Shopware subshop—what is that actually?
Shopware has three different types of shops. There is the main shop, language shops, and subshops. The main store, as the name suggests, is your primary store or the first store you create.
If you want to offer your main shop in another language, you have to create a language shop. A language shop can be thought of as a duplicate of the main shop in a different language.
The third option is the subshop. This shop runs under its own domain and has its own article master. It is almost an independent shop that is managed via the same backend as the main shop.
The central maintenance of several subshops has many advantages and disadvantages. In the following, I will show you these and explain for whom the creation of a subshop can make sense. Here we go!
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a subshop?
Advantages
The biggest advantage of a subshop is the central administration of products and orders. There is a central login or backend through which all subshops can be controlled. No additional licence needs to be purchased as the subshop uses the installation of the main shop. In addition to the shop licence, transfer the licences of the plugins to all subshops. Here, you save a lot of money.
The creation of another independent shop is also being accelerated enormously. For example, if you want to open a new shop, you must first take care of choosing a host. You then have to book the licences and install or configure the shop or plugins. However, if you already have a Shopware shop, you have the option of creating a subshop. This eliminates the installation and configuration of the shop and the plugins.
So you not only save a lot of money but also a lot of time. And not just when setting up the shop. You also only have to carry out future updates to the shop or plugins once.
Disadvantages
A disadvantage of the subshop is the distribution of permissions on the backend. The authorizations of an employee always refer to the backend of the shop. Since both the main shop and the sub-shop access the same backend, the employee automatically has the same rights in both shops. This setting cannot be changed either. You should be aware of this before creating the subshop.
The assignment of different number ranges for order and invoice numbers per subshop is not included in the standard range of functions. This can cause a problem if the sub-shop’s company name does not match the main shop’s company name. If this is the case, you have to solve this problem with individually programmed plugins.
How do I create a Shopware subshop?
Creating a subshop is very simple. To do this, you must first log into the backend and call up the shop settings. The shop settings can be accessed as follows: “Settings / Basic Settings / Shop Settings / Shops “. Here, you can see an overview of your shops. Currently, you only see your main shop here.
To create the subshop, click on the “Add”” button. The following settings must then be made:
- Shop type: Here, you select the subshop.
- Name: Only used for differentiation and only displayed in the backend
- Title: The title tag appears in the frontend and is an SEO factor.
- Position: Determines the order of the shops (if there are several shops).
- Host: Enter the domain of the shop here.
- Virtual URL: If the shop is in a subdirectory, it has to be here.
- Use SSL: It is mandatory for sensitive data in Germany, but you also need a valid SSL certificate.
- Hostalias: If available, additional domain names for the shop can be stored here.
- Currency and localization The currency and the country to which the shop is geared are set here.
- Document template: If desired, another template can be stored here.
- Active: The shop should be deactivated until the time of completion.
By clicking on Save, the shop has already been created successfully. Now you can fully concentrate on the content (CMS pages, article maintenance, and structure).
Conclusion
If you are already running a Shopware shop and would like to set up another independent shop under the same company name, creating a subshop is the ideal solution for you. In addition to significant cost savings, you also need significantly less money and time to maintain the additional stores. At the same time, you get a completely independent shop with your own template and article master.
If you have any questions about the subshop or if you have difficulties setting up the shop or entering the content or articles, we will, of course, be happy to advise you. Just contact us!
