Maximizing E-commerce Success with Magento 2 Multi-Store

Whether you are a beginner at using Magento or an expert, you have learned and heard about the Magento hierarchy. Amongst all the four levels, Magento 2 multi-store has an essential role in helping you simplify admin user management and improve brand professionalism. 

If you are still skeptical about the importance of the Magento multi-shop feature, then do not wait to scroll down and get all the necessary information. 

The write-up will provide everything about Magento 2 multi-store, from the definition to its setup. You will also find the best solutions for you to make your Magento website thrive. Also, by developing a Magento 2 multi-store, your business can reach new markets and boost sales. 

Understanding Magento 2 Multi-Store

A Magento 2 multi-store is the feature that lets e-commerce businesses operate and manage several online stores from one dashboard or admin panel. It allows business owners to create appealing experiences, and adapt anything from price to design, integration to products, without any hassles to maintaining multiple individual websites. 

Magento multi-stores also cater to different languages, target markets, and product lines. It even maintains the backend system of an organization and manages the inventory. 

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The Hierarchy of Magento 2’s Platform 

Magento 2’s platform hierarchy is necessary for understanding if you want to set up a multi-store environment. Each single installation has three layers of customizable entities that provide opportunities to multiple stores, websites, and store views under a roof. 

How does it work? 

To configure a setting, you have to decide the scope to apply it by choosing from the four essential levels of the hierarchy. 

Level 1- Global 

System-wide, top-end resources and settings are provided throughout the installation process applied to the account. 

Level 2- Website 

Resources and settings are limited to a website with one default store. 

Level 3- Store 

The store is a website’s child entity with its resources, main menu, settings, and default store. 

Level 4- Store View 

It is the lowest level of Magento 2’s hierarchy and is available for different store versions for localization purposes. 

How to Set Up A Magento Multi-Store

To set up a Magento multi-store, you have to follow five steps. The decision at every step will help you determine the scope of your store, how to view it from both the front end and back end and how it aligns with the website. 

Let us learn how to set up a Magento multi-store- 

Step 1: Select the Magento Multi-Store Domain 

The first step is to create the URL structure of the Magento multi-store according to the business preferences. There are two options to choose from: 

• A shared domain with a different path: 

Domain.com/store1

Domain.com/store2

•   A unique subdomain of the primary URL: 

Store1.domain.com

Store2.domain.com

Planning the domain structure before you begin helps to create an optimized user experience and seamless navigation options. 

Step 2: Build the Store 

After the domain name is decided, it is time to create the store in four steps- 

• Click Stores in the admin’s panel menu, go to settings, and choose All Stores. 
• Select Create Store. 
• Fill in all the essential details- 

Website- The website that the store belongs to. And, if you have one site, choose Main Website. 

Name- A reference name to view only. 

Code- A reference code such as the mystore. 

Root Category- The store’s main menu layout. 

Step 3: Create a Default Store View 

The Magento multi-store view lets the customers see the e-commerce store’s interface and other necessary information. Rather than separating stores for different functions, add multiple store views to allow users to personalize their experience on the same store. 

Creating a store view involves three steps: 

• Click on Create Store View. 
• Fill in all the details- 

Store- The new store.  

Name- A reference name for the view-only mode.

Code- A reference code for the servers.  

Store Order- Amount of relevance in a list. 

Status- Enabled. 

• Click on Save Store View.   

Step 4: Configure the Magento Multi-Store URL 

With the store and store view in the backend, you have to configure the store URL to connect it to the chosen domain. You can do this by following these steps: 

• Go to the admin panel, click Stores in the menu, go to settings, and choose Configuration.
• Select Web on the left side in the General drop-down button.
• Choose the scope by selecting the drop-down on the left. Click on New Store View and click OK.
• Expand the Base URL and make sure all the fields are unchecked. Add your store URL.
• Expand the Base URL Secure Section again and repeat.
• Click on Save Config. 

Step 5: Set Up the Server 

The fifth stage will complete the multi-store journey in the backend. However, to make multi-store available to external customers, it is necessary to set up the server. It is one of the complicated aspects of Magento multi-store development. 

The server configuration works by passing the values of MAGE_RUN_TYPE (website) and MAGE_RUN_CODE (the view of the corresponding website) variables to the server using a virtual host.  

