Top 10 Most-Visited Furniture eCommerce Websites in Singapore

Building upon the narratives in parts 1 and 2, this third part invites you to delve into the stories of the remaining brands within the series of 14 that migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus. Explore how this strategic decision has led to their success in terms of sales and paved the way for sustainable growth in the future.

1. Alternative Brewing

Alternative Brewing is a leading brand in Australia specializing in providing high quality coffee making equipment and utensils. After operating on WooCommerce, Alternative Brewing encountered a problem. WooCommerce eCommerce websites require constant maintenance, causing a lot of worry on shopping occasions like Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Within 4 months of converting to the Shopify Plus platform, Alternative Brewing’s new eCommerce website loaded faster and had faster checkout, helping the brand significantly increase average order value. Shopify Plus platform with an intuitive, user-friendly interface, Alternative Brewing does not need to deal with a lot of complicated code. This allows the Alternative Brewing team to focus on growing their business and make more informed decisions with Shopify’s in-depth reports and analytics.

Website: https://alternativebrewing.com.au/

Industry: FnB

Traffic: 919,295/month

Rank: #3,071 (Australia) & #144,195 (Global)

2. Duradry

Duradry is a leading personal care brand that offers effective antiperspirant products. Operating on WooCommerce costs Duradry a lot of money when testing many different marketing campaigns. The brand migrated to the Shopify Plus platform to take advantage of many exclusive tools and solutions that help them optimize operations and deploy marketing processes more effectively.

Duradry also leverages Shopify Collabs to partner with popular content creators to drive marketing success, bringing Duradry products to more potential customers. The result was 250 content creators joining Duradry’s community, $50k in sales through Shopify Collabs in less than 7 months.

Website: https://duradry.com/?view=hero-a

Industry: Beauty & Cosmetics

Traffic: 386,080/month

Rank: #119,405 (USA) & #445,775 (Global)

3. AMR Hair & Beauty

AMR Hair & Beauty is one of the leading suppliers of hair care and beauty products in Australia. Established in 2004, AMR has quickly grown to become a trusted destination for hair salons and individual consumers.

Although WooCommerce has served AMR Hair & Beauty well for many years, with the rapid growth of the business, the platform began to show its limitations. Among them are limited scalability, difficult order management, poor security, and suboptimal customer support.

After switching to Shopify Plus, AMR Hair & Beauty leveraged the B2B on Shopify solution to build a wholesale store and further customize advanced search features and filtering options. This means AMR Hair & Beauty’s B2B customers can quickly narrow down search results and view products along with prices and offers. As a result, AMR Hair & Beauty increased sales by 200%, average B2B order value by 77%, and conversion rate by 93%.

Website: https://amr.com.au/

Industry: Beauty & Cosmetics

Traffic: 258,448/month

Rank: #8,360 (Australia) & #381,873 (Global)

4. Abode Living

Abode Living was founded in 1991 and since then the brand has become Australia’s leading supplier of luxury bed linen, using the highest quality European fabrics and sewing products in its own factories. I’m in Australia.

With the need to increase online sales in Australia and other markets, and upgrade customer experience. However, the previous platform the company used, WooCommerce, did not offer enough flexibility to customize advanced features. WooCommerce also doesn’t give Abode Living the ability to add international marketplaces to its existing eCommerce system. Switching to Shopify Plus met all of Abode Living’s goals. The brand saw a 15% increase in average order value, faster page load speeds, and faster responses.

Website: https://www.abodeliving.com/

Industry: Home Funishing

Traffic: 16,645/month

Rank: #57,874 (Australia) & #2,352,607 (Global)

Final Words

So, SECOMM has gathered insights from 14 representative brands that courageously stepped out of the “WooCommerce world” to revamp their eCommerce websites with Shopify Plus. These brands prioritize customer experience and streamlined processes, inspiring others to confidently opt for platform migration.

Contact SECOMM or call directly at (+84)28 7108 9908 for advice and implementation of the eCommerce migration process from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus today!

When it comes to brands that re-platformed from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus, it’s good to read their success stories in sales behind.

In the second part of this series, let’s continue to delve into more brands that chose to migrate their eCommerce platforms from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus, and explore how this decision paved the way for boundless success.

1. HiSmile

HiSmile is a globally renowned brand for teeth whitening products, aiming to help customers achieve a bright, confident smile. Founded in 2014 in Australia, HiSmile quickly gained attention due to its high-quality, easy-to-use, and effective products.

In the early days of its eCommerce operations, HiSmile’s WooCommerce website performed well. However, as HiSmile gained recognition and became more popular, website traffic began to surge, especially during sales events. Page load issues and site crashes cost the HiSmile team a lot of money in repairs and maintenance. Therefore, they decided to seek a more robust and stable solution and chose Shopify Plus.

With the new Shopify Plus website, HiSmile boosted its social media sales strategy and expanded into the global market. To date, HiSmile has attracted over three million social media followers, 5.5 billion social media impressions, and over 1.5 billion views on its social media videos. These numbers demonstrate the brand’s extensive customer reach. Additionally, global sales have significantly increased since the transition.

Website: https://int.hismileteeth.com/

Industry: Beauty & Cosmetics

Traffic: 4.55M/month

Rank: #10,390 (USA) & #33,392 (Global)

2. Muscle Nation

Muscle Nation is renowned in the fitness and sports fashion industry, established with the goal of providing high-quality products tailored to the needs of fitness enthusiasts. The Muscle Nation team focuses on delivering an optimal customer experience and implements social media sales strategies. In its first year, the brand earned $1 million in revenue. At that time, Muscle Nation only had a basic website with eCommerce integration, which led to performance issues and a decline in sales.

