How to create & run a Multi-Merchant store
The Multi-Merchant store or Multi-seller store is a store that contains offers and products from more than a seller where sellers or merchants pay you as a store admin a commission on their sales or a price for listing products and you can make subscription plans for the sellers too. You can even make it for free. Sellers will have their accounts in which they can manage their products, inventory, orders, and more freely. But the thing is, the transactions and actions will be processed through you as a store admin, which creates a win-win situation for both parties. You as a store admin will get a bigger inventory and more items on your store and the sellers will get a platform to sell their products in exchange for that.
In this article, we will outline:
- Why Multi-Merchant?
- What do we offer?
- How to get paid?
- How do the items get shipped?
- Recommended Apps
- Nice-to-have Apps
- Marketing Services
Expands your store since the sellers will help your store to include more products.
Increases sales as a result of the increase in products on the store, which allows customers to roam between multiple options and thus their opportunity to purchase will be more than before.
Reaching a large segment of the audience, and is a result of the increase in the number and diversity of products, which attracts different customers and a larger number.
Increasing the number of purchases that will be made through your online store, due to the diversity of different product categories and sections at different prices, meaning you can now reach different segments and levels of society and meet what suits them the most.
Increasing profits is an inevitable result with the increase in sales of your online store, but you will have additional income now as a result of the commission (If you set one) that you will get from each merchant after selling their products through your store according to the method of work that you will put.
Better Margins, as you save up on various areas, you even earn a considerable amount from the seller fees. You will not let any seller sell on your shop for free. Therefore, you can have the benefit of deciding the margins you would like to set for your store.
In Expandcart we offer the following app, which will be your ultimate tool to manage your multi-merchant or multi-seller store easily with unlimited access to control each aspect of your multi-merchant store:
To know more about the app and how to set it up, please check these articles.
To get the subscription or the listing fees from sellers, you can use PayPal, bank transfer, or MasterCard, for more details, please check this article. ExpandCart offers many ways to collect payments (More than 60 payment gateways) from your store customers. The following ones are the most popular ones:
-Cash on delivery: the easiest and fastest way to collect your money from the buyer and also some customers like to view their product first before paying.
-ExpandPay: makes you avoid third parties and have all that is needed to complete your order fulfillment cycle in one platform, and also If your business is not registered you can just activate online payment by submitting your national ID, Cash-out with a minimum of 250 LE, Transaction fees: 2.75% + 3 EGP.
-Bank transfer: Enables customers to transfer funds to your bank account easily.
-PayPal: allows payment through credit cards, bank accounts, or PayPal account balances and also gives credibility to your store as it’s one of the safest online payments.
-MyFatoorah: A Leading Service Provider for Online Payment in Kuwait & GCC, used by many sellers as it’s supported in Kuwait, KSA, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE.
ExpandCart offers you special rates and free integration with multiple shipping companies (Around 50 shipping methods), here you go with some of the popular ones:
-Aramex: Aramex is a leading express delivery and logistics service provider to the Middle East and other emerging economies, Arame offers:
Domestic and international shipping
Tracking shipments
Cash on Delivery
-DHL: DHL is the global market leader in logistics services. It offers all shipping, tracking, and express shipping services.
-Mylerz: one of the best shipping companies in Egypt, allow Same Day & Next Day Delivery. Tracking shipments, allow COD.
-Bosta: supported in Egypt, allow a full-service next-day delivery and logistics solution with the option to monitor & track shipments from placing the order, allow COD
-SMSA: SMSA Express has developed a range of services, including international and domestic express transportation, road, sea and air freight, customs clearance, e-commerce solutions, special services for the health care sector, special delivery channel, mailroom management, and many other services that qualify SMSA Express as the ideal logistics partner for prominent Saudi companies.
-AyMakan: supported in Saudi Arabia, AyMakan's services:
The number of attempts (3 phone calls &3 SMS or WhatsApp during three working days).
Our average combined (COD - Non-COD) success rate is over 90%.
We transfer all COD remittance every 15 days with a detailed report.
We do have our own cars branded with the AyMakan logo.
Our courier accepts MADA, STC PAY, and CASH for the payments.
We do have our own system that allows you to track, create, export shipments. Also, we can arrange the API integration.
AyMakan Pricing:
25 SAR for All Covered Areas
5 SAR for Cash Collection (COD Orders)
No Return Fees
-Warehouse shipping: Manage your warehouses directly from inside your store backend. Handling shipments separately from each warehouse and defining a certain shipping rate for the warehouse.
Communication tools: You can use WhatsApp as a communication tool and for automated notifications and so on, or Sendstrap Integration to be able to communicate with your customers.
-Advanced Multi Merchant: offers a full messaging system between merchants and buyers, to make it easier for the customer to reach the seller directly.
-Automatic related products: this will display lots of related products that change dynamically, all that is done automatically using the smart algorithms behind this app, and this will enhance your store and increase your sales.
-Delivery slots app: Make it easy for customers to choose a convenient delivery date during checkout and that will maximize your available delivery capacity and reduce cart abandonment.
