Our lives were changed beyond comparison when the internet was first created. We embraced this technology and since its development, we have made sure to make it feel welcome in every imaginable field. Today, no activity, work or pleasure, can be carried out without stumbling onto the web.
Opportunists saw this as a chance to strike big, and the world of e-commerce was born. The use of internet in order to create a platform where consumers and sellers come together to carry out transactions is the new ‘it’ business. Many, like Amazon, Flipkart, eBay, etc., have cashed in on it, and in the process made millions for themselves. This business is given the name ‘e-commerce marketplace’.
It is probably the most ingenious way of using this platform, as the driving idea behind the internet was connectivity. This is what an e-commerce marketplace does, it connects the consumer to the service provider and facilitates transaction between them. The creator of the multi-vendor marketplace website gets a commission once a transaction has been carried out.
There are many ways in which a multi-vendor marketplace can be created. The most straight forward and obvious way is to develop it from scratch. However, the process is tedious and requires intricate knowledge of coding languages like HTML and Python. The second method is easier and can be carried out even by someone who uses their computer only to play solitaire.
The simpler method is to use a pre-existing platform and customize it for the sole purpose of hosting a multi-vendor marketplace. These platforms help you put up a virtual entrance and billboard for your online marketplace, along with helping you manage and customize as per your requirement.
Though there exist many platforms, only a few are able to provide you with an extraordinary product. The following list consists of six such e-commerce platforms.
1. Magneto Marketplace
The first one on the list will be loved due to one very important reason – it is free! An open source platform which has been said to have similarities to WordPress (which we will talk about soon), Magneto differs in the fact that its prime focus is on building e-commerce marketplace. This gives it an edge over the other competitors as every attachment and extension available for this platform have only one goal – helping you build a multi-vendor marketplace.
Even if you are registered with Magneto, your platform cannot sustain the consumer without the much-needed extension, aptly known as Marketplace Multi-Vendor Module.
Features of the Magneto Marketplace:
- After inclusion of the above-mentioned extension, different sellers can be given different profiles, on which the content can be managed by them.
- Sellers can modify logos, images, media and more, thereby reducing your workload.
- The extension allows you to provide different commissions to different vendors.
2. Yo!Kart
Yo!Kart is a standalone multi-vendor eCommerce platform for setting up online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba at a minimal price. It is a customizable software that fits the requirements of today’s entrepreneurs with a comprehensive system. It is a completely white-label multi-vendor ecommerce platform that comes with a lifetime license on every package and also offers 1-year free technical support.
Yo!Kart offers a free live demo and its prices start from $999.00 (one-time payment). Majority of Yo!Kart users are based in North America, Europe & the Middle east.
Features of Yo!Kart
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An admin can Fetch real-time tax rates and automate tax compliance with pre-integrated Tax Jar and Avalara APIs in Yo!Kart.
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Abandoned Cart Management allows business owners and vendors to recover lost sales and minimize the rate of abandoned carts effectively within the dashboard.
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Multi-lingual & Multi-currency Functionality
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There are 20+ Payment Gateways that enable the admin to choose the preferred one according to their wants.
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Fully customizable and scalable.
3. Sharetribe
Similar to Magneto in the sense of singular focus on creating marketplaces, Sharetribe takes the process a notch higher. However, unlike Magneto, this is a paid platform. The starter pack allows you to have a maximum of 300 members, whereas the highest package lets you have about 100,000 members.
The simplicity of setup, which merely takes minutes, is one of the main reasons this platform is sought after, despite the fact that an initial investment has to be made. Also, the global payment system is adept at accepting payments, be it credit cards or any online system like PayPal.
Other features of Sharetribe:
- The platform gives its users free reign in managing their profiles and creating listings.
- The users can customize photos, pricing, location and product information on their profiles.
4. WordPress
WordPress has given many a platform, not just to express themselves, but to also make a living out of it. This platform, merged with an eCommerce plugin WooCommerce and an multi-vendor extension like WCFM Marketplace or Dokan, can help you create your own multi-vendor marketplace.
The registration to WordPress is free, but you will have to buy the multi-vendor extension. This is a great investment for beginners as this is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to create a marketplace. This theme is known to work well with Easy Digital Downloads, which is used for selling downloadable products. The users can expedite the entire process by logging into their social media account.
Other features of WordPress:
- Audio and video previews of the product are available for the customers.
- The customers have the opportunity to rate and post a review of a product.
5. CS-Cart Multi-Vendor
A powerful e-commerce platform, CS cart is a popular cart that gives the creator an opportunity to run the site off a personal server, which improves security and makes you the primary controller. This is available as a monthly subscription system, but there is a lifetime package which you can opt for.
The best part about this platform is that unlike other platforms, it is self-sufficient and needs no help from any theme or extension.
Other features of CS-Cart:
- The lifetime package lets you have an unlimited number of vendors.
- The vendor admin feature of the platform allows vendor-specific shipping, powerful product display and pay-out recording.
6. GenStore
Genstore is a cart designed platform whose sole purpose is to help the user create an e-commerce website. Node JS is the technology which is used to create the GenStore cart and is used by many around the world in order to create their own marketplace. Among all the node js e-commerce carts built on MEAN (MongoDB, Express Js, Angular Js, NodeJs) stack, GenStore is the most preferred
Integrated with SEO modules for discreet store rebranding, this powerful platform is used by many big names in the industry like IBM, Facebook and Google Maps. Along with being robust, the early users have claimed that GenStore is a powerful node js e-commerce cart, equipped with detailed documentation guides and quality code. For the social butterflies, GenStore also comes with an integrated Facebook messenger bot for easy communication with consumers.
Other features of GenStore are:
- Supports all marketplace types, i.e., selling, rentals or services
- Takes automation to a whole new level, i.e., no constant supervision is required
- Supports both Apple and Android OS.
These are some of the best multi-vendor marketplace platforms in the current market. Based on your needs, you can choose between one of these options. Cheers!
AUTHOR BIO
I am a professional blogger, guest writer, Influencer & an eCommerce expert. Currently associated with ShopyGen as a content marketing strategist. I also report on the latest happenings and trends associated with the eCommerce industry.
Follow me on Twitter @Jessicabruc
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