Since transitioning to the Shopify Plus platform, Muscle Nation has leveraged the superior ecosystem of apps and tools offered by Plus to customize customer experiences and specific features. The brand uses Shopify Flow to manage high-risk orders and tag customers, Launchpad to handle product releases and event launches, and Peoplevox for warehouse management.

As a result, Muscle Nation generated over $4 million in revenue on Black Friday 2019 and handled more than 208,000 customers shopping simultaneously without any website issues.

Website: https://musclenation.org/

Industry: Fashion

Traffic: 961,900/month

Rank: #2,676 (Australia) & #137,488 (Global)

3. Junglück

Junglück is a renowned cosmetics brand in Germany, known for its natural and environmentally friendly skincare products. Initially, Junglück used WooCommerce to manage its online store. However, with the brand’s rapid growth, WooCommerce began to show limitations, including slow page load speeds, poor website performance, and restricted integration and scalability.

The cosmetics brand decided to switch to the Shopify Plus platform. This transition allowed Junglück to seamlessly integrate with various third-party systems such as CRM and ERP, enhancing operational efficiency. As a result, Junglück increased its revenue sevenfold since implementing the Shopify Plus website, boosted average order value by 22%, and improved conversion rates by 34%.

Website: https://junglueck.de/

Industry: Beauty & Cosmetics

Traffic: 355,059/month

Rank: #12,653 (Germany) & #308,899 (Global)

4. LVLY

LVLY is a prominent brand in the gift and fresh flower arrangement industry, known for its sophistication and modern style. Each LVLY product is meticulously designed and delivered promptly to the recipient, perfectly conveying messages of love and care.

Previously, LVLY used the WordPress platform and WooCommerce plugin to build its eCommerce website. The brand encountered many customization limitations, and the basic features gradually failed to support expansion. Particularly during major shopping events, the system became overloaded and couldn’t handle the high traffic volume. LVLY decided to switch to the Shopify Plus platform. The platform migration took less than 90 days without reducing the conversion rate. The scalability of Shopify Plus helped LVLY achieve its biggest Valentine’s Day sales ever in 2023. Personalization options and add-ons, which LVLY could not implement on its previous platform, also played a crucial role in the cross-sell/up-sell strategy during this shopping event.

Website: https://www.lvly.com.au/

Industry: Gifts & Flowers

Traffic: 354,352/month

Rank: #6,734 (Australia) & #334,427 (Global)

5. Mandaue Foam

Since its establishment in 1971, Mandaue Foam has become an indispensable name in the furniture industry in the Philippines. After four years of using the standard Shopify version, Mandaue Foam upgraded to Shopify Plus to seek solutions for expansion and customization.

The brand utilized LaunchPad – an exclusive feature of Shopify Plus – to schedule marketing campaigns and automate product price updates and discounts. Because LaunchPad allows tracking the performance of each campaign in real-time, the Mandaue Foam team can understand customer behavior and adjust campaigns accordingly.

Next, with Shopify Flow, Mandaue Foam automated its order management process by creating a workflow where, as soon as an order is placed, one of the 28 physical locations with inventory for that product is notified to process the order. This process ensures order fulfillment speed while eliminating the need for manual order tracking.

The platform switch and the implementation of eCommerce automation have helped Mandaue Foam increase order volume by 200%, total sales by 151% YOY, and customer return rate by 16%.

Website: https://mandauefoam.ph/

Industry: Furniture

Traffic: 486,503/month

Rank: #2,745 (Philippines) & #170,520 (Global)

Final Words

Here are the next 5 brands in the series re-platform from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus. Throughout SECOMM’s process of executing platform conversion projects, whether from WooCommerce or any other eCommerce platform to Shopify Plus, the pivotal factor determining success is a detailed and well-structured conversion plan.

Contact SECOMM or directly call the hotline at (028 7108 9908) to collaborate on devising the optimal plan for the platform migration to Shopify Plus.

WooCommerce is known as the ‘golden standard’ for many eCommerce businesses. With its intuitive, user-friendly interface and free usage, WooCommerce enables businesses to start operating immediately.

However, its limitations in customization, scalability, and performance, along with the need for ongoing maintenance, have driven many brands to look for better solutions beyond the “WooCommerce world.” Shopify Plus has become a popular choice for those seeking to optimize their platform transition.

Let’s delve into why the five brands below chose to migrate their e-commerce websites from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus and how this decision has boosted their conversion rates and sales.

1. Woobles

The Woobles is a prominent brand specializing in crochet kits for beginners, with a mission to bring joy and creativity through learning to crochet. Founded with the goal of making it easy for people to access and experience the art of crochet, The Woobles provides complete kits and detailed instructions, enabling users to create adorable products within just a few hours of learning.

After a period of selling on Etsy, the company decided to build its own eCommerce website. Initially, they chose WooCommerce and took only a few weeks to set up the site. However, as The Woobles’ brand grew more popular and website traffic increased, the page loading speed became inefficient. They realized that the money saved on platform fees was far outweighed by the costs of fixing technical issues and maintaining the system.

Switching from the WooCommerce platform to Shopify Plus allowed The Woobles to optimize their investment and leverage the application ecosystem and solutions offered by Shopify and third parties. Shopify’s robust infrastructure helped The Woobles provide customers with a customized shopping experience and handle surges in traffic. Notably, The Woobles’ Shopify Plus website can maintain an uptime of up to 99.99%.

