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What is OpenCart Pros and Cons of Using OpenCart
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).

What is OpenCart
What is OpenCart?

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

What is OpenCart - The Pros of Using OpenCart
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

What is OpenCart - The Cons of Using OpenCart
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!

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24/08/2023
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform
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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Chronext
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Chronext

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

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Promod
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Promod

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Ulta Beauty
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Ulta Beauty

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - 66°North
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: 66°North

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Danone
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Danone

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. 

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Tamron
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Tamron

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Emma The Sleep Company
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Emma The Sleep Company

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - John Lewis & Partners
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: John Lewis & Partners

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Kmart
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Kmart

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.

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.

Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform - Express
Top 10 eCommerce Websites Using Commercetools Platform: Express

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.

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.

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24/08/2023
What is Commercetools
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

What is Commercetools
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. 

What is Commercetools The Pros and Cons of Commercetools - Microservices-based
Microservices-based at Commercetools

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.

What is Commercetools The Pros and Cons of Commercetools - API-first
API-first at Commercetools

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. 

What is Commercetools The Pros and Cons of Commercetools - Cloud-native
Cloud-native at Commercetools

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.

What is Commercetools The Pros and Cons of Commercetools - Headless
Headless at Commercetools

The pros of Commercetools

The pros of Commercetools
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

The cons of Commercetools
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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24/08/2023
5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
5 ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS FOR THE FURNITURE WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

eCommerce is currently developing into a fresh and promising sales channel for furniture companies in addition to the traditional sales channel. Businesses must work hard to sustain and achieve breakthrough growth through eCommerce platforms, though.

As a result, numerous furniture companies started developing online furniture business websites and found surprising success, such Sieu Thi Noi That va Trang Tri Baya, Nha Xinh, Cozy, or Noi Phat Hoa Phat.

These websites’ success can be attributed to their early selection of an adequate and suitable eCommerce platform. Which platforms are appropriate for the furniture industry, then?

Main aspects of the eCommerce furniture industry

UI/UX standard furniture eCommerce website interface

5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
UI/UX standard furniture eCommerce website interfaces

​​The first criterion businesses set when developing an eCommerce website is a standard UI / UX interface, friendly to users who enjoy shopping for furniture online and other home goods to increase customer interaction.

Similar to eCommerce websites in other sectors like fashion, electronics, etc., websites in the furniture sector must feature stunning and high-quality photographs and videos.

This makes it simpler for companies to communicate product information to customers, especially with banner advertisements that have an easy-to-use interface and a pleasing style that will pique shoppers’ interests.

Businesses also need to consider other concerns including call-to-action button placement, cross-device compatibility, and layout designs that display a range of product designs from the navigation bar to page-by-page details.

Comprehensive functional system

5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
Comprehensive functional system

Furniture firms need a functional system from basic to advanced to fully meet consumers’ buying expectations and maximize the user experience. This system should include:

  • Catalog Management: Manage properties, pricing systems, inventory, photos, and videos to keep them running
  • Content Management: Content development for CMS pages, image hosting, theme customization, and website design
  • Customer Management: Control information, behavior, and consumption habits to build strategies for each specific customer group
  • Sales Management: Set up and operate sales, order, payment, and shipping processes
  • Marketing Management: Implement and optimize programs to attract potential customers with built-in support tools
  • System Management: Seamless supply chain response with shipping navigation and automation management tools
  • Store Management: Navigate and maintain your eCommerce business from online to offline
  • Cart & Checkout: Manage shopping carts and process the next payment steps for customers
  • Analytics and Reports: Monitor and measure eCommerce performance to give detailed reports to improve business efficiency

Businesses also need to develop some additional specialized features to address the furniture industry’s “own challenge,” such as:

  • Omnichannel to track customer footprints across all channels from eCommerce platforms, and social networks, to eCommerce websites and mobile apps to deliver a seamless shopping experience.
  • VR/AR or 360-degree view brings a visual experience and realistic visualization of the product, thereby enhancing the online furniture shopping experience.
  • Customers who request customized products can specify the colors, materials, and sizes they want and pay a deposit. The supplier will then continue to produce the furniture items in accordance with the requirements and deliver them to the customer once they are finished. The consumer will then pay the supplier the balance at that time.

Integration with a variety of third-party services

5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
Integration with a variety of 3rd-party services

Furniture businesses frequently integrate a range of payment options, shipping services, management software, and business analysis tools to optimize eCommerce business systems in order to provide customers with a comprehensive shopping experience.

Some popular payment methods businesses can integrate on the website to diversify payment methods to help customers have many choices such as card payment; eWallet; payment gateways.

Businesses might take into consideration software like ERP (SAP, Salesforce, Oracle), among others, when integrating back-office administration and operation software.

Finally, incorporating BI tools like Tableau, Looker, etc. will aid in the long-term analysis of business plans.

Scalability of the website

5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
Scalability of the website

Businesses that are just starting to use eCommerce won’t concentrate on the website’s scalability in the future because platforms that provide this feature are sometimes hard to find. But tactically, spending money on a platform that facilitates this function will provide organizations an advantage over rivals in the market.

These aid furniture companies in making necessary adjustments, creating new features, and expanding their online systems to support several stores, languages, and currencies in the future.

Top 5 eCommerce platforms for furniture website development

Haravan

Haravan was founded in 2014 and is a very popular and popular eCommerce deployment platform in the Vietnam market with a variety of solutions for businesses and individual sellers.

Pros:

  • Available and diverse themes for the furniture industry
  • Wide range of applications, from basic to advanced to start an eCommerce business
  • Reasonable eCommerce deployment cost, various packages from 200,000 VND/month to 3,000,000 VND/month, making it easy for customers to choose.
  • ​​Time to build an eCommerce website is fast, only about 30 minutes for businesses to own a website with all the necessary features to get started. However, for the website to work effectively, businesses need to spend more time researching and developing the system.

Cons:

  • The layout of existing templates causes duplicating, and it’s challenging to alter themes or create your own interface because doing so will have an adverse effect on the entire system.
  • The system of specific functions for the furniture sector is still limited.
  • Only integrated with services/utilities located in Haravan’s ecosystem.
  • Because it is a SaaS platform, it will be difficult for Haravan to expand the website in the future.

=> Rating: 2/4

Haravan is suitable for start-up furniture businesses or SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) with operations mainly in Vietnam.

Shopify

Shopify is a popular SaaS platform in the world that provides a variety of solutions for businesses of all sizes to successfully build eCommerce websites.

Pros:

  • Available and diverse themes for the furniture industry.
  • Wide range of applications, from basic to advanced to start an eCommerce business.
  • The initial cost is quite reasonable with a variety of options for businesses from $29/month to about $2,000/month.
  • The time to build an eCommerce website is quite fast from 1-7 days, or more depending on the complexity of the system.
  • Shopify has a large developer community to serve businesses.

