What inspired the creation of Dokan, and which specific challenges in the eCommerce space were you aiming to address for your users?
Well, when Dokan first came out, there weren’t many solid options for launching a multivendor marketplace. At least not for regular business owners. You either had to build something from scratch or patch together a bunch of tools and hope everything worked. That’s exactly what the Dokan team wanted to solve. They wanted to make it easier for non-technical users to build something like Amazon or Etsy. But without needing a full development team or a huge budget. And since many people were already familiar with WordPress, it made sense to build on that. The idea was to offer a complete multivendor system that people could set up and run on their own. So yeah, it started from a real problem. People wanted to build marketplaces, but they didn’t have a simple way to get started. Dokan was created to solve that.What are the core differences between Dokan Plugin and Dokan Cloud? How do these solutions complement each other in serving different business needs?
So, Dokan Plugin is built for WordPress. You install it on your own site, customize it however you want, and you’re in full control. It’s great for people who are comfortable managing their own setup. It gives you all the marketplace features, but it depends on how you configure WordPress, themes, and hosting. On the other hand, Dokan Cloud is a hosted eCommerce solution. You don’t need WordPress, hosting, or developers. It’s more like a Shopify alternative. You just sign up and start building your store, no tech headaches. And here’s the cool part – Dokan Cloud also comes with the marketplace addon. If you want to create a multivendor marketplace, you can do it as well using the Dokan Cloud. So, in short, the plugin gives you control, the cloud gives you speed. And both help people launch eCommerce businesses on their own terms.How does your WordPress plugin work?
Our Dokan Plugin turns any WordPress site into a full multivendor marketplace. Once you install it, you get everything you need – vendor registration, product management, order tracking, commissions, payouts, reviews, and more. Each vendor gets their own dashboard to manage their products and orders. As the admin, you control the whole platform, like who sells, what’s listed, and how the money flows. You can use any WordPress theme, extend it with other plugins, and customize it as much as you want. That’s the beauty of it. It’s flexible but still beginner-friendly. You don’t need to be a developer to make it work.Could you share some success stories or notable case studies of businesses growing with Dokan?
Definitely. One that always stands out is Forstep Style. They started as a small fashion store in Europe and used Dokan to scale into a full marketplace with multiple vendors. Today, they’re running a proper eCommerce business, and the entire operation is built on Dokan. (dokan.co/blog/477944/dokan-ecommerce-success-story-forstep-style) Then there’s Bootstrap Themes. They launched a digital marketplace for selling themes and templates using Dokan. Instead of building something from scratch, they went live faster and focused more on growing their vendor base. (dokan.co/blog/477939/bootstrap-using-dokan-for-their-multivendor-theme-marketplace) Another great one is JOSHi, an Austrian marketplace focused on health, nutrition, and sports. They use Dokan to let vendors offer both products and services. Thanks to Dokan’s flexibility, they were able to build a fully automated shop-in-shop system, complete with smart commission tracking and detailed reports. (dokan.co/blog/477947/a-success-story-of-a-healthcare-marketplace) And then we have BidCurios from India. Started by Manish Mohan, it’s a marketplace for collectibles and antiques. With Dokan, he created a space where collectors can buy and sell stamps, coins, and all kinds of memorabilia. It’s niche, but the platform works beautifully. (dokan.co/blog/480630/multivendor-success-story-created-by-dokan) These are just a few stories, but they really show how Dokan empowers entrepreneurs to build and scale marketplaces in totally different industries.What can you tell me about the Dokan Cloud Solution?
Dokan Cloud is our all-in-one eCommerce platform built for people who want to launch fast without touching any code or setting up anything, like hosting, plugins, or extensions of any CMS platform. It works like a modern store builder. If you just want to run a single online shop, Dokan Cloud Shop gives you everything you need – products, payments, themes, shipping, taxes, all baked in. You sign up, build your store, and go live. Simple as that. Now, if you want to go a step further and build a multivendor marketplace, you can switch to Dokan Cloud Marketplace. It’s an extension of the same platform, but built for managing vendors, commissions, payouts, vendor dashboards, and the full marketplace setup. We designed it to grow with your idea. Start small with your own store. Scale big with a marketplace when you’re ready.How do you approach user feedback and community involvement in shaping the future roadmap of Dokan?