Website: https://thewoobles.com/

Industry: Toys and Gifts

Traffic: 4.997M/month

Rank: #6,216 (USA) & #31,974 (Global)

2. Wilding

Wilding is a prominent shoe brand that specializes in providing comfortable and stylish footwear for consumers. In 2018, Wilding experienced remarkable growth. However, despite a fairly high repeat customer rate, the conversion rate for new customers did not meet expectations.

With a multi-channel sales strategy, Wilding decided to transition from WooCommerce to the Shopify Plus platform to rebuild its eCommerce system. Additionally, the brand opened several showrooms in various locations across Germany and implemented the Shopify POS solution. This allows customers to try on shoes before deciding to purchase either in-store or through the website. The Shopify POS system integrates sales channels and links transactions, enabling Wilding to manage inventory, orders, and track customer behavior more easily and efficiently.

Website: wildling.shoes

Industry: Fashion

Traffic: 1.783M/month

Rank: #4,971 (Germany) & #80,383 (Global)

3. Sunology

Since its founding in 2019, Sunology has gradually established itself as one of Europe’s leading solar equipment providers. After a long period of eCommerce implementation with WooCommerce, Sunology decided to switch to Shopify Plus to seek better customization and scalability solutions to achieve its growth and global expansion goals.

Using Shopify Script allows the company to manage custom material allocations for each solar device. This way, customers can design solar power stations tailored to their specific needs. In addition to streamlining and optimizing Sunology’s management processes, Script also optimizes checkout to provide a more appealing shopping experience for customers.

Sunology also leverages the Shopify Markets tool to quickly set up and efficiently manage multiple stores from a single dashboard. This application makes it easy to translate store content from one language to another, significantly supporting Sunology’s international expansion ambitions.

Website: https://sunology.eu/

Industry: Home & Garden

Traffic: 583,349/month

Rank: #12,355 (France) & #353,837 (Global)

4. T1TAN

T1TAN is a brand specializing in the production and supply of high-quality sports equipment and accessories, particularly in the field of football. T1TAN’s flagship product is goalkeeper gloves, renowned for their durability, comfort, and superior protection. These gloves are developed to meet the most stringent standards.

With their WooCommerce system, T1TAN experienced a website crash during a sale of limited edition products at discounted prices. The T1TAN team realized they needed a more robust and flexible eCommerce platform. Since switching to Shopify Plus, T1TAN has handled multiple major shopping events with surges in traffic and transactions without any website crashes. This platform change has resulted in a 25% increase in conversion rates, zero downtime, and expansion into six additional markets across Europe.

Website: https://uk.t1tan.com/

Industry: Sport

Traffic: 492,054/month

Rank: #621,737 (USA) & #241,413 (Global)

5. RUDIS

RUDIS is a renowned brand specializing in products and equipment for wrestling, with a mission to support and enhance the performance of athletes at all levels. RUDIS products are designed using advanced technology and premium materials, ensuring durability, comfort, and high performance.

As their eCommerce business grew rapidly, RUDIS struggled to scale their existing WooCommerce system, making a platform switch the only viable solution. RUDIS chose Shopify Plus. After launching the new website, the RUDIS team quickly integrated ERP NetSuite and third-party systems to optimize sales, shipping, and payment processes. With Shopify Plus, RUDIS achieved unprecedented growth, including:

• An 80% increase in revenue
• A 70% increase in the number of orders
• A 27% increase in conversion rate

Website: https://www.rudis.com/

Industry: Sport

Traffic: 395,166/month

Rank: #42,519 (USA) & #252,797 (Global)

Final Words

Here are five brands that have witnessed a remarkable change in sales by re-platforming from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus. An important point to note is that while WooCommerce is free and easy to use, complex customizations can be costly and sometimes impractical due to limitations in WordPress and WooCommerce infrastructure. Additionally, businesses may face performance and website speed issues, leading to higher costs for system repairs and maintenance.

On the other hand, Shopify Plus provides businesses with flexible customization options at a more optimal cost, and maintenance and updates are streamlined following Shopify’s standards.

Need more help? Contact SECOMM today!

In today’s fast-paced digital world, eCommerce has become a crucial aspect of how businesses operate and grow. As global internet access and adoption rapidly increase, with over five billion internet users worldwide, the number of people making purchases online is ever-increasing. In 2024, retail eCommerce sales are estimated to exceed 6.3 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide, and this figure is expected to reach new heights in the coming years.

Knowing this, companies are constantly seeking ways to enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and provide a seamless customer experience. This is where eCommerce automation comes into play.

By leveraging advanced technologies and tools, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, streamline operations, and scale their efforts without the need for proportional increases in manual labor.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the concept of eCommerce automation, exploring its benefits and drawbacks to help you understand how it can transform your online business. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, understanding eCommerce automation can be a game-changer in optimizing your operations and staying competitive in the market.

1. What is eCommerce Automation?

At its core, eCommerce automation involves the use of software, tools, and technologies to streamline and automate various aspects of online business operations. This includes a wide range of tasks, from inventory management and order processing to marketing campaigns and customer service.

Essentially, eCommerce automation aims to reduce the need for manual intervention in repetitive and time-consuming processes, allowing you to operate more efficiently and effectively. By automating routine tasks, you can free up valuable time and resources, enabling them to focus on strategic initiatives, innovation, and providing exceptional customer experiences. Whether it’s automatically updating inventory levels, sending personalized marketing emails, or providing instant customer support through chatbots, eCommerce automation empowers your team to work smarter, not harder, in today’s digital marketplace.

