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ON-PREMISE CRM VS ON-CLOUD CRM: KEY DIFFERENCES
When it comes to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, businesses often have two choices: On-premise CRM and On-cloud CRM. This article will focus on clarifying the key differences and pros and cons of each option.
Understanding the distinctions between On-premise and On-cloud CRM can help businesses make well-informed decisions, optimize customer relationship management, and succeed in today’s business landscape.
Related Reading: What is CRM? Top 5 benefits of using CRM software in 2023
On-Premise CRM Software
On-premise CRM is a type of CRM software installed and hosted on the servers and infrastructure owned by the business. When deploying On-premise CRM, the business takes responsibility for all aspects of the CRM system, including hardware, software, maintenance, security, and database management.
Pros
- Data Control: Businesses have complete control over their CRM data, which is particularly crucial for safeguarding sensitive and essential information.
- Customization: On-premise CRM systems frequently provide a high level of customization, allowing businesses to tailor the software to meet their specific needs and operational workflows.
- Security: With full data control, businesses can implement their security measures and protocols to ensure the protection of both customer and business data.
- Operational Efficiency: On-premise CRM software can offer robust operational efficiency and faster data access as it is stored and operated entirely on the internal servers and infrastructure of the business.
- Cost Efficiency: On-premise CRM requires businesses to pay for hardware and software licenses upfront. However, ongoing costs can be significantly lower than cloud-based CRM, making on-premise CRM cost-effective in the long run.
Cons
- High Initial Costs: Implementing on-premise CRM entails substantial initial payments for acquiring servers, obtaining software licenses, and establishing the necessary infrastructure. This considerable upfront investment might pose challenges for some businesses.
- Maintenance: Businesses have responsibility for all maintenance tasks, security measures, updates, and issue resolutions. This can consume a lot of resources and requires a highly skilled technical team.
- Limited Accessibility: On-premise CRM software is quite limited in terms of remote access, making this system less appealing to businesses with multiple branches in different locations.
- Limited Scalability: Scaling up the on-premise CRM system can be complex and incur significant costs for purchasing and configuring additional hardware and software.
- Software Backup: Businesses must deploy their own data backup solutions to ensure the availability of data in case the CRM system encounters unforeseen issues.
Some popular on-premise CRMs like Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle Siebel CRM,…
On-Cloud CRM Software
On-Cloud CRM is a form of customer relationship management software hosted on the remote servers of a third-party provider. With this software, businesses are relieved from the task of managing and maintaining fundamental infrastructure like servers and central databases, as those responsibilities are handled by the On-Cloud CRM provider.
Businesses can access the CRM system from anywhere with an internet connection through a web browser or mobile application.
Pros
- Easy Deployment: On-cloud CRM systems are typically deployed quickly because they don’t require complex hardware setups or software installations.
- Low initial costs: Cloud CRM solutions often have lower upfront costs compared to on-premise CRM solutions because businesses don’t need to invest in servers and infrastructure.
- Scalability: Cloud CRM can easily scale to meet the growing number of users and changing business needs without the need for additional hardware investments.
- Accessibility: Cloud CRM users can access the system from anywhere with an internet connection, making this software appealing to businesses with multiple branches in different locations.
- Automatic Updates: On-cloud CRM providers are responsible for handling updates and maintenance, ensuring users quickly access the latest features and improvements.
- Data Security: On-cloud CRM providers are highly regarded for their ability to offer optimal security measures to protect customer data.
Cons
- Data Control: The entire data is stored on servers owned by the third-party provider. This raises concerns about data control and security, as well as risks from the provider’s end.
- Dependency on the Internet: Cloud CRM operations rely on Internet connectivity. If the connection is slow or interrupted, it may impact the overall system performance.
- Customization Limitations: While many cloud CRM solutions are highly configurable, compared to on-premise CRM solutions, they still have limitations in terms of customization.
- Subscription Costs: Using on-cloud CRM, businesses will incur ongoing monthly or annual usage fees. Initially, the upfront costs may be lower than on-premise CRM, but there are ongoing fees such as user quantity fees, customization fees, etc., which businesses will continuously have to pay throughout the deployment process. This leads to an increase in the total cost of using the cloud CRM system over time.
Some popular Cloud CRMs include Salesforce Sales Cloud, SAP Sales Cloud, Oracle CRM On Demand,…
Related Reading:
- Explore the 10 best CRM software for large enterprises Pt1
- Explore the 10 best CRM software for large enterprises Pt2
What is The Difference Between On-Premise and Cloud CRM?
On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Which is The Better Choice?
The choice between On-premise and On-cloud CRM becomes a crucial decision in the strategy of deploying CRM. Each type comes with its own set of advantages. On-premise CRM offers high control and customization, while On-cloud CRM is convenient, flexible, and helps reduce the burden of infrastructure and initial costs.
The ultimate decision depends on the deployment needs, data control requirements, and budget. Nevertheless, both can serve as valuable tools for businesses to manage customer relationships and amplify operational efficiency.
Contact SECOMM or call the hotline at 02871089908 today to learn more about deploying and developing a comprehensive CRM system and determine the optimal choice between On-premise and On-cloud.
EXPLORE THE 10 BEST CRM SOFTWARE FOR LARGE ENTERPRISES PT2
The recent surge in prioritizing customer experience has significantly impacted the evolution of eCommerce. Therefore, choosing the right CRM among various CRM software solutions to effectively manage customer relationships is crucial.
Following Part 1, here are 5 other CRM software options for large enterprises worth considering.
Dynamic 365 Sales
Dynamics 365 Sales is a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution developed by Microsoft. The software is designed to assist businesses in managing and streamlining customer interactions, enhancing the sales process’s efficiency.
Its notable capability for scalability and flexible customization has made Dynamics 365 Sales one of the most suitable choices for the complex deployment needs of large enterprises.
Core features:
- Communication Management: Harness the power of Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Teams to enhance team collaboration effectiveness and interact more efficiently with customers.
- Revenue Acceleration: Optimize the sales process and revenue with suggested next actions proposed by Microsoft, helping businesses prioritize their sales activities.
- Predict & Manage Pipeline: Analyze individual and team sales processes to provide automatic in-depth insights and deliver the most accurate forecasts.
- Real-time Insight: Provide real-time insights from sales calls, including customer emotions, market competition, and more, enabling businesses to assess and guide their sales teams effectively.
Costs:
| Dynamics 365 Sales Professional | Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise | Dynamics 365 Sales Premium | Microsoft Relationship Sales |
| $65/user/month | $95/user/month | $135/user/month | $162/user/month |
Pros:
- Seamless integration with other Microsoft products.
- Intuitive interface, easy to set up, and shares similarities with other Microsoft solutions.
- Collects customer data from multiple sources and stores it centrally in a single platform.
- High flexibility and scalability for customization.
Cons:
- Rigorous configuration, challenging to change after setup.
- For users unfamiliar with Microsoft products, the interface may be cluttered and challenging to navigate.
- Requires a high technical proficiency and a specific understanding of Microsoft products for deployment and customization.
- Some advanced features may necessitate additional module purchases
Oracle CRM On Demand
Oracle CRM On Demand is a cloud-based CRM designed to assist businesses in managing sales activities, marketing, and customer interactions, and providing in-depth analytical reporting. It is the SaaS version of Oracle’s renowned on-premise software, Siebel CRM. Businesses can use both of these software applications and link them through the ‘Oracle Application Integration Architecture’ and ‘Oracle Fusion Middleware’ software.
Core features:
- Browser & Cloud Support: The software is accessible on mobile browsers and various web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Bing, enabling businesses to access customer data and manage all sales activities remotely.
- Workflow Automation: Create and automate sales, marketing, approval processes, and daily tasks for the team to enhance the overall efficiency of business operations.
- Analytics & Reporting: Additional factors are incorporated into reports, such as personalized content, and enhanced custom sales history, to provide in-depth insights that assist businesses in making better business decisions.
Costs: Oracle CRM On Demand doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface with step-by-step setup and usage guidance.
- Flexible and highly customizable with extensive scalability.
- Seamless integration with other Oracle products and third-party applications.
- Provides in-depth reporting and analysis.
Cons:
- Requires internet access for use.
- The pricing for using Oracle CRM On Demand is not disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to calculate deployment budgets.
- While Oracle provides setup instructions, businesses still need technical expertise and a certain level of understanding of Oracle products for deployment and customization.
Related Reading: On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Key Differences
Infor CRM
Infor CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software designed to assist large businesses in developing and maintaining customer relationships.
Infor CRM is known for its flexibility, scalability, and high configurability, offering a range of features to help businesses better understand their customers, personalize customer experiences, and enhance the effectiveness of sales operations.
Core features:
- Customers 360º views: Provides businesses with a comprehensive overview of customer transaction history, preferences, and behavior.
- Reporting and Analytics: Infor CRM’s in-depth reporting and analytics offer crucial insights for making informed decisions.
- Email Integration: Seamlessly integrates with email platforms such as Outlook and Gmail to retrieve information directly from Infor CRM and send emails to customers at any time.
Costs: Infor CRM doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
- Intuitive interface, easy to set up and use
- Seamless integration with other Infor solutions
- Smooth integration with third-party applications and services
- High flexibility and scalability for customization.
Cons:
- Requires internet connectivity
- The usage cost of Infor CRM is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to estimate deployment budgets.
- Technical expertise and a certain level of understanding of Infor CRM are necessary for deployment and customization.
LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM
LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM is a cloud-based CRM solution that enables businesses to enhance sales productivity and manage relationships with customers and potential customers.
This CRM solution integrates the features of Sales CRM and Mobile CRM, allowing businesses to access customer data and perform essential sales tasks from anywhere, at any time.
Core features:
- Lead Distribution: Evaluate transaction scale, customers, language preferences, and various other critical factors to distribute suitable potential customers to each sales team member.
- Sales Smartviews: Eliminate clutter and boost the productivity of the sales team by displaying tasks in order of priority.
- Mobility: Track and manage the remote activities of the sales team, including automatic check-in/check-out, automatic detection of incorrect check-in locations, automatic reminders for the next meeting, and expedited document sharing and uploading processes.
Costs:
| Lite | Pro | Super | Ultimate |
| $25/user/month | $50/user/month | $100/user/month | Custom |
Pros:
- Automates sales and marketing processes.
- Enables the search for potential customers from multiple channels, minimizing the risk of losing potential customers.
- Manages and nurtures potential customers for conversion with AI-built functionalities.
Cons:
- No free trial version is available.
- Requires technical expertise and understanding of LeadSquared for implementation.
- Occasionally encounters server-related issues or problems with internet connectivity.
- Compared to other CRM software, LeadSquared is somewhat limited in providing in-depth reports.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a popular CRM software solution used by businesses of all sizes and industries. In recent times, large enterprises have shown particular favor for Pipedrive CRM due to its advanced features that assist in managing sales opportunities and swiftly converting potential customers into clients.
Core features:
- Customizable Sales Pipeline: Set up a customizable sales process with multiple stages to align with the existing sales cycle.
- Segment Leads: Filter, sort, and segment potential customers to create target customer lists for personalized interaction activities.
- Contact History: Track and manage the entire history of all calls, emails, meetings, and notes related to every transaction and contact.
- Revenue Forecasting: Predict transaction volume and revenue within the CRM system. Track and automatically calculate revenue as transactions are updated.
- Reporting & Dashboards: Receive detailed reports on sales activities and sales figures. Monitor progress and achievements in the dashboard.
Costs:
| Pricing plans | Essential | Advanced | Professional | Power | Enterprise |
| Billed Monthly | $15/user/month | $29/user/month | $59/user/month | $69/user/month | $99/user/month |
| Billed Yearly | $12.50/user/month | $24.90/user/month | $49.90/user/month | $59.90/user/month | $74.90/user/month |
Pros:
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface.
- 14-day free trial available.
- Automation of sales and marketing processes in most service packages.
- Unlimited customization of sales processes through API.
- Multilingual and multicurrency support.
Cons:
- Phone customer support is only available with premium packages.
- Pipedrive is somewhat limited in providing in-depth reports compared to other CRM software.
- Occasionally, emails sent from the Pipedrive system may encounter errors.
- Limited seamless integration with third-party apps and services.
Choose the best CRM software!
So, the article about the 10 CRM software systems part 1 + part 2 has come to a close with the hope that businesses will choose a platform suitable for their development needs.
By implementing a CRM solution, businesses can quickly build and develop relationships with customers while enhancing collaboration among internal departments.
Contact or call SECOMM’s Hotline directly at (02871089908) for advice and CRM implementation.
EXPLORE THE 10 BEST CRM SOFTWARE FOR LARGE ENTERPRISES PT1
The options for CRM solutions are expanding and becoming more diverse. In reality, some currently popular CRM software may lack the flexibility to meet the complex deployment requirements of large businesses.
Nevertheless, there are CRM software designed to offer a digital infrastructure, in-depth technical support, and exceptional features, granting significant customization freedom for large enterprises.
The article below focuses on providing important considerations when choosing CRM solutions and lists the 5 best enterprise CRM software.
5 Things to consider when choosing CRM software
Determine your need
The first important step before selecting CRM software is to clarify the needs and deployment expectations. You can review and assess the pros and cons of the current tools and management programs in use. Following this, the focus should be on the aspects requiring modification or enhancement, all while estimating the customization needs.
Select types of CRM software: On-premise CRM vs On-cloud CRM
Next, you need to the type of software to deploy, which may be either On-premise or On-cloud CRM software. These two software types come with key differences.
For On-cloud CRM, the entire data and software system are stored and managed by a third-party service provider, allowing you to access it through a web browser or mobile application.
Some advantages of On-cloud CRM include:
- Cost-effective usage
- Easy to use and accessible anytime, anywhere
- No need to perform maintenance, security, and software update processes
On the other hand, On-premise CRM stores and manages the entire data and software system locally on the company’s servers and infrastructure.
Some advantages of On-premise CRM include:
- Internal storage ensures security for vital information.
- You have complete control over the software, enabling you to customize the software updates.
- Not dependent on the internet to access and maintain the CRM system’s operations.
Related Reading: On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Key Differences
Check the accessibility
A user-friendly CRM software accessible to users of all skill levels contributes to expediting the deployment process effectively. Specifically, the software interface should be intuitive, easy to install, and allow for seamless import and export of any data type without requiring excessive assistance.
Moreover, businesses should opt for CRM software that is flexible enough to synchronize with their existing operational processes. Typically, the majority of CRM solutions nowadays offer a free trial period of three or four weeks. This timeframe is sufficient for businesses to understand the software’s functionality and assess whether it is the optimal choice for their deployment needs.
Evaluate the ability to customize
Customization is a vital feature of CRM software. Because each business has different models and scales, it’s essential to select CRM software that offers customization capabilities to match your business requirements and smoothly manage your sales processes.
Most CRM software designed for large-scale businesses offers customization capabilities. Nevertheless, while CRM solutions with extensive customization features can facilitate flexible deployment to meet specific needs, they often come with a higher price point.
Pay attention to security issues
The most crucial information stored in CRM software is customer data. Therefore, when selecting a CRM solution, you need to prioritize security.
Currently, many CRM solutions are cloud-based, meaning customer data is encrypted and regularly backed up to enhance safety and security. However, you should thoroughly research the provider and understand how their data will be stored and secured in the database. This information is typically available on the CRM provider’s website.
5 best enterprise CRM software
According to G2‘s and rankings based on user satisfaction, here are the top 10 CRM software solutions best suited for large-scale enterprises.
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a part of the renowned Salesforce CRM platform, developed to assist large enterprises in optimizing business operations and maintaining better customer relationships.
Core features:
- Opportunity Management: Provides details about transactions, including product information, deal stages, pricing, and competitors Allows sales personnel to access real-time information for each transaction.
- Marketing Automation: Automatically creates, deploys, and manages effective online marketing campaigns. Enables collaboration between sales and marketing teams to search, evaluate potential customers, and streamline the sales process.
- Lightning Voice: Allows making calls to customers directly within Salesforce with just a click. Sales representatives can view all contact information updated in real-time to be prepared for any customer conversation.
- Workflows and Approvals: Saves time and simplifies the approval of business requests by designing and automating sales processes with simple drag-and-drop actions. Approval requests include deal discounts, expense reports, purchase orders, etc.
- File Sync and Share: This enables the sales team to quickly search and share up-to-date and accurate content such as presentations, proposals, and contracts from anywhere, helping the business close more deals in less time.
- Reports and Dashboards: Easily create and customize dashboards and real-time data reports to support the decision-making process for the next business steps.
- Sales Forecasting: This enables viewing sales forecasts and specific adjustments suggested for each sales team.
Costs:
| Essentials | Professional | Enterprise | Unlimited |
| $25/user/month | $75/user/month | $150/user/month | $300/user/month |
| For small businesses with a maximum of 10 users. | For businesses of all sizes. | For large enterprises with deep customization needs. | For large enterprises with unlimited software usage and demanding support requirements. |
Pros:
- Enables a 360-degree view of the customer interaction journey
- Offers tools for automating business processes
- Includes a demo for every deployed feature
- High level of customization and scalability
- Superior data security system
Cons:
- Internet access is required to use the software.
- While Salesforce Sales Cloud offers extensive customization, you will face additional charges for adding features or utilities, leading to increased software usage costs.
- The platform provides advanced features, but for new users, navigating through all the features and options available on the dashboard may not be intuitive. You will need to invest significant time in training their teams to effectively utilize the software.
- Migrating data from existing systems to Salesforce Sales Cloud can be time-consuming and may require technical expertise. Businesses can contact the Salesforce consulting team for assistance in addressing this issue.
SAP Sales Cloud
Recognized as a top on-cloud CRM software for large enterprises, SAP Sales Cloud assists businesses in creating an internal collaborative environment, optimizing business processes, and fostering efficient interactions with customers.
Core features:
- Omnichannel Engagement: Provides omnichannel interaction features to enhance customer engagement, streamline the sales process, and complete transactions.
- Email & Calendar Integration: Integrates with productivity tools like Microsoft Outlook and Google Gmail to automatically synchronize customer data and important information from the current system.
- Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning: Real-time scoring and prediction features help businesses identify potential customers, guide them through the sales process, and offer personalized recommendations for products, sales representatives, and pricing to optimize contract opportunities.
- Sales Performance: Offers detailed sales guidance to help businesses actualize their sales strategy while tracking progress and results with comprehensive information on each salesperson’s actions. Additionally, businesses can integrate with the SAP CX solution suite to boost business goals.
