Reference · Source modes

Three sources today. More on the way.

A side-by-side reference for choosing the commerce backbone behind your VendBender storefront. No marketing dodges — what each source owns, what stays the same, and where the trade-offs really sit.

Source index

3 live sources — more adapters coming soon

EKAvailable

E-RetailKit Core

Native engine

Read details

Available

Shopify

Connected source

Read details

FRAvailable

FoodRetailKit

Food operations

Read details

Capability matrix

Row by row, honestly.

Side-by-side capabilities across the sources that ship today. As we add more adapters, this matrix grows with them.

Capability	Native engine E-RetailKit Core	Connected source Shopify	Food operations FoodRetailKit
Source of truth
Catalog Where products and variants are authored and stored.	VendBender	Shopify	FoodRetailKit
Inventory Where stock counts and availability live.	VendBender	Shopify	FoodRetailKit
Checkout Where the cart is completed and payment captured.	VendBender	Shopify	FoodRetailKit
Customer records Where shopper accounts and order history live.	VendBender	Shopify	FoodRetailKit
Storefront experience
Theme builder Curated template families, inspector controls, draft + published state.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mobile-first preview Desktop and mobile device frames in the studio.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom domains Apex + www with managed SSL after DNS verification.	Yes	Yes	Yes
AI theme assistance Prompt-based theme generation and restyling (token-tracked).	Coming	Coming	Coming
Operational depth
Operational reporting Sales, stock, and store performance dashboards.	Native	Via Shopify	Via FoodRetailKit
Multi-location stock Tracking and routing across multiple physical locations.	Native	Via Shopify	Via FoodRetailKit
Instagram catalog bootstrap Draft catalog suggestions from Instagram posts and captions.	Roadmap	No	No
Food-specific order rules Time windows, modifiers, prep routing — handled in source.	No	No	Native
Platform behavior
Switch source later Move a live storefront to a different commerce source.	Roadmap	Roadmap	Roadmap
Background data sync Silent mirroring of source data into a native dataset.	Not applicable	Never	Never
Storage allowance Uploaded media — images, downloads, etc.	Included	Included	Included

Owned Yes Partial / roadmap No

Source profiles

Each source, in depth.

Each of the three sources, with the persona it suits best, its strengths, things to consider, and a CTA to start a workspace.

Native engine

E-RetailKit Core

Available now

Start with E-RetailKit Core

Catalog, inventory, checkout, and operational reporting live inside VendBender. One disciplined retail system, end to end.

Best for

New retail brands building from scratch, or operators who want one system for storefront and operations.

Strengths

Native catalog, inventory, and multi-location workflows
Direct path from product setup to live storefront
Operational reporting without re-keying data
Future Instagram-assisted catalog bootstrap arrives here first

Consider

Requires importing or creating catalog data inside VendBender
Replaces — rather than augments — an existing commerce stack

Connected source

Shopify

Available now

Start with Shopify

Shopify remains the source of truth for products, variants, inventory, and checkout. VendBender owns storefront, theme, and publishing.

Best for

Established merchants on Shopify who want a stronger storefront layer without leaving their operational backbone.

Strengths

Keep Shopify Admin, apps, and checkout exactly as they are
Reads directly from your Shopify — no parallel database
Cart and payment handled where you already trust them
Storefront upgrades ship without disrupting operations

Consider

Shopify pricing and limits still apply
Some Shopify-specific edge cases inherit Shopify's rules

Food operations

FoodRetailKit

Available now

Start with FoodRetailKit

FoodRetailKit holds operational truth — stock rules, order routing, payment flows. VendBender brings the customer-facing brand and layout.

Best for

Food operators with FoodRetailKit who want a premium consumer-facing layer without rebuilding ops.

Strengths

Food-specific stock and order behavior stay in source
Premium customer-facing storefront on top of operational data
Ready for FoodRetailKit's expanded capabilities when they ship
Brand and merchandising decisions live in VendBender

Consider

Full feature parity follows FoodRetailKit's own roadmap
Some operational settings remain in FoodRetailKit admin

Don't see your stack?

Tell us. New sources are prioritized by demand.

How it fits together

One storefront. One source. Honest seams.

VendBender adapts the studio, preview, and publishing flow to whichever source you choose — without pretending external data is native.

Diagram of one storefront connecting to multiple commerce sources

Common questions

Plain answers, no soft-pedaling.

How do I request a source that isn't on the list?

Tell us via the suggest-a-source form below. New sources are prioritized by demand and how mature the source's own platform is — your request directly affects what gets built next.

Do I have to migrate data when I connect Shopify or FoodRetailKit?

No. VendBender reads from the source at request time — there's no silent mirror, no dual-write, and no copy of your catalog sitting in a parallel database. The source remains authoritative.

Can I move from one source to another later?

Not yet. Each storefront commits to a single source at launch to keep ownership boundaries clean and avoid mid-flight migrations. Source-switching is on the roadmap.

What stays the same regardless of the source?

Theme builder, template families, mobile preview, subdomain publishing, custom domain support, AI theme assistance (when it ships), and storage all work consistently across sources.

Still deciding?

Start a workspace and commit to a source during onboarding.

The onboarding flow walks through the same trade-offs with the choice still in front of you — and you won't lock anything in until you're ready.

Start a workspace See template families