Cons:

  • The layout of existing templates causes duplicating, and it’s challenging to alter themes or create your own interface because doing so will have an adverse effect on the entire system.
  • The system of specific functions for the furniture sector is still limited.
  • A wider range of 3rd party services than Haravan but still only integrated with services available in Shopify’s app store.
  • Deployment costs are both advantages and disadvantages of Shopify when the initial cost is quite reasonable, but in the long run, businesses have to pay the cost of using the platform, interface, application, etc., regularly every month. This makes it difficult to manage cash flow
  • Because it is a SaaS platform, it will be difficult for Shopify to expand its website in the future.

=> Rating: 2/4

Shopify is considered suitable for start-ups or SMEs with global operations.

ZielCommerce 

ZielCommerce is an eCommerce platform with ready-made solutions specialized for the furniture industry.

Pros:

  • Many themes are specific to the furniture industry, allowing businesses to customize according to their needs, helping to reflect the characteristics of the industry and position the brand image.
  • Detailed internal eCommerce website construction challenges can be solved with the help of a comprehensive system of functions that combines the fundamental, sophisticated, and niche aspects of both customer and business needs, such as the best order processing system.

Cons:

  • The ability to integrate with 3rd party services is still limited. This platform only supports add-ons available in its ecosystem, so businesses will not be able to link with the ERP, POS, CRM, BI, etc. Therefore, when using Ziel Commerce, businesses need to transfer all existing data to the platform’s servers.
  • Although highly appreciated for the ability to expand the website system, this is still the disadvantage of Ziel Commerce in the long run. Accordingly, this platform will not support businesses to expand or develop new features because businesses cannot own the source code, so when affected, it will destabilize the entire website system.
  • Ziel Commerce is not yet popular in the Vietnam market, so there is no Vietnamese version yet.
  • Deployment time will depend on the complexity of the system, the average time is from 3-6 months.
  • High implementation cost of about $50,000 per project.

=> Rating: 3/4

ZielCommerce will be the optimal choice for B2B, and B2C furniture businesses to deploy eCommerce websites or build mobile apps. However, this platform is not really popular in the Vietnamese market but is especially favored by foreign furniture retailers such as Frampo, Zeyka, etc.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows businesses to transform a regular WordPress website into a professional eCommerce website with full features and easy customization with just a few simple steps.

Pros:

  • There are many free and premium themes from the WordPress and WooCommerce communities for the furniture sector which are easy to customize or businesses can use self-designed themes. 
  • Functional system from basic to advanced for eCommerce business.
  • Easy integration with a variety of 3rd party services.
  • Because it is an open-source code platform, businesses can plan to expand their website in the future.
  • The cost of building an eCommerce website is not too high compared to other open-source platforms like Magento, with total annual costs ranging from $110 to $1,500+ for domains, hosting, themes, extensions, plugins, etc.
  • eCommerce website implementation time with WooCommerce takes about 1 to 3 months to complete.

Cons:

  • The functional system is still limited in terms of features specific to the furniture industry.
  • The scalability is not as high compared to other open-source platforms such as Open Cart, Magento because it depends on the WordPress system.

=> Rating: 3/4

WooCommerce will be suitable for furniture businesses who are familiar with the WordPress platform and want to develop an eCommerce system.

Magento

Magento is a popular open-source commerce platform in the field of eCommerce, with nearly 200,000 websites in use. Currently, Magento has 2 versions: Magento Open Source (free), and Magento Commerce (paid).

Pros:

  • Many furniture themes from the global developer community and Magento website developers so businesses can use existing themes which easy to customize or use self-designed themes.
  • Easy integration with a variety of 3rd party services.
  • High scalability: multi-language, currency, easy future feature development.

Cons:

  • There is no repository of themes from Magento to support businesses.
  • Implementation typically takes three to six months, but it might take up to a year due to a sophisticated functioning system.
  • Although the platform is free to use, the cost of implementing eCommerce with Magento is quite high, about $50,000-$100,000 depending on the complexity of the project.

=> Rating: 4/4

Magento is appropriate for a range of furniture business types, including B2B, B2C, and B2B2C, as well as for various business sizes, including start-ups, SMEs, and major companies. However, large organizations use Magento because it is frequently relatively expensive to deploy.

5 eCommerce platforms for the furniture website development
Furniture eCommerce platforms in comparison

Choosing the right platform is an extremely important first step when building an interior eCommerce website. Choosing the right eCommerce platform will help businesses save budget and time to build a website while increasing competitive advantage and sustainable growth. On the contrary, when choosing the wrong platform, it will cost businesses a lot of time and budget to deploy and switch platforms many times. Therefore, businesses need to consider the goals and problems in the current model to be able to choose the most suitable platform.

With many years of experience in successfully implementing eCommerce for many customers in many countries, SECOMM specializes in providing consulting services with comprehensive and professional eCommerce implementation solutions. 

Contact SECOMM today for free support and advice.

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21/11/2022
WEIGH UP SIGNIFICANT PROS AND CONS OF USING SHOPIFY IN 2022
WEIGH UP SIGNIFICANT PROS AND CONS OF USING SHOPIFY IN 2022

Today, for businesses of all sizes, eCommerce websites play an essential role in reaching and buying products for a wide pool of potential customers on the Internet.

Thus, choosing the right platform to build an eCommerce website is incredibly important. A good eCommerce platform will make it easy for businesses to provide Omnichannel experiences, personalize customer experiences, offer a variety of services, products, and more to increase conversions and drive online sales.

Some commonly mentioned platforms for building eCommerce websites are Magento, Woocommerce, Bigcommerce, etc. Definitely, each business will have its considerations, but one platform that always appears as a top choice is Shopify. In spite of the fact that the platform is highly rated, businesses should still weigh the pros and cons of this platform before making a final decision.

As a result, SECOMM has prepared this review, helping businesses understand what Shopify is, how it works, implementation costs, and especially the pros and cons of using this platform to build a comprehensive eCommerce website.

What is Shopify?

Before becoming one of the most popular eCommerce platforms globally, Shopify started as an online ski store called Snowdevil in 2004. Later, the company transformed into an eCommerce platform named Jaded Pixel.

In 2006, Shopify was officially founded in Ottawa by young programmers Tobias Lutke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake. Since then, Shopify has gradually affirmed its position as a reliable and fastest-growing eCommerce platform in the last two years when most companies faced many difficulties because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Up to now, the number of Shopify users has increased significantly. As reported by StoreLeads, there are currently about 2 million websites using the Shopify platform to build and develop online businesses. In the second quarter of 2022, the number of newly opened stores reached 150,928, an increase of 10.8% compared to the same period in 2021. In Vietnam alone, there are about 2,000 websites using the platform in operation, up 9.8% in the second quarter of 2022 over the same period in 2021.

