How to Set Up Magento 2 Multistore?

• Why Use Magento 2 Multistore?

• 5 Advantages of Magento 2 Multi-Store Integration with SAP

• Magento 2 MultiStore Hierarchy

• How To Secure Your Magento Multistore Setup?

• 8 Advanced Benefits of Using Magento 2 for Multistore

• Emerging Trends & New Developments in Magento 2 Multistore

• 7 Steps to Set Up Magento 2 Multi-Store

• Good Practices for Magento 2 Multistore in 2025

• Common Issues and Solutions When Setting Up Magento 2 Multi-Store

• FAQs

• Summary

Why Use Magento 2 Multistore?

Businesses use Magento 2 Multistore for the following reasons:

• One Admin Panel: Run several stores from a single location, saving time.
• Target Different Customers: Show specific products and unique designs to different audience groups.
• Better Search Rankings: Make unique content for each store.
• Save Money: Share customer data and inventory across stores.
• Global Reach: Support various languages and currencies for international customers.

5 Advantages of Magento 2 Multi-Store Integration with SAP

Magento 2 MultiStore Hierarchy

Magento has four levels that form a hierarchy. Each level is set up in a separate base.

• Global: Global sits at the top of the hierarchy. It contains the Magento installation and default settings.
• Website: Magento installation begins with a single website called the 'Main Website'. Add more websites from a single installation & use different domain names/IP addresses.
• Store: A website can have many stores. Each store can have its own design and product groups from the same catalog. Stores under one website share the same "Admin" and "checkout".
• Store Views: Each store appears to customers through a store view. You can create store views for different languages and other purposes.

How To Secure Your Magento Multistore Setup?

8 Advanced Benefits of Using Magento 2 for Multistore

1. Easy to Customize Many Stores

A single admin panel allows you to manage and customize all your stores. Each store can have a different theme, settings, and payment options. This process can save you a significant amount of time and effort. Cater to customers in other geographical locations & set various languages for each store.

2. Reduced Operational Costs

Managing everything from one admin panel will reduce your store’s operational costs. You won’t need any personnel to handle various tasks. You will also be able to reduce expenses on extensions and third-party integrations.

3. Easy Customer Management

Your admin panel will contain all the data from different stores. You can better track customer behavior across various stores. It will let you gain valuable insights for future strategies.

4. A Better Way to Keep Track of the Financials

Gathering data from different sources makes tracking financial metrics easier. Due to multi-store management, revenues, taxes, profits, and costs are all in one place.

5. One-stop SEO Management

Building stores without optimizing them for search engines is a waste of time and effort. Ranking high on the SERPs will establish a strong digital footprint. This approach will increase your customer's likelihood of buying from you.

Creating online stores without implementing search engine optimization wastes time and resources. Achieving top rankings on search engine results pages helps:

• Establish a strong online presence.
• Attract customers.

6. Diversified Reach Into New Markets

Magento is a global eCommerce platform with active websites in 137 countries. By setting up stores within one Magento installation, there’s no need to build new operations. This step allows you to access local usability and enhance global scalability.

7. Market-Based Products & Pricing

Magento’s multi-store capability enables your business to segment & diversify its product portfolio. They can do this by "region", "market", or "audience", thereby maximizing sales. It helps them:

• Restrict product categories, items & extensions per shop.
• Build a separate catalog for each shop.
• Have separate checkouts and prices for various shops.

8. Cost & Connectivity Enhancement

Hosting alone can cost your eCommerce business thousands of dollars a year. Your business can reduce costs associated with online brand management. They can:

• Use a single hosting plan and EV SSL certificate.
• Simplify tasks such as inventory management, order processing, and content updates.
• Combine analytics and data reporting.

Emerging Trends & New Developments in Magento 2 Multistore

7 Steps to Set Up Magento 2 Multi-Store

Step 1: Create a New Website

A website is at the top level of the multi-store structure. To create a new website, log in to the 'Admin' account. You must be an authorized user to build websites, stores, and store views. Consider the steps given below:

1. Go to Stores > Settings > All Stores.
2. On the Stores page, click the 'Create Website' tab.

3. Then, enter the "name", "code", and "sort order".

• Name: Enter a 'name' to help identify the website.
• Code: Enter a 'unique website code'. For example, if you have a French store, you may enter "French”.
• Sort Order: Enter an "optional numerical sort order".

4. Click on the 'Save Website' tab to save changes.
5. Repeat these steps to create more websites.

Step 2: Create a New Store

Within a website, you can create stores and store views. You can display different categories and products on the front end.

To build a new store, configure these steps:

1. Go to Stores > Settings > All Stores > Create Store.

2. Now, configure the following:

• Website: Select the 'website' to associate with the store.
• Name: Add a 'name' for the store.
• Code: Add a 'unique code' to identify the store.
• Root Category: Enter the name of this store's 'root category'.

3. Click 'Save Store' to save your changes.
4. Repeat the steps to create several stores in Magento 2.

Step 3: Create Store Views

Every store is available to customers based on the store view. A store starts with a default view for customers. You can add more store views based on different languages.

Follow these steps to configure store views.

