VTEX can be a great ally in structuring a marketplace, as it is a collaborative commerce platform with native management resources for this type of channel.
As well as being one of the most robust platforms on the market, it offers quick solutions for managing and synchronizing a marketplace. The facilities range from creating a buy box quickly, connecting the channel with other VTEX tenants and even easily incorporating new sellers to start the operation with a variety of products in the portfolio. The retailer will also be able to count on features including distributed order management, pricing and promotions, and other forms of management.
Read more: [e-Book] VTEX marketplace implementation guide
Important front-end implementations
To become a VTEX marketplace, the first step is to prepare your store's front-end to place the fields commonly used in the channel, such as the buy box and the sellers page.
The buy box will show on the product page the sellers who work with each product offered on the site, so it's clear to the customer which company is responsible for selling and delivering the product.
You also need to look at the Sellers page, which will show information about the sellers. These pages are interesting for both customers and sellers, as they concentrate important information, company details, product mix and other information, making it easier for customers to find what they are looking for.
The second point is to connect Sellers to your new marketplace, which can be done by adding brands that don't yet have an online store, or that have a store on another platform, or by connecting with other VTEX stores.
How do I set up a VTEX affiliate?
You can add other stores to your marketplace by simply creating an affiliate, which will act as a permission for the shopkeeper to send products to your sales channel.
To add your first affiliate, access your store's Admin and in the side menu, access the "Order management" drop-down menu and click on "Settings".
In the settings menu, you will have access to two tabs, one with general information and the other for "Affiliates". By clicking on this tab, you will be able to add your first affiliate by clicking on "New affiliate".
A form will then open for you to fill in your new affiliate's details, which should contain the following information:
Name: Affiliate's name
ID: Usually 3 letters that represent your affiliate
Commercial policy: This will be the commercial conditions that will be used for transactions within your marketplace.
Follow-up email: This should be the email of the person who will represent the affiliate's brand.
Search endpoint: http://productnotification.vtexcommerce.com.br/api/notification/[exchange for account name]/ [change to seller name]
Connecting VTEX stores to your marketplace
You can currently add four types of sellers to your marketplace: physical stores / franchises that don't yet have e-commerce, online stores from other platforms, VTEX Partners and there is also the possibility of connecting VTEX sellers to your marketplace through a partnership with the merchants.
The configuration is simple, find the topic "Marketplace" in the side menu, then click on "Sellers" and "Management", here you will have the option of "New Seller".
At this stage, you'll need to have information about the seller you want to add, don't forget to add your new affiliate's exchange, delivery and privacy and security policies, and the commission percentage you'll receive for transactions made on your marketplace.
Also, make sure you select the "Active" option, otherwise your sellers won't be able to sell on the channel.
Connecting merchants from other platforms to your marketplace
The VTEX platform recently added the Seller account to its unified commerce solution, which allows merchants from other platforms to sell on the VTEX marketplace.
Through this account, people can register products, prices and stock, and it's very simple to register sellers: in the Admin side menu of your store, find the "Marketplace" topic, access the "Sellers" drop-down menu, then click on "Management" and finally on "New seller".
You'll see that there are different types of sellers, as in the example below:
Each of these options will classify the type of connection that will be made.
In VTEX Store, these are connections made between merchants on the platform, as we talked about in the previous topic.
In VTEX Partner, these are connections that VTEX itself already has for the marketplace.
Physical store/franchise is used to connect your physical or third-party stores to your e-commerce.
It is recommended to use the Other option if the seller uses another e-commerce platform. It's worth remembering that if you want to connect several sellers with this feature, there are hubs that specialize in connecting retailers to marketplaces.
Read more: [e-Book] VTEX marketplace implementation guide
Did you enjoy the tutorial? We hope it helps you get started with your marketplace strategy. And if you need help, our experts are available to help you boost your e-commerce results. Get in touch today.
