10 Faqs to ask your Multi-Store Marketplace Platform Provider

Operating a network of multi store marketplace can be overwhelming.

That’s why choosing the right multi-store marketplace platform is fundamental to your business success.

While cutting edge technology builds a strong base for a successful multi vendor marketplace, there are other crucial factors that can make or mar your growth plans. 

And if you are planning to kickstart your multi store international online marketplace journey, choosing a future-ready marketplace solution becomes all the more crucial.

And how can you determine the best fit Multi-Store Marketplace Platform?

By asking the right questions - from scalability to personalizations and everything that aligns with your business goal. 

Don’t know where and how to start?

Well, fret not, StoreHippo has got you covered!

Here are the 10 most asked questions to help you confidently choose the right multi store ecommerce solutions. 

10 FAQs to help you choose the right multi-store marketplace software

Having multiple storefronts for your business is an appealing idea to achieve your business expansion goals. However, it can be daunting to strategically evaluate different marketplace platforms. 

To help you kickstart your ecommerce journey and create the most engaging multi vendor marketplace, here is a list of 10 questions that you must ask your multi store ecommerce solutions provider.

1. Can I manage multiple stores from a single admin dashboard?

A central dashboard for managing all sub-stores is non-negotiable. Before finalizing on your multi-store marketplace platform, make sure it offers a central control switch to manage and operate all your sub-stores from a single dashboard. 

Why does this matter?

Well, as you plan to expand your ecommerce business and operate in different geo-locations, it becomes tough to manage different stores from different dashboards. Right from managing the inventory to synchronizing the customer data, and working on orders on all stores, it all requires a great deal of effort and hence a central dashboard. 

Follow-up questions to ask:

• Is there real time inventory tracking for different sub-stores?
• Can I set up location specific inventory for each sub-store on my multi vendor marketplace?

Not all multi-store marketplace platforms come with a clear picture. By asking the follow-up questions, you will get a better understanding of the usability of the admin dashboard and the scope of managing multiple stores effectively.  

How StoreHippo helps

• Enables you to operate multiple stores seamlessly with a single dashboard
• Makes it easy to allocate different products, and assign different pricing, discounts etc.  to different stores using a central admin
• Helps you effortlessly manage customers, payments, shipping, and more with a single login
• Makes it easy to assign specific inventory to each sub-store with built-in order and inventory management system
• Enables you to easily streamline orders from across all your sub-stores

2. Will the multi-store marketplace platform help create different designs for each location-specific marketplace sub-store? 

It is indeed important to be able to craft new designs for each sub-store. While choosing your multi vendor marketplace, make sure you can play around with the design element. Wonder what makes us say so? Keep reading to find out.  

Why does this matter?

Well, one single design for all your sub-stores can be quite boring, both for your enterprise brand and for the customers. As you create different designs for different sub-stores, you attract, engage and convert better. It can, however, be challenging to create different themes for different locations-based sub-stores with a multi-store marketplace platform that does not support easy design tweaks.   

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Does the platform come with customized themes?
• Do I need to learn coding to create unique designs for each sub-stores
• Can I customize different product categories and layouts specific to each location?

How StoreHippo helps

• 100+ device-optimized themes for customizable ecommerce stores
• Helps create multiple designs based on user preferences for each sub-store
• Easy to create professional-looking website designs with the easy drag-and-drop feature 
• Makes it easy to customize the designs without the need for coding 
• Easily create customized themes for promotional landing pages 

3. How scalable is the multi-store ecommerce platform?

Often underestimated, yet a major concern for large enterprise brands - scalability. With high volume of products, large orders pouring in, and multiple stores with a large number of vendors, you certainly need multi store ecommerce solutions that can be scalable.    

Why does this matter?

To chart an upward trajectory of growth, it becomes essential to offer a seamless shopping experience to your customers. Look for a software that accommodates your business growth and offers a seamless buying experience even if you scale up to millions of customers.      