2. Five tasks you should automate

There are numerous tasks ripe for automation, but here are five crucial ones: inventory management, order processing, marketing campaigns, customer service, and reporting/analytics.

2.1 Inventory Management

Imagine you run an online store selling various products. Keeping track of inventory levels manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. With automation, you can set up systems that automatically update your stock levels whenever a purchase is made or new stock arrives. Additionally, you can configure alerts to notify you when certain items are running low, prompting you to reorder them before they run out.

2.2 Order Processing

When a customer places an order on your website, there are several steps involved in processing and fulfilling that order. Automation can streamline this process by automatically routing orders to the appropriate fulfillment center or warehouse. It can also generate packing slips and shipping labels, ensuring that orders are processed quickly and accurately. With automated order tracking, both you and your customers can easily monitor the status of their orders from placement to delivery.

2.3 Marketing Campaigns

Marketing is essential for promoting your products and attracting customers to your online store. Automation can help you save time and reach a larger audience by automating email marketing campaigns and social media posts. You can set up automated email sequences to welcome new subscribers, nurture leads, and recover abandoned carts. Similarly, you can schedule social media posts in advance, ensuring consistent engagement with your audience across different platforms.

2.4 Customer Service

Providing excellent customer service is crucial for building trust and loyalty with your customers. However, managing customer inquiries and support tickets manually can be overwhelming, especially as your business grows. Automation can help lighten the load by using chatbots and automated response systems to handle common inquiries and support requests. These systems can provide instant responses to frequently asked questions, route complex queries to human agents, and even offer 24/7 support, improving the overall customer experience.

2.5 Reporting and Analytics

To make informed decisions and track the performance of your online store, you need access to accurate data and analytics. Manually collecting and analyzing data from various sources can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Automation can simplify this process by automatically collecting data from your website, sales platforms, and marketing channels. It can then generate customized reports and dashboards, providing valuable insights into your sales performance, customer behavior, and marketing ROI. With automated reporting and analytics, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your eCommerce operations and drive business growth.

By automating these five key tasks, you can streamline your eCommerce operations, improve efficiency, and focus your time and resources on growing your business and providing exceptional customer experiences.

3. Benefits of eCommerce automation

Adopting eCommerce automation can brings your business many benefits. Here are some of them

3.1 Efficiency

Automation streamlines your business processes by taking care of repetitive tasks, freeing up your time to focus on more strategic activities. Instead of manually updating inventory or processing orders, automation tools can handle these tasks quickly and efficiently, allowing you to operate more smoothly and effectively.

3.2 Accuracy

By reducing reliance on manual data entry and human intervention, eCommerce automation helps minimize the risk of errors. Whether it’s updating inventory levels or processing customer orders, automated systems can perform tasks with a high level of accuracy, ensuring that your business operations run smoothly and your customers receive the correct products on time.

3.3 Scalability

As your eCommerce business grows, automation allows you to scale your operations without a proportional increase in workload. Whether you’re handling a handful of orders or thousands of transactions per day, automated systems can adapt to the increasing demands of your business, ensuring that you can meet customer needs efficiently and effectively.

3.4 Cost Savings

While there may be initial investments required to implement automation tools and systems, the long-term cost savings can be significant. By streamlining your operations, reducing errors, and improving efficiency, eCommerce automation helps lower your overall operational costs, allowing you to allocate resources more effectively and invest in other areas of your business.

3.5 Enhanced Customer Experience

In today’s competitive eCommerce landscape, providing exceptional customer service is essential for building brand loyalty and driving repeat business. Automation plays a key role in enhancing the customer experience by providing quicker and more consistent service. Whether it’s responding to customer inquiries instantly with chatbots or delivering personalized marketing messages based on customer preferences, eCommerce automation helps create a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for your customers, ultimately leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

By leveraging the benefits of eCommerce automation, you can streamline your operations, reduce costs, and deliver a superior customer experience, ultimately driving growth and success in the competitive online marketplace.

4. Drawbacks of eCommerce automation

While eCommerce automation offers numerous benefits, there are also some drawbacks to consider.

4.1 Initial Costs

Implementing eCommerce automation systems can incur significant upfront expenses. You may need to invest in software licenses, hardware infrastructure, and training for employees to effectively use these systems. For enterprises with limited financial resources, or don’t want to invest too much in this aspect, these initial costs can be a barrier to adoption.

4.2 Complexity

Adopting eCommerce automation often involves navigating complex systems and technologies. You may encounter challenges in integrating automation tools with your existing workflows and processes. Additionally, employees may require time and training to familiarize themselves with the new systems, leading to potential productivity disruptions during the transition period.

4.3 Over-reliance

While automation can enhance efficiency and streamline operations, your team risk becoming overly dependent on technology. Reliance on automated systems may leave you vulnerable to disruptions such as technical failures or system downtimes. Without proper contingency plans in place, these disruptions could significantly impact business operations and customer satisfaction.

4.4 Customization Limits 

Off-the-shelf automation solutions may not always fully align with the unique needs and requirements of every business. Customizing and tailoring automation tools to fit specific business processes can be challenging and time-consuming. You may find yourself constrained by the limitations of pre-built automation solutions, hindering your ability to fully optimize your eCommerce operations.

4.5 Impact on Jobs

One of the most significant concerns surrounding eCommerce automation is its potential impact on employment. As your business automate repetitive and manual tasks, there is a risk of job displacement for workers whose roles are replaced by automated systems. This could lead to workforce reductions and require you to invest in reskilling and retraining programs for affected employees.

