Although managing multiple Shopify stores can seem complicated, it is possible to reap the benefits of using the right software and managed properly. This article will cover Shopify multi-store management.
Shopify will allow sellers to open multiple shops, which will help them expand their business and increase their sales.
You can’t have multiple Shopify shops under the same account. There is an alternative. Shopify multiple shops refers to Shopify sellers with more than one account. Sometimes, this is also called a Shopify multistore.
However, Shopify inventory control between different stores can quickly become confusing.
You will be a manufacturer if you are working in this manner and you know how difficult it can be to manage multiple businesses at once.
Katana allows you to centralize all your Shopify stores, even if you sell products in different locations. A person with consignment inventory can store products and then sell them to customers.
This article will discuss how manufacturers can manage their Shopify stores. It also discusses the Katana Shopify inventory sync feature which is vital for accurate inventory information.
How many Shopify shops can you have?
There are many Shopify stores you can have, it just depends on your business’ needs.
A business could have multiple Shopify stores for a variety of reasons. One could be because they sell very different products or that one store is B2B while the other is B2C.
When you have more Shopify stores, here are some best practices
One store can be a daunting task.
Managing multiple Shopify shops only adds to the pressure. It’s crucial to follow certain ways of managing your business. You’ll soon become overwhelmed and your business will suffer.
Here are some best practices to help businesses run multiple Shopify stores.
1. Consolidate your customer support
Multiple Shopify store queries can quickly lead to multiple problems, especially if they are coming from different channels.
Your customer support system can be consolidated to make it easier for you and your team.
2. Data can be used to reveal hidden opportunities
Shopify Multi-Store Selling is a great way to sell because each store can provide analytics that will allow you to find untapped niches.
Use Google Analytics and other tools for information about your customers. This will allow you to identify the demographics and popularity of your store among certain groups. This information will help you decide if it is worth refocusing your store or investing in another Shopify store to better target this audience.
3. Continue to work on SEO
You will need to examine the SEO of each store to ensure that you get maximum exposure for Shopify multi-stores.
Use free tools such as Ubersuggest to find relevant keywords that are high-ranking on Google. Target them on your websites using a landing page.
- Headings
- Meta-titles
- Image ALT descriptions
SEO is about making it a constant task to stay ahead in the market. Be careful not to target keywords in the wrong places.
4. Centralize your order management
You’ll need to find a way for your Shopify multi-store customers to order in bulk.
You run the risk that you lose track of your orders.
- Make sure there are no bottlenecks
- Increase manufacturing lead time
- Your business’s reputation is at stake
5. Shopify App Store: Take Advantage
The right Shopify tools will allow you to centralize your store and other departments.
Shopify App Store has many great integrations and plugins that can automate your business processes. Be sure to search for a tool that will also optimize your manufacturing processes.
Multiple Shopify stores are a smart choice
These are just a few of the many reasons that a manufacturer might choose to open multiple Shopify stores.
1. Manage your brand’s value
This strategy is difficult to manage and we want to discuss it first.
Luxury brands may have outlets or off-price to appeal to different customers. This is an excellent strategy for companies with a well-known brand. This is where you have one store and then open another to allow frugal customers to get cheaper products without reducing the value of your other products.
Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack are two examples of this theory in action.
2. International selling
You might decide to open Shopify multiple Storefronts to distribute your products around the world.
You can display different currencies in one store but you cannot receive payments in the default currency of your store. There’s a possibility that you will need to deal with different tax rates depending on the location you are selling. You can ensure compliance by opening a new store to sell the same products.
Target audience in another country may not be the same audience as the original store’s audience.
Each region should be considered a market and you will need to find ways to reach them.
3. Different groups can be sold to
You may need to adapt your store to different countries if you want to sell your products internationally.
This could mean changing the language, currency and design to appeal to each customer segment. Different sites allow you to design stores that appeal to different customers. This practice doesn’t just apply to different countries.
Businesses can use it to appeal to different customers or businesses individually.
How to create multiple Shopify shops under one Shopify account
Unfortunately, Shopify cannot allow multiple accounts to have the same store.
You can also have multiple Shopify shops on different accounts. You can also create multiple Shopify storefronts on the same account if you want to experiment with managing Shopify stores without investing capital. This means that your main account will still have your store and subpages of your website or homepage will be your other storefronts.