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Will it support peak season for multiple stores without performance issues
• Can I scale up to new locations and product categories without compromising site speed

How StoreHippo helps

• The MEAN stack technology offers an inherently scalable solution for your high-volume fast-growing businesses

• It offers consistent high-performance, even with exponential growth
• Makes it easy to handle peak loads effortlessly even during peak seasons
• It guarantees 99.99% uptime through autoscaling and redundancy
• If offers a blazing fast speed with advanced caching and optimization
• Enables you to easily scale up to new products and locations 

4. Do the multi store ecommerce solutions have personalisation features?

Your enterprise brand might feel handicapped without the personalization feature. Ensure not to compromise on the personalization feature while choosing your multi store ecommerce solution.  

Why does this matter?

To quickly adapt to the changing market dynamics, you need a turnkey ecommerce solution that helps you cater to the personalization needs of your customers. 89% of the businesses are investing in personalization this year. With the modern age customers looking for customisations at every step of their shopping journey, personalization is your key to customer’s hearts.  

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Will it be possible to personalize each sub-store?
• Can I personalize shipping solutions or digital payments for my customers?

How StoreHippo helps

• Built on decoupled headless architecture StoreHippo multi vendor marketplace platform gives better creative control and helps customize easily
• Makes it easy to customize frontend and backend elements like products, prices, and checkout.
• API-based architecture allows seamless integration of preferred marketing software
• Helps create highly personalized storefronts to boost conversions
• Flexible platform for building unique buying experiences

5. Can I create different mobile apps for different stores of our enterprise multi vendor marketplace?

With 63% of users shopping from brands that have a mobile app, it becomes prudent to choose a multi vendor marketplace builder that comes with a built-in mobile apps builder.   

Why does this matter?

Take your ecommerce brand where your customers are - on mobile phones. Well, if you thought being on mobile phones could take a back seat, rethink your marketing strategy. With mobile becoming the most sought after shopping channel, creating mobile apps for your multi vendor marketplace is a must. Ensure to look for mobile solutions while choosing your marketplace builder and benefit from the impulsive buying habits of your customers.    

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Can I customize the look and feel of each individual mobile app?
• What is the cost of developing mobile apps for each sub-store of my multi vendor marketplace?

How StoreHippo helps

• Offers a built-in mobile apps builder to build Android and iOS apps 
• No coding needed to build mobile apps, sub-store apps can be built at no additional costs It helps build PWA stores that look, feel and work like mobile apps even on entry-level devices and work seamlessly even on poor internet connectivity 
• It offers built-in apps for admins, delivery people and vendors to help manage business on the go
• Helps customize mobile apps for each sub-store like, language, design, shipping, checkout, etc

6. Will it be possible to add different integrations for each store of my multi vendor marketplace?

Indeed an important question for well-functioning of your marketplace. White choosing your multi store ecommerce solutions, look for solutions that make it easy to integrate with multiple software.

Why does this matter?

You would want your stores to perform well, right? Each sub-store has unique business goals. Without the right multi store ecommerce solution in hand, it can be challenging to work in tandem with multiple stores. It becomes easy to build a strong brand presence and carve a niche for your brand in the ecommerce industry with your own choice of software or third party apps.      

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Can I do different integrations for each store based on their unique requirements?
• Are there additional costs associated with adding different integrations for each store? 

How StoreHippo helps

• Enables you to seamlessly integrate with your preferred tools with its API-based architecture
• Helps build a unique ecommerce ecosystem tailored to your business needs
• Easy to diverse payment options on different sub-stores for a smooth checkout
• Easy to integrate with multiple shipping partners to create a seamless supply chain

7. Will it be possible to implement different pricing for each store on the multi store marketplace platform?

Implementing different pricing for multiple stores is not something brands look for at the initial stage. It, however, makes a huge difference in the long run.

Why does this matter?

It is the age of personalization and customization. With customers looking for a personalized experience at every stage, a uniform pricing structure will limit your scope of growth. You need a multi vendor marketplace platform that helps you offer differential pricing at multiple levels, based on different factors like locations, audience segments etc, to help you boost your conversions.  