Total revenue in the second quarter of 2022 reached $1.3 billion, up 16% over the same period in 2021, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate for three consecutive years of 53%. Gross profit in the second quarter of 2022 increased by 6% to $655.6 million compared to $620.9 million in the second quarter of 2021 (According to Shopify’s report).

While Shopify is one of the most popular and user-friendly eCommerce platforms available today, businesses still need to determine if this is what they need to expand their business, all the advantages and disadvantages of the platform, mostly the cost issue.

Pros of using Shopify for an eCommerce website

weigh-significant-pros-and-cons-of-using-shopify
Pros of using Shopify for an eCommerce website

Cost-effective Deployment

For a start, businesses can enjoy a 14-day free trial without a credit card requirement. When the free trial ends, businesses are encouraged to opt for one of the solution packages with suitable features and appealing promotions.

Packages

Price

Main Features

Unique Features 

Ideally suited for 

Starter
  • $5/month.
  • 5% transaction fee.
 Create product pages and get shareable links with product information, then send those links to customers via social platforms or message apps.  Merchants that sell on social platforms or message apps with no website in demand

Lite
  • $9/month.
  • 2.9% transaction fee for credit card.
  •  2.7% transaction fee for offline sales with Shopify Payment.
  • 2% for external payments.
 – Shopify Buy Button.

– Invoicing. 

 Merchants that sell on an existing website or social platforms. 

Basic
  • $29/month.
  • 2.9% transaction fee for credit card.
  •  2.7% transaction fee for offline sales with Shopify Payment.
  • 2% for external payments.
 – Customizable website editor.

– Website hosting and free TSL certificate.

– Unlimited number of products.

– Analytical reports

– Localization: currency conversion, website translation, regional domains. 

– Inventory Management.

– Shopify POS.

– Shopify Email.

-Shopify Payment.

– 24/7 Customer service. 

 – 2 staff accounts.

– 4 inventory locations.

– Basic reports.

 Businesses who have just entered or intend to enter the eCommerce world and look for comprehensive eCommerce solutions.

Shopify
  • $79/month.
  • 2.6% transaction fee for credit card.
  • 2.5% transaction for offline sales with Shopify Payment.
  • 1% for external payments.
 – 5 staff accounts.

– 5 inventory locations.

– Standard reports. 

 Steadily growing eCommerce businesses.

Advanced 
  • $299/month. 
  • 2.4% transaction fee for credit card. 
  • 2.4% transaction fee for offline sales with Shopify Payment. 
  • 0.5% for external payments. 
 -15 staff accounts.

-8 inventory locations.

– Advanced reports.

– Automation tools. 

 Large-scale businesses that sell internationally

Plus 

 Từ $2000/month. However, businesses can contact Shopify for a custom estimate.  – 9 expansion websites.

– Up to 100 themes. 

– Exclusive Shopify Programs: Merchant Success Program, Shopify Plus Academy, Shopify Plus Partner Program, Shopify Plus Community on Facebook 

 Enterprise-level businesses that manage and operate multiple eCommerce websites.

Table list of price, and features of Shopify solution packages.

First and foremost, because Shopify is a SaaS platform, the cost to get started is usually quite low. Despite the fact that businesses must pay monthly fees, transaction fees, theme fees, and extension fees, Shopify is still significantly less expensive than open-source platforms such as Magento, WooCommerce, and others.

The development of an open-source platform necessitates the assistance of experienced programmers and takes a long time to deploy, whereas the SaaS platform is the inverse. That is the reason why starting with a SaaS platform, specifically, Shopify, will save businesses both time and expense.

Another cost highlight is that SaaS platforms, in general, and Shopify in particular, require an ongoing monthly fee rather than a one-time purchase fee to use the platform. This reduces the risk of businesses investing too much money in the Shopify platform but not meeting their expectations during the implementation process.

Furthermore, the Shopify platform is appropriate for different-sized businesses in the market. The Starter, Lite, and Basic packages are appropriate for SME businesses engaged in eCommerce. Shopify, Advanced, and Plus packages are ideal for large-scale businesses that require advanced features to run an effective eCommerce website.

Ease of Use

The only way to adapt to the ever-changing market and quickly reach a wide pool of potential customers is for businesses to deploy eCommerce websites as soon as possible to avoid being left behind in the competition of the digital transformation race. One of the important factors when building an eCommerce website is choosing the right platform.

In particular, the top goal to consider when choosing an eCommerce platform is the ease of use. If a platform takes users too long to learn and implement or makes users dependent on external support, then the platform is not easy to use

Shopify has an easy-to-use interface for users with little programming knowledge. Moreover, Shopify is a SaaS eCommerce platform with a pre-designed system that offers hosting, interface, features, and technology infrastructure maintenance, allowing businesses to easily build and operate the website system with just drag and drop without worrying about technical issues.

Simple steps to get started with the eCommerce website implementation with Shopify:

  1. Choose from one of the solution packages depending on the business needs
  2. Choose a business domain
  3. Choose an appropriate theme and template
  4. Choose essential features
  5. Optimize the eCommerce website and add products
  6. Go-live

24/7 Available Customer Support

This is one of the most crucial factors influencing users’ decision to use Shopify. Difficulties and obstacles are inevitable when building an eCommerce website, so Shopify has assembled a reliable and trusted team to assist users.

As a result, if your business requires assistance, assistance is available 24/7. Businesses can reach Shopify via email, chat, and a hotline worldwide. What’s more, users can access community forums and useful documents for developing eCommerce websites on this platform, mostly through the Shopify Support Center.

Security and Data Backup

The Shopify platform runs on PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) compliant servers, allowing merchants to accept credit card payments. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption is enabled on all Shopify websites to secure visitor data, while a backup system allows businesses to store and save data regularly by exporting data to a CSV file.

As an outcome, the platform encourages the addition of an advanced backup solution from the Shopify Store, such as the Rewind app, as it is seen as a lifesaver if users accidentally delete content such as products or images or a video demonstration. To keep your eCommerce website secure, simply back up your data on a regular basis and use a strong enough admin password.

Variety of Themes

The interface is the appearance of a business’s eCommerce website. The more appealing the website interface, the more likely it is to retain customers, attract more visitors, as well as generate more conversions.

Shopify understands the importance of a website interface, so it has made a host of available themes, both free and paid, suitable for a wide range of businesses and fields, making it simple for businesses to choose from.

The free Shopify themes are ideal for startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and individuals. Businesses can customize their eCommerce website according to their needs and brand features by using features such as responsive web design, product filters, and product color display templates.

However, free themes have some downsides, including a limited number of themes, limited design, and a lack of advanced and specific features, which makes website customization difficult.

In fact, free themes are great for launching an eCommerce website. Premium interfaces, also known as paid themes, will be more suitable for large-scale businesses or businesses on the rise, with an average cost of around $140-$180/theme.