By understanding and addressing these drawbacks, you can make informed decisions about the extent to which you adopt eCommerce automation, mitigating potential challenges and maximizing the benefits of automation for your operations.

5. Case Study: Success Stories

5.1 Amazon

Background: Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, has evolved from an online bookstore to one of the world’s largest eCommerce platforms. With a vast array of products and a global customer base, Amazon’s success lies in its ability to innovate and optimize its operations continuously.

Automation Implemented: Amazon has heavily invested in automation across various aspects of its eCommerce operations.

• Inventory Management: To manage its extensive inventory efficiently, Amazon utilizes robots and automated sorting systems in its warehouses. These robots navigate through the aisles, retrieving items and bringing them to human workers for packing and shipping.
• Order Fulfillment: Amazon’s order fulfillment process is highly automated. Automated packing machines pack orders quickly and accurately, while conveyor belts transport packages to shipping stations. Robotic arms label and sort packages, ensuring that orders are dispatched promptly.

Results: Amazon’s automation efforts have yielded several significant benefits:

• Increased Efficiency and Speed: By automating tasks such as inventory management and order fulfillment, Amazon has significantly increased its operational efficiency. Orders are processed and shipped faster, reducing delivery times and improving overall customer satisfaction.
• Reduced Errors in Order Processing: Automation has minimized the risk of errors in order processing. With robotic systems handling tasks such as picking and packing, the likelihood of mistakes is greatly reduced, ensuring that customers receive the correct items in their orders.
• Enhanced Customer Satisfaction with Quicker Delivery Times: Faster order processing and shipping have led to quicker delivery times for Amazon customers. With the implementation of automation, Amazon can fulfill orders more rapidly, meeting customer expectations for speedy delivery and enhancing their overall shopping experience.

5.2 Sephora

Background: Sephora is a leading global beauty retailer known for its wide range of cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance products. With a strong presence both in physical stores and online, Sephora has built a reputation for offering high-quality products and exceptional customer service.

Automation Implemented: Sephora has leveraged automation to enhance its personalized marketing efforts, catering to the unique preferences of individual customers.

• Data-driven Product Recommendations: Sephora utilizes customer data to analyze purchase history, browsing behavior, and product preferences. Based on this data, Sephora’s website and mobile app generate personalized product recommendations for each customer, suggesting items that align with their interests and needs.
• Automated Email Campaigns Tailored to Individual Customer Preferences: Sephora sends automated email campaigns tailored to each customer’s preferences and shopping habits. These emails include personalized product recommendations, exclusive offers, and reminders about new product launches or promotions. By segmenting its customer base and sending targeted emails, Sephora ensures that its marketing messages resonate with each recipient.

Results: Sephora’s automation efforts have yielded several positive outcomes:

• Improved Customer Engagement and Loyalty: By delivering personalized marketing messages, Sephora has strengthened its relationship with customers, leading to increased engagement and loyalty. Customers appreciate receiving relevant product recommendations and exclusive offers tailored to their preferences, leading to a deeper connection with the brand.
• Increased Sales Through Targeted Marketing: Sephora’s targeted marketing campaigns have proven highly effective in driving sales. By delivering personalized recommendations and promotions, Sephora encourages customers to make additional purchases, increasing their overall spend and lifetime value. The combination of personalized marketing and seamless shopping experiences has resulted in higher conversion rates and revenue growth for Sephora’s eCommerce platform.

Final Words

eCommerce automation offers significant benefits like increased efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction, but it also poses challenges such as initial costs and job displacement. However, by carefully implementing automation tools and strategies, businesses can streamline operations and drive growth. Case studies of companies like Amazon and Sephora demonstrate the transformative impact of automation on eCommerce success.

Ready to take your eCommerce empire to the next level? Contact SECOMM today!

Over the past decade, Magento has solidified its position as one of the leading eCommerce platforms in the market. With its robust capabilities, the platform serves not only B2C businesses but is also a popular choice for enterprises.

By combining Magento’s strength with the specific requirements of B2B Commerce, you can leverage this platform’s powerful benefits. In the following part of the article, let’s explore 10 reasons why Magento is the ideal choice for deploying this great business model.

What is B2B Commerce?

Business-to-business commerce (B2B Commerce) refers to the buying and selling of goods or services between businesses rather than between a business and end consumers (B2C). In the B2B environment, transactions often occur on a large scale and involve large orders, long-term contracts, and strategic partnerships.

This business model has distinct characteristics and requirements compared to B2C Commerce. In the B2B world, businesses typically have more complex demands regarding product management, order management, customer management, and compatibility with enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), and other systems.

Additionally, the business model often requires features such as order confirmation, complex payment processes, batch ordering, and wholesale pricing. For B2B enterprises, choosing a suitable eCommerce platform is crucial to ensuring business efficiency and delivering the best user experience for their partners and customers.

What is Magento?

Magento is a powerful and flexible eCommerce platform developed by Magento Inc., a subsidiary of Adobe. Launched in 2008, it quickly became one of the top choices for you looking to build and operate professional online stores.

It allows you to create custom eCommerce websites. This platform provides a range of features, including product management, order management, payment integration, customer management, and many others, enabling you to easily manage and operate your online stores efficiently.

It is built on open-source code, meaning that you can access and customize the platform’s source code based on specific technical requirements.

