Hello!
CS-Cart Multi-Vendor 4.13.1 features a new function for product delivery—order fulfillment by marketplace. Thank to this function, some vendors can deliver orders on their own and some let the marketplace handle delivery for them. At checkout, a customer chooses one shipping method for all the vendors with fulfillment, and separately selects another shipping method for each vendor without fulfillment.
Initially, we designed Multi-Vendor for a scenario when vendors ship their products by themselves, separately from each other. The money for shipping goes to vendors in this case. Vendors determine the shipping cost and the shipping methods. This approach is easier on marketplaces. Especially those marketplaces that are just starting and can’t handle shipping for all their vendors.
However, some marketplaces work differently. They collect the products from all vendors first, and only then ship the whole order to customers. Some of the marketplaces even have their own vans for delivery. Many marketplaces also partner with the best fulfillment companies to outsource logistics and improve delivery times. In this case, the money for shipping should go to the marketplace. This approach opens the door for green last mile delivery initiatives, where marketplaces use electric vans or eco-friendly methods to reduce environmental impact.
A marketplace may even offer both types of shipping. Some vendors ship on their own, and others rely on the marketplace. Order fulfillment by marketplace features addresses this scenario.
Watch the video to learn how Order fulfillment by marketplace works.