Shopify’s paid themes include advanced integration features such as live chat support, newsletter popups, upsell features, faster page loading, and much more. Thereby, businesses can run an eCommerce website automatedly and smoothly.

The Cons of using Shopify for an eCommerce website

weigh-significant-pros-and-cons-of-using-shopify
Cons of using Shopify for an eCommerce website

Not Easy to Keep Track of Expenses Incurred

The cost of using Shopify, besides the notable pluses, the platform has a small but enough minus to make some businesses hesitate to start.

In addition to the monthly fee for using the enterprise platform, businesses must pay for other costs such as themes, applications, extensions, marketing features, sales, and SEO on a monthly basis with no long-term possession.

For example, to use the Free Shipping & Hello Bar application that offers free gifts, free shipping, or other types of promotions, users will buy for $8.95/month, which means ongoing monthly in regards to other expenses, businesses will pay an additional $8.95 for this app until it is no longer used. 

When there are small expenses incurred each month, it is difficult to control cash flow for large-scale businesses that have to manage and operate many websites at the same time.

Meanwhile, open-source platforms require a one-time purchase fee rather than an ongoing monthly fee. Although the features are not yet available and take a long time to program, businesses can possess those features for eCommerce websites in the long run. Thereby, it makes cash flow management more convenient and effective.

Difficulty with Content Marketing

It is a great way to promote your eCommerce website. Users can use Shopify to blog and optimize SEO, drive free traffic, and improve brand positioning.

However, this blogging feature on Shopify is not as user-friendly as WordPress. Some of the criteria Shopify can improve regarding blogging and content writing include:

  • The outdated editor.
  • The blog layouts are inflexible
  • No categories force users to use tags
  • Cannot add related blogs
  • Cannot embed products in blogs
  • Not easy to integrate third-party add-ons

This will be a barrier for businesses when using Shopify to promote eCommerce websites by optimizing SEO if the content is a core element of the business’s marketing strategy.

Limited Customization

Another limitation of Shopify is that the platform’s interface is customized using the Shopify Liquid setup. Meanwhile, many website developers are already familiar with the PHP programming language to customize the themes and templates of the website, it is a common technique used by WordPress.

Therefore, users who do not have much experience in programming will face many obstacles when using Shopify’s tools to customize the interface of the eCommerce website.

However, businesses of all sizes can still use other useful Shopify features like Shopify Themes, Shopify App Store, Shopify Blog, 24/7 support team, and more to set up an eCommerce website quickly and effortlessly.

Cannot Possess Source Code and Data 

Because the entire business’s website system is hosted on Shopify’s server, the ownership and control of the website source code will belong to Shopify, not the business. Similar to other SaaS platforms such as BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix… Shopify has a Lock-in feature, which means that when converting a website from one platform to another, businesses will no longer be able to use the old website source code and have to rebuild from scratch on a new platform.

Similar to the source code, business data is also stored on Shopify’s servers, so data ownership and control are quite limited. This makes it difficult for businesses to connect data among internal departments or users’ personalization, etc. Especially when switching platforms, data loss or misalignment is often unavoidable.

Shopify will not assist in the event that businesses stop using the platform for any reason. The only asset businesses can keep and take away is a CSV report containing website information.

Hence, before starting an eCommerce website on the Shopify platform, businesses need to carefully consider the benefits and disadvantages of stopping using it to conclude whether Shopify is the best fit for business in the long run. 

Going by this article,  Shopify is one of the eCommerce platforms that many businesses would love to choose when deploying an eCommerce website. However, besides the outstanding advantages, there are still certain downsides, so businesses need to carefully consider and compare with other platforms before starting out. 

With many years of experience in implementing eCommerce in many countries, SECOMM provides free consulting services with professional eCommerce solutions.

Contact us today for free support and advice!

 

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27/09/2022
what are major differences between magento 1 and magento 2
THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAGENTO 1 AND MAGENTO 2

Magento is a specialized open-source platform for creating the most popular eCommerce websites today.

Currently, it supports two versions: Magento 1 and Magento 2. Some websites use Magento 1 platform, such as CellphoneS, and Bach Long Mobile (Magento Open Source 1.9). Websites using Magento 2 such as Di Dong Viet, and Kidsplaza (Magento Open Source 2.3).

So what is the difference between the two versions, and why have businesses not upgraded their websites to Magento 2?

What is the difference between Magento 1 and Magento 2?

Technology infrastructure

Magento 2 uses newer technologies than Magento 1, resulting in more diverse performance, user experience, and functionality.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Comparison table of technology infrastructure between Magento 1 and Magento 2

Extensions

Magento 1 and Magento 2 support a wide range of third-party extensions. However, many utilities on Magento 1 will frequently repeat a piece of code, causing conflicts for the website’s functional system, and requiring a significant amount of time to manually fix it. Meanwhile, Magento 2 has supported a plugin that allows code to overlap, assisting in the issue’s faster and more effective resolution.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Magento 2 improves the error of repeating the code of Magento 1 when integrating many utilities.

At the same time, Magento 2 support utilities frequently use new technologies (HTML5, CSS3, Requirejs) at lower prices. Compared to Magento 1, this makes it easier for developers to customize, upgrade, and build new functionality for the website.

Dashboard 

Magento 1 is frequently criticized for having a messy admin interface that takes a long time to adapt. In contrast, Magento 2 is more user-friendly for admin accounts because:

  • The dashboard makes it easier to read revenue, profit, tax, and reports effectively
  • Allows quick information searches
  • Allows for easy product creation and management
  • Easy access to backend components
The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Magento 2’s interface is more user-friendly and simple to use than Magento 1

SEO

Magento has long been known for its SEO capabilities, but developers can improve SEO even better with Magento 2:

  • Canonical tag support: Fix repetitive content to help increase the SEO content score for the website.
  • Enable Meta tags (Meta Title, Meta Description, and Meta Keywords) for individual pages, which will aid SEO for each detailed product page.
  • Magento 2’s new technologies are responsive and provide a better user experience across devices.
The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
The developer has updated the SEO function on Magento 2

High Security

Since June 2020, Magento has stopped updating and releasing security patches and fixes for Magento 1. Therefore, Magento 1 websites easily become a target for cyber attacks.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Magento no longer updates or releases security patches for Magento 1

Meanwhile, the publisher continuously updates Magento 2 to increase the system’s security. For example

  • Improved password encryption (SHA-256) makes the system more difficult to compromise.
  • Argon2UD13 support through PHP sodium extension (version 1.0.13) helps protect the system’s database
  • 2-factor authentication for the administrator account to limit impersonation to steal website data.

Why do businesses hesitate to upgrade their website to Magento 2?

Magento 1 still meets current needs

Magento 1 continues to meet enterprise eCommerce systems’ interface, functional systems, and management system requirements. As a result, businesses continue to use Magento 1 rather than upgrading to Magento 2. At the same time, the Magento technical community continues to support the utilities for Magento 1 enthusiastically.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Magento 1 still meets the current needs of businesses

Magento 2 appears to be quite new to businesses.

