Multi-Store Ecommerce Platform Explained — Definition, Examples, Pros&Cons
Selling online is thrilling, but how about growing bigger? Every business wants it! In reality, scaling can be challenging. And one of the first challenges you encounter is engaging new audiences. You need to open new stores (or websites) to attract new clients, just like in a brick-and-mortar eCommerce. A multi-store ecommerce can help you put it all together and make the scaling easier. In this blog, we’ve gathered some knowledge on what ecommerce multi-store websites are and how you can build your first multi-storefront website.
- What Is a Multi-Store Ecommerce
- Ecommerce Multi-Store Examples
- Multi-Store Ecommerce Features and Benefits
- Multi-Store Ecommerce Сons
- Ecommerce Multistore Security
- Multi-Store Ecommerce Integrations
- Choosing a Multistore Ecommerce Solution
- How Virto Commerce Can Help You to Create Multi-Store Solutions
What Is a Multi-Store Ecommerce

Multi-store eCommerce platform and stores based on different platforms
What Are Multiple Storefronts?
- Personalize your sales deeply to attract and retain buyers.
- Comply with specific laws and regulations.
- Localize all your customer experience correctly: use correct language, currency, and cultural peculiarities.
Ecommerce Multi-Store Examples

How Nestlé uses multi-store eCommerce for various regions
L’Oréal multiple storefronts

How L’Oréal uses multi-store eCommerce for different brands
Multi-Store Ecommerce Features and Benefits
- Clients
- Store owners
- Companies and their stores
- Distributors
- Franchises
- Administrative staff.
Clients
- Simple and convenient ordering across different vendors and suppliers – thanks to a variety of features like quick orders, punch cards, re-ordering, ordering several units at once, and so on.
- Automatic catalog filtering to order specific company-approved items from specific brands.
- Client-branding for high-priority high-profile customers.
Store owners
- Support for both B2B and B2C.
- SEO customization that allows selecting preferred meta description and/or keywords for multiple store websites.
- Complete access to all kinds of customer data, including registration date, order history, wish lists, and more.
- Custom product configuration and navigation, including page templates for more effortless product organization in catalogs.
- Various useful features coming from integration between a B2C or B2B marketplace and other software, including ERP, CRM, and numerous custom modules.
- Ability to provide sellers with stores within your own store (Amazon does this!). They can have their own catalog content, prices, and other characteristics, and their positive aspects would also be reflected in you as a store owner.
- Government regulation compliance when it comes to client payment data storage (PCI DSS).
- Customized Multi-Storefront shopping carts and proprietary checkout procedures.
Multiple stores shopping cart
Administrative staff
- Each store can be customized
- Expansion up to the global level due to the extended scalability
- Providing better customer support, especially when it comes to support-heavy operations
- General maintenance streamlining to help with the management
- Using the same product in several different stores
Multi-Store Ecommerce Сons
- Extension issues. Your storefronts are not the same, so upgrading one of them, you should consider others, as they might not support new capabilities. But if you choose an API-native platform that uses an atomic web design, you have nothing to worry about. For example, Virto allows upgrading all your Storefronts seamlessly, step by step, as every part of your eCommerce works like a separate module.
- SEO issues. As most of the businesses running multiple storefronts sell same-category products, it becomes challenging to draw SEO traffic for all of your websites the same efficiently. Some platforms offer additional SEO features that allow to differentiate your stores and optimize them for search engines.
- Challenging payment structure. Building a multi-regional eCommerce store, you have to pay great attention to currency use, accounting, and local tax laws and regulations. To avoid any issues, find a trusted local solution that can integrate with the system or request your eCommerce platform vendor to build the specific payment module.
- Customer data transfer. To ensure you handle data correctly, find detailed info on which data management regulations are applicable for the chosen region.
Ecommerce Multistore Security
- Cyber attacks
- Payment safety
- Fake store clones and Phishing
- Encrypt your data
- Ensure no fake websites exist, and let buyers know about possible threats
- Teach all departments about fishing and how to protect from cyber attacks
- Ensure your SSL certificate is up-to-date
Multi-store eCommerce integrations

Ecommerce software general integration options
Choosing a multistore eCommerce solution
- Analyze your budget. Ask a vendor if the multi-shop solution is delivered OOTB or if you need to purchase every module.
- Ensure the platform is built on open-source code. This will allow you to manage all the upgrades and changes easier.
- Brainstorm the features you are going to need, and ask a vendor if all of these features can be added. Check if they can be integrated separately in case you need them later.
- If you need to build several brand web stores, create a plan on their storefronts and ask your vendor about SEO opportunities. If this is going to be a multi-regional project, ensure the solution can be localized and supports the currencies you need.
- Request a demo and see the platform with your own eyes: the solution should be easy to manage but functional and stable.
Multi-Store eCommerce vendors
- Virto Commerce. An open-code API-native platform that supports eCommerce systems of any level: from startups to enterprises.
- Bigcommerce. A cloud-based eCommerce solution for retailers.
- Magento. PHP-based development platform for eCommerce businesses.
- Shopify. An affordable solution for beginners.
- StoreHippo. A SaaS-based solution for eCommerce
How Virto Commerce Can Help You to Create Multi-Store Solutions

Virto Commerce storefront
- Online marketplaces tailored to meet the requirements of a particular market.
- Easy management of all catalogs, checkouts, and orders of the system.
- API integrations and smart search engines.
- Specific scenarios for pricing and marketing to get deeper personalization and more.
Here at Bosch Thermotechnik, we were looking for a 100% customizable .NET platform with superior support options. We had an objective of launching a marketplace that will function smoothly in 25 countries. Eventually, by choosing Virto Commerce we successfully launched the website, our clientele has become more engaged, and we have increased the turnover.

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