Comparison of 2023 Commerce Platforms
As we head into the second half of 2023, the realm of commerce platforms continues to witness dynamic shifts, introducing new opportunities and challenges for businesses in the digital landscape. With the rapid advancement of technology, changing consumer behaviours, and the emergence of innovative business models, selecting the right commerce platform has become an increasingly critical decision for organizations of all sizes. In this article, we will explore the ever-evolving landscape of commerce platforms in 2023, examining key players such as Adobe Commerce, CommerceLayer, Squarespace, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, HCL Commerce, and BigCommerce. By delving into these platforms' features, pros, and cons, we aim to provide businesses with valuable insights to navigate the complexities of selecting a commerce platform that aligns with their unique needs and sets them up for success in the ever-expanding digital marketplace.
Shopify
Shopify is a cloud-based commerce platform that offers an easy-to-use interface and a wide range of features. The platform provides a wide range of customisable themes and various plugins and apps that extend the platform's capabilities. Additionally, Shopify offers a robust ecosystem of partners and developers that may assist companies in creating unique solutions.
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Pros:
Minimal internal tech capabilities are needed to get up and running quickly using customizable themes and plugins.
A large and supportive community of developers and partners.
Strong marketing and SEO features to help businesses grow their online presence.
Cons:
Limited ability to handle complex and large-scale eCommerce operations.
Limited in the number of localisations
Limited flexibility and customizability compared to some other platforms.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a cloud-based commerce platform that offers a range of features, including a powerful product catalogue, order management system, and marketing tools. The platform is highly customizable and offers a range of integrations with other systems, such as Amazon, eBay, and Facebook.
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Pros:
Comprehensive feature set: BigCommerce offers a comprehensive set of features and tools to support various aspects of e-commerce, including product management, inventory tracking, secure payment gateways, marketing, and SEO capabilities. It provides businesses with the necessary tools to create and manage their online stores effectively.
Scalability and performance: BigCommerce is designed to handle high volumes of traffic and transactions, making it suitable for businesses with ambitious growth plans. The platform's infrastructure ensures reliable performance, even during peak periods, providing a smooth and seamless shopping experience for customers.
Ease of use and user-friendly interface: BigCommerce provides a user-friendly interface that makes it relatively easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores. Its intuitive admin panel, drag-and-drop functionality, and pre-built themes allow users to quickly customize and launch their stores without extensive technical knowledge.
Cons:
Limited design flexibility: While BigCommerce offers a variety of pre-built themes and templates, the level of design customization can be somewhat limited compared to other e-commerce platforms. Customizing the appearance and layout of your online store may require more advanced coding or the assistance of a developer.
Transaction fees on lower-priced plans: BigCommerce charges transaction fees on lower-priced plans, which can be a disadvantage for businesses with lower order volumes or smaller budgets. These transaction fees can add up and impact profit margins, especially for businesses that rely heavily on high-volume, low-value transactions.
The steeper learning curve for advanced features: While BigCommerce offers a user-friendly interface, mastering and fully utilizing the more advanced features and functionalities may require a steeper learning curve. Businesses may need to invest time and effort in learning and understanding the platform's more intricate capabilities.
SAP Commerce Cloud
SAP Commerce Cloud (formerly Hybris) is a commerce platform that offers a wide range of features, including product information management, order management, content, search, and customer service. The platform is highly customizable and can be integrated with other SAP solutions, such as SAP ERP and SAP CRM.
Cost: 💰💰💰💰💰
Pros:
Robust and comprehensive feature set: SAP Hybris offers a comprehensive suite of features and functionalities to support various aspects of e-commerce, including catalogue management, order management, customer service, marketing, and more. It provides businesses with a wide range of tools to create personalized shopping experiences and streamline their operations.
Seamless integration with other SAP solutions: SAP Hybris is part of the larger SAP ecosystem, which includes other enterprise solutions such as SAP ERP and SAP CRM. This integration allows for seamless data exchange and synchronization, enabling businesses to have a unified view of customer information, inventory, and orders across different systems.