1. From the Admin panel, go to Stores > Settings > All Stores. On the Stores page, choose 'Create Store View'. Configure the following store view components:

• Store: Select the store's name for the 'new store view'.
• Name: Add a 'name' to identify this store view.
• Code: Add a 'unique code' to identify this store view.
• Status: Select 'Enabled' to enable the store view.

2. Save changes by clicking 'Save Store View'. You can repeat the steps to create many store views.

Step 4: Change the Website's Base URL

Each website requires a unique URL, such as http://french.magento.mg. You must change the base URL to use this unique address.

To change the website base URL, follow these steps:

1. From the 'Admin Panel', go to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > Web.
2. In the 'Store View' at the top, pick your website.
3. In the right panel, open the 'Base URLs' tab.

4. Type http://french.magento.mg in the "Base URL" field. Add this same URL in the "Base Link URL" field.
5. Put the same URL in the 'Base URLs (Secure)' section.

6. Click 'Save Config'.
7. Do this again for your other websites.

Step 5: Add the Store Code to the Base URL

When you add the store code to the site base URL, setting up various stores becomes easier. You do not need to create directories on the Magento file system or store index.php or .htaccess files.

To add store code to the Base URL, follow the steps given below:

1. Navigate to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > Web. At the top of the page, pick 'Default Config from Store View'.
2. On the right panel, open 'URL Options'
3. Uncheck the "Use System Value" box next to "Add Store Code to URLs".
4. From the 'Add Store Code to Urls' dropdown, select "Yes".
5. Add the store code to the 'Store Base URL'.
6. Click 'Save Config'.
7. If necessary, clear the Magento cache by navigating to System > Cache Management.

Step 6: Change the Default Store View base URL

Change the 'Default Store view base URL'. You will lose access to Magento Admin until you set up virtual hosts. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Stores > Settings > Configuration > General > Web.
2. At the top, select 'Default Config' from the 'Store View' list.
3. On the right panel, open 'Base URLs'.
4. Find the 'Base URLs' section and uncheck "Use System Value".
5. Type http://magento.mg in the Base URL. Put this same URL in the "Base Link URL" field.
6. Add this URL to the 'Base URLs (Secure)' section.
7. Click 'Save Config'.

Step 7: Server-side Configuration

You can run several websites and stores with NGINX or Apache. For NGINX, follow these steps:

• Plan how to set up many websites with NGINX.
• Set up nginx virtual hosts.
• Edit nginx.conf.sample.
• Change the 'Base URL' settings for each website.
• Clear the 'Caches'.
• Test the site and add a static route to the host.

For the Apache server, you can set up websites and stores by:

• Adding values in an entry point script.
• Planning how to set up several websites with Apache.
• Creating sites, stores, and store views in the Admin panel.
• Setting up Apache virtual hosts.
• Testing the site.

Good Practices for Magento 2 Multistore in 2025

Common Issues and Solutions When Setting Up Magento 2 Multi-Store

FAQs

1. What is Magento 2 multistore, & how does it work?

Magento 2 multistore allows you to run & manage several stores from a single admin panel. Each store can have unique products & designs & may use different domains and currencies. This setup supports global strategies without separate Magento installations.

2. How do I create a new website in Magento?

Start from the admin and go to Stores > Settings > All Stores. Click "Create Website" and enter a name, code, and order. Each website needs its unique code, which you can add as needed. Save your changes and repeat this process for as many websites as possible.

3. Can I use different languages for each Magento store?

Yes, you can create separate store views for each language needed. Store views customize the shopping experience by region. Each view supports unique language and display options. You can even localize content and checkout. This process enables you to reach global audiences in a more effective manner.

4. Do all Magento stores share the same checkout?

Stores under one website share a single checkout process. This approach simplifies the customer journey and order management. Each store may show different products or themes. But customers still check out through one consistent flow. Separate websites can have unique checkouts.

5. What security steps protect my Magento multistore?

Use secure hosting, assign strong passwords, and configure SSL certificates. Change the admin path and limit login attempts. Enable two-factor authentication and user role restrictions. Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block known attacks.

6. How do I manage shared versus separate product catalogs in Magento 2 multistore?

You can manage both shared and separate catalogs in Magento 2. For shared catalogs, create one main catalog and control visibility per store. Use category permissions and product visibility settings. Create distinct root categories for each store under Products > Categories for separate catalogs.

7. How can I set up server-side configuration for Magento 2 multistore with NGINX?

Plan your multi-store domains and set up virtual hosts in server blocks. Adjust the nginx.conf.sample file with proper server_name directives. Update the Base URL settings in the Magento admin, clear the cache, and add static routes to your host file.

Summary

Understanding how to set up Magento 2 multistore will help you:

• Create many storefronts from a single admin panel.
• Run various websites and stores with store views on the same backend.
• Display products in various categories across several stores & categorize them into distinct niches.
• Make shopping easier and build brand recognition.
• Allow users to find what they want faster when a website features separate online stores.
• Save you hours of management time each week.
• Showcase different brands with distinct store designs and sell to customers worldwide.
• Add support for many currencies and languages from various countries.
• Create content customized to each market and support holiday sales.
• Handle store data and customer information across all your storefronts.
• Consider which markets you want to target first.

Consider Magento hosting plans to build a flexible platform with a multi-store feature.

[Updated on May 02, 2025]