- Productivity & Personalization: Provides features that enhance the efficiency of the sales process, such as tagging, flagging, scheduling, and personalizing fields, reports, and custom fields for easy access and use by sales representatives.
- Back-office Integration & Connection: Integrates with SAP ERP and SAP CX solutions to leverage real-time, valuable information and details to understand sales cycles and seize transaction-closing opportunities.
Cost: SAP Sales Cloud doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface that is easy to use.
- Seamless integration with other services in the SAP system, facilitating the sharing of information and data across departments within the business.
- Provide demos for each deployed feature.
- Offers advanced analytics capabilities for customer information and market trends to optimize sales strategies.
- High customization and scalability.
- Ensures the security, regular updates, and accuracy of customer-related information and data.
- Automates business processes.
Cons:
- The usage cost is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to accurately estimate deployment expenses
- The seamless integration capability with other SAP services, while advantageous, can be a drawback as businesses become heavily dependent on the SAP system, leading to limitations if a few services from a different provider are used.
- Integrating SAP Sales Cloud with external services is not straightforward and requires significant expertise and resources.
- The high customization capability of SAP Sales Cloud demands technical proficiency and a certain level of understanding of SAP, making it time-consuming for new users to familiarize themselves with the platform.
HubSpot Sales Hub
When it comes to leading CRM providers, HubSpot is a very familiar name for most businesses. The HubSpot Sales Hub solution offers businesses outstanding features to build relationships with customers, manage the sales funnel effectively, and close more deals.
Core features:
- Sales Automation: Set up a series of automated and personalized tasks and emails to streamline the sales process and close deals.
- Conversation Intelligence: Utilize AI tools to record calls with customers to understand how each sales representative interacts with customers and provide timely evaluations and improvement guidance.
- Document Tracking: Support the sales team in creating and sharing sales content, while tracking which type of content customers open, view, or forward, and which content leads to deal closures
- Email Tracking: Use tools like Gmail, Outlook, and HubSpot to send tracked emails and receive notifications for any potential customer interaction with tracked emails.
- Call Tracking: Prioritize daily sales calls based on the HubSpot database. Automatically record call details for contacts in the CRM system.
- Pipeline Management: Create, customize, and control the sales process visually with the “Deal Pipeline Management” feature. On the “Sales Dashboard” page, you can view detailed sales activities, track customer movement through the funnel, and identify and address issues for each customer case to quickly close deals.
- Sales Analytics & Reporting: Choose from available reports or customize individual reports to monitor the progress and performance of the sales team with in-depth and accurate analytical data.
Costs:
| Free | Starter | Professional | Enterprise |
| 100% Free | $45/month | $450/month | $1200/month |
Pros:
- Provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and hotline.
- Intuitive platform interface and user-friendly CRM features.
- Offers a demo for each deployed feature.
- Provides tools for automating business processes.
- The ‘tracking’ features are well-designed and systematically meet the requirements for monitoring and controlling the entire sales process.
Cons:
- Although HubSpot Sales Hub is designed to be user-friendly, the initial setup, customization, and management of the CRM system may require a significant amount of time.
- Internet access is required to access and use the software.
- The free trial version limits features and permissions, making it challenging for businesses to accurately assess the capabilities of this CRM system.
- Migrating data from existing systems to HubSpot Sales Hub can be time-consuming and may require technical expertise.
Zoho CRM
Zoho is a renowned CRM solution with a variety of features designed to suit businesses of all sizes, enabling them to build and manage customer relationships and optimize sales processes.
Core features:
- Sales Force Automation: Automates sales tasks such as scheduling sales appointments, sending follow-up emails, tracking leads, and updating sales opportunities.
- Marketing Automation: Provides tools to efficiently run marketing campaigns and deliver high-quality leads to the sales department.
- Performance Management: Streamlines business processes, and enhances sales capabilities with insights relevant to changing market trends.
- Product Customization: Use custom fields, buttons, layouts, link data, localize language and currency, and test before deployment.
- Omnichannel Management: Enables businesses to connect with customers across various channels while collecting essential data to support sales calls.
Costs:
| Pricing plans | Standard | Professional | Enterprise | Ultimate |
| Billed Monthly | $20/user/month | $35/user/month | $50/user/month | $65/user/month |
| Billed Yearly | $14/user/month | $23/user/month | $40/user/month | $52/user/month |
Pros:
- User interface is intuitive and easy to use.
- Allows integration with multiple applications and services to create a unified CRM system.
- Utilizes artificial intelligence to predict customer behavior and suggest relevant actions.
- High-level security features.
- Offers a 15-day free trial version.
Cons:
- Customer support service is not yet fully optimized.
- Customization process requires technical expertise and significant resources.
- The trial version limits many features, making it challenging to evaluate the platform’s capabilities.
NetSuite CRM
Another prominent CRM software for large enterprises is NetSuite CRM. This is a cloud-based CRM platform designed to help businesses manage interactions with current and potential customers, partners, and suppliers.
Core features:
- Sales Force Automation: Provides businesses with an integrated sales process, covering lead management, upselling, cross-selling, and quoting to sales forecasting, order management, order fulfillment, and commissions.
- Marketing Automation: Builds, deploys, and measures the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Tracks potential customers and identifies the moment they are ready to make a purchase, transferring potential customer information to the sales department.
- Customer Service Management: Creates and automates the management process of customer cases, ensuring that customer inquiries are quickly addressed with the answers they need.
- Partner Relationship Management: Controls all aspects of the sales and marketing process between the business and its partners with real-time updated information.
Costs: NetSuite CRM doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.
Pros:
- An all-in-one solution for various aspects of eCommerce such as sales, marketing, and customer service.
- Exceptional customization capabilities to meet the specific deployment needs of each business
Cons:
- The usage cost is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to accurately estimate deployment costs.
- Businesses are required to pay the entire deployment cost upfront for the initial setups.
- Users must subscribe to an annual license, incurring additional fees before using this tool.
Related Reading: Explore the 10 best CRM software for large enterprises Pt2
The Bottom Line
Leveraging years of valuable experience supporting various businesses in the deployment of CRM solutions, SECOMM offers valuable insights to help businesses swiftly identify appropriate software and expedite the implementation process.
Contact or call directly to SECOMM’s hotline at 02871089908 for free consultation.
EXPLORE THE 10 MOST POPULAR CS-CART ECOMMERCE WEBSITES
CS-Cart is a versatile eCommerce platform, available in both open-source and SaaS models. Established in 2005 under Simbirsk Technologies Ltd., it has garnered trust from medium-sized and large businesses. Its reputation is built on robust customization options, numerous features, and supplementary utilities within its ecosystem.
Listed below are brands that have built their CS-Cart eCommerce websites.
House of CB
House of CB is a leading women’s fashion brand in London, United Kingdom. Renowned for its meticulously crafted collections tailored for significant events, the brand was established by Conna Walker at the age of 17, backed by a £3,000 loan from her father.
Faced with initial capital constraints, House of CB strategically leverages eCommerce to engage with its potential customers. Over time, the brand has graced the wardrobes of numerous Hollywood luminaries, including Beyonce, Gigi Hadid, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians.
- Website: https://www.houseofcb.com/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 1.8M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #28,116 (Worldwide), #12,982 (UK)
Maxbhi
Maxbhi is an eCommerce venture operated by Elcotek India Private Limited in India. The CS-Cart website is dedicated to offering a wide range of accessories for electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and more, specifically within the Indian market.
Launched in 2004 in Ghaziabad, India, this CS-Cart eCommerce website has grown to become one of the largest and most enduring online stores for phone accessories in the country.
- Website: http://maxbhi.com/
- Industry: Consumer electronics
- Traffic: 1.7M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #32,992 (Worldwide), #2,410 (India)
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is a leading retailer in New Zealand, offering a diverse range of products including computers, electronics, furniture, bedding, and household appliances from renowned global brands.
This initiative is part of the franchise system operated by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited, a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange Limited. The company’s main activities encompass retail, franchise operations, real estate, and digital enterprises.
- Website: https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 1.4M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #40,692 (Worldwide), #115 (New Zealand)
Enter
Enter stands out as one of Moldova’s major retailers in the consumer electronics sector. Boasting a network of 25 traditional stores across the country, Enter focuses on delivering a wide range of electronic devices, including mobile phones, tech accessories, home appliances, and more.
Moreover, Enter has established itself as a trusted authorized dealer for renowned brands such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Dyson, Lenovo, LG, and others. With future plans in mind, the company aims to further expand its brick-and-mortar stores and enhance its eCommerce website for an even more convenient shopping experience for customers
- Website: https://enter.online/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 705.9K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #76,885 (Worldwide), #73 (Moldova)
Mobilier1
Mobilier1 is a Romanian CS-Cart eCommerce website specializing in the furniture industry. With over a decade of experience, the company remains focused on manufacturing and selling furniture within the eCommerce market. Mobilier1 consistently earns praise for the high quality of its products and services, providing competitive pricing compared to other market players.
Furthermore, Mobilier1 offers additional services such as nationwide free delivery and a 365-day return policy, ensuring a seamless experience for its customers.
- Website: http://mobilier1.ro/
- Industry: Furniture
- Traffic: 365.5K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #142,635 (Worldwide), #726 (Romania)
Butor1
Butor1 is a Hungarian business specializing in the distribution of furniture and interior accessories. Over the past decade, the company has formed direct partnerships with renowned furniture manufacturers to offer customers products at reasonable prices.
Recently, Butor1 has taken a step further by combining CS-Cart eCommerce website operations with sustainable practices, pledging to plant a tree for each successfully placed order, demonstrating its commitment to environmental responsibility.
- Website: https://www.butor1.hu/
- Industry: Furniture
- Traffic: 340.0K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #140,320 (Worldwide), #733 (Hungary)
Siriust
Siriust is a CS-Cart eCommerce website under the umbrella of Profi, a leading retail chain in Russia. Specializing in tech accessories like smartphones, laptops, wireless devices, and repair tools, Siriust boasts a catalog of over 16,000 products.
With 50 physical stores in major Russian cities, the company has strategically introduced a CS-Cart website, enabling customers to conveniently make online purchases and pick up their orders from the nearest store.
- Website: http://siriust.ru/
- Industry: Consumer electronics
- Traffic: 318.4K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #151,245 (Worldwide), #7,774 (Russia)
Topsto
Topsto is an online store serving customers in both B2B and B2C sectors in the Crimea region, Ukraine. With an expansive product catalog comprising over 280,000 items, Topsto’s CS-Cart website gained favor among customers for its varied product range, affordable pricing, and swift delivery services across the Crimea region.
- Website: https://topsto-crimea.ru/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 220.8K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #167,337 (Worldwide), #4,166 (Ukraine)
Ucuzkitapal
UcuzKitapal is a Turkish online book retail business with a loyal customer base of over 85,000. The store offers a vast collection of books covering diverse genres, including education, literature, economics, self-development, and more.
Through the early adoption of a CS-Cart eCommerce website, the business consistently satisfies book-buying needs with highly competitive prices, swift delivery, and attractive offers.
- Website: https://www.ucuzkitapal.com/
- Industry: Online book retail
- Traffic: 146.8K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #227,028 (Worldwide), #5,881 (Turkey)
Riviera Couleurs
Riviera Vaudoise is a paint and coating business established 40 years ago in the “Riviera Vaudoise” region in western Switzerland. Renowned for its picturesque landscapes, traditional villages, rose gardens, and idyllic lakeside views, the region provides an exquisite backdrop.
Over the years, Riviera Vaudoise has evolved into the premier destination for oil-based paints in the area, catering to diverse needs such as automotive, residential, and wood applications.
Currently, the company has built its CS-Cart website to extend its business footprint into the realm of eCommerce, aiming to connect with a broader audience of potential customers throughout Switzerland.
- Website: https://www.magasindepeinture.ch/
- Industry: paint and coating
- Traffic: 41.1K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #1,367,213 (Worldwide), #272,883 (Switzerland)
Here are 10 CS-Cart eCommerce websites that have not only successfully developed their online presence but have also achieved notable success in their respective industries. This triumph serves as inspiration for other businesses looking for effective solutions to elevate their operations and enhance competitiveness in the market.
Drawing on substantial experience in implementing eCommerce solutions for clients across diverse countries, SECOMM comprehends the challenges and hurdles businesses encounter during the deployment process.
Contact SECOMM today or call the hotline at 02871089908 for a free consultation.
BUY NOW PAY LATER IN ECOMMERCE: MODELS AND EXAMPLES
The Juniper Research report titled “Buy Now Pay Later: Regulatory Framework, Competitive Landscape & Market Forecasts 2022-2027” predicts that the global user base for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) will exceed 900 million by 2027. In Vietnam, the BNPL payment method is expected to experience an annual growth of 126.4%, reaching 1,123.9 million USD in 2022.
What is Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)?
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is a short-term financial arrangement that allows consumers to make immediate purchases and defer the payment to a future date, typically without accruing interest.
How it works
In BNPL, the financial technology (Fintech) organization facilitating the service directly pays the purchase amount to the seller on behalf of the customer. The customer then repays this amount gradually to these organizations over a period, often extending from one to several months.
When using BNPL, customers can make payments through bank transfers or have the amount automatically deducted from their debit card, bank account, or credit card. While the specific terms and conditions may vary between companies offering BNPL services, the general operational mechanism is similar to credit card instalment plans. However, BNPL is often considered much simpler, and additionally, it typically does not involve interest charges; instead, late payment fees are calculated as a percentage of the product or service value.
Pros and Cons
For customers
With the BNPL model, consumers can make immediate purchases even if they don’t have the financial capacity to pay the entire shopping cost upfront. This payment is divided into shorter instalment periods, corresponding to smaller amounts, reducing financial pressure on consumers. Additionally, BNPL typically does not entail annual fees or hidden charges, and the registration process is simple and quick, averaging less than 15 minutes. In general, BNPL companies usually only require customers to be at least 18 years old and own a bank card, without specifying a minimum personal income.
However, BNPL often comes with a relatively low consumer spending limit, typically ranging from 20 to 30 million VND, to meet the needs of purchasing items such as fashion, cosmetics, phones, laptops, electronic components, etc. If consumers do not know how to control their spending, they may easily engage in excessive shopping as there is no immediate need to pay the full amount at the time of purchase. This can lead to late payments for the instalment periods and additional penalty fees.
For businesses
Collaborating with BNPL organizations to launch BNPL programs with 0% interest can help businesses attract more customers without incurring excessive marketing costs. With this approach, businesses can encourage customers to make purchasing decisions more quickly without extensive financial consideration, thereby significantly boosting revenue. Moreover, instead of offering discounts or freebies, the ability to pay gradually without urgency and without incurring interest aligns with customer psychology and needs.
However, many businesses still hesitate to implement BNPL models due to concerns about not being able to control the debt of individual customers. Additionally, this potential model is relatively new to the Vietnamese market, so there are not many payment service providers offering BNPL services, and there is a scarcity of experienced eCommerce website development units capable of efficiently integrating this functionality.
Compare Buy Now Pay Later with Credit Cards
The BNPL model is revolutionizing the global consumer credit sector, but many people still confuse BNPL with credit card instalment plans offered by banks.
So, what are the differences between Buy Now Pay Later and credit cards?
| Format | Buy Now Pay Later | Credit Card |
| Unit accepting payment | The seller allows BNPL payment method | Banks issue credit cards |
| Registration process | Register quickly, completely online | The procedure requires a lot of paperwork |
| Time | 1 to 3 minutes | Have to wait for censorship, which can take up to several days, even weeks |
| Credit limit | Depends on buyer profile | Depends on buyer profile |
| Card maintenance fee | All free | Average 299,000 VND/year |
| Registration fee | All free | Average 50,000 VND/card |
| Conversion fee in instalments | All free | Average 200,000 VND/transaction, or calculated as a percentage of transaction value |
Comparison table of Buy Now Pay Later with Credit Card
Despite trailing behind the global trend, the BNPL model in Vietnam is forecasted to explode due to the market falling into a favourable timeframe. This is influenced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has significantly propelled the development of online shopping and eCommerce. Additionally, the BNPL model aligns more with the preferences of Generation Z than traditional credit cards.
Case studies
Tiki and Sendo – Two of the four kings of eCommerce participating in BNPL
Two out of the four largest eCommerce platforms in Vietnam have begun implementing BNPL, affirming the tremendous potential of this model in the online shopping market.
In 2020, Sendo was a pioneer in eCommerce by early adoption of BNPL through collaboration with financial solution provider Atome, offering Buy Now Pay Later services. With BNPL, Sendo aims to make shopping more convenient for customers, removing concerns about financial issues often associated with credit cards, such as increasing interest rates for late payments over an extended period.
Since the beginning of 2022, Tiki has collaborated with two financial service providers, Home Credit and Lotte Finance, to launch the ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ project, enhancing smart payment solutions directly within the Tiki app. This initiative not only supplements intelligent payment options for Tiki users but also empowers customers to manage their personal finances better when engaging in online shopping, thereby further enriching the overall eCommerce experience for consumers.
Laybyland – The leading brand in the Buy Now Pay Later model in Australia
Laybyland was established in 2012 in Australia with two key eCommerce business models: Layby (Pay Later) and Shop Now Pay Later (Shopzero). Over its 10 years of eCommerce operations in the Australian market, the business has witnessed remarkable growth. Starting with +10,000 products across two initial websites, it has expanded to offer over +400,000 products daily across five online stores, including Laybyland, Shopzero, Mylayby, and Layawayland.
Shopzero, a part of Laybyland, provides BNPL services through seven main partners: Afterpay, Zip, Openpay, Humm, Latitude, Klarna, and Wizpay. Notably, Shopzero maintains complete control and operation over all BNPL activities and payment processes within its system. Pioneering the BNPL market has brought Shopzero significant success, especially in the electronics, office supplies, fashion, cosmetics, furniture, gardening tools, children’s toys, and travel sectors.
It is evident that BNPL is contributing to a significant revolution in consumer payment habits, shifting from a payment method choice to a crucial factor in customer purchasing decisions.
With extensive experience in implementing eCommerce solutions in various countries, especially in the Buy Now Pay Later market, SECOMM understands the challenges businesses face when exploring how to establish Buy Now Pay Later systems.
Contact SECOMM now or call us via hotline (+84)28 7108 9908 for a free consultation on detailed eCommerce system development solutions!