This is an easy and affordable way to manage Shopify multi-store brands. However, it does not allow you to handle your SEO for different stores.
Multiple Shopify stores present challenges for manufacturers
We will briefly discuss the challenges manufacturers face when selling products to Shopify’s multiple stores. You should mention that although you may see your business in any of these scenarios, you should also evaluate whether your business is ready for support on another website.
If you are ready to open Shopify multiple shops, it is important that you understand the challenges and how to overcome them. Let’s start with the most important element, then we’ll break it down. Having multiple Shopify stores will require you to manage separate sales orders, production schedules, inventory management, and other administrative tasks.
1. Sales orders
It can quickly get complicated when you have to deal with multiple stores.
2. Inventory
This is also true for inventory management. You could make a mistake and end up with dead stock, or worse, delay your production.
3. Products
As you manage multiple Shopify stores simultaneously, it can be confusing to know how to prioritize and show products.
4. Software for integrated inventory management
It can be difficult to manage multiple Shopify stores. Many Shopify sellers also use manufacturing ERP software. Software on the market can be difficult to use or designed for large corporations.
Katana allows you to manage multiple Shopify shops, from sales to production
Katana, a manufacturing ERP, comes with inventory management features that you can use to optimize multiple Shopify stores. Katana offers thousands of manufacturers greater control over order fulfillment, inventory management and production scheduling.
- Live inventory management — All items and materials in your inventory are automatically saved. Katana’s unique master plan features allow you to take all your materials and assign them to your manufacturing orders.
- Our visual platform makes it easier to manage your floor levels. Our drag-and-drop system makes it easy to prioritise a new order and redistribute material to suit the new workflow.
- Integration of your e-commerce software and accounting software — You can integrate your Shopify multiple stores or accounting services such as QuickBooks Online to be able receive orders and generate invoices from one platform.
How to integrate Shopify with Katana
Katana is integrated with Shopify, making it easy to manage your inventory and fulfill sales orders.
How Katana’s Shopify inventory sync functions
Based on these factors, Katana can provide accurate inventory readings for both accounts.
- Changes in the product quantity trigger the sync. If a product has been committed to a sale order and is updated as delivery occurs, it will be displayed on Katana along with your Shopify inventory.
- Stock sync works only if items are available in Shopify and Katana. After your items have been transferred from Shopify to Katana, and the stock sync enabled, new products will not be synchronized. For stock sync to function, these new products must be manually added to both of your accounts.
Katana is able to match Shopify products using their Shopify SKU or variant code and then import the data.
If there are multiple products with identical SKU’s, it will only import the one that was created the most recently. You can also export your products to Shopify using Katana. However, you will need to export inventory as a spreadsheet to import it into Shopify.
An example of stock and inventory synchronization
Two stores sell leather handbags made by a manufacturer: a B2C store and a B2B store.
All their Shopify data was imported onto Katana, and stock synchronization has been enabled. They currently have 20 bags in stock. Both B2C stores and B2B shops will be able to see that they have 20 handbags on Shopify. Each store will receive a sales order. One bag will be sent to the B2C store. Ten bags will go to the B2B store. The inventory (once marked as delivered with Katana) will then be reduced down to nine.
However, if 20 bags were manufactured and marked as complete on Katana within a short time, stock levels (on Shopify or Katana) will rise to 29.
You don’t need to monitor two inventory levels. This central point of inventory control saves you time and makes it easy to fulfill sales orders using one platform.
It should be noted that Shopify immediately reduces inventory when a sale order is placed.
However, Katana won’t allow it to decrease immediately.
Instead, it will allocate products available, which you can see under Committed. Once the sales order has been fulfilled, Katana’s inventory drops.
Shopify gives you total control of all your stores
You now know how to optimize Shopify multiple stores and what to do to make them run.
You also need to find Shopify inventory software that communicates with your Shopify store. This will give you an accurate, up-to date, and autonomous overview of your stock levels. Stock synchronization features will save you time and eliminate the need to manually update spreadsheets. Katana provides a central point for inventory monitoring across multiple stores, fulfilling sales orders on-time, planning production, and a better understanding of your production status.
