multistore

Multistore is an approach in e-commerce and content management systems that enables operating multiple storefronts from a single back-end administration layer. Each storefront can have its own branding, domain or URL structure, currency, language, pricing, tax rules, and promotions, while often sharing core data such as the product catalog, customers, and orders.

Use cases for multistore include international or regional expansion, managing multiple brands under one umbrella, or running different product assortments or wholesale channels. Centralization can simplify inventory and order processing and reduce duplicate data entry, but may require careful data modeling to balance shared resources with per-store customization.

Architectures vary: a centralized catalog and customer database with per-store configurations, or partially separated catalogs with synchronized inventory. Storefronts may be delivered via subdomains or directories. Search engine optimization implications require per-store canonicalization and sitemap management to avoid duplicate content while preserving brand-specific pages.

Key features commonly provided include per-store configuration (domain, locale, currency, tax and shipping rules), localized content, store-specific pricing and promotions, user segmentation, and a unified order and customer management workflow. Some platforms allow independent stock levels per store, while others share inventory. Security, performance, and access control considerations are important, as is governance across multiple storefronts to maintain consistency and compliance.

Implementation typically involves planning the data model, domain strategy, and operational processes to manage multiple storefronts efficiently. Many e-commerce platforms offer built-in multistore capabilities or support through extensions and modular architectures.