EXPLORE THE 10 MOST POPULAR CS-CART ECOMMERCE WEBSITES
CS-Cart is a versatile eCommerce platform, available in both open-source and SaaS models. Established in 2005 under Simbirsk Technologies Ltd., it has garnered trust from medium-sized and large businesses. Its reputation is built on robust customization options, numerous features, and supplementary utilities within its ecosystem.
Listed below are brands that have built their CS-Cart eCommerce websites.
House of CB
House of CB is a leading women’s fashion brand in London, United Kingdom. Renowned for its meticulously crafted collections tailored for significant events, the brand was established by Conna Walker at the age of 17, backed by a £3,000 loan from her father.
Faced with initial capital constraints, House of CB strategically leverages eCommerce to engage with its potential customers. Over time, the brand has graced the wardrobes of numerous Hollywood luminaries, including Beyonce, Gigi Hadid, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and the Kardashians.
- Website: https://www.houseofcb.com/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 1.8M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #28,116 (Worldwide), #12,982 (UK)
Maxbhi
Maxbhi is an eCommerce venture operated by Elcotek India Private Limited in India. The CS-Cart website is dedicated to offering a wide range of accessories for electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and more, specifically within the Indian market.
Launched in 2004 in Ghaziabad, India, this CS-Cart eCommerce website has grown to become one of the largest and most enduring online stores for phone accessories in the country.
- Website: http://maxbhi.com/
- Industry: Consumer electronics
- Traffic: 1.7M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #32,992 (Worldwide), #2,410 (India)
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is a leading retailer in New Zealand, offering a diverse range of products including computers, electronics, furniture, bedding, and household appliances from renowned global brands.
This initiative is part of the franchise system operated by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited, a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange Limited. The company’s main activities encompass retail, franchise operations, real estate, and digital enterprises.
- Website: https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 1.4M/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #40,692 (Worldwide), #115 (New Zealand)
Enter
Enter stands out as one of Moldova’s major retailers in the consumer electronics sector. Boasting a network of 25 traditional stores across the country, Enter focuses on delivering a wide range of electronic devices, including mobile phones, tech accessories, home appliances, and more.
Moreover, Enter has established itself as a trusted authorized dealer for renowned brands such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Dyson, Lenovo, LG, and others. With future plans in mind, the company aims to further expand its brick-and-mortar stores and enhance its eCommerce website for an even more convenient shopping experience for customers
- Website: https://enter.online/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 705.9K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #76,885 (Worldwide), #73 (Moldova)
Mobilier1
Mobilier1 is a Romanian CS-Cart eCommerce website specializing in the furniture industry. With over a decade of experience, the company remains focused on manufacturing and selling furniture within the eCommerce market. Mobilier1 consistently earns praise for the high quality of its products and services, providing competitive pricing compared to other market players.
Furthermore, Mobilier1 offers additional services such as nationwide free delivery and a 365-day return policy, ensuring a seamless experience for its customers.
- Website: http://mobilier1.ro/
- Industry: Furniture
- Traffic: 365.5K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #142,635 (Worldwide), #726 (Romania)
Butor1
Butor1 is a Hungarian business specializing in the distribution of furniture and interior accessories. Over the past decade, the company has formed direct partnerships with renowned furniture manufacturers to offer customers products at reasonable prices.
Recently, Butor1 has taken a step further by combining CS-Cart eCommerce website operations with sustainable practices, pledging to plant a tree for each successfully placed order, demonstrating its commitment to environmental responsibility.
- Website: https://www.butor1.hu/
- Industry: Furniture
- Traffic: 340.0K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #140,320 (Worldwide), #733 (Hungary)
Siriust
Siriust is a CS-Cart eCommerce website under the umbrella of Profi, a leading retail chain in Russia. Specializing in tech accessories like smartphones, laptops, wireless devices, and repair tools, Siriust boasts a catalog of over 16,000 products.
With 50 physical stores in major Russian cities, the company has strategically introduced a CS-Cart website, enabling customers to conveniently make online purchases and pick up their orders from the nearest store.
- Website: http://siriust.ru/
- Industry: Consumer electronics
- Traffic: 318.4K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #151,245 (Worldwide), #7,774 (Russia)
Topsto
Topsto is an online store serving customers in both B2B and B2C sectors in the Crimea region, Ukraine. With an expansive product catalog comprising over 280,000 items, Topsto’s CS-Cart website gained favor among customers for its varied product range, affordable pricing, and swift delivery services across the Crimea region.
- Website: https://topsto-crimea.ru/
- Industry: Retail
- Traffic: 220.8K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #167,337 (Worldwide), #4,166 (Ukraine)
Ucuzkitapal
UcuzKitapal is a Turkish online book retail business with a loyal customer base of over 85,000. The store offers a vast collection of books covering diverse genres, including education, literature, economics, self-development, and more.
Through the early adoption of a CS-Cart eCommerce website, the business consistently satisfies book-buying needs with highly competitive prices, swift delivery, and attractive offers.
- Website: https://www.ucuzkitapal.com/
- Industry: Online book retail
- Traffic: 146.8K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #227,028 (Worldwide), #5,881 (Turkey)
Riviera Couleurs
Riviera Vaudoise is a paint and coating business established 40 years ago in the “Riviera Vaudoise” region in western Switzerland. Renowned for its picturesque landscapes, traditional villages, rose gardens, and idyllic lakeside views, the region provides an exquisite backdrop.
Over the years, Riviera Vaudoise has evolved into the premier destination for oil-based paints in the area, catering to diverse needs such as automotive, residential, and wood applications.
Currently, the company has built its CS-Cart website to extend its business footprint into the realm of eCommerce, aiming to connect with a broader audience of potential customers throughout Switzerland.
- Website: https://www.magasindepeinture.ch/
- Industry: paint and coating
- Traffic: 41.1K/month (7/2023)
- Ranking: #1,367,213 (Worldwide), #272,883 (Switzerland)
Here are 10 CS-Cart eCommerce websites that have not only successfully developed their online presence but have also achieved notable success in their respective industries. This triumph serves as inspiration for other businesses looking for effective solutions to elevate their operations and enhance competitiveness in the market.
Drawing on substantial experience in implementing eCommerce solutions for clients across diverse countries, SECOMM comprehends the challenges and hurdles businesses encounter during the deployment process.
Contact SECOMM today or call the hotline at 02871089908 for a free consultation.
TOP 5 PLATFORMS FOR BABY BRANDS TO BUILD ECOMMERCE WEBSITES
The first step in the strategy for building and developing an eCommerce website, a crucial consideration for business owners in various sectors, is selecting an eCommerce platform that aligns with their business requirements.
The Baby eCommerce industry is no exception to this rule. So, what is the ideal choice? The following article outlines and clarifies the pros and cons of the top five eCommerce platforms for the development of Baby eCommerce websites.
Magento
Magento (now owned by Adobe), is an open-source eCommerce platform that grants businesses full authority to develop and manage their eCommerce websites.
For large enterprises in the Baby eCommerce industry with complex requirements for building and developing eCommerce websites, Magento’s high degree of customization and scalability, along with its wealth of outstanding features and extensions, can effectively cater to their needs. However, to fully leverage Magento’s capabilities, businesses should invest in both a specific budget and a requisite level of technical expertise.
Currently, Magento offers two primary versions:
- Magento Open Source: a free version
- Adobe Commerce: a paid version with two options, on-premise and on-cloud.
Key Features:
- Multi-brand solution: Supports multiple languages, currencies, and stores for various business models (B2B, B2C, B2B2C, D2C).
- MSI – Multi-source inventory: Enables the shipment of a single order with multiple products from different warehouses while ensuring delivery times.
- Headless eCommerce: Utilizes the separation between Frontend and Backend for easy customization and website development.
- B2B feature: Provides support for B2B customers, including category sharing, creating business accounts, quick ordering, and customer group creation.
- PWA – Progressive Web App: A mobile application built on web technology, easily discoverable and downloadable from a web browser.
Pros:
- Feature-rich system from basic to advanced, tailored to specific industry needs.
- High customization and scalability compared to SaaS platforms.
- No limits on sales volume.
- Wide range of extensions.
- High security.
Cons:
- High implementation costs.
- Lengthy implementation time, ranging from 6 months to 1 year.
- Requires a certain level of technical expertise and understanding of Magento.
Pricing:
Brands built their Baby eCommerce websites on Magento including Kids Plaza VN, Bibo Mart, Children Salon, Mothercare VN, Aden+Anais, Hornby, v.v
Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC)
Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC) is a cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that helps businesses build their eCommerce websites. This platform enables businesses to integrate all their sales channels, delivering a seamless shopping experience for customers.
SFCC offers two key solutions:
- Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud: A solution for building websites and enhancing the overall shopping experience for retail customers.
- Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud: A solution for building websites and providing a shopping experience for customers engaging in large-volume transactions.
Key Features:
- AI Einstein: Offers personalized search and product recommendations with Einstein Product/Search Recommendations. Provides personalized experiences across all channels with Einstein Recommendations API. Gathers customer insights to boost revenue with Einstein Commerce Insights.
- Headless Commerce: Build headless e-commerce websites and enhance user experiences using SFCC’s Open Commerce API or any developer’s preferred APIs.
- Marketing & Merchandising: Supports design, scheduling, and automated marketing campaigns, optimize SEO to increase traffic, and manages multi-store, multi-language, and multi-currency capabilities from a centralized dashboard.
- Omnichannel: Enables multi-channel sales and provides a consistent customer experience.
- Localization: Allows businesses to create multiple separate websites with different languages, currencies, and strategies for specific target markets.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface.
- Strong support from AI tools during implementation.
- Diverse tools and features.
- Automation of order processing and promotional campaigns.
- Exceptional analytics and reporting capabilities to capture customer insights.
- High security.
- 24/7 customer support service.
Cons:
- The license fee is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging to estimate exact expenses.
- Limited seamless integration with third parties.
- Limited customization and scalability. For high customization needs, businesses may incur additional costs.
- Being a SaaS platform, it carries inherent risks from the provider, and data access limitations cannot be entirely avoided.
Pricing
For Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud, businesses are offered three solution packages: Starter, Growth, and Plus, and they need to contact Salesforce for specific consultations and pricing.
For Salesforce B2B Commerce Cloud, businesses should get in touch with Salesforce for specific price levels and implementation details.
The cost of developing an eCommerce website using the SFCC platform can range from $2,000 to $500,000, depending on each business’s requirements.
Some Baby brands that have developed eCommerce websites on the Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform include Carter’s, Hanna Andersson, OshKosh B’gosh, Chicco, Crayola, Toys “R” Us, Melissa & Doug, and more.
Shopify
Shopify is a SaaS platform known for its diverse features and themes that cater to businesses of various industries and scales, facilitating the rapid and effective development of eCommerce websites.
Shopify offers three standard solution packages (Basic, Shopify, Advanced), tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. Meanwhile, the Shopify Plus solution is aimed at medium to large businesses with elevated development and customization requirements.
Key Features:
- Shopify POS: This feature is available in all solution packages and allows seamless integration of point-of-sale from online to offline, supporting order and inventory management across retail locations, online stores, and other active sales channels.
- eCommerce automation: Automates marketing processes and order execution. Available in the Shopify and Advanced packages, while Shopify Plus businesses have Shopify Flow and LaunchPad.
- Shopify Hydrogen: Allows Shopify Plus and standard Shopify businesses to build custom storefronts using the React-based Hydrogen framework, which can then be directly integrated with the Oxygen in-house hosting. This is Shopify’s new solution for businesses building and developing Headless websites.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Automatically sends email with discount codes to customers in cases of cart abandonment during the checkout process, leaving the website with products in the cart but unpaid, or viewing products without adding them to the cart.
- International commerce: Supports multiple languages, multiple stores, and multiple currencies. However, tax calculation at checkout is only available for the Advanced and Shopify Plus packages.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface.
- Reasonable initial costs.
- Diverse integrated apps and themes.
- 24/7 customer support service.
- Support both online and offline sales.
- High security.
- Ideal platform for opening dropshipping stores. Some Baby dropship stores using Shopify include Posh Peanut, Baby Boxco, Happiest Baby, and more.
Cons:
- Costs increase over time.
- Limited customization and scalability when compared to open-source platforms.
- Limited blogging features and content management capabilities.
- Restrictions on free themes.
- Risks associated with the provider and data access limitations.
Pricing
Shopify serves as the choice not only for Baby dropshipping stores but also for numerous well-known Baby brands that have used this platform to build their eCommerce websites, including HATCH Collection, Motherhood Maternity, 4moms, Maclaren, Manhattan Toy, Tegu, and many others.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another platform worth considering for Baby eCommerce businesses due to its ease of use and its ability to cater to the eCommerce website-building requirements of businesses across various scales and industries.
Furthermore, BigCommerce is recognized as a SaaS platform that includes a wide array of features within its solution packages (Standard, Plus, Pro, Enterprise) aimed at fostering eCommerce growth.
Key Features:
- Built-in blog: Enhances SEO rankings and provides an engaging content experience through a blog.
- Professional reporting tool: Offers professional analytics and reporting tools that help businesses evaluate operational performance for informed adjustments.
- Real-time shipping quotes: Provides real-time, accurate shipping cost estimates from various carriers.
- Google customer reviews: Allows businesses to collect and display customer reviews on Google from those who have purchased their products.
- BigCommerce mobile app: Monitor performance, track and update orders, and manage customer journeys with the BigCommerce mobile app. The app is available for direct download from the App Store or Google Play.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface.
- Richly integrated features.
- Diverse solution packages with reasonable usage costs.
- Offers 65 popular worldwide payment solutions with integrated transactions fee-free.
- A variety of themes and extensions tailored for the Baby industry.
- High security.
Cons:
- Sales volume limits.
- Increasing implementation costs over time.
- Limited customization capabilities.
- Provider risks and data access limitations.
Pricing
Brands built their eCommerce websites with BigCommerce: Le Petit Kids, Scentos, Nature’s One, Kids Furniture Warehouse, See Kai Run, Feltman Brothers, v.v
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop is a SaaS eCommerce platform that equips businesses with the essential tools and features to build and customize eCommerce websites. It presents a range of free and premium themes suitable for marketing Maternity and baby products.
Shift4Shop provides three paid plans (Basic, Plus, Pro) and one free plan, subject to a minimum monthly revenue of $500, designed for U.S. sellers under the End-to-End category.
Key Features:
- Built-in tools: Integrated tools for blogging, SEO optimization, social media integration, etc., aid businesses in enhancing the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.
- RMA system: This feature simplifies the product return and refund process.
- Shopping cart: Allows customers to quickly view and customize their shopping carts. Customers can also choose one-page or three-page checkout options.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Various integrated features
- Reasonable initial cost
- No transaction fees
- 24/7 technical support service
Cons:
- Limited customization and expansion capabilities
- Increasing deployment costs over time, even for the End-to-End package
- Volume limits for paid plans
- Limited and basic selection of free themes
- Vendor risks and data access concerns
Pricing
Brands built their Baby eCommerce website with Shift4Shop: eLeMeNO-Pee, Sugar Babies, Nicki’s Diapers, Enfant Style, Ideal Baby & Kids, v.v
The above are the top 5 platforms that have been preferred by the majority of Baby businesses for establishing their eCommerce websites.
After years of eCommerce implementation across various countries, SECOMM has accumulated invaluable insights to expedite the process of website development and growth for Baby businesses.
Get in touch or directly call SECOMM‘s hotline at (02871089908) for immediate guidance on platform selection and eCommerce implementation today
BUILD YOUR FIRST ECOMMERCE MARKETPLACE WITH MARKETPLACER
As reported by Digital Commerce 360, global consumers have collectively expended more than $3.25 trillion on famous eCommerce marketplaces such as Amazon, Ebay, and Alibaba. This indicates the increasing significance of online marketplaces in customer shopping experiences.
Therefore, many businesses have promptly devised strategies to enter the race for market share in eCommerce landscape. To achieve this goal, businesses must first develop their own marketplaces. The initial but crucial step in this process is selecting the ideal platform.
The following article focuses on introducing this platform as a recommendation for large businesses among countless optimal choices out there.
What is Marketplacer?
Marketplacer is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform hosted on AWS, providing businesses with essential tools and features for building professional and highly adaptable eCommerce marketplaces capable of rapid scalability and swift page loading.
This platform streamlines the management and administration of eCommerce marketplaces. It simplifies tasks like order fulfillment, product category adjustments, third-party extension integration, cross-marketplace operational synchronization, and the implementation of strategies for revenue optimization.
To date, this platform has successfully established and expanded over 100 eCommerce marketplaces, forging connections with more than 13,000 sellers spanning the globe.
How Marketplacer works?
The Operator portal
This platform offers businesses a Marketplace-wide API based on GraphQL API, allowing them to:
- Build a headless frontend or seamless integration with existing eCommerce systems.
- Access and manage all data on the online marketplace via the Operator Portal, which includes:
- Manage Sellers
- Manage Seller payouts and billings
- Product category management
- Order management
- Delivery management
- Content management
- Custom reporting
Furthermore, Marketplacer provides businesses with access to Webhooks, enabling them to receive notifications from the Marketplacer platform for any changes or updates during their operations.
The Seller portal
This platform provides sellers on the marketplace with Seller API based on V2 (REST) API to
- Automate their sales processes on the marketplace
- Access and manage various aspects of their seller data through the Seller Portal, including:
- Product management
- Sales & Marketing management
- Order management
- Inventory management
- Analysis & reporting
Similar to how businesses operate their business on the marketplace, sellers also have access to webhooks for receiving notifications regarding changes throughout their selling journey.
Marketplacer implementation models
This platform offers two implementation models, allowing businesses to tailor the development of their online marketplace to align with their specific goals.
Headless
The Headless model empowers businesses to utilize their tailor-made frontend, commonly known as the “head,” which represents the user interface. This frontend is integrated with Marketplacer’s fundamental backend through APIs to execute the marketplace.
Therefore, opting for the Headless model is ideal for businesses seeking extensive control over the user experience while leveraging Marketplacer’s core technology to foster eCommerce growth.
Connected
In the Connected model, businesses can efficiently integrate a pre-built eCommerce system into Marketplacer’s backend, avoiding the need for an extensive time and financial resources to build from scratch. This integration allows businesses to maintain the full functionality of the pre-existing system while benefiting from this platform’s advanced infrastructure for seamless marketplace deployment.
It’s worth noting that Marketplacer currently offers pre-built connectors exclusively for three prominent platforms: Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and commercetools. As a result, the Connected model is best suited for businesses utilizing one of these three platforms to facilitate their eCommerce.