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Can I differentiate the pricing at login, location or brand level?
• Can I offer flash discount prices during promotions?

How StoreHippo helps

• Easy to customize pricing for each sub store
• Offers built-in discount engine to give flash pricing to different buyer segments/products
• Easy to list the same products at different prices depending on the location or the deal offered at each store

8. What apps would be needed to create multilingual stores for my international online marketplace?

Building an international online marketplace involves several important factors, and building a multilingual site tops them all. You need a multi vendor marketplace platform that helps you communicate with your customers in multiple different languages. 

Why does this matter?

With 68% of the buyers preferring to shop in their native language, it is essential to go multilingual today. As you go international, you need to communicate with your customers in their native language. For example, if you plan to expand your multi vendor marketplace to Greece, you would also have to translate your website into the native language Greek for maximum conversions and to engage your customers better. 

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Will I be able to translate the entire website content like product descriptions etc?  
• Are there any automatic controls for translation?

How StoreHippo helps

• StoreHippo offers multilingual support for 100+ languages
• Easy to translate with both automatic and manual options 
• Enables translation in RTL languages like Arabic and Hebrew
• Helps create seamless multilingual shopping experiences

9. Will it be possible to add different payment gateways/methods for each multi vendor marketplace sub store according to the targeted country/location?

Well, this is one of the important questions that can determine the long-term success of your international online marketplace for global markets. 

Why this matters

Offering a diverse range of payment options can enhance customer satisfaction in each sub-store by enabling hassle-free checkouts and increasing conversion rates. Whichever platform you are considering for your international marketplace, you need to ensure the muli-store marketplace platform supports popular payment methods and gateways.

Follow-up questions to ask

• Are there additional fees for certain payment methods?
• Does the platform support local payment methods for different locations?

These questions will further give you a clear picture of what you are signing for. With additional fees involved, you can accordingly have your pricing tweaked to maximize ROI.

How StoreHippo helps 

• 60+ pre-integrated payment gateways
• Support for COD and UPI payments
• Support for netbanking, credit and debit card
• Easy to customize checkout for each sub store
• Add multiple payment options for each sub-store

10. What kind of analytics and reporting tools will we get?

The need for analytical tools and reporting softwares is beyond question. Look for multi store ecommerce solutions that come with built-in tools to help analyze customer behavior.             

Why does this matter?

Implementing strategic moves and catering to different audience segments require a clear understanding of customer behavior. With access to reporting and analytical tools, you can create a personalized user experience and offer your customers exactly what they are looking for. Tap into customer insights from all your sales channels and from different sub-stores with advanced analytics tools and softwares. 

Follow up questions to ask: 

• Can I add reporting tools of my choice?
• Can I get location wise reports for each sub-store’s performance?

How StoreHippo helps

• Helps analyze customer behaviour and buying patterns and create targeted marketing plans for business growth with built-in tools
• Easy to build custom landing pages and forms to capture customer data and deliver tailored experiences
• Easily connect with tools like Google Analytics and Zoho for comprehensive customer insights
• Utilize email, push notifications, SEO, and analytics to drive sales
• Helps recover abandoned carts and boost sales with personalized notification

Conclusion

Choosing the right multi-store marketplace platform for your business is an uphill task. However, once you know the right questions to ask, you are set. With futuristics features, and right built-in tools, you can hack unparalleled growth for your international online marketplace. 

The SaaS-based multi store ecommerce solution, StoreHippo, offers 360-degree solutions to help you build, run, and grow your marketplace seamlessly. Built on decoupled headless architecture, StoreHippo offers creative control and flexibility to create an out-of-box network of stores for your enterprise brand. With the API-based architecture, enterprise brands can build innovative solutions by integrating with the best-in-breed software and tools on their multi vendor marketplace.   

Are you all set to choose the right multi-store ecommerce solution for your enterprise brand? Explore StoreHippo ecommerce solutions by starting your 14-day free trial now.