=== MarketEngine ===
Contributors: enginethemes
Donate link: https://www.enginethemes.com/marketengine/
Tags: enginethemes, multi vendor marketplace, ecommerce marketplace, multi seller, commission, paypal gateway, listing, niche
Requires at least: 4.7
Tested up to: 4.7
Stable tag: 1.1
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
A free WordPress plugin that allows you to build a multi vendor marketplace platform for any niche. 

== Description ==

Developed by EngineThemes, MarketEngine is a free WordPress marketplace plugin for those who are looking for a multi-vendor marketplace platform for any niche. This plugin will play as a technical assistant, designing the most logical user flow and building all must-have features needed for a marketplace. 

By using MarketEngine plugin, you will find it easy to build an e-commerce website where vendors can register at your site, list their products and services with different listing types, manage their account performance, etc. This plugin will deliver an all-in-one solution, helping you save effortless time and money spent on creating an online store with WordPress.

Since user experience is the top priority for any niche, we focus more on enhancing shopping experience from sell to search & shop. Just a few simple clicks, buyer can get the right item matching their needs. Besides, our checkout process is as smoothly as possible. Only 3 steps, the transaction is totally completed and protected by secure PayPal gateway.

MarketEngine also provides admin with an elegant dashboard where you can control everything on your site such as monitor all members, listings, and orders occurring on the site as well as make any changes from back-end. As a result, you can prevent spam from unreliable accounts on your site.
 
Key Features:

Admin

*   Can manage and modify a post after vendors submit a listing.
*   Set up the time that order must be completed.
*   Set up the commission fee charging seller for each transaction. 
*   Set up your preferred currency for the listing price.
*   Add extra fields according to each category for the post listing form.
*   Run listings, members, orders, inquiries reports.
*   Track all orders/listings by status and view details of each order.
*   Optimize URL slugs for better SEO.
*   Easily control how the plugin should work in your marketplace from a great dashboard management.

Vendors

*   Register a new vendor in front-end.
*   Post their products or services with different types of listing.
*   Can make the decision how much their listings cost by custom pricing feature.
*   Receive notification of new orders via email.
*   Never miss out on any order changes by the effective order tracking system.
*   Export order reports.
*   Be supported with multiple pages and dashboards.

Buyers

*   Quick filter and sort an item by its category, pricing, listing type, etc.
*   Can view other vendors’ profile with detailed information, including bio, location, and reputation.
*   View all ratings and views of a listing from other real customers based on their real experience.
*   Can communicate with vendors via a live message box with the privacy guarantee.
*   Easily add an item to their cart & check out fast via PayPal payment gateway.
*   Easily shop and look for items on any devices.

Find out more at https://www.enginethemes.com/marketengine/.

= Recommended Theme: =

To make your site run smoothly, we strongly recommend you to use MarketEngine plugin with ZeroEngine theme provided by EngineThemes. ZeroEngine is specifically designed for this plugin, therefore, it can fully demonstrate all features of the MarketEngine plugin.

If you want to use MarketEngine plugin for your site, you should go to our website https://www.enginethemes.com/marketengine/ to download ZeroEngine theme.
If you happen to be a developer, you could also consider to use ZeroEngine as a base to develop your own theme.

= Further Reading: =

If you want to discover all plugin features, please visit our live demo at http://marketengine.enginethemes.com/.

We are willing to receive your feedback at https://www.enginethemes.com/help/. All your feedback are valuable, which will help us make the plugin better. Other contributions are welcome!
    
== Installation ==

This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.

1. Install and activate the plugin: To install this plugin, you can use one of the following ways: 

	*	From your WordPress Dashboard

		- Visit Plugins → Add New
		- Search for “MarketEngine”
		- Click “Install” and activate MarketEngine from the Plugin menu in WordPress

	*   From WordPress.org

		- Download MarketEngine
		- Upload the “marketengine” folder to the .../wp-content/plugins/ directory via ftp, sftp, scp, etc.
		- Activate MarketEngine from the Plugin menu in WordPress

	*   Direct Zip Upload

		- Download MarketEngine
		- Upload the ZIP package via Plugins → Add New → Upload in your WP Admin
		- Activate MarketEngine from the Plugin menu in WordPress
	

2. Once MarketEngine plugin is activated, you should go to MarketEngine → Setup Wizard to create some specific pages, some listing categories, commission fee, listing types, etc.

3. From your back-end, go to MarketEngine → Settings to set up general content, payment gateways and slugs for your site.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What can I do with MarketEngine? =

You can use MarketEngine to create a marketplace to sell, to offer or rent out any product and service.

= Is MarketEngine compatible with all WordPress themes? =

Yes. MarketEngine is compatible with most of WordPress themes. But, you strongly recommend you to run MarketEngine plugin with ZeroEngine theme since only ZeroEngine theme can fully demonstrate all features of the plugin.

= Can I download the free version of MarketEngine plugin and ZeroEngine theme? =

 It depends. If you want to download the free version of MarketEngine, you only need to search MarketEngine plugin from WordPress.org and install it. Or else, you can sign up into our website. Then, you go to the “MarketEngine” section on the left sidebar in the member area to download the free version of MarketEngine plugin and the ZeroEngine theme. However, in the future, we will offer you the Premium version of MarketEngine, so you can purchase this upgrade version if you need more features for your marketplace.
= Do I need anything other than this plugin/theme? =
MarketEngine is a free plugin at this time. You may also want to purchase our Premium version in the future to add more features to your marketplace.

= Does this plugin work with WooCommerce? =

MarketEngine is built as a standalone marketplace plugin from scratch. It operates independently of WooCommerce, for the purpose of optimizing the flow of your marketplace and ensuring everything on your site run smoothly. Thus, MarketEngine cannot work with WooCommerce. 

= Can I add extra fields which will display in the post listing form? =

Yes. From MarketEngine v1.0.1, we conducted Custom Fields feature allowing you to create as many fields as you want according to each category for the post listing form..
For any questions, feedbacks or suggestions please visit https://www.enginethemes.com/help/.

== Screenshots ==

1. Homepage: Allow user to view the latest listings or search for a listing.
2. Listing  Detail Page: Provide a detail-oriented listing page, with UX design optimized for placing an order or contacting easily.
3. Real User Reviews: Ratings and reviews from real consumers.
4. User’s Profile: Allow buyers to view the detail-oriented profile of a seller, including bio, location and reputation.
5. Live Message Box: On-site communication between sellers and buyers.
6. Orders Page: List out all your orders with detailed information.
7. Plugin Settings Page: Allow admin to set up general content, payment gateways and slugs for his site.
8. Listing Management: Allow admin to monitor & manage all listing from the back- end.

== Changelog ==
= 1.0.1 - Jan 05, 2016 =
* Custom Fields feature.
	1. Sort field by category.
	2. Add/edit/ remove a field.
	3. Validate field constraint: required, is_date, is_numeric.

= 1.1 - Feb 23, 2017 =
* New resolution center tab for users to manage their dispute.
	1. Buyer can send a dispute.
	2. Seller can either request to close or escalate the dispute.
	3. Buyer can close or escalate the dispute.
	4. The new Cases section in back-end for admin to manage all dispute cases on his site.
	5. Admin can resolve the dispute based on materials and proofs that given by two parties.
	6. Email is seamlessly sent to each party involved in the dispute.