you have international ambitions? Each webshop can be filled in multiple languages ​​and with offerings per country and / or target group.

4. Offer tailored to the target group

   How annoying is it when you are looking for a specific product and you end up on a webshop that offers so many more products? You are distracted in your search process with the risk of dropping out. In addition, the question arises: how qualitative is the offer, if this store does not dare to make a choice in its offer? And you are also looking for a provider who does specialize in the product you are looking for. No potential customer, no sales.
   
   With a multishop eCommerce platform you offer a very targeted product group for a specific target group per webshop. The visitor can search in a targeted way in a product range that suits his needs. As a result, the customer not only has a much more pleasant shopping experience, but the chance that he will return in the future has also increased.
   
   

Doas multishop eCommerce have no disadvantages at all?

“Every advantage has its disadvantage”, also multishop eCommerce. The biggest drawback is the higher cost. Multiple (sub)domains and running and managing multiple webshops costs money. Think of SSL certificates for the different domains and personnel costs to put the different brands on the market powerfully. If you give one webshop more attention than another, this can result in only a part of your webshops becoming a success.

Examples multishop eCommerce

With Multshop eCommerce often people only think of brand shops. However, it is much more widely applicable. A target group can also be a specific customer group. We explain a number of examples:

1. B2B & B2C webshop - if you want to serve both business and private customers, with multishop eCommerce you can set up these two webshops from one environment. The business webshop shows the business product range with prices excluding VAT and the private webshop shows the private product range with prices including VAT. In this way you keep the offer relevant and pleasant to read for both target groups.
2. Reseller shop - if you are a brand manufacturer, chances are that you have resellers who have included your products in their product offering. With a reseller shop you manage the reseller's webshop so that you have full control over the appearance, the offer and the product price.
3. Pre-order shop - By placing a pre-order shop next to the regular webshop, you can offer an exclusive product range with a completely individual look to the specific target group that you select for it. Consider, for example, the business Christmas packages or the new collection of bicycles that can already be purchased in advance of the season.