Although Magento 2 provides many improved utilities, its technologies are still relatively new for many companies, particularly those in countries that have lagged behind eCommerce market growth.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Magento 2 includes numerous utilities that are still unfamiliar to many companies

 It takes time and money to upgrade.

Upgrading from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is difficult because the technology infrastructure is entirely different between the two versions. As a result, website developers will require a significant amount of time to migrate all functions and data from Magento 1 to 2, ranging from 1 to 3 months on average.

In addition, businesses require a technical team with expertise in new technologies to manage the system and efficiently upgrade the website. As a result, the upgrade costs more, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on the system’s complexity.

The significant differences between magento 1 and magento 2
Upgrading Magento 2 will cost time and money

Although Magento 2 outperforms Magento 1 in every way, many businesses are hesitant to upgrade their websites to Magento 2 due to various issues. However, upgrading the website to Magento 2 is unavoidable in the long run due to the growing gap between the two versions.

Our company – SECOMM, has been partnering with many big enterprises such as An Nam Group (Vietnam), Jasnor (Australia), and Changi Airport Group (Singapore). As a result, we are aware of the challenges and worries firms face while developing an eCommerce website system as well as upgrading their websites from Magento 1 to Magento 2.

Get in touch with us now for FREE eCommerce development consultancy and solutions

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10/08/2022
magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
MAGENTO OPEN SOURCE VS MAGENTO COMMERCE REAL COMPARISON

With over 200,000 websites worldwide, Magento is today’s most widely used eCommerce platform. Magento is always the best choice for businesses to use because of the benefits of open source code and specialized features for the eCommerce market.

Businesses must carefully study the strategy and consider the needs of the website system when deciding between Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce to implement eCommerce on the Magento platform.

Magento Open Source là gì?

Magento Open Source was initially known as Magento Community Edition (CE), a free version of the Magento open source platform. This version provides a flexible framework for building eCommerce websites, which is popular among many businesses.

.

magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
Some websites using Magento Open Source in Vietnam: Canifa, Kids Plaza, Bach Long Mobile

What is Magento Commerce?

Magento Commerce, formerly known as Magento Enterprise Edition (EE), is a website system used by large businesses with complex website system requirements. 

This instance provides an on-premises solution as well as a hosted solution as a service (Magento Commerce Cloud), which aids in website performance and user experience. As a result, the annual fee for using this version is $24.000.

magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
Websites using Magento Commerce in Vietnam: CGV, Bibo Mart, Rohto

Comparison between Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce

Hosting

The platform will charge an additional $2.000/year for the included hosting service when using Magento Commerce to ensure that the business’s website system is constantly updated and upgraded, allowing it to handle high traffic and bills of lading more quickly.

Meanwhile, Magento Open Source is free to select a hosting provider that meets the business’s requirements and budget.

magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
The hosting cost for the Magento Commerce platform is $2.000/yr

Feature

The following table compares the features that distinguish the two versions of Magento:

magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce feature comparison table

Magento Open Source has fewer features than Magento Commerce because it is a free version. Businesses, on the other hand, businesses can build the necessary functions themselves using extensions from the Magento ecosystem, the community of extension developers, or the project developers with whom Magento collaborates.

Cost

Magento Open Source will require a lower investment than Magento Commerce, from hosting and domains to website development. Nevertheless, the technology infrastructure is the same, so the costs of interfaces and extensions are calculated similarly.

magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
The table compares the deployment costs of Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce.

Technical assistance

While Magento Commerce provides global technical support, including cloud service integration, Magento Open Source is not directly supported by the Magento technical team. However, the current Magento Open Source website developers continue to ensure expertise so that the business website is constantly updated and effectively operated.

Should businesses choose the Magento Open Source or Magento Commerce version?

Magento Open Source will be ideal for startups, SMEs (small and medium enterprises), businesses new to eCommerce, and even large corporations that do not yet require Magento Commerce’s advanced functionality system. Because using Magento Open Source is advantageous:

  • Spending less money: Eliminate license costs, opt for more affordable hosting, and avoid paying for unnecessary specialized functions.
  • Choosing to develop essential business features: Creating specialized functions to address industry and product-specific issues.
  • Appropriate for all stages of business growth: Businesses can create basic features and then gradually improve them.

Meanwhile, Magento Commerce will be appropriate for large businesses because:

  • Complex functional systems are available: such as Advanced Marketing, Bill of Lading, and Delivery Process Management, to meet global sales needs.
  • Dedicated Hosting Service for Websites: Using the same service from Magento developers will ensure that the website works more efficiently.
magento open source vs magento commerce comparison
Magento Open Source vs Magento Commerce comparison

Choosing the best Magento version will be determined by each company’s long-term eCommerce strategy. However, it is also critical to implement those versions. They must collaborate with professional Magento developers to consult on and implement the best eCommerce solution.

With in-depth experience and developing many complex eCommerce systems on Magento, SECOMM understands the obstacles in choosing a platform and implementing Ecommerce businesses face.

Get in touch with us now for FREE eCommerce development consultancy and solutions 

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09/08/2022
the superior pros and cons of magento
WHAT IS MAGENTO? THE SUPERIOR PROS AND CONS OF MAGENTO

Along with the eCommerce market growth comes an increase in business demand for a separate eCommerce website system to maximize online business.

The platform’s role in developing and operating an effective eCommerce website system is enormous because choosing the right platform will help businesses save time in building a team, saving system development costs, reaching potential customers, boosting sales, and seizing long-term sustainable development opportunities.

Among today’s popular platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and others, Magento is widely regarded as the best platform for developing eCommerce websites, with over 186,000 websites in use worldwide.

What is Magento?

Magento is an open-source platform designed specifically for the eCommerce industry. In addition, Magento is the most challenging source code platform in the PHP programming language. As a result, Magento can handle a company’s specialized needs in a constantly changing and evolving market like eCommerce.

Many major brands and corporations, including HP, Asus, Puma, and Walmart, have used Magento platforms. In addition, some famous brands in Vietnam use Magento websites, including CellphoneS, Vua Nem, Kids Plaza, Mobile Viet, and so on.

the superior pros and cons of magento
What is Magento? The superior pros and cons of Magento

Classification

Magento currently offers two versions: Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce.

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source was initially called Magento Community Edition, a free version of Magento. This version provides a “framework” to build eCommerce websites flexibly, so it is very popular with many businesses.

Some websites use Magento Open Source in Vietnam, such as Canifa, Kids Plaza, Bach Long Mobile, etc.

the outstanding pros and cons of magento
Some websites using the Magento Open Source platform: Canifa; Kids Plaza; Bach Long Mobile

Magento Commerce

Magento Commerce was previously known as Magento Enterprise Edition. This version is appropriate for significant businesses that require a website system with complex functions.

