Global eCommerce platform rockets in first year

A string of significant deals has seen Manchester-based eCommerce platform Mercarto deliver seven-figure revenues in its first year of trading.

Designed to allow budding entrepreneurs to set up an end-to-end eCommerce store in minutes with no cost or risk, the Mercarto public platform is shaking up the world of eCommerce.

Connecting sellers and suppliers through its marketplace, Mercarto provides a full suite of eCommerce tools including a store builder, product management, hosting, order management and payment.

The platform can also be white labelled to provide large organisations with bespoke shops for resellers and clients.

Mercarto’s first-year revenues have been driven by a series of multimillion-pound contracts to white label its eCommerce marketplace engine for global corporations.

Founder and chief executive Sean Brown said: “The tech stack and the features we’ve built are not available anywhere else, so they’re attracting major corporations who want to white label our platform to sell their products through.”

Based at Tech Manchester’s FastForward incubator at the UKFast Campus in Manchester, Mercarto is backed by UKFast chief executive Lawrence Jones.

Brown added: “Having access to free working space at the Tech Manchester FastForward incubator and being part of the vibrant environment of UKFast Campus has given us a huge boost.”

Following a beta launch in 2018 which saw thousands of users come on board and open stores, the full Mercarto public platform is set to launch this Summer.

Mercarto’s eCommerce tools work for retailers, brands, buying groups and multi-channel marketing companies.

Co-owner and investor Lawrence Jones said: “When you’re investing in a business, you have to bet on people and I’ve got it wrong enough times to know when I’ve got it very right.

“Sean and I share similar passions for eCommerce and I instantly saw potential both in him and the Mercarto platform.

“We’ve seen the rise of big eCommerce providers like Magento and Shopify that aren’t easy for developers to interact with. Mercarto is perfectly placed to listen, respond and work with the developer community, providing something that, right now, doesn’t exist at scale.”

He added: “This platform has the potential to take on Magento. Better still it’s a UK company made in Manchester, which is already famous for eCommerce brands like AO.com, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Forever Unique – the list is endless.”