Web & Apps Featured

Multi-Vendor E-Commerce Marketplace with WooCommerce

Developed a fully-featured multi-vendor e-commerce marketplace using WordPress and WooCommerce Multi-Vendor. The platform enables independent vendors to manage their own storefronts while the marketplace owner handles payments, shipping, and customer support. Currently serving 50+ active vendors processing over $100,000 in monthly transactions.

Web Dev DevOps

WordPress WooCommerce WooCommerce Multi-Vendor WCFM PHP MySQL Stripe Connect ShipStation API Redis Cloudflare CDN AWS EC2 JavaScript REST API Cron Jobs

Multi-Vendor E-Commerce Marketplace with WooCommerce

The Problem

A client needed to launch an online marketplace connecting local artisans and craftspeople with customers nationwide. They required a sophisticated platform that could handle multiple independent vendors while maintaining a unified customer experience.

Key business requirements:
• Enable vendor self-service for product listings, inventory, and pricing
• Implement commission-based revenue model with automated splits
• Create separate vendor dashboards with sales analytics and reporting
• Provide unified checkout experience for customers shopping from multiple vendors
• Calculate complex shipping costs with multiple packages from different vendors
• Handle vendor payouts automatically while holding marketplace commission
• Support vendor application and approval workflow
• Enable product reviews and ratings with moderation capabilities
• Prevent vendor data leakage between competitors on the same platform

Technical constraints:
• Budget-conscious client requiring cost-effective solution
• Tight 8-week deadline for marketplace launch
• Need for easy vendor onboarding without technical knowledge
• Must integrate with existing business systems (accounting, CRM)

The Solution

Built a custom WordPress multi-vendor platform using WooCommerce Multi-Vendor (WCFM) as the foundation, extended with custom plugins and integrations to meet specific business requirements.

**Platform Architecture:**
• Deployed on AWS EC2 with auto-scaling for traffic spikes
• Implemented Redis caching for database query optimization
• Configured Cloudflare CDN for global content delivery
• Set up automated database backups with point-in-time recovery
• Implemented load balancing for high availability

**Vendor Management System:**
• Created custom vendor application portal with approval workflow
• Built vendor dashboard showing sales, orders, and performance metrics
• Implemented commission management system with tiered rates based on sales volume
• Developed vendor analytics showing traffic sources, conversion rates, and best-selling products
• Created vendor communication system for customer inquiries

**Payment Processing:**
• Integrated Stripe Connect for automated commission splits
• Built automated payout system processing 200+ vendor payments monthly
• Implemented escrow period for customer protection (14 days)
• Created commission reporting dashboard for marketplace owner
• Added support for partial refunds with automatic commission adjustments

**Shipping & Fulfillment:**
• Integrated ShipStation API for real-time carrier rates from USPS, UPS, FedEx
• Built custom shipping calculator for multi-vendor orders
• Implemented shipping zones with vendor-specific handling fees
• Created automated label generation and tracking number updates
• Added package splitting logic for orders from multiple vendors
• Achieved 25% average shipping cost reduction through rate shopping

**Product Management:**
• Developed bulk product import system (CSV, XML)
• Created product approval workflow with moderation queue
• Implemented advanced search with faceted filtering (15 categories, 50+ attributes)
• Built product variation system for size, color, and custom options
• Added image optimization and CDN upload for fast page loads

**Review & Rating System:**
• Built custom review system with verified purchase badges
• Implemented moderation dashboard for review approval
• Created vendor response system for customer feedback
• Added helpful/not helpful voting on reviews
• Integrated review analytics in vendor dashboards

**Custom Features:**
• Built vendor badge system (Top Seller, Fast Shipper, etc.)
• Created promotional tools for vendor-specific coupons and sales
• Implemented inventory sync with external systems via API
• Added custom reporting for tax collection and compliance
• Built email notification system for order updates and vendor alerts

**Performance Optimization:**
• Optimized WooCommerce database queries reducing page load from 4s to 1.2s
• Implemented lazy loading for product images
• Minified CSS/JS and implemented critical CSS for above-the-fold content
• Configured object caching with Redis
• Set up full-page caching for product and category pages

Key Highlights

50+ active vendors with automated onboarding and commission management
Processing $100,000+ in monthly transactions with 99.8% payment success rate
Custom shipping integration saving vendors average 25% on shipping costs
4,000+ products listed across 15 categories with advanced search and filtering
Automated vendor payout system processing 200+ payments monthly via Stripe Connect
Page load time optimized from 4 seconds to 1.2 seconds through caching and CDN
Platform uptime of 99.9% with auto-scaling infrastructure
Built and deployed in 8 weeks meeting aggressive launch deadline