FAQs - Merchants 2024

needi is transitioning from a marketplace to a platform. Merchants will continue handling fulfilment directly with customers. needi will now invoice the customer for the entire order, while merchants will invoice needi directly via onport’s automatic invoicing system. This allows customers to receive one consolidated invoice for orders from multiple merchants, instead of multiple invoices.

Yes, exclusivity is not required. You are free to sell your products on other platforms alongside needi.

Here are the relevant links, also available in the form sent for you to complete based on your eCommerce platform:

Vendor integration - Shopify   

Vendor integration - WooCommerce   

Vendor integration - SquareSpace   

Vendor integration - BigCommerce (WordPress)   

Vendor integration - Wix  

If your platform is not shown above, please follow the link here to find yours: https://help.onport.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405433157522-Integrations   

By providing your website API key and often your URL.  Each Platform is a little different.

Please follow Onport’s guides on how to get this information https://help.onport.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405433157522-Integrations  

Onport provides seamless integration between your e-commerce platform and needi. Orders placed on needi will automatically be sent to your system for fulfilment.

needi integrates directly with your website via Onport. Product prices and stock levels will sync updating throughout the day, so there’s no need to manually update needi's platform. However, any changes to product descriptions must be communicated to needi to update the listings. To understand how discounts will integrate, and sync please see Marketing and Promotions section.

Yes, after providing your API key and URL along with the other information requested, we will send you an invite to your Onport portal. In here you will be able to view payments, orders and other information.  

https://help.onport.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021087580-Vendor-Portal-overview 

When third party apps drive your variants, we will have to do some behind the scenes work. Please just reach out and we will handle this. 

Use Only the Fields in the Template:

Stick to the exact field names in the template (e.g., keep “qty” as is, instead of changing to “Quantity”).

Delete any fields you don’t plan to fill out to prevent errors. Just copy the headers from row 1 and paste them into your Google Sheet, then populate as needed.

Include Mandatory Fields:

Ensure the fields for SKU, handle, and title are completed, as these are mandatory.

To ensure accuracy, please also add descriptions and images for publication.

This is also where you can adjust stock levels and change the price of the item. For example if a product is out of stock just set the stock qty to 0 and it will show as out of stock on needi.

Set Up a Shareable Link:

When you’re ready to share, select “Anyone with the link can view” and copy the link from the URL bar (do not use the “Share” option). We just need the URL.

For further details, you can refer to the guide here.

Open your Google Sheet: Go to Google Drive, find your sheet, and open it.

Click on the "Share" button: It’s usually located in the top right corner of the screen.

Adjust the Sharing Settings:

In the sharing window, click on "Restricted" (or any current sharing status) under "Get Link."

A dropdown menu will appear.

Select "Anyone with the link":

Change the setting from "Restricted" to "Anyone with the link".

Set Permissions:

To allow others to only view the document, ensure "Viewer" is selected in the dropdown next to "Anyone with the link."

Click "Done": This will save your changes.

Copy and Share the Link with us:

Come out of there and go to the address bar and copy the URL from there.

Yes, our support team is available to assist with the transition, providing guidance on pricing strategies, Onport integration, and other questions.

Merchants will provide their own shipping rates and manage fulfilment. Shipping for the customer will be calculated at checkout. 

To ensure weight-based shipping thresholds work smoothly, please make sure all products have accurate weight details. Without this, the rules may not apply correctly.

No, any changes to product weights on your site won’t automatically update on our platform. It will display the weight you have posted when we first publish your product. If you adjust weights after this, please notify us to ensure shipping calculations remain accurate and reflect the updated information.

needi handles all customer
service interactions, including returns and refunds. If a product needs to be
returned for inspection, we’ll coordinate with you and the customer to arrange
collection and ensure a satisfactory resolution. As the merchant, you’ll be
responsible for any costs related to shipping the faulty item back for
inspection.

needi handles all customer interactions and support, ensuring a streamlined experience for customers while you focus on shipping and inventory management. Please remember that all customer communication should be handled through needi, and needi customers should never be contacted directly.

Yes, you can continue to offer discounts and promotions. needi encourages merchants to run promotions to boost sales, and we can help promote your discounts through our platform and marketing channels.

No, discounts or promotions offered at checkout on your website will not automatically be reflected on needi. However, if you are reducing your prices by a percentage or fixed amount on your site, these changes will be updated on needi’s website as well. 

If you do not want to offer a promotion to needi customers, please contact us. We can either adjust the product’s price back to the standard RRP for the duration of your promotion or temporarily pause the product on needi. 

needi handles all marketing and promotions, ensuring your products are visible and attractively presented. This allows you to focus on product and inventory management while we drive traffic and sales. 

Should needi offer promotions on the needi site this will not affect the merchant’s pricing unless pre- arranged.  

Our Price Promise ensures competitive pricing for customers on needi. We encourage merchants to align their pricing on needi with other sales channels to maintain customer trust and consistency in sales.

We strongly encourage merchant’s to meet the price promise as we want to continue to build trust with our clients and customers. If you are unable to please arrange a meeting with us to discuss further.

The price displayed to customers on needi will include the product price, platform fee or margin for wholesale merchants, and any applicable taxes. Shipping is calculated at checkout.

Yes, VAT will be applied to the 20% commission and is itemised on your invoice. This VAT is applicable to the total sale amount, including shipping.

Yes, needi will continue to charge a 20% commission plus VAT on the total sale price, including shipping. This supports services such as platform management, marketing, and customer support.

If you offer wholesale prices to other retailers, you can extend these prices to needi. Offering wholesale prices can be an advantageous alternative to paying commission. By selling products to needi at a wholesale rate, you allow needi more flexibility in pricing, which helps us stay competitive in the market.