In addition, this edition provides an on-premises or a hosted solution as a service (Magento Commerce Cloud), which aids in website performance. The minimum fee for using this version is $24,000 per year.

The brands using Magento Commerce in Vietnam are CGV, Bibo Mart, Rohto, etc.

the outstanding pros and cons of magento
CGV; BiBo Mart; Rohto are now using the Magento Commerce platform

The Pros

the outstanding pros and cons of magento
The pros of the Magento platform

Functional systems from basic to advanced

Magento includes all of the features required for a complete eCommerce website, including category management, content management, sales management, marketing management, and customer management, as well as analysis and reporting. 

In addition, Magento owns many extensions with advanced features such as Headless Commerce, PWA (Progressive Web Apps), MSI (Multi-Source Inventory), ElasticSearch, etc to meet all eCommerce needs for businesses.

Furthermore, Magento has a global technical support community comprised of many experienced experts and professional development units to assist with meeting all business requirements.

Flexible customization capabilities

Magento possesses all the advantages of an open-source platform with flexible customization capabilities. Owning and controlling the entire source code, in particular, allows businesses to customize parts of the code in the system, easily update, or even develop new functions based on each business specificity.

High scalability

In addition to customizing, Magento also has very useful website scalability. Magento allows businesses to scale from one website to many websites, one store to many stores, but the management is still on the same system. Besides, Magento supports multi-language and currency conversion, helping businesses expand globally.

Superior security capabilities

Magento’s high security is also an outstanding advantage, with the ability to control the system regularly, propose security solutions, improve security for administrators, and prevent bots or unauthorized malware, among other things. As a result, this platform assists businesses in reducing potential risks associated with the data and transaction processes.

The Cons

the outstanding pros and cons of magento
The cons of the Magento platform

High development cost

The cost of owning a Magento website is high due to its many outstanding benefits, such as the functional system, customizability, scalability, and good security. However, depending on the system’s complexity, a website built on the Magento platform costs between $10.000 and $100.000.

Take time to implement

A comprehensive Magento project requires implementation time ranging from 3 months to 1 year. A complete Magento project requires implementation time ranging from 3 months to 1 year. As a result, it slows down businesses’ digital transformation processes and makes it difficult for them to keep up with competitors’ development rates and market trends.

A team of qualified technicians is required

Businesses require a technical team with high expertise and experience with the Magento platform to build and operate an intensive eCommerce website system customized to the unique characteristics of each product and category.

As a whole, Magento is an eCommerce platform that is appropriate for all types of businesses, including startups, SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and large corporations. However, budget, time, and professional team issues have caused many SMEs businesses to be hesitant to use Magento to develop eCommerce websites. That is why Magento frequently be used in large corporations to build complex eCommerce systems.

Our company – SECOMM, has been partnering with many big enterprises such as An Nam Group (Vietnam), Jasnor (Australia), and Changi Airport Group (Singapore). As a result, we are aware of the challenges and worries firms face while developing an eCommerce website system. 

Contact SECOMM now for a free consultation on detailed eCommerce system development solutions!

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08/08/2022
nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS - Top 3 SaaS eCommerce platforms: Haravan, Shopify and BigCommerce
TOP 3 SAAS ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS: HARAVAN, SHOPIFY, AND BIG COMMERCE
A SaaS (Software as a Service) eCommerce platform is a software-based delivery mechanism for e-commerce business purposes. In short, the supplier develops software to aid in developing an eCommerce system, and the firm must pay a fee to use this service.

Many firms have selected SaaS eCommerce platforms to create e-commerce enterprises for brands because of their essential qualities, which can rapidly install eCommerce at a low cost.

Haravan 

In Vietnam, Haravan is the most popular eCommerce platform that allows multi-channel sales. This platform was officially launched in 2014, aims to assist companies in developing professional e-commerce websites at an affordable cost.

Haravan - Top 3 SaaS eCommerce platforms: Haravan, Shopify and BigCommerce
Haravan is a popular multi-channel e-commerce platform in Vietnam

Themes

Haravan provides many UI/UX themes so that firms may select a design that suits the brand’s image. At the same time, many organizations regard the admin interface to be easy to use. However, companies must pay additional fees to raise the number of admin accounts.

Features 

Haravan has an extensive feature store that supports multi-channel sales for enterprises, including POS (Point of Sales), social commerce (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.), eCommerce marketplace (Tiki, Shopee, Lazada, Sendo), and company websites.
Furthermore, Haravan incorporates various utilities to enhance the user’s experience, such as cart management, payment services (Momo, Moca, VnPay, Visa, etc), and transportation (Giao Hang Nhanh, Giao Hang Tiet Kiem, Ninja Van, DHL, etc).

Haravan’s essential features, on the other hand, are just enough for businesses to run their web operations successfully but not ideal sufficient for long-term development. In addition, because Haravan is a SaaS platform, organizations find it difficult to customize or expand functionality outside of its ecosystem.

Deployment time

Haravan’s drag-and-drop manipulation allows companies to create an eCommerce website with all the critical functionality for business online in around 30 minutes.

Deployment costs

Businesses must pay a monthly charge ranging from 200,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND based on their demands:

  • Standard (200,000 VND/month): Appropriate for independent sellers
  • Pro (600,000 VND/month): For organizations who wish to implement Omnichannel
  • Grow (1,500,000 VND/month): For firms need automating processes to take care of and resell current customers
  • Scale (3,000,000 VND/month): Help establish loyal customers

Haravan is now gaining popularity in the Vietnamese eCommerce business, particularly in the B2C model or low-involvement product business, due to its ability to deploy with affordable charges swiftly. Vinamilk, Juno, and L’Oréal are some companies that use Haravan.

Shopify

Shopify is a software-as-a-service platform for online retailers and point-of-sale systems. Shopify is popular among the eCommerce community due to its simplicity, quick development timelines, and low setup expenses.

Shopify - Top 3 SaaS eCommerce platforms: Haravan, Shopify and BigCommerce
Shopify is a software-as-a-service platform for online retailers and point-of-sale systems.

Themes

Shopify provides many attractive themes that are device-agnostic and ideal for a broad array of industries. Shopify’s admin dashboard is simple to use, and it offers a Vietnamese version for Vietnamese firms. Like Haravan, firms must upgrade their service packs to expand the number of admin accounts.

Features 

Shopify provides more tools and add-ons than Haravan, ranging from order administration to product research and company planning and marketing for SMEs.
However, as Shopify cannot be modified or expandable like an open source eCommerce platform, businesses will have to pay extra fees for some particular functionalities.

Deployment time

Depending on the system’s complexity, each business will need some time to get used to Shopify. Still, in general, it will not take long for companies to establish a website, taking between 1 and 2 days on average.