Scalable and enterprise-ready: SAP Hybris is designed to cater to the needs of large enterprises and can handle high volumes of traffic and transactions. Its architecture provides scalability, allowing businesses to grow their e-commerce operations without compromising performance or stability. It also offers enterprise-grade security and compliance features to ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.
Cons:
Complexity and implementation challenges: SAP Hybris is known for its complexity, which can lead to a steep learning curve and require specialized expertise for implementation and customization. The platform's extensive feature set and configuration options may require substantial time and resources to set up and integrate with existing systems.
High cost of ownership: SAP Hybris is typically associated with higher upfront and ongoing costs compared to some other e-commerce platforms. The licensing fees, implementation costs, and maintenance expenses can be significant, making it less accessible for smaller businesses or those operating on tighter budgets.
Customization limitations: While SAP Hybris offers a wide range of features and functionalities, some users have reported limitations when it comes to customization options. Businesses may find it challenging to tailor the platform to their specific needs or may require additional development effort to achieve desired customizations or integrations.
commercetools
commercetools is a headless commerce platform that allows businesses to create custom eCommerce solutions using a flexible, API-first approach. The platform is designed to be highly scalable and offers a range of features, including a powerful product catalogue and promotions.
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Pros:
Flexible and scalable architecture: commercetools offers a highly flexible and scalable architecture, making it suitable for businesses of various sizes and industries. Its API-based approach allows for easy integration with existing systems and enables businesses to adapt and evolve their e-commerce strategies quickly.
Headless commerce capabilities: commercetools is a leading headless commerce platform, which means it separates the frontend presentation layer from the backend commerce logic. This provides businesses with the freedom to deliver consistent shopping experiences across multiple channels, including web, mobile, IoT, and more.
Extensive customization and agility: commercetools provides businesses with a high level of customization and agility. Its modular structure allows for the creation of unique and tailored e-commerce solutions, while its cloud-based infrastructure ensures fast and efficient deployment of new features and updates.
Cons:
Implementing commercetools, a headless e-commerce platform, demands organizations to possess a robust digital maturity level. This entails not only a deep comprehension of API integration and data management but also the ability to effectively orchestrate diverse systems and services. Building a successful headless platform with commercetools requires organizations to leverage their expertise in these areas and embrace a digital-first approach.
Steep learning curve: commercetools can have a steep learning curve due to its highly flexible and modular architecture, requiring developers to invest time and effort to become proficient in its implementation and customization.
Higher cost: commercetools is known to have higher pricing compared to some other e-commerce platforms, making it less accessible for smaller businesses or those operating on a tighter budget.
Commerce Layer
Commerce Layer is an API-first headless commerce platform that provides businesses with a flexible and scalable solution for building e-commerce experiences. It offers a set of APIs that enable developers to create customized and seamless shopping experiences across various digital channels. With Commerce Layer, businesses can manage products, inventory, pricing, and orders, while integrating with their preferred front-end technologies. The platform emphasizes flexibility, allowing businesses to adapt and evolve their e-commerce strategies while leveraging its powerful features like multi-currency support, localized content, and advanced catalogue management. Commerce Layer aims to simplify the process of implementing and managing e-commerce functionality, empowering businesses to create compelling and personalized digital commerce experiences.
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Pros:
API-first and headless approach: Commerce Layer's API-first and headless architecture provides businesses with the flexibility to create customized and seamless e-commerce experiences across various digital channels. It enables easy integration with existing systems and allows businesses to leverage their preferred front-end technologies.
Scalability and adaptability: Commerce Layer is designed to be highly scalable and adaptable to accommodate the growing needs of businesses. It can handle high volumes of traffic and transactions, making it suitable for businesses with ambitious growth plans.
Localization and multi-currency support: Commerce Layer offers robust features for localization and multi-currency support. It allows businesses to easily manage localized content, pricing, and inventory across different regions, providing a seamless experience for international customers and facilitating global expansion.
Cons:
Limited out-of-the-box functionality: Commerce Layer may have a more limited set of out-of-the-box features compared to some other e-commerce platforms. This could require additional development and customization work to meet specific business requirements.
