ChannelEngine has established itself as a key player in global ecommerce, enabling businesses to seamlessly connect with major marketplaces. Through a strategic partnership, ChannelEnigne and Shopware developed the Shopware Multichannel Connect app, which helps merchants to expand into new markets, streamline operations, and increase revenue by connecting to over 950 marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, Otto, Bol, Kaufland and Zalando. This app centralizes the management of marketplace listings, orders, inventory, and pricing on a single platform, making it easier for businesses to scale efficiently.
In an exclusive interview, we spoke with Jorrit Steinz, CEO and founder of ChannelEngine, to explore how this collaboration has strengthened the platform and the significant benefits it offers to Shopware merchants.
Interview with Jorrit Steinz, CEO and Founder of ChannelEngine: Insights on Shopware Multichannel Connect and his journey
Please describe yourselves and your company.
I'm Jorrit Steinz, the CEO and founder of ChannelEngine. With more than 20 years of experience in ecommerce, I've witnessed the industry's dramatic evolution. My journey began with building and optimizing hundreds of webshops. As marketplaces like Amazon and Bol gained dominance, I realized the need for a solution to connect businesses effectively to these platforms. That’s how ChannelEngine was born in 2013. We aim to help companies manage and expand their online presence across major marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Kaufland. Today, brands and retailers use our platform to sell over 11 million products across 950+ sales channels worldwide. We're headquartered in Leiden, The Netherlands, but we've grown into a global team with offices worldwide. Over 220 ChannelEngineers from more than 40 nationalities bring diverse perspectives to help our clients succeed in local and international markets.
What prompted Shopware and ChannelEngine to work together in developing this app?
Jorrit Steinz: We've observed an increasing demand from businesses for rapid and efficient methods to expand their ecommerce operations, launch new sales channels, and expand their reach internationally. Many companies already use systems like Shopware to manage their ecommerce activities. We recognized that working together could create a solution that truly meets these needs. That's why we decided to develop Shopware Multichannel Connect. Shopware Multichannel Connect enables Shopware merchants to tap into the vast potential of online marketplaces. What makes this collaboration exciting is the strong overlap in the type of customers we support. ChannelEngine and Shopware are similar in size and share the same DNA, focusing on empowering businesses to succeed in the competitive ecommerce landscape. Our collaboration aims to establish an easy integration between our platforms, significantly speeding up time to market and revenue for merchants. By lowering the barriers to using both solutions, we make it easier for businesses to leverage the built-in trust and expansive customer bases of online marketplaces. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to simplify global ecommerce, allowing merchants to scale efficiently and capitalize on the numerous opportunities marketplaces offer.
The app connects to over 950 online marketplaces.
Which channels do you support and are there geographical limitations?
Jorrit Steinz: ChannelEngine provides access to 950+ online marketplaces and sales channels, ranging from global giants like Amazon to regional players like Otto and niche marketplaces like Media Markt Saturn. Our channel offering has no geographical limitations. Whether you want to expand globally into the US, Middle East, or even Southeast Asia, we support channels like Walmart, Noon, Shopee, and many more. We can tailor the right channel mix to help your business grow across any region and industry; the possibilities are endless! Stay ahead in every region and industry as we continually expand our network of online channels.
How does Multichannel Connect streamline the process of managing multiple sales channels?
Jorrit Steinz: Multichannel Connect seamlessly links Shopware 6 with ChannelEngine, allowing swift access to a broad network of global marketplaces. Through a single, centralized dashboard, you can effectively manage and synchronize product listings, inventory, and pricing across all connected sales channels, ensuring a smooth and profitable multichannel strategy. Key features such as the dynamic repricer and AI-powered product bundling are designed to increase revenue and profitability when selling on different channels. The dynamic repricer ensures your products are competitively priced in real-time, while AI-powered product bundling creates attractive product combinations that appeal to a broader range of customers. Additionally, all incoming orders are fed directly into your Shopware environment, further simplifying the process. This automated approach reduces manual work, increases accuracy, and maximizes your sales potential. By making it straightforward and effective to manage multiple sales channels, we empower Shopware merchants to focus on what they do best.
What benefits this will offer to the Shopware's existing and new merchants?
Jorrit Steinz: Utilizing Shopware Multichannel Connect offers numerous benefits for both existing and new Shopware merchants. It significantly broadens your market reach by granting access to global markets and millions of potential customers on platforms they already use. This enhanced visibility on high-traffic marketplaces boosts sales opportunities and maximizes revenue potential. Another benefit is the ease and effectiveness with which you can start selling on marketplaces. Our AI category mapping solution speeds up onboarding, making expansion more efficient and allowing you to tap into additional revenue streams quickly. The integration reduces manual labor and operational costs by automating listing, price updates, and order management, thereby enhancing time and cost efficiency. As your business grows, our platform supports scalability without introducing additional complexity, ensuring that your operations can expand seamlessly and sustainably.
What are the top 3 things a merchant should consider before deciding for the Shopware Multichannel Connect?
Jorrit Steinz: The top 3 things to consider before starting with Multichannel Connect:
Which channels do I want to sell on to grow my business: local, niche, or global?
Which products do I want to sell on which channels?
How can I fulfill orders for these channels and regions?
Are there any specific technical requirements for using the app?
Jorrit Steinz: You need to have a Shopware 6 store. Beyond that, our integration process is designed to be straightforward, ensuring you can get started as quickly as possible.
Interested in maximizing your marketplace potential today? Integrate Shopware Multichannel Connect and watch your business grow across 950+ channels. Get started now.