Deployment costs

Shopify has created a variety of packs for companies to choose from:

  • Basic Shopify ($29/month): Suitable for new businesses with small sales.
  • Shopify ($79/month): Appropriate for growing online enterprises
  • Advanced Shopify ($299/month): Ideal for firms that need to expand and want advanced reporting capabilities.

Shopify also creates different service bundles to meet a range of organizations:

  • Shopify Lite ($9/month): Ideal for businesses to integrate sales buttons and payment services into an existing website or blog.
  • Shopify Plus ($2000/month): Offer a sophisticated eCommerce solution for large enterprises that need to process high-volume orders.

Shopify is constantly developing and enhancing its offerings to meet a wide range of customer requests rapidly and effectively, making it perfect for B2C enterprises. However, the monthly cost is a significant impediment because firms must pay significantly more to use extra functions. Sony Vietnam, Vsmart, and DHC Vietnam are some Vietnamese companies that use Shopify.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS platform that launched in 2009 and has made a significant impact on the eCommerce developer community. Despite being founded later than other platforms, BigCommerce does not fall behind in terms of a functional system, theme store, and so all.

BigCommerce - Top 3 SaaS eCommerce platforms: Haravan, Shopify and BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a well-known SaaS platform in the field of e-commerce web developers.

Themes

BigCommerce provides a wide range of visually appealing themes and adapts to customer behavior, including 12 free versions and over 160 professional ones.  BigCommerce’s admin dashboard is easy to use, and it supports businesses in rapidly setting up eCommerce websites. However, since BigCommerce does not offer a Vietnamese version, firms must hire and train English-qualified employees to manage the site.

Features 

BigCommerce’ packages are jam-packed with features and add-ons to help businesses achieve solid internet business. However, BigCommerce’s capacity to customize and expand functionalities remains limited, restricting firms from adapting to their needs to deal with industry-specific difficulties.

Deployment time

Thanks to its drag-and-drop page builder feature, the time it takes to establish a website on BigCommerce is shortish. BigCommerce construction process takes about 1-2 days on average.

Deployment costs

BigCommerce now supports three package options and one on-demand solution:

  • Standard: $29.95/month for businesses with more than $50,000 in revenue
  • Plus: $79.95/month for enterprises with more than $180,000 in revenue
  • Pro: $299.95/month for companies with more than $400.000 in revenue
  • Enterprise: For firms with high sales volumes, costs will be calculated depending on the brand’s online sales

Moreover, BigCommerce will charge you additional fees based on your online sales.

Overall, BigCommerce is not inferior to Haravan or Shopify in every way; nevertheless, the central issue right now is that this platform does not support Vietnamese enterprises.

Which SaaS eCommerce platform is best for your company?

Inheriting the advantages of a SaaS eCommerce platform, all three platforms are easy to use, with various themes and functions for quick construction at a reasonable cost.

nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS - Top 3 SaaS eCommerce platforms: Haravan, Shopify and BigCommerce
Haravan, Shopify, and BigCommerce all inherit the advantages of the SaaS eCommerce platform.

Businesses that solely conduct business in Vietnam may choose to use Haravan to take advantage of cost-competitive benefits and functionalities tailored to suit Vietnamese shopping habits. Shopify and BigCommerce are options to explore if you want to develop your business worldwide. Simultaneously, Shopify is ranked higher for providing great 24/7 live chat support, which will aid companies in addressing difficulties as quickly as possible. As a consequence, Shopify will be ideal for large-scale and high-volume enterprises. BigCommerce, on the other hand, compresses functionality into more affordable solutions and is not restricted to the number of administrators like Shopify, making it suitable for small or medium-sized businesses.

However, using SaaS eCommerce platforms like Haravan, Shopify, and BigCommerce in the long term would result in the following deficiencies:

  • Duplicate design ideas: Using the given interface will easily be similar to other websites, making it hard to show the brand’s distinctive qualities.
  • Difficult to customize functionality: Because these platforms are not as flexible as Open Source eCommerce platforms, firms may only select from existing options and customize to the extent permitted. In the future, it will be essential to change to build advanced and specialized functions based on the features of products and industries to meet the demands of customers and the expansion of companies through time. Switching to an Open Source eCommerce platform such as Magento, OpenCart, WooCommerce, etc will take a significant amount of time and money.
  • A lot of fees: Because of the monthly charge, the longer you use it, the more expensive it is to use the website. Furthermore, Shopify and BigCommerce impose extra fees based on online revenue.
  • Do not own the source code: If the contract with these platforms is canceled, the company will no longer utilize the source code of the website and will have to rebuild it from scratch on the new platform. Switching platforms is not only time-consuming and expensive, but it may also result in data loss or misalignment.

SECOMM has significant experience developing complicated eCommerce websites in different countries, and we know the challenges that businesses face when selecting and implementing an e-commerce platform.
Contact SECOMM for a free consultation on eCommerce website development!

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06/12/2021
SaaS Platform vs Open Source eCommerce Platform
SAAS ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS VS OPEN SOURCE ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS
The technological infrastructure is regarded as the core value for the whole eCommerce system, and selecting an appropriate platform will assist firms in growing sustainably and developing extensively in the market.
Businesses must first grasp the benefits and drawbacks of each type of platform before making a decision. Ecommerce platforms are classified into two groups based on their implementation characteristics: SaaS (Software as a Service) Platforms and Open Source Platforms.

SaaS eCommerce Platform

A SaaS eCommerce Platform is a service delivery paradigm for developing a software-based website system. Data is kept on the provider’s server system under this approach, and that platform is in charge of dealing with technical concerns for the business.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 1 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
Many Vietnamese firms use SaaS platforms like Haravan, Shopify, and BigCommerce

Advantages of SaaS eCommerce Platform

Available eCommerce system

The provider pre-designs the SaaS platform for the full system, from hosting, interface, and features to technological infrastructure maintenance. As a result, organizations can quickly create and manage a website system without worrying about technological concerns.

Furthermore, the platform developer offers firms 24/7 assistance through live chat, desk help, or a hotline while the platform is in operation.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 4 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
The Haravan platform’s website management interface
So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 5 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
The Shopify platform’s website management interface
So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 6 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
The BigCommerce platform’s website management interface

Various interfaces and functionalities

The SaaS eCommerce Platform includes a multitude of functionality and appealing UX/UI interfaces, making it suitable for a variety of businesses.

Furthermore, these platforms include a wide range of essential eCommerce functions, including product administration, order management, customer management, marketing, business analysis, and reporting to let firms quickly develop an e-commerce website. Moreover, extensions such as Omni-channel, Affiliate Marketing, E-Payment, E-Logistic, and so on are constantly added to these platforms to strengthen the e-commerce system.

Quick implementation

The time it takes to establish a website on a SaaS eCommerce Platform is quite fast, ranging from 1 to 7 days on average, depending on the website’s setup.