The learning curve for non-technical users: The platform's API-first approach and technical nature may pose a learning curve for non-technical users or teams less familiar with working with APIs, potentially requiring additional training or external expertise.
Potential integration complexity: While Commerce Layer offers flexibility, integrating it with existing systems, such as ERP or CRM, could involve additional complexity and effort due to the need for custom integration solutions or the reliance on third-party tools.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder that also offers an eCommerce platform. The platform is designed to be easy to use and offers a range of customizable templates. Squarespace also offers a range of integrations with other systems, such as Stripe and PayPal.
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Pros:
Beautiful and professional templates: Squarespace offers a wide selection of modern and visually stunning templates that are designed to create professional and aesthetically pleasing websites. These templates are fully customizable, allowing businesses to showcase their brand and create a unique online presence.
User-friendly interface: Squarespace provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for businesses to build and manage their websites without extensive technical knowledge. Its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, pre-built content blocks, and seamless content management system simplify the website creation and editing process.
All-in-one platform: Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that provides not only website building tools but also domain registration, hosting, and e-commerce functionality. It allows businesses to manage their online presence in one place, eliminating the need for multiple third-party services and streamlining the website management process.
Cons:
Limited scalability: While Squarespace offers e-commerce functionality, it may not be as scalable as dedicated e-commerce platforms. Businesses with plans for significant growth or complex inventory management may find that Squarespace's capabilities become limited as their needs expand.
Limited third-party integrations: Squarespace has a more limited selection of third-party integrations compared to other e-commerce platforms. This could restrict the ability to connect with certain tools or services that are crucial for specific business operations or marketing strategies.
Transaction fees on lower-tier plans: Squarespace charges transaction fees on lower-tier plans, which can impact profit margins, especially for businesses with higher transaction volumes. As the business grows, the fees associated with each transaction can become a significant factor to consider when evaluating the overall cost of using the platform.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM platform that also offers a commerce platform. The platform offers a wide range of features, including customer service, order management, and marketing automation. Salesforce also has a strong ecosystem of developers and partners that can help businesses build custom solutions.
Cost: 💰💰💰💰💰
Pros:
Robust feature set: Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers a comprehensive suite of features and functionalities to support various aspects of e-commerce, including catalogue management, merchandising, order management, and customer service. It provides businesses with a wide range of tools to create personalized and seamless shopping experiences for their customers.
Scalability and reliability: Salesforce Commerce Cloud is designed to handle high volumes of traffic and transactions, making it suitable for businesses with ambitious growth plans. The platform's infrastructure ensures scalability and reliability, ensuring a smooth and consistent shopping experience for customers, even during peak periods.
Integration with other Salesforce products: As part of the larger Salesforce ecosystem, Commerce Cloud seamlessly integrates with other Salesforce products, such as Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. This integration allows businesses to have a unified view of customer data, streamline operations, and provide a seamless experience across different touchpoints.
Cons:
Complexity and learning curve: Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a robust and feature-rich platform, but its complexity can present a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with Salesforce or e-commerce platforms. Configuring and customizing the platform may require technical expertise or the assistance of experienced developers.
Cost: Salesforce Commerce Cloud is known to be a higher-priced e-commerce solution compared to some other options in the market. The licensing fees, implementation costs, and additional expenses for customization, integrations, and ongoing maintenance can be significant, making it less accessible for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets.
Limited flexibility and customization: While Salesforce Commerce Cloud provides a range of features and functionalities, some users have reported limitations in terms of flexibility and customization options. Businesses with complex or unique requirements may find it challenging to implement highly tailored solutions without extensive development work or additional integrations.
HCL Commerce
HCL Commerce (formerly IBM WebSphere Commerce) is a commerce platform that offers a wide range of features, including product catalog management, order management, and customer service. The platform is highly customizable and can be integrated with other systems, such as IBM Marketing Cloud and IBM Analytics.
Cost: 💰💰💰💰💰
Pros:
Scalability and performance: HCL Commerce is designed to handle large-scale e-commerce operations, making it suitable for businesses with high transaction volumes and complex requirements. The platform offers robust scalability and performance, ensuring a smooth and reliable shopping experience for customers, even during peak periods.