-Store warehouse: you can Manage your warehouses directly from inside your store backend. Handling shipments separately from each warehouse and defining a certain shipping rate for the warehouse.
Enhance your store search: Since you will have several products you can enhance the store search using the following apps so customers can find their needs easily: Search auto complete, Advanced product filter, and Lableb.
-Sales Booster: with this app, you can boost your sales and take your conversion rate to the next level, with this unique application, you can boost your store sales up to 400%
-Social Proof Notifications By TrustRol: increase your sales with TrustRol as this app Increases signup and purchase conversions by showing recent orders and active users on your website.
-Friendly URLs: make your website’s URL easier and more friendly to the user since you will have a huge number of products, this will improve your SEO as well.
-Speakol: is a native advertising and content recommendation platform aiming to revolutionize the online advertising industry, reach your audience through Customized widgets blend in with website design, content, look and feel serving ads as part of the editorial flow of the page, and more.
When running a Multi-Merchant store, marketing is essential since this is will be one of your main methods to attract an audience and increase your sales and revenue. The main marketing services ExpandCart offers:
Google analytics: The goal of Google Analytics is to help you as a business owner to deliver a high-quality website to your customers and provide you with all the necessary information regarding the website statistics. So, Google Analytics basically helps you market to the right people, in the right way and at the right time.
Google AdWords: With Google Adwords grow online sales, bookings, or mailing list signups with online ads that direct people to your website. Get in front of customers when they’re searching for businesses like yours on Google Search and Maps. Only pay for results, like clicks to your website or calls to your business.
Facebook pixel: is a code that serves as the link between your online store and the Facebook account of your brand, to link them and give you access to many advantages that help you in managing your stores, such as data and analysis of your customers and their behavior on the website.
Coupons, discounts, and vouchers: Discounts whether it is coupons or automatic are a very powerful marketing tool, ExpandCart Provides you with the tool to create different types of discounts. You can make the discount general and eligible for everyone following its rules or you can make it with a code the customers need to type while checking out. You may create vouchers too through ExpandCart.
Store affiliates marketing: With affiliate marketing, you increase your reach faster and more consistently, and distribute your message to the widest possible audience on the Internet. By doing so the affiliates will use their influence to promote your products on their own sites and social media channels, leveraging their huge audiences to your advantage.
Store Expert Review: In this service, one of our e-marketing experts will review your store closely and in detail and then send you his detailed recommendations in all aspects to help you increase your sales.
Finally, you can check the following articles depending on the industry you're interested in:
-[Fashion](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-fashion-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Restaurant](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-an-online-restaurant-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Cosmetics](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-cosmetics-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Tech](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-tech-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
In this article, we will outline:
- Why Multi-Merchant?
- What do we offer?
- How to get paid?
- How do the items get shipped?
- Recommended Apps
- Nice-to-have Apps
- Marketing Services
Why Multi-Merchant?
Expands your store since the sellers will help your store to include more products.
Increases sales as a result of the increase in products on the store, which allows customers to roam between multiple options and thus their opportunity to purchase will be more than before.
Reaching a large segment of the audience, and is a result of the increase in the number and diversity of products, which attracts different customers and a larger number.
Increasing the number of purchases that will be made through your online store, due to the diversity of different product categories and sections at different prices, meaning you can now reach different segments and levels of society and meet what suits them the most.
Increasing profits is an inevitable result with the increase in sales of your online store, but you will have additional income now as a result of the commission (If you set one) that you will get from each merchant after selling their products through your store according to the method of work that you will put.
Better Margins, as you save up on various areas, you even earn a considerable amount from the seller fees. You will not let any seller sell on your shop for free. Therefore, you can have the benefit of deciding the margins you would like to set for your store.
What do we offer?
In Expandcart we offer the following app, which will be your ultimate tool to manage your multi-merchant or multi-seller store easily with unlimited access to control each aspect of your multi-merchant store:
To know more about the app and how to set it up, please check these articles.
How to get paid?
To get the subscription or the listing fees from sellers, you can use PayPal, bank transfer, or MasterCard, for more details, please check this article. ExpandCart offers many ways to collect payments (More than 60 payment gateways) from your store customers. The following ones are the most popular ones:
-Cash on delivery: the easiest and fastest way to collect your money from the buyer and also some customers like to view their product first before paying.
-ExpandPay: makes you avoid third parties and have all that is needed to complete your order fulfillment cycle in one platform, and also If your business is not registered you can just activate online payment by submitting your national ID, Cash-out with a minimum of 250 LE, Transaction fees: 2.75% + 3 EGP.
-Bank transfer: Enables customers to transfer funds to your bank account easily.
-PayPal: allows payment through credit cards, bank accounts, or PayPal account balances and also gives credibility to your store as it’s one of the safest online payments.
-MyFatoorah: A Leading Service Provider for Online Payment in Kuwait & GCC, used by many sellers as it’s supported in Kuwait, KSA, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE.
How do the items get shipped?
