Per-seller shipping choices at checkout for an existing marketplace
For a US multi-vendor marketplace, we added seller-managed shipping and seller messaging to its existing third-party vendor system, and moved shipping selection to checkout so customers choose each seller's delivery option in one place.
Results
- Seller-managed shipping installed on the client's existing third-party multi-vendor system; the client praised the job
- Shipping selection moved from the product page to a delivery step at checkout
- Seller messaging module installed in the seller area
- Client returned for follow-up work after each phase
The challenge
A US online marketplace already ran a free, third-party multi-vendor system on its store. Sellers could list products, but shipping was not set by each seller, and the vendor system's own structure was split across two template formats, with the seller area in one and the admin in another.
The marketplace wanted each seller to manage their own shipping. It also wanted to change how customers chose delivery: rather than picking a shipping option on every product page, customers should select each seller's delivery option once, at checkout. Sellers and the marketplace also needed a way to communicate inside the site.
What we did
- Seller-managed shipping on a third-party base. We installed our seller-managed shipping extension on the client's OpenCart 3 store and made it work with the existing third-party multi-vendor system, rather than replacing it.
- Shipping moved to checkout. We removed the shipping quote from the product page and added a "select delivery" step at checkout, so customers choose shipping per seller in one place before paying.
- Seller messaging. We installed our communication and messaging extension in the seller section, giving sellers an in-site channel for messages.
- Template compatibility. The vendor system uses older template files on the seller side and newer ones in the admin, so our changes were made to fit both.
Tech stack
PHP, MySQL, OpenCart 3.0.2, Twig and TPL templates, seller-managed shipping extension, seller messaging extension
Project facts
- Industry
- Multi-vendor e-commerce marketplace
- Client
- a US multi-vendor marketplace
- Country
- United States
- Year
- 2019
- Engagement
- Direct client
Services
Technologies
Integrations
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