Pros of Marketplacer
Ease of use
This platform offers a user-friendly interface and intuitive tools, making it simple for businesses to build and manage their online marketplace.
Flexibility & Scalability
This platform is tailored to suit online marketplaces of diverse sizes. The platform boasts excellent scalability and remarkable flexibility, empowering businesses to manage an ever-increasing volume of sellers, customers, and listing products. This facilitates seamless expansion of operations as needed.
Integrations
Businesses can easily discover well-known applications and extensions within Marketplacer’s growing collection of available integrations. Some noteworthy integrations include popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as payment gateways such as PayPal, Zooz, Yotpo, and advertising management tools like Fuze, Firstpage, and Citrus Ad.
Marketplacer Connected Integration
Marketplacer’s success is attributed to its ‘Connected’ technology, enabling businesses to deploy their marketplaces with two versatile options: crafting a tailored frontend or integrating seamlessly with existing systems.
Also, businesses can effortlessly blend third-party products into their current inventory, broadening their product range and portfolio with minimal investment and mitigating product lifecycle management tasks. This model is known as the Hybrid Marketplace and has been successfully adopted by enterprises like Amazon, Walmart, and others.
Cons of Marketplacer
Costs
The license fee isn’t publicly available and businesses are required to reach out to the Marketplacer team for a personalized consultation and cost estimates. Furthermore, the platform doesn’t offer a trial version, which may pose challenges for businesses when planning their implementation budget.
Require technical skills
While this platform offers a user-friendly interface, it may pose challenges for users who are not familiar with building and operating an eCommerce marketplace. Therefore, the implementation process will require businesses to have technical expertise, or they can seek specialized assistance to efficiently build and optimize the platform.
Limited customization
Despite its flexibility and high degree of customization, Marketplacer’s ability to meet the highly complex deployment needs of large-scale eCommerce systems may pose challenges.
Support
This platform provides 24/7 support services and offers learning resources, but there is room for improvement in the quality and responsiveness of their support. Plus, as an Australian-based company primarily serving the Australian market, some of their terminology might be less clear to international customers.
To successfully build and operate a thriving eCommerce marketplace, the first thing businesses need to do is choose a platform. This platform is one of the standout platforms that businesses should consider.
Feel free to contact or call SECOMM’s hotline at (028) 7108 9908 for free consultations.
BIGCOMMERCE VS MAGENTO 2023: A DETAILED COMPARISON
BigCommerce and Magento are trusted names representing two types of eCommerce platforms: SaaS and Open Source. The demand for developing eCommerce websites on these platforms is increasing. However, deciding between the two is a complex task.
This article aims to highlight the pros and cons of each and provide a thorough comparison, helping you as a business make informed decisions.
Overview
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a robust SaaS eCommerce platform, boasting an array of integrated features packaged to accommodate businesses of all scales and technical proficiencies. This platform facilitates the swift development of eCommerce websites. Beyond its inherent capabilities, BigCommerce extends a diverse suite of tools and extensions covering sales, marketing, SEO, data analytics, and transformation, empowering businesses to drive eCommerce growth.
What is Magento?
Magento (now owned by Adobe) is an open-source eCommerce platform that empowers businesses with full control over developing and managing their eCommerce websites. Known for its high level of customization and scalability, Magento offers a wide range of advanced features and extensions, making it an ideal choice for meeting the complex requirements of large-scale enterprises with ample budgets and a certain level of technical expertise. Magento currently comes in two main versions:
- Magento Open Source: the free version
- Adobe Commerce: the paid version with two options, on-premise and on-cloud.
BigCommerce vs Magento: Pros and Cons
BigCommerce
Pros:
- User-friendly and easy-to-navigate interface
- Suitable for businesses of all sizes
- Comes with a rich set of integrated features
- Offers a variety of reasonable pricing plans
- Includes 65 popular global payment methods integrated with BigCommerce at no transaction cost
- Offers a diverse selection of themes and extensions
Cons:
- Sales volume restrictions apply
- Deployment costs tend to rise over time
- Customization options are limited
Magento
Pros:
- Ideal for large enterprises with complex customization needs and ample budgets
- High customization and scalability
- Diverse and advanced built-in features compared to SaaS platforms
- No sales volume limitations
- Wide range of available extensions
Cons:
- Requires a high level of technical expertise
- Lengthy deployment times
- high initial costs
BigCommerce vs Magento: Detailed Comparison
Ease of Use
Ease of use of a platform is one of the primary considerations for an eCommerce business when selecting one. A platform with an intuitive interface that is easy to set up and manage allows businesses to focus on their core operations.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a SaaS platform, making it more accessible for businesses that may not possess technical expertise or have a strong tech background in building eCommerce websites. It eliminates the need for complex programming; businesses simply need to provide basic information to gain access to the BigCommerce dashboard, where they can configure and manage all aspects of their online store, from product additions to layout modifications.
What’s more, BigCommerce offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop page builder that empowers businesses to create a storefront without the necessity of coding skills. Moreover, themes and extensions can be swiftly integrated with just a few clicks.
Magento
On the other hand, Magento users should have a certain level of technical expertise to execute tasks during the setup of an eCommerce website, including configuring FTP files and integrating themes into the Magento website, among other things. Tasks like modifying themes, integrating extensions, applying security patches, and optimizing speed require coding skills.
Therefore, many businesses opt to collaborate with Magento agencies to develop and maintain their Magento eCommerce websites. However, following the initial technical setup challenges, businesses can readily customize attributes and functionalities for their websites through the platform’s backend.
Pricing
BigCommerce
Magento
Hosting
BigCommerce
Being a SaaS platform, BigCommerce offers support for various hosting-related issues, ensuring an impressive average uptime of 99.99%, quick page loading, and minimal website maintenance.
Magento
- Magento Open Source: Businesses purchase hosting from specialized third-party providers who are responsible for infrastructure setup, security, and maintenance, allowing businesses to focus on core operations.
- Adobe Commerce on-premise: Businesses have complete control over configuring and managing their in-house hosting environment, offering customization options to meet specific needs.
Adobe Commerce on-cloud: Hosting for the business’s Magento eCommerce site is provided, configured, managed, and stored on virtual servers offered by cloud service providers (CSPs) like AWS and Microsoft Azure.
Features
SEO
SEO is a crucial feature that every eCommerce website needs and it’s an important factor for businesses to consider when assessing a platform. Both BigCommerce and Magento offer essential SEO optimization features, which include:
- Google site maps
- SEO-friendly URLs
- URL rewriting
- Meta descriptions
- 301 redirect handling
- Mobile compatibility
However, BigCommerce includes a built-in ‘blog’ feature in its solution packages, while Magento requires businesses to integrate a ‘blog’ extension to use this feature.
Plus, businesses can enhance their website’s SEO by using extensions available in the Magento and BigCommerce marketplaces. It’s worth noting that Magento offers a wider range of advanced SEO tools, although the cost of Magento extensions may be higher than those available for BigCommerce.
Multiple channels integration
With this feature, BigCommerce excels over Magento by pre-integrating the most prevalent sales channels like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, and Instagram into all pricing plans. However, if businesses require integration with additional sales channels beyond these pre-set options, they can do so by utilizing apps from BigCommerce’s marketplace.
On the other hand, Magento offers businesses the flexibility to implement multi-channel sales by integrating various desired sales channels into their eCommerce website, each with its own associated costs. Notably, Amazon integration can be done for free.
Purchase flow
eCommerce businesses have to ensure a seamless, swift, and user-friendly customer buying journey, encompassing features like product search support and an effortless payment process. Both Magento and BigCommerce provide capabilities to facilitate online shopping, including
- Product filtering
- Product comparison
- Recently viewed items
- Wishlist
- One-page checkout
- Checkout as a member or visitor
- Real-time shipping rate calculation
- Multiple shipping addresses
- Order tracking via registered accounts
- Reordering
Payment options
BigCommerce provides businesses with 65 integrated payment gateways, including popular options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay, all with no transaction fee.
In contrast, Magento offers only PayPal and Authorize.net for payments, requiring businesses to integrate third-party payment providers for more choices. Magento’s marketplace features over 450 payment-related extensions with various costs, but businesses will need time to select and integrate them.
Themes & Extensions
Aside from features, themes, and extensions also contribute significantly to the growth of an eCommerce website. Therefore, this is another factor that businesses take into account when selecting a platform.
BigCommerce
The platform provides 266 themes with prices ranging from $195 to $395, including 12 free themes. Businesses can purchase BigCommerce themes on ThemeForest at prices ranging from about $16 to $179.
These designs are modern, suitable for various industries, and offer good responsiveness across multiple screen sizes, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops. However, when compared to other SaaS platforms like Wix or Squarespace, BigCommerce’s customization options and the quantity of both free and paid themes may appear relatively limited. Moreover, the exact count of free and paid themes might not be entirely precise, as some themes share very similar layouts, differing mainly in color schemes.
Magento
Unlike BigCommerce, Magento provides a limited selection of themes, with just 9 options available. Among these, only 3 themes are free, while the rest range in price from $150 to $499 each. If businesses opt to purchase Magento themes on ThemeForest, they can expect prices ranging from $39 to $299 per theme.
Moreover, businesses have the option to create custom interfaces tailored to their unique requirements by partnering with specialized providers, incurring costs typically ranging from $1000 to $5000.
Regarding extensions, both BigCommerce and Magento offer extensive extension libraries to support businesses in growing their eCommerce stores. However, Magento has a slight edge in this regard.
Customization & Scalability
Customization involves the capacity to adjust any feature, theme, or integrated extensions to meet specific requirements for an eCommerce website. Scalability, on the other hand, refers to the ability to maintain platform performance as the eCommerce site expands. Therefore, these factors play a vital role in platform selection.
Customization
Magento operates as an open-source platform, giving developers full access to and control over the source code.
On the other hand, BigCommerce functions as a SaaS platform, restricting businesses from making backend modifications. While certain frontend interface adjustments are possible with a few code snippets, most modifications need to be done in the backend. Hence, BigCommerce’s customization is somewhat limited compared to Magento.
Scalability
Both Magento and BigCommerce can handle large website traffic and sales volumes. However, Magento outperforms BigCommerce in this aspect, which is also why Magento doesn’t have sales volume limits.
Meanwhile, BigCommerce imposes annual sales volume limits based on the pricing plan being used. When businesses reach the sales volume limit of their current pricing plan, they need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan.
- Standard: Up to $50k/year
- Plus: Up to $180K/year
- Pro: Up to $400K/year
- Enterprise: Custom
Security
Both BigCommerce and Magento are prominent names in the eCommerce industry, trusted by numerous businesses for their security features. Nevertheless, when it comes to providing security-related assistance, these platforms exhibit notable differences.
As a SaaS platform, BigCommerce includes security support as an integral component of its solution packages. This encompasses SSL certificates, firewalls, backups, and intrusion detection. In case any complications arise during the eCommerce deployment process, businesses can readily access 24/7 customer support for swift assistance.
In contrast, due to Magento’s open-source nature, businesses bear the responsibility for managing the security aspects of their Magento eCommerce websites. This entails tasks such as overseeing SSL certificates, implementing two-factor authentication, and adhering to PCI compliance. Additionally, while Magento periodically releases security updates, the manual update process can pose challenges for users without technical expertise.
Magento’s support options also present limitations when compared to BigCommerce. Businesses can seek assistance during Magento’s specified operating hours or engage with third-party intermediaries, a potentially time-consuming and complex process.
Popularity
BigCommerce and Magento are both leading options for eCommerce businesses, but their levels of popularity differ somewhat.
According to BuiltWith, at the present time, there are 142,010 active websites using Magento, whereas there are only 44,796 active websites using BigCommerce.
Thus, when it comes to popularity, Magento has the upper hand.
Well-known brands such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Tesla utilize Magento, while renowned brands like Skullcandy, LARQ, and Molton Brown opt for BigCommerce.
After many years of implementing eCommerce solutions for clients all around the world, using both the BigCommerce and Magento platforms, SECOMM has gained invaluable experience in helping businesses develop and operate their eCommerce websites quickly and efficiently.
Contact us or call SECOMM’s hotline directly at (02871089908) for a free consultation on implementing eCommerce websites with BigCommerce or Magento.
TOP 10 BEST ENTERPRISE HEADLESS CMS PLATFORMS (P2)
Recently, the trend of Headless CMS deployment has significantly influenced the eCommerce landscape. The emergence of diverse platforms offering various solutions, features, and top-notch customer support can be attributed to this phenomenon.
Building upon Part 1, this article highlights 5 more Headless CMS platforms that numerous large enterprises leverage to enhance their seamless multi-channel content distribution process.
Kontent.ai
Kontent.ai is a cloud-based Headless CMS platform that helps marketers simplify their content creation and management while providing developers the capability to deliver responsive digital experiences across various devices.
The platform offers support for developers through a range of APIs, including REST, GraphQL, Management v2, and Custom Element JavaScript. Furthermore, Kontent.ai is compatible with programming languages such as JavaScript, .NET, PHP, Java, Ruby, and iOS.
Key features
- Webhooks allow businesses to integrate Kontent.ai with other applications and automate operational processes. Also, Webhooks can be programmed to notify when any changes occur.
- Command-line interface (CLI) supports continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD process), enabling businesses to safely and regularly test and deploy necessary changes.
- Real-time collaboration optimizes content planning with clear task assignments and shared publishing schedules for easy team tracking.
- Simultaneous Editing allows multiple team members to easily edit content without worrying about affecting the work of others.
- Web Spotlight supports the creation of new webpages for upcoming marketing campaigns, adding content, rearranging page elements without the need for developer assistance, and providing content reusability across multiple channels and campaigns.
Pros
- Quick technical support
- Seamless integration with third-party services to optimize the content creation, publishing, distribution, and marketing processes.
Cons
- Limitations in user roles and sometimes encountering obstacles when installing plugins.
- The lack of publicly available pricing makes it challenging for businesses to estimate deployment costs.
- The admin UI interface only supports English, which can be difficult for users who use other languages.
Pricing
Kontent.ai offers three solution packages
- Developer: Free, provides features suitable for non-commercial projects.
- Scale: Custom pricing based on needs, offers a rich set of features for creating and distributing engaging content.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing based on needs, provides superior solutions for delivering and managing seamless digital experiences.
Contentstack
Contentstack stands out as a leading Headless CMS platform, facilitating seamless content distribution across multiple channels and devices, ranging from websites, and mobile apps to IoT devices. It offers robust support for popular frameworks like REACT, Vue.js, Angular, and a variety of programming languages such as JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, and Python, among others. Moreover, Contentstack allows businesses to integrate with various platforms, including BigCommerce, Commercetools, Shopify, YouTube, Vimeo, and more.
Key features
- Workflow & Live Preview optimizes and expedites the content creation, review, approval, and publishing process. Additionally, it enables businesses to easily preview real-time content changes across multiple channels before saving or publishing.
- Modular Blocks help instantly create and modify website or app components through simple drag-and-drop actions, without relying on developer assistance.
- Localization for creating and publishing content in 200 languages, meeting the seamless content distribution needs of a global audience.
- Contentstack AI Assistant helps businesses enhance their content creation experiences. Moreover, businesses can integrate Contentstack with other AI applications to provide VR and AR experiences.
- Headless APIs allow businesses to flexibly build interfaces and select APIs tailored to their content goals.
Pros
- Integrating with various platforms and programming languages, including iOS and Ruby.
- Rich learning resources and user-friendly instructional materials.
- Fast content creation, publishing, and distribution.
- 24/7 customer support with a ready-to-use chatbot.
Cons
- Non-disclosed pricing makes it challenging to estimate deployment costs.
- Occasional issues with the WYSIWYG editor.
- Complex to deploy compared to other Headless CMS options.
Pricing
Contentstack offers businesses three solution packages:
- Start: 10 users, 30 content types, 4 system roles.
- Grow: 10 users, 50 content types, 5 system roles.
- Scale: 10+ users, unlimited content types, and system roles.
dotCMS
dotCMS is an open-source Headless CMS based on Java, offering numerous solutions and features that enable businesses to create and reuse content for building personalized and seamless digital experiences across channels. dotCMS supports APIs like REST and GraphQL and can integrate with platforms such as HubSpot, Google Analytics, Salesforce, and more.
Key features
- Allows businesses to manage the process of creating and publishing multilingual content with localization support for publishing according to local time and predefined schedules.
- Provides full content, layout, and workflow control through APIs and JSON data strings.
- WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor allows businesses to create content with text processor-like formatting.
- Offers APIs for real-time image resizing, cropping, and manipulation. Additionally, dotCMS supports image optimization for user devices, such as automatic resizing and image compression in WebP format.
Pros
- Allows businesses to customize content and integrate with other platforms.
- Provides abundant learning resources and technical support.
- Offers quick customer support with a chatbot.
Cons
- Many concepts and features may require businesses to invest time in learning.
- The platform occasionally encounters errors.
Pricing
dotCMS offers three solution packages for users to choose from:
- Open Source: Free, suitable for individuals with simple needs and self-hosting.
- Starter: $3,750/month, designed for small businesses.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing based on needs, suitable for medium to large enterprises with advanced features and superior support.
Butter CMS
Butter CMS is a Headless CMS platform that simplifies content development and management for businesses. The platform supports frameworks such as React, Vue.js, Node.js, Angular, and various programming languages like PHP, Python, Java, Swift, Kotlin, Ruby, and more.
Key features
- Developer Experience: Butter offers a variety of tech stacks for developers to deploy as needed. Developers also can configure Webhooks in their account settings to receive notifications for any content-related changes. Especially with One-click Migrations, businesses can easily create schemas or move content within the Butter CMS environment through the dashboard.
- Launch Content Faster: Butter provides features to help businesses easily manage Content Types on a centralized dashboard and build landing pages to drive organic or advertising-generated traffic. Moreover, Butter CMS’s Blog Engine offers a set of APIs for businesses to add a blog to their website and fully customize it based on their needs.
- Localization: Businesses can create and publish multilingual content. Furthermore, administrators have language-specific access to specific local markets, ensuring a unified collaboration process among global marketing teams.
Pros
- One of the best user-friendly platforms for developers and content marketers.
- Provides a headless CMS solution for various content needs, including e-commerce businesses, agencies, SaaS companies, e-commerce marketplaces, and enterprises managing multiple websites simultaneously.
- Excellent customization capabilities.
