Choosing between two Shopify options: separate stores or multiple locations?

[w_mansour]

I am reaching out as a dual national seller who operates a business in the UK and has recently been invited to participate in a pop-up event in my other country of nationality. Due to tax liabilities, I am required to use local payment gateways during the event instead of my UK POS system. To navigate this situation, I am exploring two Shopify options and evaluating their pros and cons.

Option 1: Two Locations

• Pros:
  • Allocation of inventory to designated locations.
  • Consolidated sales and customer information in one place.
  • Ability to convert in-person customers to online customers.
• Cons:
  • Restriction with one payment gateway for two locations in different countries.
  • Accounting challenges dealing with VAT/Tax for both countries.

Option 2: Two Stores

• Pros:
  • Two separate payment gateways, each corresponding to its own store.
  • Ability to maintain separate accounting for each store based on respective country requirements.
• Cons:
  • Manual tracking of inventory and sales between stores, prone to human error.
  • Difficulty migrating information on pop-up customers to the main online store without violating privacy clauses.

After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the most viable solution is to temporarily suspend accepting online orders for the duration of the pop-up event. This approach would allow me to change the payment gateway corresponding to the country I'll be in, streamlining the necessary information for accounting and tax purposes. While not ideal, it appears to be the lesser of two evils in this scenario.

Please feel free to share any insights or suggestions you might have regarding this situation.

Thank you!