We take it seriously. Most of our best ideas have come directly from users, not from a boardroom. Our support team stays in constant touch with store owners, vendors, and developers. They track pain points, requests, and patterns. That feedback goes straight to our product team, and we actually sit down to review it regularly. We also keep an eye on our Facebook group, emails, reviews, anywhere people are talking about Dokan. If a feature keeps coming up, it usually ends up on our roadmap. It’s not just about fixing things. It’s about building what people actually need. That’s how features like vendor subscriptions, live chat, and even Dokan Cloud came to life.What does the future hold for Dokan? Are there any upcoming projects or updates on the horizon?
We’re always building, and right now, there’s a lot in motion. On the plugin side, we’re enhancing the vendor experience with features like bulk product editing, vendor-specific analytics, and a redesigned dashboard powered by React. These updates aim to make managing a store smoother and more intuitive. For Dokan Cloud, we’re focusing on expanding integrations and improving user experience. Features like multi-language support, cart abandonment tools, and advanced reporting are on the roadmap. We’re also working on integrating with services like Avalara for tax management and adding support for Apple Pay and Google Pay. AI is another area we’re exploring. We’re looking into AI-powered selling tools to help vendors optimize their listings and reach more customers.How is AI shaping the future of eCommerce, and where does Dokan fit in?
AI is pushing eCommerce into a smarter, faster, and more personalized era. It’s helping sellers understand what customers want, even before they say it. From smart search to product recommendations, dynamic pricing to AI chatbots, it’s all about improving the shopping experience while saving time. But most of these tools are locked behind big budgets or complex setups. That’s where Dokan steps in. We’re making AI practical and accessible for marketplace owners and vendors, not just enterprise players. We’re working on AI-powered tools that help sellers write better product descriptions, tag items automatically, and even get performance insights without digging into analytics. For admins, we’re building smarter ways to manage vendors, detect issues, and automate tasks that normally eat up hours. In short, AI is the future of eCommerce and Dokan is making sure that the future works for everyone, not just the giants.What is Dokan doing to stay ahead in the AI-powered eCommerce space?
We’ve already taken the first step with Dokan AI, a built-in content generation tool for vendors. It helps them create product titles and descriptions using OpenAI or Gemini, directly from their dashboard. This is just the beginning. We’re building more AI features focused on real marketplace needs, smart tagging, product categorization, vendor analytics, fraud detection, and personalized shopping experiences. But the key is this: everything we build must actually solve a problem, not just sound cool. We’re also keeping it accessible. You don’t need a developer. You don’t need an expensive tool. If you have a Dokan-powered marketplace, you’ll be able to use AI without leaving the platform. That’s how we plan to stay ahead. Not just with more AI, but with smarter AI that works for real people.What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs or businesses considering Dokan for launching their eCommerce?
Well, first of all, I’d say, keep things simple in the beginning. A lot of new entrepreneurs overthink the tech stack, the design, and even the business model, before getting their first customer. With Dokan, you don’t have to do that. If you’re just starting out and want a quick, reliable way to launch your store, Dokan Cloud is probably your best bet. It’s super easy to use, you don’t need to install any plugin or extension, and you can literally go live in a day. It works great as an eCommerce store builder. Now, if you’re already in the WordPress ecosystem or you prefer more control over customization and features, the Dokan Plugin is a solid pick. It comes with all the required features to build any type of multivendor marketplace with ease. Either way, my advice is, don’t wait too long to launch. Get your idea out, start small, talk to your customers, and let the platform grow with your business. Dokan is built to support that kind of growth.To learn more about Dokan, you can visit dokan.co