Ten reasons why you should choose Magento for B2B Commerce

Reason 1: Customization and scalability

Magento’s open-source platform characteristic enables businesses to easily and effectively expand their business scale. This is particularly important as businesses grow and must enhance the system’s scalability.

Additionally, the platform provides high customization capabilities, allowing businesses to adjust to their specific business needs flexibly. This also means that the shopping experience can be customized to become unique and tailored to the target customers.

Reason 2: The Comprehensive B2B platform

In addition to offering built-in Magento B2B features, the platform allows businesses to seamlessly and quickly integrate with many third-party applications and systems, thereby creating a comprehensive and automated eCommerce system. Some integrated systems may include:

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
• Product Information Management (PIM) systems
• Point of Sale (POS) systems, and so on.

Reason 3: Order management

Magento B2B provides a variety of order management features, from creating and editing orders to tracking and processing orders efficiently. This helps B2B businesses easily monitor and manage their orders accurately and consistently.

Additionally, it offers tools and features that allow tracking and analysing their orders’ performance. From generating overview reports to tracking order history and purchasing trends, the eCommerce model deployed, you can better understand your activities and make informed strategic decisions.

Reason 4: Payment and shipping options

Implementing Magento B2B allows you to offer more payment methods to customers, from online payments through electronic payment gateways to cash on delivery (COD).

Additionally, you can integrate various payment gateways through Magento, such as PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.Net, and many more. This ensures security and convenience in the payment process for both businesses and customers.

Reason 5: Segmentation

Magento B2B provides features and tools to implement customer segmentation strategies effectively. Among these, the most notable is the Advanced Reporting feature, which provides a dashboard for tracking and analyzing sales data.

With this feature, businesses can segment customers and customize experiences based on web browsing behavior, purchase history, and various other criteria.

Reason 6: Custom user roles and permissions

Customizing user roles and permissions is an important part of optimizing the B2B purchasing process. This feature allows B2B customers to create multiple accounts with different contact details for purchasing, ordering, quoting, negotiating, and payment. Additionally, Magento B2B allows sellers to create and assign admin accounts to manage specific customers.

Reason 7: Manage pricing through shared catalogs

In B2B Commerce, Magento helps manage quotations through shared catalogs, which effectively provides product information and prices to B2B partners and customers. These catalogs can be created based on criteria such as product type, product group, or other suitable business needs.

Within each shared catalog, administrators can define prices and special conditions for each product or product group. This helps create customized quotations that meet the specific requirements of each customer.

Reason 8: Advanced inventory management

Inventory management is a challenging task for businesses implementing B2B Commerce. The eCommerce platform provides advanced features to effectively manage and control your inventory levels. These features allow administrators to track inventory quantities and forecast future inventory needs.

Additionally, Magento B2B helps manage special types of inventory such as damaged goods, special inventory items, or batch inventory.

Reason 9: Enhanced security

Security is an important issue when building and developing online stores in general. Magento provides many advanced features to help B2B businesses to secure their eCommerce systems. Among these, PCI Compliance, 2FA, WAF, DDoS protection, and preventing CSRF and XSS attacks are notable.

Reason 10: Technical support

Technical support plays a crucial role in maintaining and operating an efficient online store. Magento B2B provides tools and support services to help users address technical issues and optimize the performance of their eCommerce websites.

This includes expert support via phone, email, or online. Additionally, Magento has a large and vibrant community of developers, experts, and end-users. You can search and ask questions on the forum to receive assistance from the community.

Build your first Magento B2B site today!

In the context of the increasingly developing and fiercely competitive eCommerce market, using a powerful eCommerce platform is extremely important to ensure the success. With its unique features and superior flexibility, Magento has proven to be a top choice for building and developing B2B stores.

Need more deep advice? Contact SECOMM or call (+84)28 7108 9908 now!

Upgrading to Shopify Plus is a strategic decision for growing ecommerce enterprises. Many merchants have encountered the challenges and opportunities this upgrade brings along their journey.

From optimizing business performance to expanding operations globally, upgrading to Shopify Plus isn’t just a technical step but also an opportunity to transform ecommerce activities into a springboard for market breakthroughs.

In this article, let’s explore the steps to upgrade to Shopify Plus and some critical considerations.

What is Shopify Plus?

This is the premium version of the Shopify platform, specially designed to meet the needs of large and rapidly growing ecommerce businesses. With Shopify Plus, you can experience many powerful features and services that help optimize operations, expand scale, and enhance customer experiences.

One notable aspect of Shopify Plus is its flexibility and ease of customization. You can leverage features such as multi-store management, integration with ERP and CRM systems, creating multilingual and multi-channel websites, as well as adjusting interfaces and features according to your specific needs.

In particular, Shopify Plus provides a secure and easily scalable infrastructure that is capable of handling large volumes of traffic and online transactions robustly. With Plus, you can ensure that your website operates smoothly and seamlessly, even during peak shopping seasons.

Why upgrade to the Shopify Plus plan?

Upgrading from the standard versions of the Shopify platform to the Plus version is a significant milestone in the transformation of ecommerce businesses. Below are eight benefits and also eight main reasons driving businesses to undergo the transition:

Enhanced customization & scalability

Shopify Plus offers a range of powerful features and tools to customize and expand ecommerce websites flexibly and efficiently. These include customizing checkout pages, personalizing customer experiences, and customizing product displays.

Additionally, you can utilize some exclusive solutions, such as LaunchPad, Shopify Scripts, and Shopify Functions, to customize shopping experiences and automate sales processes.

