Multiple ZenCart installations on the one site

[Briohny12]

[FONT=Arial]I’m just wondering if it is possible to install multiple Zencart databases/ecommerce solutions on the one site? Would they work as separate shopping carts or would they conflict?[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]The reason is that my client wants to use his site as a kind of portal. Customer visit his site and he provides products from various different companies. When you purchase from a particular company he wants the payment to go directly to them.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Any advice would be greatly appreciated as at the moment i can't figure out how to do this and i figured that different shopping carts with different paypal/merchant accounts would be the only option.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Many thanks in advance. :)[/FONT]

[gjh42]

You can install separate Zen Cart stores in subfolders of a domain, as long as you have enough databases available (you can even put them inside the same db, using table prefixes to keep the stores separate).

This doesn't address the question of the best way to organize your shopping/payment flow.

[kobra]

When you purchase from a particular company he wants the payment to go directly to them.

Yes then seperate installs....
Any combined option would present the issue of a single order with items from mfg "A", "B", "C", etc and the resulting dilema with fund management

[schoolboy]

I don't use it, but there is a MULTISITE module that may be useful to you.

[Briohny12]

Thanks everyone for your prompt replys. Kobra, just to clarify:

I can separately install (say 4) ZenCart installations on 4 different databases on the 1 single site?

Can you just confirm please?

Many thanks.

[gjh42]

Yes, as long as they are installed in different folders.

They will have different addresses, like

www.yoursite.com/shop1/
www.yoursite.com/shop2/
www.yoursite.com/shop3/

[Briohny12]

Great. Thanks!

[fairestcape]

Regarding the database(s):

You can have a separate MySQL database for each "shop", or you can use MySQL's database PREFIX feature, allowing you to have just ONE database, but with the database tables of each shop installation designated by a unique prefix.

If your host lets you run several databases, then it's probably better to have completely separate databases for each shop, as this reduces load on the database server(s).

Some hosts only give their clients ONE database - and in cases like these, it's the database PREFIX feature that enables the technology to distinguish what tables are applicable to what software installation.

[calixto]

Well, i am working on something similar based on following assumptions
1 - there is one site to have all stores (kind of ebay without the bidding thing and amazone)
a. It implies the look and feel SHOULD be the same, though you can add logos , banners linked to each store
2- there is ONE single database for all products. So same item could be repeated if
provided by different store (see ebay and amazone). Inventory is of course product/store bounded.
3 - you can be in the central MALL and see everything, including central mall only products.
Go figure, same product with different pricing
The product listing will show who sells each item. You can jump to certain store and see its products only
4 - Categories are showed ONLY if it contains products provided by that store
5 - The shopping cart is unique, so the checkout process.
6 - from Administration point of view
a) the setup of categories is unique and set by the MALL owner (see Amazone, ebay)(this could be changed)
b) Stores choose the best match to their products
c) theat means that store admin sees only his products and categories included, while playing with the admin module
d) Adding a new product is about
- choosing the right category from the whole arrangement
- then adding the product by standard procedures
- if a new category is choosen, it will indeed added automatically on the front end


The code is too crude to be posted, but i certainly will

if somebody wants to see the alfa alfa version, see http://www.itilcon.com/zipcart

All i have mentioned is working so far.
Now I am adding those admin modules needed for each store admin
(like adding specials, featuring a product, checking order status for ITS PRODUCTS only,
managing coupons, etc)

regarding payments, the original question. My take is this.
I expect to control the payment gateway and profit a small amount out of each transaction.
Unless the pay a reasonable fee for the service. Or both.
The MALL should get the money from the Bank and to transfer it to each store, excluding the fee if applies
So they get the money indeed, probably in matter of seconds if system set properly,
which I do not think poses a major obstacle.