Managing multiple Shopify Plus stores efficiently is crucial for business growth. Implementing productivity optimization strategies can significantly enhance your operations.
In today’s competitive e-commerce landscape, businesses are expanding rapidly, often requiring multiple storefronts to cater to diverse markets and customer bases. This expansion, while beneficial, introduces a new set of challenges that can strain resources and reduce efficiency if not managed properly.
By employing robust management techniques and leveraging the right tools, businesses can ensure that each store operates seamlessly, providing a consistent and high-quality customer experience across all platforms. This article will explore various strategies and tools to help you manage your multiple Shopify Plus stores effectively.
What is Multi-Store Management?
Multi-store management involves handling the operations of multiple stores, each with unique operational demands. The goal is to keep the functioning of these stores as smooth as possible. For online stores, this process is intensive and requires constant monitoring. Effective multi-store management ensures that all stores operate seamlessly, providing a consistent customer experience and optimizing operational efficiency.
What is Shopify Plus Multiple Stores?
In today’s digital world, the exponential growth of e-commerce has increased the demand for online stores, prompting many business owners to expand across multiple domains. While you can’t have multiple stores on a single Shopify account, Shopify Plus allows you to create separate accounts for each store, enabling you to manage them independently. Shopify Plus multiple stores facilitate creating different storefronts for various regions, making your store accessible and user-friendly for global customers.
How Many Stores Can You Have on Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus allows you to create 9 additional stores alongside the main store, giving you a total of 10 stores. Managing these stores can be challenging, so it’s advisable to hire Shopify experts for efficient management. These experts can also assist with Shopify store design services and inventory management.
How to Create Multiple Shopify Stores
- Log onto your Shopify Plus store account.
- Click on Stores from the Shopify organization admin panel.
- Click on Create a Store.
- Enter a store name and URL.
- Choose applications to pre-install on your store.
- Import themes and files if needed.
- Import staff from existing stores.
- Click on Create Store to finalize the process.
Guidelines for Creating New Stores
Importing Themes
When importing a theme into a new store, ensure that any coded references to files continue to point to the correct files. This prevents broken links and maintains the integrity of your store’s design.
Importing Store Staff
Before importing staff from an existing store, consider their permissions and roles. Ensure that only active and email-verified staff are imported.
Costs of Multiple Shopify Stores
The cost depends on how you choose to run the stores. Multiple Shopify accounts will cost you the subscription fee for each account, while Shopify Plus plans start at $2000 per month.
Why Should You Have Multiple Stores?
Expanding your business by creating multiple Shopify Plus stores offers several advantages:
International Sales
Having multiple stores allows you to penetrate new markets by localizing your storefronts. This means you can tailor your products, prices, and promotions to fit the preferences and cultural nuances of different regions. Localized stores can display prices in local currencies, offer local payment methods, and use region-specific marketing strategies, thus enhancing the shopping experience for international customers and increasing your global reach.
Target Different Customer Segments
Different stores can be customized to target specific customer segments such as B2B, B2C, or niche markets. For example, you can create a dedicated store for wholesale customers that offers bulk pricing and ordering options, while another store caters to individual consumers with a different product range and marketing approach. This segmentation allows you to meet the unique needs of each customer group more effectively, thereby boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Product Variety
Managing different product categories in separate stores can simplify operations and improve the shopping experience. For instance, if you sell both fashion items and electronic gadgets, having dedicated stores for each category can help you organize your inventory better, create more focused marketing campaigns, and make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for. This separation can also enhance SEO efforts by allowing you to optimize each store for specific keywords related to its product range.
Brand Outlet Creation
Maintaining exclusivity for luxurious items by segregating them into a separate store can help preserve the brand’s premium image. This strategy is especially useful for high-end brands that want to create a distinct online presence for their luxury products, separate from their regular offerings. By having a dedicated luxury store, you can provide a more personalized and exclusive shopping experience, which can attract high-end customers and boost the perceived value of your brand.
Tools and Apps to Manage Multiple Stores
Managing multiple Shopify Plus stores can be streamlined with the right tools and apps. Here are some essential ones:
- Shopify Plus: This platform offers robust features specifically designed for managing multiple stores. It allows you to handle multiple stores under a single account, providing centralized control over all your operations.
- TradeGecko: This inventory management software centralizes inventory tracking across multiple stores. It ensures real-time updates and helps prevent overselling or stockouts, making inventory management seamless and efficient.
- Orderhive: A comprehensive order management system that consolidates orders from all your stores into a single dashboard. This tool helps streamline order processing, tracking, and fulfillment, ensuring efficient and timely deliveries.
- Zendesk: This customer support platform centralizes customer service operations. It helps manage tickets from all stores in one place, providing a consistent customer support experience and improving response times.
- Asana: This project management tool facilitates team collaboration. It helps in assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and tracking progress, ensuring that your team is coordinated and productive across all stores.
- Klaviyo: An advanced email marketing tool that allows you to create personalized marketing campaigns for different stores. It helps segment your audience and send targeted emails, enhancing customer engagement and retention.
- Gorgias: A customer service platform tailored for e-commerce stores, integrating seamlessly with Shopify. It helps manage customer inquiries from multiple channels, including email, social media, and live chat, all in one place.
- ShipStation: This shipping software integrates with multiple sales channels and carriers, automating the shipping process. It helps manage shipping logistics, print labels, and track shipments efficiently.
- Shopify Flow: An automation platform that allows you to create custom workflows to automate repetitive tasks. It helps save time and reduce manual errors by automating processes such as order tagging, inventory updates, and customer segmentation.
- Slack: A communication tool that enhances team communication and collaboration. It allows for real-time messaging, file sharing, and integration with other tools, ensuring your team stays connected and informed.
FAQs
Q1: How can I link two Shopify stores together?
Use third-party apps like Syncio to synchronize inventory and orders between stores.
Q2: Can I manage multiple Shopify stores with one email?
Yes, with Shopify Plus, you can manage up to 10 stores under one account.
Q3: What are the benefits of having multiple Shopify stores?
Targeting different markets, offering customized experiences, and increasing revenue.
Q4: How can I ensure consistent branding across multiple stores?
Use the same logos, color schemes, and messaging across all stores.
Q5: What tools can help manage inventory across multiple stores?
Tools like TradeGecko or Skubana can centralize inventory management.
Conclusion
Optimizing productivity across multiple Shopify Plus stores requires a strategic approach and the right tools. By centralizing inventory management, streamlining order processing, unifying customer support, maintaining consistent branding, and ensuring efficient team collaboration, you can effectively manage multiple stores and drive your business toward success.
