How To Turn Your Retail Store Into An Online Marketplace

Omnichannel commerce has arrived — and it’s no longer optional. 

According to a Deloitte report, omnichannel fashion retailers report a 179% faster revenue growth rate than those with siloed strategies. If your brick-and-mortar retail store hasn’t adopted a hybrid business model yet, you’re already behind.

Your target audience expects to browse online, check stock availability in-store, and complete their purchase wherever it’s most convenient. 

The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. There are ready-made eCommerce solutions that let you transform your physical store into a full-fledged multivendor marketplace — not just a simple online shop.

Why go the marketplace route? Because marketplaces outperform standalone online stores by a wide margin. Nearly two-thirds of global eCommerce sales now happen through online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay — not individual brand stores. 

With the right Shopify integration and marketplace software, you can onboard vendors, manage in-store and online orders, and even apply channel-wise commissions automatically. Let’s explore how you can make this shift and run your physical retail business like a modern Amazon-style marketplace.

The Shift from Retail Store to Online Marketplace

Instead of running a single online shop, you can create a marketplace — inviting other brands, vendors, or local businesses to start selling on your marketplace website. You earn commissions on every online or POS order, while vendors handle their own products, descriptions, and fulfillment.

This model mirrors how the Amazon marketplace or Etsy works. However, unlike those giants, your local marketplace can focus on specific niches or communities, becoming a successful online marketplace that connects local customers with trusted sellers.

The beauty of this model is that even established retail stores can adopt it quickly. With Shopify + Shipturtle integration, retailers can build a marketplace that mirrors the efficiency of Amazon’s marketplace business model — but tailored for their niche or local market.

Several forward-thinking brands have already made this leap.

• Plus Motors transformed its online presence into a sleek automotive marketplace where customers can explore accessories and parts effortlessly.
• Veeba, a household name in food products, now runs a robust Shopify-powered online platform that connects its direct sales with its vendor network.
• Ramsons Perfumes uses a hybrid model to manage both online and in-store sales, ensuring consistency in brand experience and inventory management.

Step-by-Step: Turning Your Brick-and-Mortar Store into an Online Marketplace

Here’s how any brick and mortar business can transform into a multivendor ecommerce platform: 

1. Onboard Vendors to Your Marketplace
2. Vendors Upload Products and Manage Stock
3. Manage Location-Based Inventory
4. Set Channel-Wise Commissions
5. Centralized Order Routing and Management
6. Go Live and Start Selling

1. Onboard Vendors to Your Marketplace

• Start by inviting vendors to join your marketplace platform.
• Each seller gets access to their own dashboard where they can upload their products or services, set prices, and track orders.
• As the marketplace owner, you maintain publishing control and ensure listings match your business needs and brand quality.
• This process is simple to set up with Shipturtle’s integration on Shopify, allowing even offline businesses to join your online platform easily.

2. Vendors Upload Products and Manage Stock

• Once onboarded, vendors can upload unlimited products and services through an intuitive marketplace software interface.
• They can adjust descriptions, add images, and set channel-wise pricing for online and in-store sales.
• You no longer have to manage every listing yourself — the system distributes responsibility across vendors while maintaining centralized visibility.

3. Manage Location-Based Inventory

• With a location-based inventory solution, you can assign stock per physical store or online channel.
• For example:
• • 10 units available in-store (POS)
  • 20 units available for online sales
• This ensures you never oversell, whether customers buy online or walk into your shop.
• It’s a vital feature for any hybrid retail business model managing both e-commerce and in-store operations.

4. Set Channel-Wise Commissions

• Different sales channels mean different cost structures.
• You can set channel-wise commissions — say, 10% for online sales and 5% for in-store POS sales.
• The system automatically applies the correct rate for every order, ensuring transparent and accurate payouts to each seller.
• This automation reduces manual work and builds long-term trust among your vendors.

5. Centralized Order Routing and Management

• Whether an order comes from your Shopify online store or your brick-and-mortar POS system, marketplace workflows automatically route it to the right seller or store location.
• You can manage all orders, track status, and oversee fulfillment in one place.
• This unified order management solution simplifies online and offline operations and improves customer support.

6. Go Live and Start Selling

• Once your marketplace is ready, it’s time to launch your marketplace.
• With Shopify + Shipturtle, it’s easy to create and go live without complex development.
• Start small — invite trusted vendors, promote through your local customer base, and build your online presence gradually.
• Soon, your brick-and-mortar retail store will operate like a global online marketplace, connecting local sellers and online customers under your brand.

Why Shopify + Shipturtle Is the Ideal Solution

Shopify provides the foundation for online retail, while Shipturtle transforms it into a powerful marketplace engine that supports multi-vendor onboarding, POS + online integration, location-based inventory, and channel-wise commissions — everything a modern brick-and-mortar retail store needs to go hybrid.

Conclusion: The Future of Retail is Hybrid

The age of single-channel retail is over. The most successful retail businesses today seamlessly blend physical stores and digital platforms to sell online. 

By adopting a hybrid marketplace model, your offline retail store can now operate like an Amazon marketplace — where vendors manage their own products, the system applies channel-wise commissions, and you manage all orders and inventory from one place.

Launch your marketplace today with Shipturtle — just like 1000+ other happy founders. 

Book your demo call with our marketplace experts today.