Unlock Growth: The Essential Features of MLM Shopping Platforms

Direct selling companies and individual distributors have specific needs when it comes to their online shopping. Most e-commerce platforms out there aren’t built for the nuances of MLM shopping or direct selling. So many businesses are stuck with inflexible systems that hold them back and limit their growth.

So what’s the answer? What should you look for in a shopping platform for your direct selling business? Here’s the breakdown:

1. Global Flexibility

Direct selling means operating in multiple countries, each with its own currency, tax laws and regulations and legal requirements. Your platform needs to handle these variations seamlessly. Look for:

• Multi-currency: Process transactions in multiple currencies.
• Automated tax: Comply with local tax laws.
• E-invoicing: Generate and manage invoices that meet international standards.
• Flexible framework: A platform that can adapt to the subtleties of different markets.

This is especially important for multi-level marketing (MLM) businesses which have stricter regulations and need to navigate complex legal landscapes.

2. Unlimited API

An open API (Application Programming Interface) is crucial for customizing your platform and integrating with other business systems. This means you can:

• Connect with payment providers: Offer multiple payment options to your customers.
• Generate custom reports: Get the data you need to make informed decisions.
• Automate tasks: Streamline workflows and increase efficiency.
• Integrate with existing systems: Connect your shopping platform to your CRM, ERP and other key tools.

Unlike platforms with limited API access or restrictive webhooks (like Shopify), an open API gives you the freedom to make your platform your own.

3. Customization

While consistency of brand is important, your MLM shopping experience should also be local. This means being able to:

• Change language and currency: Localize for each market.
• Customize product offerings: Show products relevant to each region.
• Adapt marketing campaigns: Tailor your message to local preferences.

A platform with strong localization features allows you to have global consistency without losing local relevance.

4. User Friendly

Your MLM shopping platform should be easy for your team and distributors to use. Look for:

• Simple interface: No training required.
• Template based system: Create and manage multiple online stores.
• Drag-and-drop: Simplify website customization.
• Centralized control: Have brand consistency while allowing local customization.

Templated systems, especially those with flexible languages like Liquid Templates, offer a user friendly approach to design and governance. This allows headquarters to have control while local markets can customize their website within guidelines.

5. Attribution and Insights

Your distributors’ performance is key to revenue growth. Your MLM shopping and direct selling platform should:

• Activity tracking: See what your distributors are doing and who’s performing well.
• Genealogy reporting: Visualize your network and team performance.
• Commission tracking: Calculate and pay commissions accurately.
• Actionable insights: Identify areas to improve and support distributors.

A unified system with clear insights into distributor activity and genealogy enables data driven decision making and action prompts that drive revenue.

6. Integration with Attribution & AI

By combining attribution data with AI your platform can do even more.

• Product recommendations: Sell more by suggesting products to customers.
• Automated campaigns: Target specific customer segments with personalized message.
• Predictive analytics: Forecast sales and identify growth opportunities.

Attribution and AI with an open service layer creates a single source of truth across all touchpoints, simplifying complex workflows and driving revenue.

Choosing the Right Platform

Picking the right shopping platform is a big decision for any direct selling business. By considering features like global flexibility, API, localization, user friendly and attribution you can empower your distributors, grow revenue and succeed in the long term.

Contact Exigo for a peek at what the next level of MLM Shopping can do for you.