- Offers integration support for various frameworks, programming languages, and more.
- Provides a chatbot for customer inquiries.
- Offers a 30-day trial for businesses.
Cons
- Many features and concepts but lack instructional videos, leading to difficulty in understanding and application.
- Limited features for creating dynamic and interactive content.
Pricing
Butter CMS offers a variety of solution packages, including
- Micro: $83/month, suitable for freelancers implementing small projects for their clients.
- Startup: $166/month, designed for startups to quickly launch projects to the market.
- Small Business: $333/month, for growing businesses with expanding content needs and running global advertising campaigns.
- Enterprise + Agency: Custom pricing based on specific requirements.
Builder.io
Builder.io is a Headless CMS platform that allows businesses to visually build and optimize web and mobile experiences. The platform supports developers with frameworks like React, Vue.js, Gatsby, and Next.js. Additionally, businesses can integrate Builder.io with popular platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Salesforce, Magento, Cloudinary, Yotpo, Commercetools, and more.
Key features
- Integrate: Provides versatile and simultaneous integration capabilities. For example, it can integrate with Crowdin, Phrase, Smartling for content localization, BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento for eCommerce deployment, and Figma for design. Builder.io can even integrate with other CMS platforms like Contentstack, Contentful, and Kontent.ai.
- Compose: Utilizes drag-and-drop tasks to customize existing design systems. Builder.io offers blocks such as text, image, video, and forms to allow users to easily create custom experiences beyond the available default designs.
- Design: Offers responsive design capabilities, enabling users to customize content and layouts to suit various devices and create animations without the need for coding. Builder.io also supports integrating design layouts from Figma to streamline the design process.
- Collaborate: Easily customize system roles and permissions to enhance collaboration and real-time content creation tracking. Team members can initiate chat discussions, share ideas, and update work progress with each other.
- Optimize: Easily create multiple pages and different content for A/B testing without compromising website and app performance. It supports personalized content targeting. Furthermore, Builder.io provides analytics on click-through rates, conversions, and user interactions with published content. Businesses can also integrate data with other analysis systems like BI (Business Intelligence) and CDP (Customer Data Platform).
Pros
- A user-friendly platform suitable for both developers and non-technical users.
- Provides quick and seamless integration with various frameworks, programming languages, and more.
- Offers numerous options for businesses to optimize design and create content.
- Rich learning resources, including easy-to-understand video tutorials.
- Includes a chatbot for customer query resolution.
Cons
- Does not offer trial options for its solution packages.
- Being a relatively new platform, it may be challenging for businesses to find user experience reviews on forums.
Pricing
Builder.io offers a range of solution packages:
- Free: $0/month, for quick deployment.
- Basic: $99/month, includes all essential tools and features to get started.
- Growth: $449/month, encompasses all tools and features for optimization and growth.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing based on business needs.
So, SECOMM’s comprehensive overview of the top 10 Headless CMS platforms (P1+P2) has concluded, with the expectation that enterprises will find the platform that aligns with their development requirements. By adopting a Headless CMS, businesses can promptly establish an online presence and efficiently connect with numerous potential customers through compelling content distribution.
Feel free to get in touch with SECOMM or directly call our Hotline at (02871089908) for expert guidance and assistance in implementing a Headless CMS.
SHOPIFY HYDROGEN: YOUR KEY GATEWAY TO HEADLESS SUCCESS
Today’s eCommerce consumers are no longer confined to a single channel or device for their shopping needs. They have a ton of options, including mobile apps and social media platforms. As a result, businesses are striving to establish a robust multi-channel presence to swiftly engage with their customers. One highly effective approach to achieving this goal is through the implementation of Headless Commerce.
In recent years, investors have shown a significant interest in Headless Commerce platforms and associated solutions, recognizing their pivotal role in shaping the future of online commerce.
Forbes reports that between 2020 and 2021 alone, more than $1.65 billion in funding was directed toward Headless technologies. In response to this evolving landscape, Shopify unveiled the Hydrogen solution in June 2021, designed to facilitate the development of headless Commerce storefronts.
The following article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Shopify Hydrogen, shedding light on both its pros and cons.
Overview
Shopify offers businesses the Hydrogen framework solution, originally based on React but now being developed with Remix, in conjunction with the global hosting solution known as Oxygen.
What is Shopify Hydrogen?
In the past, Shopify website developers utilized the platform’s templating language known as Liquid, which often faced performance limitations. Consequently, to ensure top-notch website performance for headless commerce, Shopify businesses require a specialized solution.
Typically, businesses implementing headless projects on Shopify Plus opt for the React framework over Liquid due to its superior technical aspects. Moreover, headless stores on Shopify Plus offer heightened flexibility, customization, and scalability compared to standard headless stores on Shopify.
Therefore, Shopify has introduced a solution that allows both Shopify Plus and standard Shopify businesses to build and advance the most optimized headless eCommerce websites possible. This led to the creation of the Hydrogen framework solution and Oxygen hosting.
Shopify Hydrogen is a React-based framework that empowers developers to craft distinctive and entirely customized frontend Shopify experiences. This framework encompasses all the essential structures, components, and pre-built tools necessary for developers to swiftly create headless stores and deliver personalized user experiences.
What is Shopify Oxygen?
Shopify Oxygen is a worldwide hosting solution designed to store custom content, like Hydrogen stores, directly within the Shopify platform. Previously, Shopify businesses seeking to develop Headless Commerce had to depend on third-party hosting providers (e.g., Netlify).
In contrast, Oxygen is supported by Shopify’s extensive global infrastructure, featuring over 100 server locations worldwide. Thanks to this, Hydrogen stores can seamlessly and directly integrate with Oxygen hosting through the Storefront API, eliminating the need for reliance on third-party providers.
Remix – The New Highlight of Shopify Hydrogen
In the first quarter of 2023, Shopify unveiled Hydrogen v2, highlighting the web development tool called Remix. This tool has earned recognition from developers as one of the top React frameworks, trailing only behind Next.js. Consequently, Shopify acquired Remix and designated it as the cornerstone of the Shopify Hydrogen solution.
The reason for this lies in the fact that Hydrogen v1 faced performance-related criticisms after some time in operation. The acquisition of Remix is a part of Shopify’s efforts to rectify these issues, leading to the emergence of Hydrogen v2.
While developers tend to favor Next.js over Remix due to its open structure, allowing for greater customization and offering a more favorable developer experience, it doesn’t guarantee output quality and website performance.
Conversely, Remix employs a closed structure that mandates developers to adhere to the framework’s template. This approach closely aligns with Shopify’s SaaS model, providing a web development framework and enforcing developers to follow specific principles during deployment.
This adherence ensures website performance and significantly enhances conversion rates. Therefore, Remix is the ideal solution chosen by Shopify to address the existing performance gaps in Hydrogen stores and enhance the eCommerce experience for customers.
Pros of Shopify Hydrogen
Developed based on React
Hydrogen represents Shopify’s investment in the development of Headless eCommerce. Therefore, it’s fair to classify any Shopify store using the Hydrogen framework and Oxygen hosting as a Headless Shopify store.
The Headless architecture has consistently garnered praise from industry experts, who anticipate its continuous evolution. Shopify’s decision to incorporate React – the JavaScript library for frontend interface development – as the cornerstone of the Hydrogen solution underscores this platform’s forward-looking perspective on the future of eCommerce, firmly rooted in the Headless trend.
Diverse Integration
The launch of Shopify Hydrogen aims to assist businesses in building professional Headless eCommerce websites and providing customers with a seamless multi-channel experience.
Therefore, Shopify extends the capability to seamlessly integrate Hydrogen stores with various third-party applications and platforms like Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Rebuy (to enhance the customer experience), as well as Sanity, Contentful, and Builder.io (for Headless CMS implementation).
Learn more about Headless CMS:
- What is Headless CMS?
- 10 Enterprise Headless CMS Platforms (Pt.1)
- 10 Enterprise Headless CMS Platforms (Pt.2)
Flexible Customization
Numerous enterprises choose to implement Headless eCommerce because it grants them full control over the development of the frontend interface, free from the limitations of specific platforms. Shopify Hydrogen also empowers businesses to construct entirely personalized headless website interfaces and integrate essential features for expansion.
Cons of Shopify Hydrogen
Technical Skill Required
Hydrogen solution empowers businesses to leverage the potential of Headless eCommerce, but it’s predominantly a technically-driven endeavor without a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface for non-technical users to easily access and modify.
Hence, the development process necessitates the engagement of highly proficient developers with programming expertise and a specific comprehension of Hydrogen and Oxygen. In this scenario, businesses have two choices: establish an in-house team of developers or partner with an external specialized entity for swift deployment.
Limited CMS Integration.
Because it relies on the React framework, Hydrogen can assist developers in creating custom frontends, but the backend CMS functionality must be connected to enable the headless eCommerce website’s operation.
However, as of now, Hydrogen is limited to integrating with specific CMS platforms like Sanity, Contentful, and Builder.io, leaving businesses responsible for connecting with others independently.
Limited 3rd-party Integration
Much like CMS platforms, Hydrogen supports businesses in integrating with third-party provider applications, but it has rather limited options. Currently, there are only 13 available applications that businesses can incorporate into their Hydrogen store.
In the many years of implementing Headless eCommerce for numerous clients across various countries, SECOMM has noticed an increasing demand for creating Headless websites using the Shopify platform. Now, businesses have a choice: they can either leverage Shopify’s tech stack (Hydrogen and Oxygen) or build a custom stack tailored to their unique requirements.
This further solidifies Shopify as one of the most flexible eCommerce platforms today, leading the way towards the next generation of eCommerce experiences.
Contact us or call SECOMM’s hotline (02871089908) for a free consultation.
BIGCOMMERCE 2023: PRICING, FEATURES, PROS AND CONS
BigCommerce is one of the most popular eCommerce website-building platforms today. Its flexibility, user-friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and a wide array of built-in tools and features make it a preferred choice for businesses of all sizes.
This article aims to clarify the definition of BigCommerce, its features, pros and cons to provide businesses with valuable insights into the multitude of platforms available for selection.
What is BigCommerce?
Established in 2009, BigCommerce is a user-friendly platform tailored for businesses of all sizes and technical expertise to start developing their own eCommerce websites. Over the years, BigCommerce has emerged as one of the most feature-rich platforms, encompassing all the essentials for website creation, search engine optimization, marketing, and more, all at a cost-effective implementation.
In addition, BigCommerce is known as a SaaS eCommerce solution, which means businesses subscribe on a monthly basis, and the platform takes care of hosting, maintenance, and system security matters.
BigCommerce Pricing Plans
BigCommerce provides three pricing plans tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (Standard, Plus, Pro), priced between $29 and $299 per month, each equipped with essential features. Moreover, the platform offers a customizable plan (Enterprise) for large businesses based on their deployment requirements.
The table below illustrates the cost variations among these four pricing plans and includes some relevant factors:
Despite several differences, all four packages share some common points:
- No transaction fee
- Unlimited bandwidth, products, file storage
- Unlimited staff accounts
- 24/7 customer support
- 12 free themes
BigCommerce Features
Included in all plans
Key features of BigCommerce, available in all four pricing plans, include:
- Point of Sale (POS): Seamless integration of online and offline sales with POS systems like Vend, Square, Clover, and more.
- Mobile-Responsive Design: Websites are designed to adapt and perform well on mobile devices.
- BigCommerce Mobile App: Manage orders, track customer journeys, and monitor performance via the user-friendly BigCommerce mobile app, downloadable from the App Store or Google Play.
- Single-Page Checkout: Simplify the payment process with a single-page checkout, reducing cart abandonment and boosting conversion rates.
- Promotions and Discounts: Easily create and manage coupons, discounts, and gifts without the need for third-party integrations.
- Built-In Blog: Improve SEO and engage customers with a built-in blog.
- Product Ratings and Reviews: Gather customer feedback to enhance products and services.
- Multi-Currency Support: Accept over 100 currencies and local payment methods.
- Professional Reporting Tools: Access professional analytics and reporting tools for performance evaluation and adjustment.
- Real-Time Shipping Quotes: Provide accurate shipping costs in real-time from various carriers.
- Free Site-Wide HTTPS & SSL: Ensure website security with free HTTPS protocol, creating a safe shopping environment for customers.
Features
The features available in the ‘Standard’ plan are consistent across all four pricing plans. However, there are some advanced features that are not included, and businesses may need to consider upgrading their plan to access these specific features. Here’s a breakdown:
- Plus:
In addition to the ‘Standard’ features, this plan offers:
- Cart abandonment features.
- Stored credit cards for future purchases.
- Customer groups and segmentation for pricing, product recommendations, targeted promotions, and personalized experiences.
- Top social & marketplace: Integration with top e-commerce platforms and social networks such as Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Pro:
The ‘Pro’ plan encompasses all ‘Standard’ and ‘Plus’ features, along with:
- Google customer reviews for collecting and showcasing customer feedback on Google.
- Advanced product filtering to enhance the shopping experience.
- Custom SSL integration with third-party SSL services.
- Enterprise:
Designed for large-scale enterprises, this top-tier package includes all features from the previous packages and introduces several advanced capabilities:
- Unlimited API calls, facilitating seamless data sharing between eCommerce websites and third-party applications without any limitations.
- Priority support with personalized assistance, including dedicated API support.
Pros of BigCommerce
Ease of Use
BigCommerce, designed as a SaaS platform, boasts user-friendliness catering to both tech-savvy and non-technical users. It offers a wide range of themes to facilitate swift website development and provides an array of tools for executing promotional campaigns.
Built-in features
When compared to other SaaS platforms, BigCommerce stands out for its capacity to offer a comprehensive set of built-in features and tools across its pricing plans. This results in cost savings for businesses, reducing their reliance on third-party applications and plugins, which can often incur extra expenses. Moreover, these features have been fine-tuned to boost performance and streamline the eCommerce management process.
BigCommerce also provides its users with the BigCommerce mobile app, enhancing the convenience of managing, monitoring, and updating their eCommerce websites.
Reporting & Analytics
Unlike Shopify, which offers a range of reports and analytics based on the pricing plan chosen, BigCommerce provides professional-level reporting and analytics across all its solution packages. These encompass customer reports, sales reports, financial reports, marketing reports, and more. Moreover, for businesses in need of more extensive data capabilities, BigCommerce offers a wide app library for easy integration with third-party software
Multi-store Support
BigCommerce distinguishes itself from competitors by providing multi-store support across all of its pricing plans. This feature is especially advantageous for businesses that operate multiple stores or are active in various segments, such as B2B and B2C. With the Standard plan, a business can create up to 3 stores, while the Plus and Pro plans allow for 5 and 8 stores, respectively. In contrast, Shopify, a leading SaaS platform, offers multiple store capabilities exclusively through its Shopify Plus solution, which starts at a monthly cost of $2,000.
Cost-effective platform
Using BigCommerce helps businesses save costs in various aspects such as hosting, maintenance, updates, and security. BigCommerce handles these tasks, eliminating the need for additional expenses. Regardless of the chosen pricing plan, BigCommerce doesn’t impose transaction fees, provides unlimited bandwidth and file storage without extra charges, and permits the creation of an unlimited number of staff accounts.
In addition, compared to Shopify, where businesses may incur significant costs to integrate third-party apps and utilities for enhanced functionality, BigCommerce includes essential features tailored to each plan. This integrated approach results in significantly more cost-efficient operations.
Cons of BigCommerce
High Platform Costs
When compared to other SaaS platforms like Shopify or Squarespace, the cost of using the BigCommerce platform seems relatively higher.
Plus, businesses must continue to pay this ongoing fee along with any charges for third-party services (if applicable) on a monthly basis, without ownership or control over the source code and system data.
On the other hand, open-source platforms such as Magento or OpenCart require businesses to make a one-time payment for both usage and service integration fees, granting them long-term ownership of the source code and system data.
Platform Dependency
Just like other SaaS eCommerce platforms in the market, BigCommerce retains ownership and control over the source code and data of the entire eCommerce website system.
In practical terms, this means that all of a business’s eCommerce data becomes closely tied to BigCommerce’s database. Therefore, if a business wishes to migrate to another platform in the future, it can only access CSV files containing a portion of its data.
Additionally, while it’s exceptionally rare, in the unlikely event that BigCommerce were to suddenly cease all operations, all data related to a business’s activities on this platform could potentially be lost.
Lack of theme
At the time of writing, BigCommerce provides users with a selection of 12 free themes and approximately 180 paid themes. This count is somewhat limited in comparison to other SaaS platforms like Wix or Squarespace.
The free themes come with modern and professional interfaces, suitable for businesses to start their eCommerce website journey. However, these themes are quite similar to each other, differing mainly in color schemes.
In reality, despite the claim of having 12 themes, users often discover only around 5-6 truly distinctive options.
The paid themes, on the other hand, come with a price tag ranging from $195 to $395, and some of them may have similar designs.
However, BigCommerce offers a significant advantage: all the free and paid themes are visually appealing and highly responsive. This means that these themes can automatically adapt their layouts to suit various screen sizes, including smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, and more.
- Related content: 10 Top-notch eCommerce Websites Using BigCommerce
For many years providing eCommerce solutions for clients across the globe, SECOMM has observed a growing trend when it comes to eCommerce website development, particularly on the BigCommerce platform.
To gain a deeper understanding of BigCommerce and how to deploy it the right way, feel free to reach out to us or call our hotline at 02871089908 for free consultations.
TOP 10 BEST ENTERPRISE HEADLESS CMS PLATFORMS (P1)
The 2022 Headless CMS market was valued at approximately $592.43 million and is projected to reach $672.09 million by the end of 2023. These figures come as no surprise as Headless CMS has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the numerous benefits it offers to businesses. These benefits include cost-effectiveness, the ability to distribute and repurpose content across various channels, high customization and flexibility to work with any technology or framework, a future-proof architecture that can seamlessly integrate with third-party services, and adaptability to emerging technologies.
These advantages have encouraged businesses to adopt Headless CMS to enhance their online presence. However, the first crucial step is selecting the most suitable platform from the many excellent options available.
This article will provide an overview of the top 10 leading Headless CMS platforms, highlighting their distinctive features, as well as their pros and cons, to assist businesses in making an informed choice
Sanity
Sanity stands out as a cloud-based Headless CMS platform that provides businesses with a suite of tools for content creation, editing, organization, and publication. Renowned for its remarkable flexibility and impressive scalability, this platform accommodates projects of varying complexity, from straightforward to intricate. Sanity offers robust support for developers working with an array of frameworks including React, Vue, Next.js, Nust.js, Remix, Svelte, Eleventy, Gatsby, and more.