Affordable investment budget

The initial building cost is pretty cheap because firms would pay monthly or yearly use fees (subscription-based) to establish a website using SaaS eCommerce Platforms, such as:

  • Haravan: 
    • Standard (200,000 VND/month): Appropriate for independent sellers
    • Pro (600,000 VND/month): For organizations who wish to implement Omnichannel
    • Grow (1,500,000 VND/month): For firms need automating processes to take care of and resell current customers
    • Scale (3,000,000 VND/month): Help establish loyal customers
  • Shopify:
    • Basic Shopify ($29/month): Suitable for new businesses with small sales.
    • Shopify ($79/month): Appropriate for growing online enterprises
    • Advanced Shopify ($299/month): Ideal for firms that need to expand and want advanced reporting capabilities.
  • BigCommerce:
    • Standard: $29.95/month for businesses with more than $50,000 in revenue
    • Plus: $79.95/month for enterprises with more than $180,000 in revenue
    • Pro: $299.95/month for companies with more than $400.000 in revenue
    • Enterprise: For firms with high sales volumes, costs will be calculated depending on the brand’s online sales

Aside from the monthly/yearly licensing charge, businesses must pay extra expenditures such as interface fees, new features, expanding the number of backend users, and POS (Point of Sale) to grow the eCommerce system.

Disadvantages of SaaS eCommerce Platform

Having no control over the source code and data

Because the enterprise’s whole website system is housed on the provider’s server, ownership and control of the website source code will belong to that platform, not the firm.  Businesses who transfer platforms can no longer utilize the previous site source code and must rebuild from scratch on the new platform. Moreover, data loss or misalignment is usually unavoidable.

The enterprise’s data, like the source code, is likewise kept on the provider’s server, thus ownership and control over the data remains constrained. There are many difficulties for not owning and controlling data, such as linking data between departments, customizing users, and so on.

Poor scalability and flexibility

Because the website system depends on the SaaS platform, customization and expansion are currently limited. When it comes to upgrading existing features, developing new functions for the company’s development, in line with the particular requirements of the product and industry, and optimizing the user experience, SaaS platforms are frequently unable to adapt. As a result, switching platforms after a period of usage is unavoidable, and of course, this change will take significant time and money for the company.

Usage costs increase over time

Because you must pay monthly or yearly license fees, the longer you use the higher the overall cost of use. Furthermore, the SaaS eCommerce Platform charges on the revenue online sales.

For example, various Shopify apps, such as DCart (Create Discount Codes on Cart), OctaneAI (Similar Product Suggestions), Ali Reviews (Product Reviews), and others, would charge a monthly fee, average $10 /month/features. The more applications that are installed, the more the monthly or yearly expenses will be.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 3 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
Businesses need to pay about $10/month/additional functionality on Shopify

Businesses can use the SaaS platform if they wish to enter the e-commerce industry rapidly, have minimal need for customization, and do not need to enhance the system. As a result, SaaS systems are frequently selected by startups, SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and businesses just getting started in the e-commerce industry.

Open Source eCommerce Platform

Open Source is software whose source code is publicly available and freely used by anyone.

Because the data and source code will be housed on a separate server system, Open Source eCommerce Platforms have the opposite aspects of SaaS platforms. Businesses that use open source platforms must collaborate with professional website developers or build a highly specialized in-house team for the website system to achieve maximum efficiency.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 2 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
The most popular Open Source E-Commerce Platforms are Magento, WooCommerce (WordPress plugin), OpenCart, and PrestaShop

Advantages of Open Source eCommerce Platform

Control the data and own the source code.

Businesses have complete ownership and control over the source code and data on the system due to the characteristic of being housed on a separate server system. As a consequence, while deploying an eCommerce website, companies only need to pay development expenses in order to utilize the source code, rather than monthly/yearly license fees just like SaaS platforms. At this point, you could reuse the previous source code if you change developers or platforms. Furthermore, security is improved, reducing hacker attacks, server failures, and technical faults from staff and consumers.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 7 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
Owning the source code and controlling the data is the great advantage of open source eCommerce platforms

Customize the interface to meet your requirements.

Businesses have more choices in developing their website’s interface to boost brand image and maximize revenue since they use Open Source eCommerce Platforms.

Currently, there are three methods for designing interfaces:

  • Use pre-existing themes: Like SaaS platforms, organizations can select and use pre-existing themes from the market, development community, or cooperation unit. This method will help businesses save the most money since a standard UX/UI theme costs between $50 and $200 on average.
  • Customize the interface based on an existing theme: Similar to the preceding method, but instead of purchasing and using the same theme, firms may design their own traits by rewriting the website’s code at the front-end. Since then, organizations have cut expenses while also expressing their own distinct characteristics.
  • Create your own user interface: To effectively position the brand on the website, the interface should be created individually. This is typically more expensive than utilizing a theme, but it addresses the most particular and specific requirements of the company.

Full of features and add-ons

In terms of website system features, Open Source eCommerce Platforms are quite superior to SaaS platforms. Not only have basic functions, but Open Source eCommerce Platforms also have many advanced features such as quick search, similar product suggestions, abandoned cart notifications, real-time products, and so on.

In addition, the Open Source eCommerce Platforms also has many add-ons that are improved, provided, and shared by the developer community.

Great flexibility

Because organizations control their own source code, they can simply update the functional system, build new features, or expand the system to suit business demands and meet consumer needs. At the same time, the open-source code’s flexibility allows businesses to easily link with third-party utilities in order to run the system.

Disadvantages of Open Source eCommerce Platform

Require a professional team or experienced developer

It is hard to build “tailor-made” systems for each firm with a system of various e-commerce features ranging from basic to complex, therefore systems developed on open source e-commerce platforms frequently have high accuracy.  As a result, in order to build and function efficiently, a specialized team or development organization must have strong knowledge and several years of experience.

Prolonged setup time

Deployment times for open source e-commerce platforms are frequently lengthier than those for SaaS platforms. Depending on the complexity of the functional system, the average amount of time for the IT team to build a website varies from 3 months to 1 year.

Expensive development

Using an open-source platform is basically free, but having a full e-commerce system from website to mobile app needs a significant commitment of your own labor. The in-house IT team will design interfaces and functions. As a result, the initial cost of developing an e-commerce website using an open-source platform is pretty expensive, an average of $10,000 per project.

So sánh nền tảng thương mại điện tử SaaS và mã nguồn mở 8 - SaaS eCommerce Platform vs. Open Source eCommerce Platform
The initial cost of developing an e-commerce website using an open-source platform is around $10,000 per project

The Open Source eCommerce Platform is suited for all sorts of enterprises due to its numerous features. However, budget and implementation time restrictions have kept many small and medium-sized businesses from utilizing it. Large firms frequently engage in these platforms to construct specialized and specialized eCommerce systems.

In general, the decision of which eCommerce platform to select will be determined by each firm’s business plan, budget, and time of eCommerce development.

(more…)

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06/12/2021