ExpandCart offers you special rates and free integration with multiple shipping companies (Around 50 shipping methods), here you go with some of the popular ones:
-Aramex: Aramex is a leading express delivery and logistics service provider to the Middle East and other emerging economies, Arame offers:
Domestic and international shipping
Tracking shipments
Cash on Delivery
-DHL: DHL is the global market leader in logistics services. It offers all shipping, tracking, and express shipping services.
-Mylerz: one of the best shipping companies in Egypt, allow Same Day & Next Day Delivery. Tracking shipments, allow COD.
-Bosta: supported in Egypt, allow a full-service next-day delivery and logistics solution with the option to monitor & track shipments from placing the order, allow COD
-SMSA: SMSA Express has developed a range of services, including international and domestic express transportation, road, sea and air freight, customs clearance, e-commerce solutions, special services for the health care sector, special delivery channel, mailroom management, and many other services that qualify SMSA Express as the ideal logistics partner for prominent Saudi companies.
-AyMakan: supported in Saudi Arabia, AyMakan's services:
The number of attempts (3 phone calls &3 SMS or WhatsApp during three working days).
Our average combined (COD - Non-COD) success rate is over 90%.
We transfer all COD remittance every 15 days with a detailed report.
We do have our own cars branded with the AyMakan logo.
Our courier accepts MADA, STC PAY, and CASH for the payments.
We do have our own system that allows you to track, create, export shipments. Also, we can arrange the API integration.
AyMakan Pricing:
25 SAR for All Covered Areas
5 SAR for Cash Collection (COD Orders)
No Return Fees
-Warehouse shipping: Manage your warehouses directly from inside your store backend. Handling shipments separately from each warehouse and defining a certain shipping rate for the warehouse.
Recommended Apps
Communication tools: You can use WhatsApp as a communication tool and for automated notifications and so on, or Sendstrap Integration to be able to communicate with your customers.
-Advanced Multi Merchant: offers a full messaging system between merchants and buyers, to make it easier for the customer to reach the seller directly.
-Automatic related products: this will display lots of related products that change dynamically, all that is done automatically using the smart algorithms behind this app, and this will enhance your store and increase your sales.
-Delivery slots app: Make it easy for customers to choose a convenient delivery date during checkout and that will maximize your available delivery capacity and reduce cart abandonment.
-Store warehouse: you can Manage your warehouses directly from inside your store backend. Handling shipments separately from each warehouse and defining a certain shipping rate for the warehouse.
Enhance your store search: Since you will have several products you can enhance the store search using the following apps so customers can find their needs easily: Search auto complete, Advanced product filter, and Lableb.
Nice-to-have Apps
-Sales Booster: with this app, you can boost your sales and take your conversion rate to the next level, with this unique application, you can boost your store sales up to 400%
-Social Proof Notifications By TrustRol: increase your sales with TrustRol as this app Increases signup and purchase conversions by showing recent orders and active users on your website.
-Friendly URLs: make your website’s URL easier and more friendly to the user since you will have a huge number of products, this will improve your SEO as well.
-Speakol: is a native advertising and content recommendation platform aiming to revolutionize the online advertising industry, reach your audience through Customized widgets blend in with website design, content, look and feel serving ads as part of the editorial flow of the page, and more.
Marketing Services
When running a Multi-Merchant store, marketing is essential since this is will be one of your main methods to attract an audience and increase your sales and revenue. The main marketing services ExpandCart offers:
Google analytics: The goal of Google Analytics is to help you as a business owner to deliver a high-quality website to your customers and provide you with all the necessary information regarding the website statistics. So, Google Analytics basically helps you market to the right people, in the right way and at the right time.
Google AdWords: With Google Adwords grow online sales, bookings, or mailing list signups with online ads that direct people to your website. Get in front of customers when they’re searching for businesses like yours on Google Search and Maps. Only pay for results, like clicks to your website or calls to your business.
Facebook pixel: is a code that serves as the link between your online store and the Facebook account of your brand, to link them and give you access to many advantages that help you in managing your stores, such as data and analysis of your customers and their behavior on the website.
Coupons, discounts, and vouchers: Discounts whether it is coupons or automatic are a very powerful marketing tool, ExpandCart Provides you with the tool to create different types of discounts. You can make the discount general and eligible for everyone following its rules or you can make it with a code the customers need to type while checking out. You may create vouchers too through ExpandCart.
Store affiliates marketing: With affiliate marketing, you increase your reach faster and more consistently, and distribute your message to the widest possible audience on the Internet. By doing so the affiliates will use their influence to promote your products on their own sites and social media channels, leveraging their huge audiences to your advantage.
Store Expert Review: In this service, one of our e-marketing experts will review your store closely and in detail and then send you his detailed recommendations in all aspects to help you increase your sales.
Finally, you can check the following articles depending on the industry you're interested in:
-[Fashion](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-fashion-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Restaurant](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-an-online-restaurant-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Cosmetics](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-cosmetics-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
-[Tech](https://support.expandcart.com/how-to-run-a-tech-store-with-expandcart-effectively)
Updated on: 23/01/2023
Thank you!