Moreover, it extends its compatibility to multiple programming languages like JavaScript, PHP, Rust, and others, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate with diverse platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Algolia, Commerce Layer, Mux, Cloudinary, Transifex, and more.
Key features
- Real-time Collaboration: Allows multiple users to collaboratively edit content in real-time.
- Flexible Editing Environment: Supports editing across various devices and enables scheduled content releases or app updates.
- Portable Text Format: Easily creates and manages complex content with embedded data using Portable Text.
- Integration Capabilities: Connects services, user interfaces, applications, scripts, and devices through the Sanity API. Queries content using GROQ or GraphQL.
- Sanity Content Lake: Cloud-hosted content storage managed entirely by Sanity. Accessible via the Sanity API, Sanity’s client libraries, or directly through the HTTP API.
Pros
- Flexibility: Sanity allows businesses to structure content according to specific needs.
- Customizable Content Management Interface: The content management interface can be tailored to align with brand characteristics, ensuring a consistent user experience across channels.
- User Collaboration Transparency: User avatars are displayed when editing content, and the entire content creation and editing process can be directly tracked, enhancing team efficiency.
- Developer-Friendly: Sanity is developer-friendly, providing numerous support tools, APIs, and frontend frameworks for easy content creation, customization, and integration.
Cons
- Besides the costs mentioned in the pricing table, the implementation cost of Sanity will increase depending on specific needs. For example, businesses will incur additional expenses to integrate the Mux plugin for managing video content.
- Many features and technical concepts require users to invest more time and effort in understanding and implementing.
Pricing
Sanity offers four solution packages for businesses to choose from:
- Free Forever: Provides 3 non-admin user accesses.
- Team: $99/month/project, suitable for small businesses, offering 10 non-admin user accesses.
- Business: $949/month/project, designed for medium-sized businesses, providing 20 non-admin user accesses.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing based on needs, intended for large-scale businesses, offering unlimited user access.
Storyblok
Storyblok is a leading API-first Headless CMS that prioritizes businesses’ ability to effortlessly generate, oversee, and disseminate content across multiple platforms. This software offers a user-friendly interface, empowering content marketers to efficiently oversee and adapt content without demanding extensive technical proficiency. Storyblok also aids developers through various APIs like GraphQL, Management API, and Content Delivery API, and is compatible with frameworks such as React, Vue.js, Angular, Nuxt.js, Next.js, and Gatsby.
Key features
- Visualize collaboration processes and easily create and edit content through Visual Editor and Collaboration tools.
- Streamline content management for text, images, and videos with the Digital Asset Manager, equipped with advanced tagging and hierarchical folder organization.
- Leverage Storyblok’s Composable Component functionality to convert inflexible templates into versatile, dynamic components that can be seamlessly integrated and reused across diverse digital platforms.
- Achieve multilingual content distribution to international markets with Localization capabilities.
Pros
- High flexibility and customization options enable businesses to add or remove features based on practical needs.
- Storyblok provides in-depth documentation for every topic, assisting developers in understanding how to use features and deploy services effectively
Cons
- Pricing currency is in EUR instead of USD.
- The Visual Editor interface can sometimes lag.
- Monthly bandwidth usage is limited and may require purchasing additional bandwidth at a relatively high cost.
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Storyblok offers a variety of solution packages for businesses, including:
- Community: Free forever, includes 1 registered account per user seat.
- Entry: €99/month, 5 registered users, up to 30 registered accounts per user seat. Suitable for small businesses and startups entering the content management system.
- Teams: €449/month, 10 registered users, up to 40 registered accounts per user seat. Suitable for growing businesses with content distribution needs.
- Enterprise: €2,999/month, 30 registered users, and unlimited additional registered accounts per user seat. High-level security and scalability with many outstanding features for large enterprises.
- Enterprise Plus: Custom pricing based on needs, offering the highest level of security and scalability among solution packages.
Contentful
Contentful stands out as an API-first Headless CMS, prized for its adaptability and remarkable scalability. It enables businesses to effortlessly craft, oversee, and distribute content across diverse channels and devices, encompassing websites, applications, IoT gadgets, and beyond. Contentful boasts a rich assortment of APIs, such as REST, GraphQL, Content Management API, Content Delivery API, and Content Preview API, among others.
Key features:
- Quickly create projects tailored to your needs using customizable templates based on the Next.js framework and Contentful CMS, whether it’s an eCommerce website or a blog site.
- Leverage Content Apps or integrate with third-party applications to streamline content production and publishing workflows for optimal efficiency.
- Contentful supports content localization for global marketing strategies, enabling you to adapt and target content for international audiences.
- Swiftly review, approve, and schedule the batch publishing of crucial content, such as product launches, advertisements, and rebranding initiatives, all at once.
Pros:
- Contentful offers a friendly and easy-to-use interface.
- It provides extensive support and learning resources for developers to enhance their skills, particularly for complex projects.
- Contentful includes numerous tools for efficient teamwork, such as the Compose app, Launch app, and Workflow app.
Cons:
- Contentful has limitations in terms of previewing and editing images.
- Depending on the subscription plan, businesses are provided with a certain amount of space and components. When these limits are reached, businesses have two options: either delete items to free up space or upgrade their space. This can be inconvenient and may result in additional costs.
Pricing:
Contentful currently offers three solution packages:
- Free: Designed for individual developers working on personal projects. It includes one space license, supports up to 5 users, and does not offer the option to upgrade or purchase additional space.
- Basic: Priced at $300 per month, this package includes one space license and is suitable for teams building websites or apps. It supports a maximum of 20 users and provides the option to upgrade to the Medium plan for an additional cost of $350 per month.
- Premium: Tailored for large enterprises, the pricing for this package is customized based on specific needs and is billed annually. It includes two space licenses, allows for a large number of users (up to thousands), and offers advanced space upgrades to Medium, Large, or Premium spaces for an additional fee.
Strapi
Strapi is an open-source JavaScript-based Headless CMS celebrated for its robust customization and expansive capabilities. Strapi provides developers with a wide array of APIs, including REST, GraphQL, Entity Service, Query Engine APIs, and more. Furthermore, it seamlessly integrates with popular frameworks such as Vue.js, Angular, React, Next.js, Eleventy, Svelte, and more.
Notably, Strapi boasts a user-friendly interface, empowering content marketers to swiftly create, edit, and publish content without the need for extensive programming skills. This reduces reliance on developers. Additionally, Strapi shines with its Omnichannel capabilities, enabling content dissemination across diverse channels, including websites, apps, and IoT devices.
Key features
- Support for multi-database environments, including SQLite, MongoDB, MySQL, and Postgres.
- A single programming language – JavaScript, from frontend to backend.
- Seamless Omnichannel capabilities for distributing content across multiple channels.
- Unlimited support for APIs, content types, admin panel users, and more.
- Webhooks facilitate connections between Strapi apps and other applications to notify them of events, particularly useful for informing third-party applications about the start of processes like continuous integration (CI), building, and deployment.
- Internationalization with the i18n framework, allowing for unlimited multi-language, multi-location projects.
Pros
- Seamless integration with Node.js.
- Easy API customization.
- Scalability and handling high traffic with ease.
- Intuitive and user-friendly user interface (UI).
- Abundant learning resources.
Cons
- Lack of support for advanced JavaScript versions like TypeScript.
- Limitation on the number of registered accounts per user depending on the solution package.
- Several features and specialized concepts may require users to invest significant time and effort in understanding and implementing them.
Pricing
Strapi offers four solution packages for businesses to choose from:
Self-hosted (self-hosted by the business)
- Community Edition: Free forever
- Enterprise Edition: Custom pricing based on needs
Cloud (hosted by Strapi)
- Pro: $99/month/project, with a 14-day free trial
- Team: $499/month/project, with a 14-day free trial
Hygraph
Hygraph is a federated content platform that enables the integration of content data from various sources and backends into a single storage repository through a GraphQL API without the need to move or create multiple copies of that content.
Headless CMS vs Federated Content Platform
user interface, enabling the distribution of content across various digital channels. However, in line with technological advancements, CMS providers are attempting to consolidate all content data within the CMS itself, creating what is known as a Content Hub, from which they distribute content.
Nonetheless, this approach has its drawbacks as it necessitates continuous data synchronization, which may not always ensure data accuracy when delivered to diverse channels. In such scenarios, a Federated Content Platform offers a pragmatic solution by integrating and storing content and data from any third-party system via GraphQL API or REST API, subsequently distributing the original data to multiple channels.
Looking at the scenario with Hygraph, it serves as a central hub for integrating and storing data from various sources. Acting as an API gateway, any changes made to the original data are first updated within Hygraph and then distributed to one or more front-end platforms. Users of Hygraph can access this updated data from multiple sources but are unable to make direct edits, preventing the proliferation of multiple data versions.
Key features
- Schema Builder: Provides developers and content marketers with user-friendly tools for creating templates to meet the diverse content needs of businesses.
- Custom Roles & Permissions: Established by the Administrator and Project Owner, it’s easy to control what users can see based on their roles within the system. There will be various system roles, but they generally include Owner, Admin, Developer, Editor, and Contributor. Owners and Admins can easily create custom roles for developers like “Create New Role” and “Update Existing Roles” using the permissions provided by the Management API. When setting up custom roles, businesses need to select all Read permissions to grant users the essential functionalities required while using the platform.
- Hygraph’s webhooks can integrate with third-party services to quickly update changes in project content in real-time.
- Scheduled Publishing allows content marketers to schedule content or campaigns for publication at a specific time in the future.
- The Rich Text Editor, sometimes called WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), is available for all of Hygraph’s solutions. Businesses can add the Rich Text Editor to any content section through the Schema Builder, making it easy for content marketers to create and edit text and images flexibly.
- Localization – content localization for global marketing strategies.
Pros
- The Content Federation capability ensures that APIs can store and deliver data accurately to various different frontends.
- Customizable roles promote efficient collaboration in the workflow.
- Display content performance analytics for businesses to measure traffic and engagement.
Cons
- The API functionality is rated as somewhat slow, taking from 3 to 8 seconds.
- Many concepts and features require time and effort to grasp.
Pricing
Hygraph offers three main solution packages for businesses:
- Community: Forever free, suitable for individuals and small projects.
- Self-service: Suitable for businesses in development.
- Professional: $399 per month per project.
- Scale: $899 per month per project.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing based on specific needs, suitable for large enterprises.
Brands that use Hygraph include Samsung, Shure, Booking.com, Philips, Telenor, Ashley, Dr. Oetker, Neat, Dmarket, Flybondi.com, etc.
To learn more about Headless CMS and choose the right deployment platform, please contact SECOMM or call our hotline at (028) 7108 9908 for a free consultation.
OPENCART VS MAGENTO: WHICH FITS YOUR BUSINESS BEST?
OpenCart and Magento have consistently been pitted against each other as open-source platforms for businesses in need of building specialized eCommerce websites, particularly for enterprises and corporations.
So, which of these open-source eCommerce platforms, OpenCart or Magento, is the right fit for your business?
OpenCart vs Magento: Overview
What is OpenCart?
OpenCart is a freely developed open-source eCommerce platform designed in PHP. It’s favored for its user-friendliness and simplicity, boasting an easy-to-navigate admin dashboard that allows product management, promotions, order processing, and reporting without requiring technical expertise.
OpenCart offers two options for businesses:
- Free Version: Ideal for businesses looking to build their website using OpenCart’s pre-existing framework.
- OpenCart Cloud: Suited for businesses seeking the expertise of OpenCart’s professional team for website development.
As per Build With data, OpenCart has been adopted by over 400,000 websites, primarily by small to medium-sized businesses in the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Brazil.
Related Reading: What is OpenCart? Key Pros and Cons of OpenCart
What is Magento?
Magento (Adobe Commerce), much like OpenCart, is an open-source eCommerce platform developed using the PHP programming language. Magento stands as the ‘pinnacle’ among all open-source eCommerce platforms due to its comprehensive control and high scalability, offering a plethora of specialized features.
At present, Magento provides three primary editions, which are:
- Open Source: This free version boasts a wealth of exceptional features, making it suitable for businesses just starting with open-source platforms.
- Adobe Commerce (on-premise): This self-hosted version is ideal for businesses seeking the readily available features of Adobe Commerce while maintaining hosting independence.
- Adobe Commerce Cloud: This cloud-hosted version caters to businesses in need of hosting services and features offered by Adobe.
According to BuildWith, Magento supports over 160,000 websites, with significant popularity among large businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany.
Given the differences in service offerings between the paid versions of OpenCart and Magento, this SECOMM article will focus on comparing the two free versions.
Related Reading: What is Magento? Key Pros and Cons of Magento
OpenCart vs Magento: Key Similarities
License Fee
Overall, OpenCart and Magento are both open-source platforms developed using PHP. They are both robust eCommerce platforms with powerful features and a multitude of additional utilities.
The usage costs of OpenCart and Magento are quite alike, as both offer free enterprise versions that can be downloaded and installed without any charges.
Integration
Since they are open-source platforms, both possess exceptional customization capabilities for integrating third-party add-ons.
This enables businesses to effortlessly install and manage various management systems like POS, ERP, CRM, and others within a single system.
Extensions
OpenCart offers an extensive library of extensions, with approximately 13,000 extensions at your disposal. Likewise, Magento boasts a vast collection of extensions, with over 5,000 to choose from.
Both platforms enable businesses to enhance their eCommerce websites with a plethora of additional features using these extensions, eliminating the need for coding concerns.
OpenCart vs Magento: Major Differences
Admin Dashboard
OpenCart is recognized as being more user-friendly for beginners, primarily due to its intuitive interface and straightforward installation process. However, businesses should still possess a basic level of technical knowledge related to hosting, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), security upgrades, and the like.
Within the admin dashboard, users can effortlessly navigate through sections such as ‘Catalog,’ “Extensions”, “Sales”, “System”, “Reports”, and “Help”.
Magento isn’t a “playground” suited for beginners due to its intricate installation process, which demands a high level of technical expertise to set up.
While Magento 2 is considered more user-friendly than Magento 1, the admin dashboard still offers a multitude of options that can pose challenges for newcomers, especially when it comes to understanding Magento-specific terminology, resulting in a time-consuming learning curve.
User Interface
OpenCart provides around 500 themes, available in both free and paid options (ranging from $60 to $70), catering to diverse industries. This platform enables businesses to preview their website’s appearance with various themes before making a purchase. Subsequently, businesses can customize these themes according to their specific needs.
In the case of Magento, businesses have three options for creating user interfaces:
- Utilizing pre-built themes from the Magento Marketplace (ranging from $0 to $500) or theme-selling platforms like Themeforest. This choice provides cost-effective design solutions but may result in a website interface that resembles others.
- Tailoring existing themes. This option enables businesses to save costs while maintaining a unique website interface.
- Crafting a completely bespoke interface with customized themes. While this option sets a business apart from competitors, it comes with a higher price tag compared to the other two methods.
In summary, both OpenCart and Magento offer a wide selection of budget-friendly themes, but Magento allows for more extensive customization to optimize the eCommerce website’s interface.
Scalability
In terms of scalability, OpenCart is suitable for small and medium-sized business websites because it can only handle a limited number of products and transactions. On the other hand, Magento is specifically designed to manage large and complex eCommerce websites, capable of handling thousands of products and daily transactions without performance issues.
When it comes to flexibility, OpenCart provides a variety of extensions and add-ons to enhance website functionality. However, its flexibility may be somewhat constrained when dealing with intricate custom requirements. In contrast, Magento offers a higher degree of flexibility, enabling businesses to customize every aspect of their website. It boasts a comprehensive system of modules and better compatibility with third-party integrations, allowing businesses to tailor and expand their website to suit their specific needs.
Overall, Magento surpasses OpenCart in terms of scalability for eCommerce websites.
Support Community
OpenCart offers two types of support to its users:
- Community forums that enable global users to share their knowledge and experiences with OpenCart.
- Paid support services at a monthly fee of $99.
Magento provides a Help Center, but its support staff primarily focuses on Adobe Commerce, which may not fully address the needs of businesses using Open Source. However, Magento boasts a global developer community of over 13,000 individuals, making it relatively straightforward to find solutions.
Security
OpenCart doesn’t assume responsibility for the security of eCommerce websites as it operates on an open-source platform. This means that OpenCart’s code and framework are publicly available, rendering websites more susceptible to potential attacks.
In contrast, despite also being an open-source platform, Magento places a strong emphasis on security. Magento has consistently released security patches since 2015 to identify vulnerabilities. This commitment ensures that eCommerce websites built on Magento maintain a high level of security, instilling confidence in online shoppers.
Through the use of third-party tools such as Mage Report and Mage Scan, businesses can assess their security status. Additionally, Magento employs CSP (Content Security Policy), which offers a structured set of principles for restricting browser content to trusted services only. This allows browsers to determine which web tools to block and which ones to trust.
Development Cost
Even though both OpenCart and Magento are provided with free licenses, there is a significant difference in the development costs for eCommerce websites.
While Magento comes with a higher implementation cost than OpenCart, it offers a plethora of features for eCommerce websites. These include advanced search capabilities with Elasticsearch and OpenSearch, content editing tools that don’t require coding, support for categorizing a wider range of product types, and advanced shipping configuration, among others. In contrast, adding these features to OpenCart would necessitate the use of numerous extensions and increased storage resources to ensure efficient operation.
Considering the evaluations presented earlier, OpenCart proves to be a suitable choice for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to establish their eCommerce websites. In contrast, Magento is an excellent fit for both SMEs and large corporations with specific and highly customizable eCommerce system requirements. Magento allows businesses to own a tailor-made system by either starting with a basic eCommerce website and gradually enhancing it or by creating a comprehensive system from the ground up.
With our extensive experience in implementing eCommerce solutions for clients across diverse countries, SECOMM comprehends the challenges and complexities that businesses encounter when selecting the ideal platform for constructing a professional eCommerce system.
Contact SECOMM today or call our Hotline at (02871089908) for a complimentary consultation.
4 LEADING PLATFORMS FOR HEADLESS ECOMMERCE DEVELOPMENT
In Headless eCommerce architecture, the user interface (frontend) is separated from the business logic and database (backend), operating independently and communicating with each other through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The backend of the eCommerce system can be linked to multiple frontends to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience for customers.
