Running one online store is a full-time job.
Running two? That’s a part-time breakdown waiting to happen.
But what if you could manage multiple stores—Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, you name it—all from one dashboard that talks directly to Fishbowl Inventory?
That’s the magic of LilyPad Multi-Cart, and in this article, we’re going to break down how it works, who it’s for, and why it’s the kind of solution that feels like finding an espresso machine in the middle of a trade show.
Let’s go.
The Multichannel Headache
Here’s what usually happens when you run more than one store:
- Your Shopify store has a flash sale and you forget to update stock on WooCommerce.
- A customer orders an out-of-stock item because inventory wasn’t synced.
- Your warehouse gets flooded with orders from three different storefronts, and fulfillment becomes a guessing game.
- You spend hours exporting orders, re-entering them in Fishbowl, and hoping nothing breaks.
It’s a juggling act that only gets harder as you grow. And the manual tasks? They don’t scale. Instead, they multiply and drain your time, increase your chances of error, and leave your customers wondering why their order shipped late—or not at all.
Multichannel eCommerce is powerful—but without integration, it’s chaos. That’s where LilyPad Multi-Cart comes in.
What Is LilyPad Multi-Cart?
LilyPad Multi-Cart is a multichannel connector that syncs your eCommerce storefronts with Fishbowl Inventory. It brings all your orders into Fishbowl automatically and keeps inventory updated across every connected store.
But it does more than just basic syncing—it gives you control. You can:
- Create and manage multiple stores, each with unique branding, pricing, and product sets.
- Offer customer-specific portals with login-based access.
- Automatically push tracking updates back to each storefront.
- Sync pricing, images, inventory, and order statuses in real time.
What this really means is that you can manage complex sales setups—D2C, B2B, wholesale, or multi-brand—from one dashboard without manually touching every piece of your process.
Whether you’re running a B2B portal for wholesale buyers, a D2C site for consumers, or a separate portal for reps, Multi-Cart gives you one place to manage all of it. It connects the front-end of your business (how customers buy) with the back-end (how you fulfill), without the traditional disconnect.
Who It’s For
LilyPad Multi-Cart is built for companies that live in multiple lanes at once:
- Distributors with B2B customers and retail partners who need separate catalogs, pricing, and shipping rules.
- Manufacturers selling direct-to-consumer (D2C) while still maintaining wholesale relationships with retailers.
- Companies with multiple brands or storefronts under one umbrella, each needing a unique web presence.
- Sales teams needing custom portals for their clients, often with negotiated pricing or product restrictions.
This solution is especially valuable if your business has ever run into problems like:
- Double-entering orders from different platforms
- Customers ordering products that are out of stock
- Trying to manually maintain consistent pricing across channels
- Getting late-night emails from reps asking for their client’s pricing and availability
In short, if you’re doing more than one thing, and your current setup feels duct-taped together, Multi-Cart is probably what you need.
Key Features That Actually Matter
Let’s dig into the stuff that saves time, prevents errors, and keeps your business sane:
1. Order Sync (The Big One)
Every order placed on a connected storefront flows directly into Fishbowl. You don’t have to copy/paste customer details, re-enter SKUs, or re-check product codes. This alone is a game-changer for small teams. Orders can come in overnight, and by the time your team logs in the next morning, everything’s already in the queue for fulfillment.
It’s fast, reliable, and eliminates one of the most error-prone parts of eCommerce: manual entry.
2. Inventory Sync (No Overselling)
Inventory updates are pushed from Fishbowl back to every connected storefront in real time.
So if you sell 10 units on your wholesale portal, your Shopify storefront will reflect the new inventory instantly. That means no more apologizing to customers about stockouts—or worse, refunding orders you couldn’t fill.
It’s not just about customer satisfaction. Inventory accuracy keeps your business running smoothly, prevents fulfillment delays, and helps your purchasing team plan with confidence.
3. Tracking & Status Updates
Once an order is fulfilled in Fishbowl and marked as shipped, tracking numbers and order statuses automatically get pushed back to the storefront—and can be emailed to the customer.
This closes the loop on the customer experience. Instead of wondering when their order will arrive, your customer gets notified without you lifting a finger.
It’s one less call to customer service, and one more point scored for professionalism.
4. Custom Pricing Per Store
Multi-Cart allows you to create separate pricing structures for each storefront. That means you can:
- Show wholesale pricing to B2B clients
- Use MSRP for retail shoppers
- Create special pricing tiers for reps or VIP customers
If you’ve ever tried to manage this manually, you know how risky it is. Multi-Cart lets you set it and forget it—with full visibility and no duplicated effort.
5. Customer-Specific Portals
Some of your customers need a more tailored experience. Multi-Cart lets you create login-based portals where customers only see what applies to them—specific SKUs, prices, terms, and even order history.
It’s like creating a custom eCommerce site for each account, without building each one from scratch. You give them autonomy while keeping control.
This reduces email back-and-forth, empowers your customers to place their own orders, and keeps your team focused on fulfillment instead of customer service.
6. Brand Control
Whether you’re running multiple brands or just want to personalize the experience for different audiences, Multi-Cart lets each storefront have its own design, branding, and even product descriptions.
You can offer the same products across different channels—but talk about them in different ways. This kind of flexibility helps you fine-tune marketing while still managing fulfillment centrally through Fishbowl.
A Real-Life Scenario: One Business, Three Channels
Let’s say you run a natural wellness company. You:
- Sell directly to consumers on Shopify
- Offer wholesale to retail shops through a gated portal
- Let reps place orders on behalf of clinics and wellness centers
Before Multi-Cart:
- You manually sync orders into Fishbowl
- Inventory goes out of sync daily
- Reps email you orders, which you type in by hand
- Pricing errors and fulfillment delays frustrate customers
After Multi-Cart:
- Shopify, your wholesale portal, and rep storefront all sync into Fishbowl automatically
- Inventory stays accurate across the board
- Reps have their own login, see only their products, and submit orders directly
- Customer experiences improve, and your team breathes a little easier
Suddenly, it’s not overwhelming—it’s just working. Your storefronts stay unique, but your operations stay unified.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Setting up LilyPad Multi-Cart is straightforward with the right prep:
- Fishbowl Inventory running as your main backend system
- One or more eCommerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.)
- A clear understanding of what products, pricing, and branding belong to each store
- Defined customer groups or reps that need unique access
The LilyPad team helps map everything out and provides onboarding to make sure all your storefronts, customers, and workflows connect cleanly to Fishbowl.
Implementation can range from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how many storefronts and special rules you need—but the payoff is a streamlined, scalable sales engine.
Final Thoughts
Multichannel selling doesn’t have to feel like spinning plates on a unicycle.
With LilyPad Multi-Cart and Fishbowl working together, you can centralize your orders, sync inventory across stores, and give customers a better experience—without giving yourself a headache. It’s built for growing businesses that want the control of one system but the flexibility of many storefronts.
If you’re juggling too many systems, it might be time to simplify the whole act. Ready to see it in action? Reach out to LilyPad and ask for a demo. Your warehouse team (and your future self) will thank you.
