---
title: Sales Channels | Shopware Community Hub
description: This unit will guide you through creating and managing sales channels.
canonical_url: 'https://hub.shopware.com/learn/unit/user-sales-channels'
---

# Sales Channels

<LearningObjectives>

- Understand the purpose and flexibility of Sales Channels in Shopware.
- Differentiate between traditional and headless ecommerce architecture.
- Identify use cases for multiple sales channels, including region-specific storefronts and social commerce.
- Configure a new sales channel with localized settings, product assignments, and themes.
- Use APIs to enable headless commerce for custom frontends and applications.
- Apply strategies to tailor user experiences across different customer segments.

</LearningObjectives>

# Sales Channels

<YoutubeEmbed link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO75tBRCmRs"/>

Sales Channels in Shopware are much more than a single online storefront. They enable multiple storefronts, integrations with social media platforms, and API-only (headless) channels, allowing you to reach customers across a wide range of touchpoints.

You can create **an unlimited number of Sales Channels**. These can target different customer groups or even represent completely separate online shops with their own domains, product assortments, designs, and configurations—all managed centrally from the same Shopware instance.

<CollapsibleGroup>

<CollapsibleSection title="What is meant by headless?">

In the ecommerce context, "headless" means separating your online shop into two parts:

1. **The brain** (Shopware Administration) – This handles all the important business logic, such as managing products, processing orders, and storing customer information.

2. **The face** (your custom storefront) – This is what your customers see and interact with.

In a traditional Shopware setup, these two parts come together as one package. With a headless approach, you use Shopware only for the "brain." The "face" can be built independently using other technologies.

Both the Shopware Administration and your custom storefront communicate with the Shopware Core through its APIs. This API-first approach allows different applications to work together while using the same business logic and data.

</CollapsibleSection>

<CollapsibleSection title="Why would you want this?">

Think of your online store like a house. Traditional Shopware gives you a fully built house—complete with a fixed layout and design. With a **headless storefront**, you gain complete design freedom:

- You can create any custom storefront experience (like designing the interior) without being tied to a predefined layout.
- You can open multiple "front doors" to your business—a website, mobile app, or in-store kiosk—all powered by the same backend.
- You can redesign the entire customer-facing experience without changing the underlying business logic or operations, because these are exposed through Shopware's APIs.

</CollapsibleSection>

<CollapsibleSection title="In everyday terms">

Imagine a restaurant where the kitchen (Shopware Administration) prepares all the food, but you can serve it in different dining rooms, as takeaway, or through delivery services—all from the same kitchen.

This lets you present your products across different channels while keeping all important business data in one place. Whether customers order through your website, mobile app, or another channel, all data is managed centrally in Shopware.

</CollapsibleSection>

<CollapsibleSection title="What is an API?">

The API acts as the common interface between Shopware and other applications. Both the Shopware Administration and custom frontends or external systems communicate with the Shopware Core through the API. This allows applications built with different technologies to work together seamlessly. Without this interface, a custom frontend would not be able to access product data, customer information, orders, or any other Shopware functionality. This API-first architecture makes it possible to build custom frontends or integrations while still leveraging all the powerful capabilities of the Shopware backend.

</CollapsibleSection>

</CollapsibleGroup>

## Use cases for Sales Channels

1. **Separate storefronts for markets or brands:** Create an unlimited number of independent storefronts for different markets, brands, or customer segments—each with its own design, products, pricing, domain, and configuration, while everything is managed centrally.

2. **Customize storefronts for different countries:** Go beyond translation by tailoring branding, payment methods, and product catalogs to regional preferences.

3. **Social Shopping:** Sell directly through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest using Shopware's Social Shopping channels.

4. **Integration with Google Shopping:** Increase product visibility through platforms like Google Shopping and comparison shopping services.

5. **Headless channels for custom applications:** Use APIs to integrate with mobile apps, IoT devices, or other custom solutions.

## Scenario: Selling high-end guitars in a premium Sales Channel

You want to create a dedicated Sales Channel for selling **high-end, custom, or rare guitars**. The goal is to provide a premium shopping experience for customers looking for top-tier instruments, including specialized payment methods and faster shipping.

<ShopdevInstance plugin="lp15" step="DoNotDisplay" plan="rise" />

- **Create a new Sales Channel**:

   - In the Shopware Administration, go to **Sales Channels**.
   - Click **Add Sales Channel**.
   - Select **Storefront** as the channel type.
   - Name it **"Premium Guitars"**.

 ![Sales channel configuration](./assets/saleschannel_config.jpg)

- **Configure the general settings**:

   - Choose the appropriate **Entry point main navigation**, **customer group**, **default language**, and **default country**.
   - Configure your **payment and shipping methods**.

- **Configure the domain**:

   - Click **Add domain**.
   - Enter the URL of your learning environment followed by "/saleschannel name" in the **URL** field, for example `https://strum_sgupta.eu-core-1.shopdev.de/premiumGuitars`.
   - Assign:
      - Language – English,
      - Currency – Euro,
      - Snippet – BASE en-GB
      - Select **"Localisation according to ISO standard"**
   - Click **Add domain**.
   - Save your changes.

 ![Domain configuration](./assets/domain_config.jpg)

- **Assign products**:

   - Scroll up and open the **Products** tab. Add premium products such as **American Ultra Stratocaster**, **ST-Acoustic Guitar**, and other premium guitars.
   - Click **Add Products**.

 ![Assign products to sales channel](./assets/assign_products.jpg)

- **Assign a theme**:

   - Open the **Theme** tab and assign a theme.
   - **Save** your changes.

- **Activate the Sales Channel**:

   - Open the Sales Channel again.
   - Set the **Status** in the **General** tab to **Active**.

- **Preview and launch**:

  Your new Sales Channel is now ready to use. Open it through the configured URL or click the **Eye** icon next to your Sales Channel after refreshing the Administration.

 ![Premium products display](./assets/premium_products.jpg)

<Callout>

Shopware includes a built-in **Maintenance mode**. This allows you to test and fine-tune your Sales Channel while it remains hidden from customers until you're ready to launch.

</Callout>

Curious about Hreflang integration, IP address allowlists, and other advanced features? You'll find all the details in our [documentation](https://docs.shopware.com/en/shopware-6-en/settings/saleschannel).

## Final Thoughts

By creating dedicated Sales Channels for premium offerings, specialized products, or unique shopping experiences, you can reach different customer segments and unlock new sales opportunities. Each Sales Channel can be tailored to your business goals, helping you expand your reach while delivering a seamless customer experience.