This omnichannel capability has driven many businesses to adopt Headless eCommerce to adapt to market trends and attract a large customer base across all potential channels.
However, from the planning stage to achieving the goals, it’s a long journey with several crucial steps that require dedicated efforts from businesses. Among them, selecting the right platform for Headless eCommerce development is essential. Currently, there are four prominent platforms in the market: Adobe Commerce, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce Enterprise, and Commercetools.
This article will focus on helping you as a business make the right decision by listing the selection criteria and pros and cons of each platform.
Things to Evaluate When Choosing Headless eCommerce Platform
Headless Architecture
You need to ensure that the chosen platform supports the Headless architecture, allowing the separation of the frontend user interface from the backend system. The separation provides omnichannel capabilities, enabling you to deliver seamless and consistent customer experiences across all channels (e.g., websites, mobile devices, IoT devices, etc.).
API Capabilities
APIs are crucial for integrating with various different user interfaces. Therefore, you should seek a platform with the ability to provide customizable APIs for seamless data exchange.
Performance & Scalability
Next, you need to consider the scalability of the platform, especially for large-scale enterprises with extensive and complex product catalogs or significant inventory management needs. A highly scalable platform can easily adjust its size based on requirements, handle high traffic, and ensure top-notch performance even during peak shopping seasons.
The ability to integrate with third-party solutions is also crucial when selecting a platform. Third-party tools serve specific business needs and drive eCommerce efficiency. You can prioritize platforms with strong integration capabilities and compatibility with a wide range of third-party tools and services, including payment gateways, shipping, content management systems (CMS), analytics tools, and more.
Flexibility & Customizability
Alongside performance and scalability, customization capability holds great significance for any business pursuing a platform to deploy Headless eCommerce. Evaluating the platform’s flexibility in design and user experience becomes crucial, ensuring effortless customization of frontend to meet specific business needs.
Security
Security is of utmost importance for any eCommerce platform. When choosing, you must ensure the platform adheres to standard security measures, such as secure payment PCI DSS, SSL encryption, and more.
Analytics & Reporting
Data analytics and reporting play a vital role in optimizing eCommerce operations and making informed decisions. Therefore, you should seek a platform with powerful analytics and reporting capabilities to provide comprehensive insights into customer behavior, sales effectiveness, conversion rates, and other essential metrics.
Customer Support
Opting for a Headless eCommerce development on a platform that provides valuable support resources like developer documentation, forums, and support communities, or responsive customer service directly from the platform, can bring significant benefits. You should ensure they have access to necessary assistance throughout the entire implementation process.
Total Cost of Ownership
Ultimately, the cost is a determining factor for any eCommerce business’s choice. These costs may encompass licensing fees, hosting, development, maintenance, or integration expenses with third-party services. You must assess these costs in relation to the platform’s capabilities, ensuring they align with your budget and long-term business goals.
By considering these criteria, you can select an appropriate Headless eCommerce platform that meets their business needs, provides a seamless customer experience, and supports their long-term growth objectives.
The Best 4 Platforms for Headless eCommerce Development
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
Magento is renowned as the world’s leading open-source eCommerce platform and currently ranks third in the market share among eCommerce platforms, following WooCommerce and Shopify
Magento has 2 editions:
- Magento Open Source: a free-to-use edition, but users still need to pay for hosting, domain, extensions, and development fees when hiring specialized Magento developers.
- Adobe Commerce: a paid edition with superior eCommerce solutions, suitable for large businesses with high development and expansion needs. It includes 2 versions: Adobe Commerce on-premise and Adobe Commerce on-cloud.
Pros
- Being open-source allows you to have complete control over the source code and infrastructure.
- With high flexibility and strong customization capabilities, it meets the needs of complex eCommerce requirements.
- Its excellent scalability is suitable for large-scale business operations.
- The powerful multi-store support enables seamless management of numerous stores across various locations from a single admin panel.
- Unified APIs and technologies across all channels enhance Omnichannel capabilities.
- From fundamental to advanced features, with a wide range of available extensions and integrations, it optimizes eCommerce functionality.
- Magento supports the creation of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with PWA Studio features
Related Reading: What is PWA? 4 Key Benefits of Developing PWA
Cons
- Complex development, security, and maintenance processes necessitate extensive technical expertise.
- High development costs and lengthy development timelines.
Shopify Plus
Shopify stands out as a leading SaaS eCommerce platform in the market, boasting over 3.75 million active stores in 2022.
Presently, Shopify provides two main editions:
- Shopify: Including standard packages (Basic, Shopify, Advanced) with different fees and features, catering to the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses.
- Shopify Plus: A comprehensive eCommerce solution at reasonable costs, tailored for medium to large enterprises, equipped with advanced features and tools to optimize business operations.
Pros
- The platform is designed to be user-friendly and accessible even for non-technical users.
- It boasts impressive performance and scalability, effortlessly handling high web traffic and numerous transactions.
- With the GraphQL Storefront API, you can deliver unique customer experiences across various channels like websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices.
- The Shopify App Store offers a wide range of powerful applications, extensions, and integrations exclusively tailored for Shopify Plus.
- Customizing the frontend is made simple with a user-friendly visual editor and direct code access.
- It facilitates omnichannel sales and automates eCommerce processes, resulting in operational resource savings.
- It seamlessly integrates with various third-party tools and systems, including ERP, CRM, CMS, and more.
Cons
- The customization capabilities of Shopify Plus are good, but they still cannot be compared with open-source platforms. For example, regarding payment gateways, it only allows integration with Shopify’s partner gateways such as PayPal, 2Checkout, PayDollar, Skrill, etc. Businesses aren’t permitted to integrate with other gateways outside this list.
- The eCommerce data of businesses using Shopify Plus is locked into Shopify Plus’s database. This dependency poses risks from the provider (Shopify Plus) and limits the business’s ability to access its entire data.
- While Shopify Plus supports creating multiple stores alongside the main store, compared to Adobe Commerce, the capabilities of Shopify Plus are somewhat limited. The platform restricts the number of stores and locations businesses can add, and businesses cannot manage multiple stores within the same Shopify Plus account.
- The cost is not fixed and increases based on revenue, development, and integration needs.
Usage cost: Starts from $2,000/month and increases based on revenue.
Related Reading: What is Shopify Plus? The Pros and Cons of Shopify Plus
BigCommerce Enterprise
Similar to Shopify, BigCommerce is also one of the leading SaaS eCommerce platforms with notable features that help businesses establish a fast and easy online presence.
The BigCommerce Enterprise edition serves large-scale enterprises with various optimized business operation solutions. Among them, the BigCommerce Headless eCommerce solution stands out, enabling businesses to create a consistent customer experience along with many other supportive solutions that ensure quick website launch and easy customization.
2.3.1 Pros
- An easy-to-use and intuitive platform.
- A powerful API architecture for building custom user interface solutions to meet complex requirements.
- Create and manage multiple headless storefronts within a single dashboard.
- High scalability and fast web performance.
- Robust Headless features that can integrate with frontend frameworks (Next.js, Gatsby.js, and Nuxt.js), CMS, DXP, ORM, etc.
- Capable of handling up to 600 SKUs per product.
- Drive omnichannel sales.
- Excellent support for building PWAs
2.3.2 Cons
- Similar to Shopify Plus, the customization capabilities of BigCommerce Enterprise are good, but still cannot be compared with Open-Source platforms.
- There are limitations in controlling the backend infrastructure and accessing the database.
- The payment process still utilizes the BigCommerce domain, leading to authentication and security issues.
- High deployment costs.
Usage cost: Starts from $400/month and can go up to $20,000/month
commercetools
commercetools is a pioneering platform for Headless eCommerce worldwide. Developed based on MACH principles (Microservice-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless), Commercetools supports businesses in building and customizing eCommerce solutions tailored to their needs and their customers’ needs.
Pros
- High scalability and customization capabilities.
- Drive omnichannel sales.
- Powerful features and functionalities: category management, unified shopping cart, order management, machine learning, etc.
- Pre-built building blocks enable businesses to create their own backend structure.
- The API-first approach promotes flexibility and scalability, optimizing development time and ensuring compatibility between functionalities.
- Free 60-day trial.
Cons
- Requires technical expertise and experience for development.
- Limited advanced features for large enterprises, requiring specific custom development.
- Smaller user base and community support compared to more established platforms, making it challenging to find assistance.
- The initial development cost with Commercetools is quite high and depends on annual revenue, integration needs, scalability, etc.
Usage cost: The pricing is not publicly available, and businesses need to contact Commercetools for further discussion. However, here are some reference points. The implementation cost starts from $300,000, and the licensing fee begins at $200,000 per year.
With extensive experience in advising platform selection and supporting eCommerce implementation for numerous businesses worldwide, SECOMM always emphasizes that choosing the right platform is the first step towards success.
Contact SECOMM or call directly at the hotline number (02871089908) now for a free consultation.
WHAT IS HEADLESS CMS? HEADLESS CMS VS TRADITIONAL CMS
Previously, Traditional Content Management Systems (CMS) were the go-to solution for businesses to develop websites and establish an online presence. However, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) have brought about a redefinition of online presence.
Today, businesses worldwide compete to attract more customers from various digital channels like mobile apps, social media, and IoT devices. They can strive to deliver high-quality content across these channels to enhance the customer experience.
As a result, Headless CMS has gained popularity and replaced Traditional CMS. Headless CMS enables effective multi-channel content distribution, meeting the needs of businesses in the modern era.
This article explains what Headless CMS is and how it differs from Traditional CMS.
What is Headless CMS?
Headless CMS is a content management system that separates the backend, where the content is stored (the body), from the frontend, the user interface (the head). That’s why it is called Headless.
Thanks to this separation, developers can use any technology they want for the backend without worrying about affecting the frontend. Meanwhile, marketers can create and store content once and deploy it across any digital channel because the content isn’t locked into a specific channel.
Simply because Headless CMS uses APIs to deliver a set of content across multiple channels, which is why it is sometimes referred to as an “API-first” CMS. Therefore, Headless CMS is particularly useful for implementing Omnichannel strategies to provide a consistent experience for customers.
Unlike Headless CMS, Traditional CMS architecture tightly links the backend with the frontend. Traditional CMS controls content creation, storage, and display through a single channel, typically a web browser. The tight coupling of the backend and frontend results in content getting intertwined with frontend code, making it challenging to reuse content across channels and significantly impacting the Omnichannel strategy.
Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS
While Headless CMS has gained widespread popularity as a flexible solution for multi-channel content distribution, Traditional CMS still plays a significant role in the business growth journey for many companies
Hence, when making a decision on which CMS approach to adopt, you need to carefully consider their development requirements and weigh the pros and cons of both Traditional CMS and Headless CMS.
Traditional CMS
Pros
- Simplicity & Ease of Use: Traditional CMS provides user-friendly interfaces and pre-built templates, making it easy for users to create and manage content without requiring in-depth technical knowledge or programming skills
- All-in-one Solution: Traditional CMS will provide a comprehensive set of features, functionalities, and integrated tools for content creation, organization, publishing, and management, including SEO optimization, eCommerce capabilities, and more.
- Rapid Development: Using Traditional CMS can help your business accelerate the website development process by leveraging ready-made templates to quickly create and launch web pages, especially for projects with time or resource constraints.
- Support Community: You will easily find support from a large user community of Traditional CMS platforms, along with abundant documentation and a plethora of plugins and extensions.
- Content & Design Coupling: For Traditional CMS platforms, the content management backend is tightly integrated with the user interface frontend, ensuring a consistent and cohesive visual experience throughout the entire website.
Cons
- Limited Flexibility: Traditional CMS platforms limit customization and flexibility. These CMSs provide pre-built templates, features, and tools, so implementing unique designs or complex functionalities would require significant investment in customization and development.
- Platform Dependency: Developers and content creators working within the ecosystem of a specific Traditional CMS platform may face challenges when transitioning to a different CMS. They would need to migrate content and redesign the website, causing inconvenience and consuming time.
- Content & Design Coupling: This capability is both an advantage and a disadvantage of Traditional CMS platforms, as it poses challenges for content reuse across different channels. This leads to inconsistent content distribution across all channels and impacts the customer experience.
- Security & Maintenance: Traditional CMS platforms can have security risks if not updated and maintained properly. Issues such as system complexity and hidden bugs in plugins or extensions require businesses to regularly update and maintain.
Headless CMS
Pros
- Flexibility & Customization: Headless CMS empowers developers to have full control over the frontend development process. They can choose the most suitable technologies and frameworks to meet development needs, enabling them to create flexible and innovative customizations.
- Omnichannel Delivery: Headless CMS excels in effortlessly distributing content through APIs to various platforms and channels, including websites, mobile applications, social media, IoT devices, and more. This ensures a seamless and consistent user experience across multiple channels.
- Content Reusability: The separation of the backend and frontend in Headless CMS allows marketers to effortlessly reuse previously created and stored content across various digital channels. This saves your time and effort by eliminating the need to recreate content for each specific platform.
- Performance & Flexibility: The separation of backend and frontend enables each component to concentrate on its specific tasks. It enhances performance and scalability, making Headless CMS well-suited for high-traffic websites or applications.
- Future-proofing architecture: Kiến trúc của Headless CMS được thiết kế linh hoạt và nhanh nhạy, có thể thích ứng với các công nghệ và nền tảng mới. Khi các công nghệ mới xuất hiện, việc tích hợp với Headless CMS khá đơn giản, giúp doanh nghiệp luôn thích nghi tốt trong bối cảnh công nghệ kỹ thuật số không ngừng thay đổi.
Cons
- Complexibility: For non-technical users, the setup and management of a Headless CMS can pose difficulties. Developers and content creators may need to familiarize themselves with modern technologies when working with Headless CMS. Moreover, while Headless CMS offers great flexibility, integrating third-party services, managing APIs, and ensuring data consistency across various platforms and channels can be more complex compared to Traditional CMS platforms. Therefore, for a successful and efficient implementation of a Headless CMS, businesses will require a knowledgeable and technically proficient team or specialized expertise to handle the deployment.
- Maintenance & Updates: Because of the separation between content storage and user interface, the development process in Headless CMS requires the separate management of these two aspects. Therefore, Headless CMS requires regular maintenance and updates to ensure compatibility, security, and system performance.
Who is Headless CMS best for?
Considering the pros and cons of both Traditional CMS and Headless CMS, it is evident that small and medium-sized businesses with simpler data structures, limited technical expertise, and programming skills may find Traditional CMS a better choice.
However, the advent of Headless CMS has provided a boost for businesses seeking to thrive in the digital race and adapt to the trends of Industry 4.0. Therefore, Headless CMS is particularly suitable for medium to large enterprises that deal with substantial content volumes. With Headless CMS, businesses can effectively manage their extensive content repositories, ensuring scalability and performance even under high traffic conditions.
The structured content storage backend allows businesses to reuse content across various digital channels. Furthermore, the API-based content distribution of Headless CMS enables seamless multi-channel content delivery, effectively enhancing the reach of target customers. Additionally, the flexibility and integration capabilities of Headless CMS make it easier for businesses to integrate the latest technologies into their existing systems and maintain robust security measures.
Overall, Headless CMS provides businesses in the digital era with outstanding capabilities for efficient content management, optimized distribution, and flexible adaptation to ever-changing market trends.
With years of experience collaborating with businesses worldwide, SECOMM understands that effectively managing and distributing large volumes of content is a key goal for every eCommerce enterprise.
Contact SECOMM or call our hotline (02871089908) today to receive expert advice on effective multi-channel content distribution solutions, stand out from the competition, and adapt to the Industry 4.0 trends with Headless CMS.
WHAT IS OPENCART? PROS AND CONS OF USING OPENCART
The eCommerce platforms are often considered the “backbone” of any experienced business in the market. To embark on the eCommerce journey, your business needs to choose the right eCommerce platform to build your website.
In addition to Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, PrestaShop, etcOpenCart become a popular choice for many international SMEs.
What is OpenCart?
OpenCart is an open-source eCommerce platform based on the PHP programming language, developed by Daniel Kerr in 1998. Currently, OpenCart offers two versions: Free and Cloud Store (Paid).
For the Cloud Store version, you have three solution options to build your eCommerce website:
- Bronze: €59/month, for small businesses (1 CPU 2GB)
- Silver: €99/month, for medium-sized businesses (2 CPU 4GB)
- Gold: €199/month, for enterprise-level businesses (4 CPU 8GB)
According to BuiltWith, there are over 2,500 websites built on this platform. Some famous brands using OpenCart include WeLoveFine, GT Omega, Arrowfile, and Kleshna.
The Pros of Using OpenCart
Admin Dashboard
OpenCart is a user-friendly platform, even for those without technical experience. You don’t need to invest much time in training staff to manage products, orders, customer information, or other features on the website.
Themes and Extensions
Over the years, OpenCart’s marketplace has offered more than 13,000 functional modules and ready-to-use themes. You can find suitable themes for any industry along with 3rd-party extensions, payment gateways, shipping providers, marketing tools, analytics, and reporting, which enrich your journey of building an eCommerce system.
Flexibility
With its nature as an open-source eCommerce platform, OpenCart has the ability to be flexibly customized. Also, you can own and control the entire source code. That said, you’ll customize code components, create updates, or even develop new features within the system based on your needs.
In addition, OpenCart also has good scalability, enabling you to upgrade to multiple languages and currencies for your global expansion goals.
No Transaction Fee
For eCommerce platforms like Shopify, and BigCommerce, operating on a licensing model. This means they charge fees for platform usage on a monthly/yearly basis. These platforms typically charge an average transaction fee of 1.5% to 2% per transaction. On the contrary, OpenCart’s Cloud Store version charges no fees.
The Cons of Using OpenCart
Technical Skills Required
OpenCart is an open-source platform built with one of the most complex programming languages — PHP. That means, to successfully develop your own eCommerce website, you should build a skilled in-house team or collaborate with an experienced agency.
Lack of Scalability
Although OpenCart offers many features, it may not be sufficient for you to manage and operate your complex eCommerce website. It’s different when compared to another PHP-based open-source eCommerce platform like Adobe Commerce (also known as Magento). Adobe Commerce allows you to expand from one website to multiple websites while managing them under the same system effectively.
Hidden Costs
It’s worth noting that OpenCart doesn’t charge transaction fees and it’s affordable cost of using OpencCart’s Cloud Store compared to other platforms. However, you need to add up the expenses for integrating various extensions. Each extension typically costs a minimum of $20 per month.