The process depends on whether you choose the root file directory, Nginx web server, or Apache web server. 

• Root File Directory 

To set up in the root file directory, follow these steps: 

1. Open the Magento-vars.php file in the text editor. 
2. Move the if block below the function block. 
3. Replace the value of the if block with these codes- 

Example.com: The URL of the website. 

Default: The code of the website or store view. 

Store: The website or store view to load. 

1. Save the changes to the Magento-vars.php file. 

• Nginx Web Server 

To set up with the Nginx web server, follow these four steps:

1. Develop the Nginx virtual host using Adobe’s coding instructions. 
2. Pass the values of $MAGE_RUN_TYPE and $MAGE_RUN_CODE ro Nginx using nginx.conf.sample.

$MAGE_RUN_TYPE: store or website

$MAGE_RUN_CODE: store view code corresponding to your selected $MAGE_RUN_TYPE.

1. Update the Base URL configuration in the Magento admin panel.
2. Verify the website by locating the operating system host file, and adding the route in the format of dollars. mysite, and opening the store URL in the browser.

• Apache Web Server

1. Use the root user privilege to open the virtual host setup file in the text editor.
2. Find the <VirtualHost*:80> section.
3. Build a new virtual host by adding code with the following:

Server Name: URL root 

DocumentRoot: Folder where files are stored

SetEnv MAGE_RUN_CODE: The store code 

SetEnv MAGE_RUN_TYPE: The website code 

1. Save the changes to http. conf and exit. 
2. Restart Apache

Ubuntu: service apache2 restart  

CentOS: service httpd restart 

Verify the website by locating the operating system host file, and adding the route in the format of dollars. mysite, and opening the store URL in the browser. 

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Benefits of Using a Magento 2 Multi-Store

We all know the flexibility of the Magento platform. It is one of the crucial reasons business owners choose Magento over other platforms as their organization’s e-commerce platform. So, do you want to know the benefits of using Magento 2 multi-store for your business? Scroll down to find them. 

 1. Provide Market-Based Pricing and Products

According to a study, a Starbucks latte costs $7.17 in Switzerland, and the same drink costs $1.31 in Turkey. The coffee giant has adjusted its prices to meet local expectations and drive store demand. Like this popular coffee joint, Magento 2’s multi-store lets the business owners segment and diversify their portfolio of products by region, audience, and market to increase sales.  

With Magento 2 multi-store, you can

• Create a catalog for each shop.
• Restrict the categories of the product and items per shop. 
• Offer separate prices and checkouts for several shops. 

2. Lower the Costs and Harness Connectivity 

Website hosting can cost thousands of dollars a year for the e-commerce business. For instance- Nexcess costs you $195 a month, while Cloudways’ premium package costs around $241.62 per month for managing the Magento website hosting plan.

By connecting the digital infrastructure, the business can reduce costs for brand online management such as hosting plans. Magento 2 multi-store lets you:

• Combine data reporting and analytics. 
• Use a single EV SSL certificate and hosting plan. 
• Streamline order processing, inventory management, and content update. 

3. Expand the Business Market Reach 

Magento is a global e-commerce platform with websites active in 137 countries. By setting up a multi-store using one Magento installation, you can develop new operations to enhance scalability and local usability globally. 

Using Magento 2 multi-store, you get the opportunity to 

• Customize the currencies.
• Customize the payment and shipping options. 
• Customize the languages. 

Conclusion 

Magento is the top choice for business organizations with complex company structure or huge expansion plans because of its adaptability and flexibility. The Magento 2 multi-store is a prime enabler for this. So, it is time to connect with a renowned Magento web development company in India. Indglobal Digital Private Limited lets you plan your Magento 2 multi-store and turn your ideas into reality with the help of skilled Magento web specialists. 

You can also get easy access to the latest e-commerce technologies and methodologies by partnering with Indglobal Digital Private. Your Magento 2 multi-store project will get the following benefits from our services- 

1. Transparency: We involve our clients in every step of the project journey, offering good opportunities for feedback and reviews. 
2. Ownership: We control the process the same as ours, from getting the project requirements to partnering with the clients to deliver the best. 
3. Tangible Outcomes: We provide results that the clients can see, changing complicated key performance indicators into measurable results. 

Therefore, to diversify your Magento business store or create a new multi-store from the start, we are ready to help. Book an appointment to meet us for further details.