Increased bandwidth and staff accounts

High traffic volumes will require a large amount of bandwidth to maintain a stable website. Shopify Plus allows you to access unlimited bandwidth, 200TB of storage, and unlimited staff accounts to handle large transaction volumes efficiently.

Optimized transaction costs

Upgrading to Shopify Plus can help optimize transaction costs. If you use Shopify Payments, transaction fees are the lowest in all Shopify pricing plans but will be customized based on geographical regions. Conversely, Plus merchants must pay 0.2% per transaction for security and compliance costs.

Deploy Headless Commerce

In the Plus version, you’ll be provided with tools and solutions to build a Headless ecommerce website. Through the Hydrogen + Oxygen solution, you can leverage the power of Headless architecture to create more customized and flexible customer experiences.

Deploy B2B Commerce

Shopify Plus provides features and tools to expand your B2B operations. The recent Shopify Editions Winter ’24 update introduced new features to optimize B2B Commerce activities.

From Headless B2B and advanced order management to integrated payment systems and unique features for B2B customers, Shopify Plus helps you streamline your operations and enhance customer relationships.

Expand international sales

With Shopify Plus’s multilingual and multi-channel capabilities, you can efficiently expand your operations to international markets. Shopify Plus provides tools and features to customize websites according to each market’s needs, from handling currencies to managing orders and shipping.

Ultilize POS Pro

The Plus merchants can utilize the exclusive POS Pro system for free. With advanced features, POS Pro allows seamless integration of multi-channel sales operations into the website, enables unlimited staff account access, and provides professional retail reports. This helps enhance customers’ shopping experience and optimize your offline and online sales activities.

Advanced customer support

When upgrading, you can expect more in-depth customer support services, especially in terms of consultation and technical support by a team of experts. Through hotlines, emails, and live chat, you can access the 24/7 support team.

Additionally, to help clients better understand this platform, Shopify offers a free learning program called Shopify Plus Academy. There, you can access detailed tutorials on setting up stores, customizing store interfaces, and much more.

When to upgrade to the Shopify Plus plan?

You currently on one of Shopify’s standard pricing plans may consider upgrading to Shopify Plus under the following circumstances:

• Monthly revenue exceeds $800,000 with over 100 transactions per minute. In such cases, a more robust system is needed to handle high traffic volumes without compromising user experience, and to effectively manage and optimize business performance.

• Expanding sales to international markets requires flexibility in managing multilingual, multi-currency, and region-specific inventory.

• Desire to harness the advantages of Headless Commerce architecture to enhance user experience and achieve deeper customization of user interface and technical infrastructure.

What to prepare before upgrading to Shopify Plus?

Before deciding to upgrade to Shopify Plus, there are four important steps that businesses need to take to ensure a smooth and effective upgrade process:

Define business goals

Firstly, you have to clarify your needs and wants. This includes evaluating the current and future growth of the business, as well as the necessary features to meet specific needs.

Prepare the data and Infrastructure

Next, you’ll need to prepare data and technical infrastructure for the transition process. This may involve backing up current data, checking the compatibility of current applications and features, as well as ensuring that the technical infrastructure is robust enough to satisfy your requirements.

Define features and tools in need

Finally, you’ll identify the specific features and services you desire from Plus. This may include considering features such as multi-store management, integration with ERP and CRM systems, multi-language and multi-currency support, as well as special features like deploying Headless Commerce and accessing POS Pro systems.

Set up a Shopify Plus store

Setting up a Plus store will differ from deploying previous standard pricing plans. Plus usage fees start from $2,300 per month, and this price isn’t fixed but customized based on each case’s specific needs. Therefore, you’ll need to contact the Shopify Plus team for advice. When collaborating with a Shopify Plus agency, the developer will work with the platform to provide a specific pricing quote.

The six-step process to upgrade to Shopify Plus

Below are six specific steps for the entire process of upgrading your ecommerce website system from a lower version to Shopify Plus:

Step 1: Partner with a professional Shopify Plus agency

The first and most important step is collaborating with experienced teams specialising in Shopify Plus to optimize the upgrade process and post-operation, especially concerning costs.

To select a suitable Shopify Plus development partner, you should consider previous Shopify Plus projects they have completed, how they identify and solve problems in each project, and feedback from previous clients regarding those projects.

Step 2: Evaluate and plan

The next step is equally important as it determines the effectiveness of the conversion and future operations. You and your development partners need to clarify business goals, identify necessary features and data to be transferred, and develop a specific deployment schedule based on these goals.

You’ll also need to ensure data backup and updates are safely conducted to avoid data loss during the conversion process.

Step 3: Execute deployment

After assessment and planning, proceed with upgrading to Shopify Plus. The development partner will set up and configure new features, migrate data from the old platform to the new one, and test compatibility to ensure the website operates smoothly.

Step 4: Test and adjust

After deployment, test and adjust the Shopify Plus website to ensure all features and functions work correctly. The development partner’s QA/QC team will collaborate with you to check the quality of the website experience as actual end-users and correct any issues that arise.

Step 5: Golive

Once testing is complete, the new ecommerce website will be launched into the market, and promotional campaigns will be deployed to attract initial traffic and orders.

Step 6: Train staff

Finally, employees should be trained to use and manage the new website on the Shopify Plus platform. You’ll provide detailed instructions on new features and how to use them to optimize the performance. Additionally, since Plus has unlimited staff accounts, personnel allocation should be reasonable and planned accordingly.

The Final Words

While upgrading to Shopify Plus can be complex, it significantly benefits business growth. From high flexibility and customization to scalability and deep customer service, Shopify Plus is the perfect choice for expansion.