But if you want to create a comprehensive eCommerce website system, you may need at least 10 extensions. As a result, when opting for OpenCart, you should be aware of the potential hidden costs associated with these extensions.
OpenCart, with its own set of pros and cons, is generally a suitable eCommerce platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, large-sized businesses looking for open-source eCommerce solutions may find platforms like Magento or Shopify Plus more fitting.
Having in-depth expertise and a track record of successfully developing complex eCommerce systems on Magento, such as Laybyland (Australia, US, New Zealand), Jasnor (Australia, New Zealand), and An Nam Group (Vietnam), SECOMM understands the challenges that businesses encounter when selecting and implementing an open-source eCommerce platform.
Get in touch with SECOMM today or call directly to the hotline at 02871089908 for a free consultation on tailored solutions for your eCommerce system development needs!
6 KEY SHOPIFY PLUS FEATURES TO BUILD ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
Shopify Plus is a platform designed for high-growth eCommerce businesses. Over the years, Shopify Plus has been the top choice for leading global brands such as GymShark, Fashion Nova, Kylie Cosmetics, and more.
Simply because the platform successfully provides its customers with exceptional features to optimize the customer experience and enhance the effectiveness of sales and marketing strategy.
Here are the top 6 core Shopify Plus features that benefit enterprise-level brands in eCommerce website development.
Related Readings: Top 10 Most Successful Shopify Plus eCommerce Websites
Multi-store management
For retailers targeting sales in the global market, Shopify Plus is the go-to choice platform.
The platform provides a multi-store feature that allows businesses to create up to 9 additional stores in 20 different locations apart from the main store to track inventory and fulfill orders.
Each additional store will have its own domain, design, products, and customer data which can be managed from a single Shopify Plus account. This means businesses can easily switch between stores and manage everything from a single dashboard.
Omnichannel Capabilities
Not only Shopify Plus supports businesses in building a comprehensive eCommerce website while also facilitating Omnichannel implementation. The platform also allows businesses to provide their customers with a consistent shopping experience across channels, including websites, mobile apps, online marketplaces, social media, and physical stores.
The Shopify POS feature helps seamlessly integrate sales points from online to offline. Businesses can use Shopify POS to track orders and inventory at all active sales channels.
Automatic Workflows
Shopify Flow
Shopify Flow is an eCommerce automation solution encouraged by Shopify for business implementing Shopify Plus.
Shopify Flow helps businesses handle repetitive tasks such as inventory management, fraud prevention, setting up loyalty programs, and fulfillment management quickly and automatically. This allows businesses to focus more on their core operations.
With Flow, businesses can rapidly build customized eCommerce automation workflows using visual, code-free blocks called triggers, conditions, and actions.
For example, an automated workflow to add customers to a loyalty program could unfold as follows:
- Trigger: An order has been placed
- Condition: If the order is equal to or exceeds $500
- Action: Tag the customer as VIP
LaunchPad
LaunchPad allows businesses to set up and automate the essential processes for organizing promotional events, flash sales, and product launches.
Using LaunchPad, businesses can:
- Create, and schedule automated tasks such as product uploads, price adjustments, image changes, and banners tailored to specific events.
- Set up complex scripts, such as providing free gifts with certain items, offering free shipping based on the type and value of the order, and evaluate sales performance between different periods and making adjustments to achieve set goals.
- Monitor campaigns to compare, analyze, and evaluate sales performance between different periods and make adjustments to achieve set goals.
Customize Checkouts Experience
If standard Shopify businesses need to leverage apps or alternative solutions, Shopify Plus businesses have access to Shopify Scripts.
This feature is exclusively available for Shopify Plus merchants and allows for personalized customer experiences at the cart and checkout stages. Businesses can use the Script Editor app to gain more control over how customers interact with their eCommerce website by creating special offers, and discounts, adding upsells, cross-sells, and customizing the checkout experience.
With Shopify Scripts‘ high level of autonomy, businesses can freely experiment to deliver unique experiences for their customers.
Three types of scripts include
- Line Item Scripts: These scripts can adjust the price of a specific product whenever it is added or removed from the cart.
- Shipping Scripts: These scripts can be used to modify shipping methods and fees.
- Payment Scripts: These scripts can rename, hide, and reorder payment gateways and will run every time a customer accesses the payment method page during checkout.
Here are some examples of scripts that can be customized:
- Percentage (%) discount for products.
- Dollar ($) discount for products.
- Bulk discounts.
- Buy One Get One (BOGO).
- Modify shipping fees.
- Rearrange payment gateways.
- Hide payment gateways.
Advanced Security
Shopify Plus meets the highest standards of online security, and all Shopify Plus businesses have SSL certificates used to encrypt sensitive information, such as credit card details.
Moreover, Shopify Plus provides two-factor authentication and account recovery features to protect websites from unauthorized access.
In particular, businesses can obtain an Extended Validation SSL certificate, which offers the highest level of protection available on Shopify Plus. In this case, a green padlock icon will be displayed in the browser’s address bar, assuring customers that the business’s website is secure to use.
Shopify Plus also offers fraud analysis tools that allow businesses to monitor their website for detecting any suspicious activities. For example, when any fraudulent orders are detected, the tool will flag them for the business to decide whether to cancel or fulfill the order.”
B2B Support
Shopify Plus offers a range of features to support B2B eCommerce operations, including:
- Flexible payment options
- Order and reorder management
- Customized pricing
- Integration with ERP, OMS, and CRM systems.
Additionally, businesses can set up wholesale channels to cater to customers with bulk purchasing needs.
Those are the 6 core features of Shopify Plus that you can leverage to boost your business operations efficiency and give your customers the best shopping experience.
Contact or call directly to the SECOMM hotline (02871089908) for a free consultation.
TOP 10 ECOMMERCE WEBSITE USING COMMERCETOOLS PLATFORM
commercetools is a cloud-based eCommerce platform that provides a multi-channel approach, supporting businesses to build and manage eCommerce websites, mobile applications, and other sales channels seamlessly. Moreover, commercetools is a pioneer of Headless eCommerce.
Therefore, as businesses focus on enhancing multi-channel marketing and sales efforts to meet the increasing customer shopping experience demands, commercetools becomes particularly prominent.
Here are 10 brands that have utilized the commercetools platform to actualize their revenue and customer experience goals.
Chronext
Chronext is a renowned global brand specializing in buying and selling luxury watches, boasting a collection of over 7,000 products. Offering a wide array of watches, including new, pre-owned, and classic pieces, Chronext’s expert watchmakers thoroughly inspect each watch before sale and provide a 24-month warranty.
Chronext has implemented an eCommerce website using commercetools, contributing to a 300% increase in page loading speed, a 40% boost in SEO ranking, and a 10% increase in conversion rate. As a result, Chronext has achieved a solid reputation in the luxury watch industry, becoming a trusted destination for watch enthusiasts
- Website: https://www.chronext.com/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 161,7K/month
- Ranking: 377,247 (USA) & 302,679 (Global)
Promod
Promod is a French brand established in 1975, specializing in providing ready-to-wear fashion for women. This brand is currently present in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Malta.
Promod has utilized commercetools to develop an exceptional eCommerce website, aiming to achieve the expected revenue level and deliver a seamless shopping experience for customers.
- Website: https://www.promod.com/en/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 82.9K/month
- Ranking: 38,707 (France) & 310,507 (Global)
Ulta Beauty
Since opening its first store in 1990, Ulta Beauty has evolved into the largest cosmetics retailer in the United States and a premier beauty destination for cosmetics enthusiasts. The brand offers over 25,000 products from around 500 beauty brands, including its own Ulta Beauty Collection with attractive pricing.
With the need for rapid-scale expansion and the flexibility to implement changes to the platform, Ulta Beauty chose commercetools for its Headless eCommerce solution. In 2022, Ulta Beauty officially launched an entirely new eCommerce website, enabling the brand to manage an extensive product portfolio with over 1.3 million SKUs. This upgrade enhanced the shopping experience with features like the Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) solution.
- Website: https://www.ulta.com/
- Industry: Cosmetics
- Traffic: 34.8M/month
- Ranking: 241 (USA) & 1,214 (Global)
66°North
Since 1928, 66°North has been providing protective clothing for Iceland’s rescue teams, and this successful collaboration has driven the company to continue developing outdoor clothing and accessories with diverse designs. Today, 66°North has become a leading global brand in producing protective workwear suitable for all outdoor activities.
The 66°North website employs commercetools to transition from a monolithic model to a more flexible microservices-based system, tailored to the specific needs of 66°North. This collaboration has led to a 35% increase in average order value, a 75% repeat purchase rate, and a 50% increase in transactions per minute for the 66°North eCommerce website.
- Website: https://www.66north.com/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 141,8K/month
- Ranking: 557 (Iceland) & 304,892 (Global)
Danone
Danone is a leading global food and beverage company operating in four main business areas including Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Waters, and Nutritional Products for infants and patients. Danone currently sells products in over 120 markets.
During the crisis period of the Covid-19 pandemic, Danone accelerated its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) eCommerce strategy and transitioned to a MACH model using commercetools to address shortages of infant formula in Europe. This move also aimed to adapt to sudden supply chain changes and local consumer demands. The addition of cart functionality to the brand websites helped customers access products more swiftly. Furthermore, this strategy allowed the company to expand its web capacity without encountering issues due to the sudden increase in access traffic.
- Website: https://www.danone.com/
- Industry: eGrocery
- Traffic: 362.7K/month
- Ranking: 34,589 (France) & 126,173 (Global)
Tamron
Anyone with a passion for photography is likely familiar with Tamron – a global leader headquartered in Japan. This company specializes in supplying camera lenses of varying focal lengths, catering to all types of cameras. Their products are distributed through a network of partners, local agents, and online platforms such as Amazon.
As part of their strategy to explore new markets, the company embraced Headless eCommerce through the utilization of commercetools on their subsidiary’s online store in Europe, operating under the name Tamron Europe and based in Germany. The beauty of Headless eCommerce lies in its ability to decouple the user interface (frontend) from the underlying data storage (backend), allowing Tamron Europe to construct and personalize their online store to meet both present and future requirements.
- Website: https://www.tamron.eu/en-GB
- Industry: Manufacture
- Traffic: 121,5K/month
- Ranking: 44,336 (Germany) & 337,575 (Global)
Emma The Sleep Company
With over 2 million mattresses sold and revenue exceeding 645 million euros in 2021, Emma The Sleep Company has become one of the fastest-growing sleep brands in the world.
Emma chose to partner with commercetools to develop a large-scale eCommerce platform to accommodate high traffic volumes. To encourage customer shopping on the website, the company introduced various attractive sales policies such as 0% financing, free shipping, free returns, and a 365-day trial period. Additionally, Emma’s eCommerce website is integrated with Instagram to interact more with customers by encouraging them to share images of their product experiences and tag Emma. As a result, the brand has attracted a considerable number of potential customers.
- Website: https://www.emma-sleep.com/
- Industry: online retail
- Traffic: 160,8K/month
- Ranking: 67,098 (Germany) & 326,056 (Global)
John Lewis & Partners
John Lewis & Partners (formerly known as John Lewis) is a renowned British retail brand with a rich history spanning over 150 years. The brand has utilized commercetools to aim towards the goal of transitioning from its legacy eCommerce platform to a microservices-led cloud service and flexible API-first approach.
The new John Lewis website offers a wide range of high-quality products, including clothing, household appliances, electronics, and beauty products. John Lewis provides a seamless shopping experience from offline stores to the app and eCommerce website. Through quality products, excellent customer care, and optimized payment policies, John Lewis has gradually established itself as a leading and trustworthy retail brand in the United Kingdom, catering to the diverse multi-channel shopping experiences of its customers.
- Website: https://www.johnlewis.com/
- Industry: eGrocery
- Traffic: 21.3M/month
- Ranking: 87 (UK) &1,986 (Global)
Kmart
Kmart is a renowned discount retail store chain in Australia, founded in 1969. To date, Kmart has over 200 stores across Australia and New Zealand, recognized as one of the most profitable discount retail chains in the land down under.
Kmart has undergone a transformation to a cloud-based platform – commercetools, leveraging serverless capabilities with a microservices architecture. By embracing this new technology, Kmart can flexibly customize and expand its eCommerce website to provide the best online shopping experience for customers, while also driving its digital transformation strategy.
- Website: https://www.kmart.com.au/
- Industry: eGrocery
- Traffic: 24.4M/month
- Ranking: 32 (Australia) & 2,013 (Global)
Express
Express is one of the world’s most renowned fashion brands, specializing in clothing and accessories for both men and women across various segments. Recognizing that the monolithic platform posed challenges to its growth, Express turned to Commercetools for a flexible, agile, and highly scalable eCommerce solution to adapt to market trends and the ever-changing shopping preferences of customers.
With a focus on stylish fashion products, Express’s website is designed with a minimalist yet modern and elegant aesthetic. Alongside a diverse range of promotional programs, Express offers customers multiple payment solutions to enhance their shopping experience, such as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS), and Express credit card.
- Website: https://www.express.com/
- Industry: Fashion
- Traffic: 13.3M/month
- Ranking: 629 (USA) & 3,337 (Global)
Above are 10 businesses that have developed eCommerce websites with commercetools and achieved success in both branding and revenue. This success has become a source of inspiration for other businesses seeking solutions to elevate their business operations and enhance their competitive edge in the market.
With extensive experience deploying eCommerce solutions for clients in various countries, SECOMM understands the difficulties and challenges that businesses face during the implementation process.
Contact SECOMM today or call our hotline number (02871089908) directly for a free consultation.
WHAT IS COMMERCETOOLS? THE PROS AND CONS OF COMMERCETOOLS
Selecting the right platform to build an eCommerce website is always the first and foremost step in entering the billion-dollar market of online business.
According to Builtwith, there are more than 200 eCommerce platforms for building websites, with popular ones like Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, and Wix leading the pack. Among them, there is one platform that many enterprise-level businesses favor, and that is Commercetools.
Since September 2021, Commercetools has raised a total of $308.1 million through six rounds of funding. In 2022, the platform achieved a net revenue milestone of $39.1 million, demonstrating its growth potential in the eCommerce industry.
What is Commercetools?
Commercetools is a cloud-based eCommerce platform built on MACH architecture (Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless), allowing you to tailor your eCommerce experience to fit the exact needs of your business and customers.
Beyond this, Commercetools is the creator of Headless Commerce solution, which enables you to customize and intercharge the backend and frontend without affecting each other.
Due to years of investment in eCommerce technology, Commercetools has been recognized as a ‘Leading platform’ by reputable consulting firms such as Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester B2C Commerce Solutions Wave™, and IDC MarketScape: Headless Digital Commerce.
Some well-known brands that are using Commercetools include Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Qantas, and more
How does Commercetools work?
Microservices-based
Microservices-based is a software development architecture where applications are divided into smaller and independent components. In an eCommerce system, each microservice takes responsibility for a specific function and can undergo independent development, deployment, and management, separate from other microservices.
The Microservices-based architecture enhances flexibility and scalability, enabling developers and admins to easily maintain and update system components without affecting other parts.
This approach allows Commercetools to deploy frontend and backend components independently, resulting in faster, more reliable, and responsive performance compared to traditional approaches.
API-first
API-first is a software design approach that focuses on building Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) before developing an eCommerce system. Instead of developing the system first and then building corresponding APIs, API-first requires developers to define the necessary APIs upfront and then use these APIs to develop the entire eCommerce system.
This approach enhances system flexibility and scalability, reduces development time and ensures the compatibility and interaction between various functionalities.
Currently, Commercetools provides over 300 separate APIs that you can use to build your eCommerce website.
Cloud-native
Cloud-native is a development and deployment architecture designed to leverage the cloud features such as flexibility, availability, security, and automation.
This architecture typically involves using distributed applications, microservices, automation and integrating extensions to achieve high readiness and scalability.
Commercetools leverage a cloud-native approach hosted on Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS), both well-known brands are widely used in certified data centers across Europe, the US, and APAC (Asia-Pacific).
Headless
Headless Commerce is an architecture where the user interface (UI) and the backend are decoupled and operate independently. In headless architecture, the UI is designed solely to focus on displaying content and interacting with users, while the backend is responsible for handling business logic, data storage, and providing APIs to interact with other applications.
The architecture provides high flexibility and scalability, allowing developers and admins to focus on a specific part of the system without having to change the entire architecture. It also enhances the application diversity and compatibility, as different UI software can be used to display content for users.
As a pioneer in Headless Commerce technology, Commercetools offers an open and decoupled environment that enables unlimited customization across all eCommerce channels.
The pros of Commercetools
Flexibility
Commercetools has its ability to be flexible with the API architecture, making it compatible with any system and app. This allows you to easily integrate and expand your eCommerce system according to your specific needs.
Omnichannel
Commercetools supports Omnichannel including eCommerce websites, mobile apps, eCommerce marketplaces, social platforms, brick-and-mortar stores and more. This enables you to reach customers across multiple channels, boosting your conversion rates and revenue.
Scalability
Because Commercetools is built on MACH architecture, it has an ability to flexibly scale by adding or removing distinct functions as needed. This facilitates easy adaptation to the ever-changing market trends.
Personalized experience
Commercetools provides you with a personalization feature to improve your customer experience. This way, you can segment your customers based on their behaviors and preference, then offer them personalized promotions or product recommendations.
The cons of Commercetools
Lack of qualified developers
Commercetools is a highly customizable eCommerce platform, which requires a team of technical-skilled developers to deploy and maintain the eCommerce system.
Moreover, Commercetools is a relatively new platform compared to other popular ones like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and more, so there may be fewer experienced agencies and developers available for you to choose from.
High costs
The cost of using Commercetools is quite high and will depend on your business’s total revenue, along with the development cost and the cost of integrating third-party plugins or apps.
If your business has a maximum annual revenue of around 100,000,000 USD, you would have to pay approximately 120,000 USD as an annual licensing fee for using Commercetools.
Commercetools is a platform that extensively applies advanced technologies to help businesses build highly complex eCommerce websites. However, it is primarily suitable for enterprise-level businesses, with substantial budgets to implement their specialized systems.
Related article: Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform
With years of experience implementing eCommerce solutions for various businesses around the world such as Changi Airport Group (Singapore), Laybyland (Australia), Vinamilk (Vietnam), Jasnor (Australia), My Market (Hong Kong), and more. SECOMM understands the potential of Commercetools for improving business operations, as well as the impediment involved in the development process.
Contact or call directly our hotline (+842871089908) to the SECOMM hotline for a free consultation.
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