Miva

What is Miva Ecommerce Platform

Miva is a comprehensive ecommerce platform designed for businesses that need high levels of customization and control over their online store. It is particularly well-suited for merchants with large or complex product catalogs, such as those in the auto parts, industrial supply, and specialty goods sectors. The core purpose of Miva is to provide a flexible and scalable solution for both direct-to-consumer (D2C) and business-to-business (B2B) sales. Founded in 1997, Miva, Inc. has a long history in the ecommerce industry, providing a stable and secure platform for its clients. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, and focuses on delivering a robust shopping cart system combined with powerful back-end management tools.

Miva Ecommerce Platform Features

• Advanced B2B Functionality: Miva includes features specifically for wholesale businesses, such as customer-specific pricing, purchase orders, and managing multiple buyers under a single corporate account.
• Complex Product Catalog Management: The platform excels at handling products with many variations, custom attributes, and complex pricing rules. This makes it easy to sell configurable or detailed items.
• Subscription & Recurring Billing: You can manage subscriptions and automatically process recurring payments, which is ideal for businesses offering subscription boxes or replenishment services.
• Full Storefront Customization: Miva gives you complete control over the design and functionality of your website. You can modify templates and layouts to match your brand without needing to be a developer.
• Order and Inventory Management: A centralized system for processing orders, tracking inventory levels across multiple warehouses, and managing returns efficiently.
• Marketing and SEO Tools: Built-in tools help you create promotions, manage discounts, and optimize your site for search engines to attract more customers.
• Secure and Reliable Hosting: Miva provides a secure, PCI-compliant hosting environment, ensuring that your store and customer data are protected.

Miva Ecommerce Platform Pricing Plans

Miva's pricing is tailored to the specific needs of each business and is provided on a quote basis. There are no standard, publicly listed pricing tiers. Instead, the cost is determined by factors such as your annual online revenue, the complexity of your store, and the level of support and services required. This approach is common for enterprise-level platforms, as it allows Miva to create a package that aligns with a company's size and growth objectives. Prospective customers need to contact the Miva sales team for a consultation and a personalized quote.

Miva Ecommerce Platform Free Plan

Miva does not offer a free plan. It is an enterprise-grade platform designed for established businesses with significant sales volume. However, interested businesses can request a personalized demo from the Miva team. The demo allows you to see the platform's features in action and discuss how it can be configured to meet your specific business requirements.

How to use Miva Ecommerce Platform

Getting started with Miva involves a guided process with their team. Here is a typical workflow:

1. Initial Consultation: Contact Miva to schedule a demo and discuss your business needs with an ecommerce expert.
2. Platform Setup: Once you sign up, the Miva team will assist with the initial setup of your store, including data migration from your previous platform if needed.
3. Add Products: Use the Miva admin interface to upload your product catalog. You can add products one by one or perform a bulk import using a CSV file.
4. Customize Your Store: Use the built-in page builder and theme settings to customize the look and feel of your storefront. No coding is required for most design changes.
5. Configure Settings: Set up payment gateways, shipping methods, and tax rules according to your business operations.
6. Launch and Manage: Once everything is configured, you can launch your store. The Miva dashboard is then used for day-to-day management of orders, customers, and inventory.

Pros and Cons of Miva Ecommerce Platform

Pros:

• Highly Flexible: The platform can be customized extensively to handle unique business rules and product types.
• Strong B2B Features: It is one of the top platforms for businesses that sell to other businesses.
• Scalability: Miva can handle high traffic volumes and large numbers of transactions, making it suitable for growing companies.
• Excellent Support: Customers often praise Miva for its dedicated and knowledgeable support team.
• No Transaction Fees: Miva does not charge additional transaction fees on top of what your payment processor charges.

Cons:

• Higher Cost: The total cost of ownership is higher than entry-level platforms like Shopify or Wix.
• Steeper Learning Curve: Because it is so powerful, the platform can be more complex to learn and manage initially.
• Not for Beginners: It is not the best choice for small startups or individuals just starting with ecommerce.

Miva Ecommerce Platform integrations

Miva offers a range of integrations through its marketplace of modules and can connect with many popular business systems. Key integrations include:

• ERP Systems: Connect with systems like NetSuite and Acumatica for synchronized inventory and order data.
• Payment Gateways: Integrates with dozens of payment processors, including PayPal, Authorize.net, and Stripe.
• Shipping and Fulfillment: Works with major carriers like FedEx, UPS, and USPS, as well as services like ShipStation.
• Email Marketing: Connect your store to platforms like Mailchimp and Klaviyo to automate marketing campaigns.
• Tax Compliance: Integrates with Avalara AvaTax to automate sales tax calculations.

Miva Ecommerce Platform Alternatives

• BigCommerce: A strong competitor with robust B2B features and a more transparent pricing structure. It is often considered a direct alternative for mid-market businesses.
• Shopify Plus: The enterprise version of Shopify, known for its ease of use and large app ecosystem. It is a great choice for D2C brands but may be less flexible for deep B2B customization than Miva.
• Adobe Commerce (Magento): An extremely powerful and flexible open-source platform. It offers unlimited customization but typically requires significant development resources and technical expertise to manage.
• Oracle NetSuite SuiteCommerce: A unified platform that combines ecommerce, ERP, and CRM. It is ideal for businesses that want an all-in-one solution from a single provider.

Miva Ecommerce Platform API

Miva provides a comprehensive JSON API that allows developers to build custom applications and integrations. The API gives access to nearly all of the store's data, including products, customers, orders, and categories. Developers can use the API to connect Miva to third-party systems, create custom storefront experiences, or build mobile applications. To get an API key, you must have an active Miva store. The key can be generated within the Miva admin panel under the 'User Management' settings by creating an API token with specific permissions. You can find developer documentation on the Miva website.

Example API Request (conceptual):

{
  "Miva_Request_Timestamp": "1672531200",
  "Miva_API_Action": "ProductList_Load_Query",
  "Miva_API_Store_Code": "YOUR_STORE_CODE",
  "Miva_API_Signature": "GENERATED_SIGNATURE",
  "Search_Category_Code": "electronics",
  "Count": 10
}

Miva Ecommerce Platform Affiliate program

Miva has a Partner Program rather than a traditional affiliate program for content creators. This program is designed for web design agencies, developers, and technology companies that build and manage ecommerce sites for clients. Partners can receive benefits such as revenue sharing, co-marketing opportunities, and dedicated support. To join, you must apply through the 'Partners' section on the Miva website. They will review your application to see if your business is a good fit. For individuals or influencers, it is best to contact their partnership team directly to inquire about potential collaboration opportunities.