As an e-commerce business grows into more products and regional markets, separate Shopify stores can make sense.
You can run several stores under one domain name if you can manage the work involved.
Managing them can be difficult. The tips below explain how to handle several Shopify stores.
To go straight to setting up multiple stores, click here.
Can You Have Multiple Shopify Stores?
Yep! If you run a small business, it may make sense to sell only through a single online store. One of the best things about Shopify is that you can start from a small one-region store, and once you’ve grown your business you can expand to multiple Shopify stores.
Can You Have Multiple Shopify Stores On One Account?
You can’t have multiple Shopify stores under one account, but Shopify permits and supports owning multiple accounts as needed to operate multiple stores. You need to set up accounts for each new store, managing inventory for each through their own Shopify accounts.
Use the same email address for several Shopify stores and choose a different plan for each as needed.
Your store communications then arrive in a single inbox.
Each account still requires a separate login.
Why You Should Consider Building Multiple Shopify Stores
The following situations can justify the time and effort of running several stores.
International Expansion
When expanding internationally, e-commerce stores often make the mistake of expecting customers abroad to buy the same products as customers at home.
Shopping habits and consumer needs differ between countries, as do lifestyle considerations.
A store for each country lets you localise the website and product range for its audience.
You can configure each Shopify store for the market you want to reach.
For the UK market, for example, a store can sell products exclusive to that region and display prices in UK pounds.
Targeting Different Portions Of Your Audience
Separate stores can serve different customer segments when you sell different types of products.
A supplements business might use one store for bodybuilding & fitness products and another for alternative remedies & Eastern medicine.
Give each store a distinct subdomain while keeping them beneath the primary domain.
Outletting And Sub-Branding
A large inventory across stores may call for a deep discount to clear stock.
Discounting through the main store devalues the brand.
A separate Shopify store can instead house a sub-brand selling lower-quality or cheaper products. This reaches new customers without compromising the main brand.
That approach helps meet retail goals and grow the brand while maintaining its quality.
Common Challenges With Managing Multiple Shopify Stores
Operating a store for each location can also create several problems for the business.
The complexity may increase the risk of security problems.
A small business can probably manage the structure and data of a single site.
As the business grows and adds different products, that data can become disorganised quickly.
Organise product range data consistently across every online store where you sell.
Combined with Google Analytics, that structure shows which channels perform best in each country and how sales divide between product lines.
When the same products appear in both stores, purchases and returns on either site require inventory updates.
Customers may try to buy at one store only to discover that its stock has sold through the other.
Shared warehouse stock makes accurate inventory and order management across Shopify stores difficult.
Use the steps below to avoid these common multi-store problems and keep the business operating smoothly.
How To Set Up And Manage Multiple Shopify Stores
- Create And Configure Each Store
- Optimize Each Store For Search
- Install A Real-Time Inventory Management System
- Get A Product Information Management System (PIMS)
- Create A Central Order Management System
- Consolidate Your Customer Service
- Explore Other App Solutions
1. Create And Configure Each Store
For your first Shopify store, start with this official guide.
Follow the same setup process for each additional store. I recommend one email address so all communications arrive together.
Set inbox filters for each store to organise those messages.
2. Optimize Each Store For Search
When selling internationally, adapt each store to the people in its target country.
For North America, for example, optimise one store for the USA and another for Canada.
Different markets look for different products, so stores need different sales keywords and blog topics.
Use local keywords to help the website perform better in its region.
Set up Google Analytics separately for every store to understand consumer trends in each region.
Country-specific promotions and deals, along with local service pages, also help shoppers find the appropriate store.
3. Install A Real-Time Inventory Management System
Use inventory management software to track stock levels.
It helps you monitor demand and keep enough products available for customers.
Shopify apps such as Stock Sync send low-stock alerts and hourly updates.
Send that inventory data to the website so customers can see it too.
Customers can quickly check which products are in stock and see that you have enough to sell to them.
Seeing which products sell out quickly can create pressure to buy and lead to more sales.
4. Get A Product Information Management System (PIMS)
With several stores and product ranges to manage, it is easy to confuse which products sell where.
Organising that product information is difficult. Begin by identifying the products that belong in each store.
If all stock shares a warehouse, the fulfilment team needs to know where to find products for each store.
Tools can help manage this information.
A PIMS keeps the e-commerce business’s product information in one central place.
It distributes and updates that information across every store. Each receives consistent data in real time, whatever way the store displays its products.
5. Create A Central Order Management System
Tracking order information becomes difficult when several stores are involved.
Manage orders centrally to simplify purchases and returns across those stores.
Collect customer data with a Shopify app such as ShipHero, including shipping information and refunds.
6. Consolidate Your Customer Service
A single support system keeps customer queries and order details together.
It also records feedback that you can use when developing products.
Use email or a ticketing system such as Zendesk to track support requests across the stores.
Zendesk is a widely used ticketing system that is easy to learn.
It improves communication within the team and customer satisfaction, making repeat visits more likely.
7. Explore Other App Solutions
Many officially supported Shopify apps make operating several stores easier.
Rewind Copy, available here, helps back up and duplicate store content.
Browse the Shopify app store for other tools that make operations more efficient and improve the shopping experience.
