Do you want to create a Marketplace using WordPress?

Marketplaces allow your users to buy and sell items by creating their own mini-shops on your e-Commerce website. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to easily create a Marketplace using WordPress.

But before you start, take the time to take a look at How to install a WordPress theme

Then, mlet's get to work!

What do you need to get started?

First you need to make sure you are using the right platform and we recommend that you use WordPress.

You can use WordPress in two ways: WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. One is a limited blog hosting service while the other is known as self-hosted WordPress which you have probably heard of.

We recommend that you use WordPress.org because it gives you the freedom and access to all the features of WordPress.

To launch a Marketplace using Self-hosted WordPressyou will need the following:

  • A domain name (for example, blogpascher.com)
  • An account ofWeb hosting (This is where your website files are stored)
  • An SSL certificate (To securely accept online payments)
  • WooCommerce (the eCommerce plugin on WordPress)
  • Extensions for the Marketplace

The complete setup can take up to 40 minutes, and we'll walk you through each step, one by one.

Ready ? Let's start.

Step 1. Configure your e-Commerce platform 

The first step is to buy a domain name and an account.Web hosting. You don't just need a Web hosting, but you will need a specialized WooCommerce hosting service as this is the software we will use as our e-Commerce platform.

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Typically, a domain name costs $ 14,99 / year, web hosting $ 7,99 / month, and SSL certificate $ 69,99 / year.

It may sound huge if you start.

Once you've purchased the hosting, follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to create an online store with WooCommerce for complete installation instructions.

You should have a WordPress website with WooCommerce installed. However, by default, WooCommerce assumes that your website is a sole source website, so it is not possible for other users to add their own products to it.

Let us change that.

Step 2. Turn your WooCommerce website into a Marketplace 

You must first install and activate the plugin WC Vendors. For more details, see our step-by-step guide to way to install a WordPress plugin .

When activating, go to the page WooCommerce »WC Vendors to configure the Marketplace settings.

WC Provider Settings

On this screen, you need to set a commission rate that you will pay to each vendor. This rate can be replaced for individual products or suppliers.

The default settings for the page work for most websites, but you can view and edit them as needed.

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Do not forget to click on the button «Save general changesTo save your settings.

Then you have to go to the page Products. On this screen, you can choose what to hide from suppliers when they add a product.

Wc vendors products.png

WC Vendors allows you to configure the functionality and permissions of the vendor. Go to the tab Capabilities of Vendors WC.

wc capabilities.png

The next step on the WC Vendors settings page is to configure the pages.

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The plugin automatically creates the pages to be used for the vendor dashboard, shop settings, and orders page. You can use a different page if you want by using the shortcodes displayed below each page.

wcv pages

One page that is not automatically created by the plugin is the conditions page. These are the conditions that a supplier must agree to when submitting their request.

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To create a conditions page, you can simply create a new page in WordPress and add the conditions in clear text describing what sellers can sell, how they will be paid, how to resolve disputes, etc. 

Does your website need a terms of service page? Find out by consulting this article

Once you have created a Conditions Page, you can return to this section and select your new page here.

The last item on the WC Provider Settings page is the most important, Payments. By default, WC Vendors uses PayPal Adaptive Payments to pay vendors.

Discover also our 10 WordPress plugins to manage PayPal payments on his Blog

You will see a link to configure PayPal Adaptive Payments. After setting it up, you will be able to choose when you want to pay suppliers.

wc vendors payments.png

Now that WC Vendors is set up, configure WooCommerce for a multi-vendor environment.

Step 3. Enable account management in WooCommerce

You must first visit the menu WooCommerce and click on the " Showcase". From there, you need to check the boxes next to the customer registration option.

wc vendorsaccounts.png

Do not forget to save your changes.

Step 4. Configuring the navigation menus

Now that your multi-vendor Marketplace setup is complete. It's time to let your users easily find their way to your website.

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To do this, you must visit the page Appearance »Menus . Then add your pages My account et Checkout to the navigation menu.

menu structure wc vendors.png

Do not forget to click on the button «Save the menuTo save your changes.

If you don't have a page My account, simply create a new page in WordPress and add the shortcode in the post editor.

[woocommerce_my_account]

Step 5. Test your Marketplace website

Your Marketplace is now ready to be tested. You can visit your website in a new browser window and create a new account by clicking on the link My Account above the page.

test a marketplace.jpeg

From there, customers and suppliers will be able to log in to their accounts and create a new account.

register as a seller.jpg

Once users have created a new account, you will receive an email notification.

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You can also view new registration requests by accessing the page Users »All users. You will see all new requests as "fpending supplierAnd you can approve or reject them by clicking on the link under their username.

Go further by discovering our 8 WordPress plugins to manage roles and users

sellers WooCommerce create account.png

Once approved, these providers can log in to their accounts and add their products by consulting their dashboard. They can also view their orders and sales reports. 

The first thing your suppliers need to do is configure the settings of their shop by clicking on the link " Store Settings"

dashboard of the seller.jpg

They will need to provide their PayPal email address to receive payments. After that, they can enter the name and description of their shop. 

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Once a supplier has added a new product, you will receive an email notification and an icon next to the " Products". You can then edit, approve, or delete a product.

editing a product WwordPress plugin.jpg

Your online store page will clearly show the name of the shop that sold a product

products displayed with seller's name.jpg

Discover also some premium WordPress plugins  

You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern appearance and to optimize the handling of your blog or website.

We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.

1. WP How Designer

How Word Designer is a WordPress Plugin premium which will help you change the layout of the look of your comments section and that of your comments submission form.

Wp how to designer

You can add text or numeric fields, radio buttons, checkbox, selectors, and upload files. The fields, default and custom, are re-organizable.

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Ce WordPress Plugin fully responsive and RTL compatible also allows users to edit their comment. This plugin will therefore your comments section more efficient. All in all, it's an easy-to-use plugin that works perfectly with the latest version of WordPress.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

2. SmartADV

Smart ADV will inject your ads (banner, video, HTML, text, audio, specific code, etc.) into unlimited tooltips and popups. The Smart ADV revolution is its keyword density analyzer.

Smartadv tooltips banners and popups for wp

It will only inject inherent ads into a page, calculating all the keywords in the content you wrote and choosing the most suitable ad.

Lire aussi 10 WooCommerce plugins to customize the appearance of your products

Its features include: Popups support and Tooltip HTML, a library of ready-to-use templates, 13 predefined tooltip styles, 2 Popup fade in effects, and many more.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

3. portfolio

Portfolio – Grid masonry portfolio filter is a WordPress Plugin portfolio that is easy to use, responsive, filterable, and offers a wide range of customization options.

Portfolio grid masonry portfolio filter plugin for elementor page builder

Its main features are: 5 gallery templates, beautiful typographic options, support for multiple browsers, detailed documentation, support for Elementor Page Builder and others.

Download | Demo | Web hosting

Recommended Resources

Find out about other recommended resources to help you build and manage your website.

Conclusion

Here ! That's it for this tutorial. We hope this article has helped you build a WordPress marketplace. Do not hesitate to share with your friends on your favorite social networks

However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation.

If you have suggestions or remarks, leave them in our section Comments.

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