Comprehensive functionality: HCL Commerce provides a comprehensive set of features and functionalities to support various aspects of e-commerce, including catalog management, merchandising, order management, marketing, and customer service. The platform offers extensive customization options, allowing businesses to tailor the solution to their specific needs and create unique customer experiences.
Integration capabilities: HCL Commerce offers strong integration capabilities, allowing businesses to seamlessly connect with other systems and applications, such as ERP systems, CRM platforms, and third-party services. This integration enables businesses to streamline operations, centralize data, and provide a consistent experience across different channels.
Cons:
Complexity and learning curve: HCL Commerce is a robust and feature-rich platform, but its complexity can present a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with the system. Implementing and customizing HCL Commerce may require specialized expertise or the assistance of HCL Commerce professionals, which can increase implementation time and costs.
Cost: HCL Commerce is typically associated with higher upfront costs and ongoing expenses compared to some other e-commerce platforms. The licensing fees, implementation costs, and maintenance expenses can be significant, making it less accessible for smaller businesses or those operating on tighter budgets.
Customization limitations: While HCL Commerce offers a wide range of features and capabilities, some users have reported limitations when it comes to customization options. Businesses with unique or specific requirements may find it challenging to implement highly tailored solutions without significant development effort or additional integrations.
The process of upgrading from HCL Commerce version 8 to version 9 has presented challenges for businesses, prompting them to reassess their current solution. Upgrading to a new version of a complex e-commerce platform like HCL Commerce involves significant effort, including potential changes to the underlying architecture, integrations, customizations, and data migration. These challenges may cause businesses to take a step back and evaluate whether the benefits of upgrading to version 9 outweigh the costs and potential disruptions. It provides an opportunity for businesses to assess their overall e-commerce strategy, consider alternative solutions, and ensure that the chosen platform aligns with their long-term goals and requirements.
Adobe Commerce
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) is a commerce platform that enables businesses to create, manage, and scale their online stores effectively. It offers a wide range of features and functionalities, including a customizable storefront, robust catalog management, secure payment gateways, advanced marketing tools, and seamless integration with various third-party applications. With its flexible architecture, Adobe Commerce allows businesses to tailor their online shopping experiences to meet specific requirements, enabling them to deliver personalized customer journeys and drive conversions. Furthermore, it provides merchants with a comprehensive set of tools for inventory management, order processing, and customer support, ensuring efficient operations and superior customer satisfaction. Adobe Commerce combines the strength of an extensive ecosystem, a user-friendly interface, and robust performance, making it a leading choice for businesses of all sizes looking to establish and grow their online presence.
Cost: 💰💰💰💰⚪️
Pros:
A platform with lots of customization choices and lots of features for making special online shopping experiences.
A high-performance and scalable design ideal for companies with aggressive expansion ambitions.
gains from a vast and active network of partners, agencies, and developers for resources and assistance.
Cons:
High implementation complexity and technical expertise are required to bring your site to life.
Expensive licensing costs. The initial investment, ongoing maintenance, and potential costs associated with extensions and customizations can add up, making it less accessible for businesses with tight financial constraints.
Integration challenges with third-party applications and services.
In Conclusion
The landscape of commerce platforms in 2023 is evolving rapidly to meet the ever-changing demands of businesses and consumers. With advancements in technology, the rise of omnichannel experiences, and the increasing importance of personalization and customer engagement, organizations are faced with a multitude of options when selecting the right platform for their e-commerce needs. Each platform offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is crucial for businesses to carefully evaluate their specific requirements, scalability needs, budget, and desired level of customization and integration before making a decision. As the e-commerce landscape continues to evolve, staying informed about the latest trends and advancements in commerce platforms will be essential for businesses to succeed in this highly competitive digital marketplace.
If you're in the process of evaluating your future technical roadmap and commerce platform, don't hesitate to reach out to Cabiri. Our team is here to provide assistance and support throughout your decision-making and implementation journey.