Four formats: Catalog, Landing one, Landing multi, Tickets

Usually you pick a store format once and stick with it: a landing page runs on a builder, a catalog on a CMS, tickets on a separate service. NitroCart works differently: four storefront formats live in one install of the engine and switch in the admin panel with one click. Data from the other formats is preserved, the license and domain don't change, and no reinstall is needed.

Here's what each format does, when to pick which, and what happens when you switch.

Four formats in one install

Catalog — a full multi-page store. Categories and nested subcategories, tags, products with variants and options, a homepage builder, a blog, SEO tools. This is the most extensive format: you reach for it once the range has settled and a landing page isn't enough anymore.

Landing one — one product on one screen. The fastest format to launch: minimum fields, but everything conversion needs — a social-proof block, reviews, FAQ, product options. Typically the first step when testing a hypothesis.

Landing multi — a mini-catalog on one page. A grid of several products, category filters, a card in a modal window, a mobile carousel. It takes longer to fill in than Landing one, but the whole range sells from one screen. See Multi-landing ecommerce: one product, many angles.

Tickets — events and seat sales. Sectors, rows, specific seats, several show dates, a printable ticket with a barcode or QR code. Can also run as an ordinary single-product landing page if seat selection isn't needed yet. More at Self-hosted event ticketing system.

What's shared and what's separate per format

Understanding the boundary matters so you don't lose data when switching.

Shared across every format: cart and checkout, the payment gateway, traffic attribution and visit statistics, Telegram notifications, the license, and the domain. Set it up once — it works in every format.

Separate per format: styling (the theme and design settings are chosen independently for each format), its own content tree, and its own custom-code block for pixels and scripts.

Catalog-only: the homepage builder, the blog, and the SEO tools tied to it. That's not a license limit — it's a difference in what the formats are for: a single-page store doesn't have a homepage that needs assembling from blocks.

On custom code, see Custom HTML, CSS, JS and pixels in every format.

Styling: five themes across four formats

NitroCart ships five ready themes, chosen independently for each of the four formats. Theme settings let you mix — catalog in theme A, landing in theme B. Each active format keeps its own theme slot, and switching Render setting doesn't reset the themes you picked.

Theme Uniqueness is an optional CSS/JS class-map regeneration when your own markup fingerprint matters. Custom CSS can be layered on top of any theme, per format. For creative testers that means a bold landing and a clean catalog on the same install; for event organizers, tickets in one style and a merch catalog in another; for agencies, a different visual identity per client brand.

Workflow: open Theme settings and assign themes per format → switch Render setting and preview each format's look → enable Theme Uniqueness if fingerprint matters → add custom CSS per format if needed.

Which format to pick for the job

Task	Format
Test one product on live traffic	Landing one
Test a whole niche, 3–20 items	Landing multi
An established range, 20–500 items	Catalog
An event, seat sales	Tickets
One offer with fine design tuning	Tickets, no seating block

A practical strategy for paid traffic looks like this: start with Landing one, expand the angle to Landing multi on the first response, and once the combo has won, roll out Catalog with a blog and SEO. All three steps happen on the same install. More at Store engine for media buyers: test offers, keep the stack.

How switching works

1. Open the format switcher in the admin panel.
2. Pick the format you need — the switch happens instantly.
3. Set up the styling for that format.
4. Fill in the content — products, copy, blocks.
5. Publish. Same license, same server, same domain.

Content from formats that are currently inactive doesn't go anywhere: switch back later and you'll find it right where you left it. A step-by-step scenario is in How to switch catalog to a landing in 5 minutes.

How this differs from a landing-page builder

A page builder assembles a page, not a store: something else handles the cart, checkout, payments, and order tracking. Here, a landing page is a mode of a full engine — the same cart, the same checkout, the same traffic attribution. A fuller comparison is in Landing-page builder vs a store engine.

The other side is honest too: if you need a content-media project where a blog is the main asset and the catalog is an occasional afterthought, a focused engine built for fast storefront switching isn't the most convenient tool. See When NitroCart is not a fit.

Non-obvious scenarios

Four formats in one install combine into setups that usually need several different services: a pop-up store for a limited-time promo, a QR storefront at an offline location, selling access to a webinar recording, a seasonal catalog, tickets alongside merch. Examples are in Non-obvious uses: pop-up, QR, webinar, seasonal catalog, Tickets and merch in one engine, and Offline to online in an afternoon.

FAQ

Do I need to reinstall the engine to switch formats?

No. The format switches in the admin panel with one click, instantly. The engine stays deployed, the license and domain don't change.

Does content from inactive formats get lost?

No. Products, copy, and styling settings are kept separately for each format. Switch back and you'll find everything right where it was.

Can I run a blog on a landing page?

The blog and homepage builder are available in the Catalog format. The single-page formats are built for one screen and don't have a homepage as a separate entity.

Can I use Tickets without a seating map?

Yes. The seat-sales block can be turned off, and the format works as an ordinary single-product landing page — with the finest design tuning of all four formats. The seating map can be turned on later, once an event comes up.

Is the theme set for all formats at once?

No, styling is chosen independently for each format. That lets you run a different look for the catalog and the landing page on one install.

Are five themes enough?

Custom HTML/CSS/JS per format covers anything beyond the presets.

Do I need a separate license per format?

No. All four formats are included in every plan. The license is counted by the number of concurrently active stores (IPs), not by format.

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Next: How to switch catalog to a landing in 5 minutes, Self-hosted event ticketing system, Multi-landing ecommerce: one product, many angles.