Premium Dokan - WordPress Plugin [v3.12.5]

Dokan - Multi Vendor Marketplaces Plugin For WordPress

Dokan is a multi-vendor WordPress plugin that allows store owners to set up a complete online marketplace similar to Amazon and eBay. It is powered by WooCommerce which means you can allow merchants to sell digital, physical and variable products.

You can allow an unlimited number of sellers to register and sell products, and sellers can sell an unlimited number of products through their stores. Additionally, as an admin, you can earn through vendor commissions or product-based commissions. Dokan also gives administrators the ability to create subscription packages and charge for product uploads, product limits, and time.

Key features:

It offers an intuitive user interface.
Sellers get a personalized dashboard on the front-end of a multi-vendor store.
Only admins can access the multi-vendor store back-end.
It gives administrators complete control over product publishing, vendor registration, and subscription renewal.

Dokan is available for free download in the WordPress Plugin Directory. The plugin also offers a premium version, Dokan Pro, which includes advanced features such as social media login, reports, seller verification, and subscriptions. However, for this guide we will be looking at the free version of the Dokan plugin.

Here's a question for you: What do Amazon, eBay and Etsy have in common? These are multi-vendor stores with high profits.

Multi-vendor stores are all the rage these days, and it's easy to see why. They provide many benefits for both businesses and consumers and are a great way for store owners to earn commission. According to Statista, 37% of online shoppers would prefer to shop online for repeat purchases.

The good news is that building a multi-vendor store in WordPress is actually quite simple. And in this article, we'll cover everything from what a multi-vendor store is to what you need to build one. We'll also walk you through a step-by-step guide explaining how you can build a multi-vendor store with Dokan and Shoptimizer.

What is a multivendor store?

For those unfamiliar, multivendor commerce is an online marketplace where multiple merchants sell products and services.

A multi-vendor store is usually managed by the website owner who is responsible for setting up the store and handling transactions. Store owners can moderate store content and earn a commission on each sale. Individual traders (i.e. sellers) manage their own inventory.

There are many reasons why you might consider building a multi-vendor store. As a marketplace owner, it's a simple and sustainable way to generate recurring income through commissions. In other words, every time a merchant makes a sale, you make some money.

For sellers, multi-vendor stores are attractive options for setting up a store because they offer better visibility than if a merchant were to set up an independent online store. Think about it this way: if you wanted to sell handmade purses and bags, would you start your own online store or sell through

Etsy?

It is also worth mentioning that consumers also like to shop online because they get quick and easy access to high-quality products at competitive prices. In addition, multi-vendor stores tend to have proven payment methods and a good track record of successful transactions, making consumers more likely to buy from the marketplace than from individual sellers—especially if they're just starting out.

Some examples of popular multi-vendor stores and marketplaces include Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Taobao, and AliExpress.

What you'll need to build a multi-vendor store

Before we look at what you'll need to build a multi-vendor store in WordPress, it's important to step back and consider how multi-vendor stores actually work behind the scenes.

Generally, sellers register as sellers in a multi-vendor store. Some multi-vendor stores allow sellers to register for free, while others charge for registration. Once registered, they can list their products and services and allow customers (or, in some cases, businesses) to buy from them.

The store administrator usually sets a commission for each transaction that is automatically deducted every time the seller makes a sale. The buyer's payment is often first transferred to an administrator account where a commission is deducted, and then the rest of the payment is deposited into the seller's account.

Features to look for in a multi-vendor store plugin

As a store owner, you need a multi-vendor store plugin that offers the following features at a minimum:

Allows sellers to register as sellers. You can choose to charge for registration or allow sellers to register for free

Latin. It's a good idea to manually approve vendor registrations.

It allows store owners (admin) to set up and earn a commission on each sale through their preferred payment gateway.
It supports different types of products, eg physical products, digital goods and services. the need to build a multi-vendor store is a solid web hosting provider for your website.

Ideally, you want to opt for a managed hosting platform that is designed with your e-commerce business in mind. For this reason, we recommend Cloudways. As an added benefit, Cloudways offers managed cloud hosting, which means you can increase your hosting resources as your multi-vendor store grows.

Once you have decided on a hosting provider, you need to purchase a domain name and install the WordPress CMS on it. And once WordPress is fully set up, the last step is to install WooCommerce on your website.

Now that you have the basic infrastructure down, it's time to choose a multi-vendor WordPress plugin to power your online marketplace. We recommend using Dokan for this. In addition to this, you will also need a theme optimized for e-commerce. Our best advice is to use Shoptimizer.​