Various insights and a systematic 6-step deployment process make the upgrade process more manageable. However, to increase efficiency and maintain the stability of the new website, businesses need a professional development partner to accompany them.

Contact SECOMM or call us at (+84)28 7108 9908 to plan your deployment today!

In the fast-paced digital world, eCommerce automation and efficiency are key to staying ahead of the competition. With countless tasks to manage, from inventory updates to customer engagement businesses need reliable tools to streamline their operations. Enter Shopify Flow, a powerful automation tool designed specifically for Shopify users. Shopify Flow allows merchants to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up valuable time and resources to focus on growing their business.

In this blog, we’ll explore how Shopify Flow works, its key features, and the benefits it can bring to your eCommerce operations. Whether you’re a seasoned Shopify user or new to the platform, understanding how to leverage Shopify Flow can be a game-changer for your business.

1. What is Shopify Flow?

Shopify Flow is an innovative automation tool designed exclusively for Shopify merchants, enabling them to streamline and simplify their business operations. It provides a visual interface where users can create custom workflows to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks without the need for any coding skills.

Shopify Flow is available at all plans: Basic, Shopify, Advanced and Plus.

2. How does your workflow automation work on Shopify Flow?

At its core, Shopify Flow uses a combination of triggers, conditions, and actions to build the workflows. A trigger initiates the workflow, a condition specifies criteria that must be met, and an action defines what happens when the criteria are met.

For example:

• The order is placed (Trigger)
• The order value exceeds a certain amount (Condition)
• An email notification is sent to the sales team (Action)

This tool is particularly valuable for automating processes such as inventory management, fraud prevention, loyalty and retention, fulfillment management and marketing campaigns. By automating these tasks, Shopify Flow helps businesses improve efficiency, reduce human error, and ensure consistent execution of key operations.

Shopify Flow also integrates seamlessly with a variety of Shopify apps and third-party tools, making it a versatile solution for businesses looking to optimize their workflows. Whether you’re running a small online store or managing a large eCommerce enterprise, Shopify Flow offers the flexibility and scalability to meet your automation needs.

3. How to create and manage workflow automation with Shopify Flow

Creating and managing workflow automation with Shopify Flow is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance your eCommerce operations.

• To start the new workflow, you’ll follow these steps:

Step 1: Open up the Shopify Flow editor, then select “Create workflow”

Step 2: Click “Select a trigger” from a searchable list of native triggers of Shopify or those from 3rd-party apps to start the workflow.

Step 3: Click on the Blue button to choose to add either condition or action

Step 4: Select “Condition” to set rules to determine if the action executes.

Step 5: Click “Then” to set action for the true condition. Or “otherwise” to set action for the false condition.

Step 6: Click “turn on”, the button in the top right corner will turn green and show is on.

You can also leverage the templates library. Here, you’ll find the pre-made workflows that you can use right away or edit to fit your business needs.

• To modifying the existing workflow, you’ll follow these steps:

Step 1: To add new action items by clicking on any blank space in the editor, select the “Action” button. All of available options will appear

Step 2: Search specific action on the search bar and simply select the action
Step 3: Connect the new action to the existing workflow by selecting the “Then” button from your condition and linking it to your new action.

• To deleting and reordering any unnecessary pieces of the workflow, you’ll need:

Step 1: Click on remove the action

Step 2: Some actions now no longer connected. You’ll need to link them back to the rest of your workflow.

Step 3: You can link them to the condition or to other actions.

4. Key features of Shopify Flow

Shopify Flow is packed with features that make it a powerful tool for eCommerce automation. Here are 3 core features you should notice

4.1 No-code building blocks

At the heart of Shopify Flow are its intuitive building blocks: triggers, conditions, and actions, which allows you to create your custom eCommerce automation processes. Triggers initiate workflows based on specific events, conditions set criteria that must be met for the workflow to proceed, and actions define what tasks will be executed. This modular approach helps you create highly customized workflows tailored to your unique business needs, enabling precise automation of complex processes without any coding knowledge.

4.2 Plug-and-play templates

Shopify Flow offers a variety of pre-built templates that cover common eCommerce scenarios such as inventory management, customer segmentation, and order processing. These templates provide a quick and easy way to implement automation, allowing you to get started with minimal effort. Each template can be customized to fit specific requirements, making it an excellent starting point for those new to automation.

4.3 Connector apps

To extend its capabilities, Shopify Flow allows you to integrate seamlessly with numerous third-party apps. This feature allows you to automate workflows that span multiple tools and platforms. For example, you can connect Shopify Flow with email marketing apps, CRM systems, and inventory management software to create comprehensive, cross-functional automations. This integration capability ensures that all aspects of your eCommerce operations are synchronized and efficient.

5. Benefits of using Shopify Flow

Utilizing Shopify Flow for eCommerce automation offers a multitude of advantages that can significantly enhance business operations. Here are some of them:

5.1 Time-Saving

Shopify Flow automates repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as inventory updates, order processing, and customer follow-ups. By automating these processes, you can save valuable time that can be redirected towards strategic activities, such as marketing, product development, and customer engagement.

5.2 Error Reduction

Manual data entry and repetitive tasks are prone to human error, which can lead to costly mistakes. Shopify Flow minimizes these risks by ensuring that tasks are performed consistently and accurately. Automation reduces the likelihood of errors in critical processes like order fulfillment, inventory management, and customer communications.

5.3 Improved Efficiency

Automation streamlines workflows, making business operations more efficient. With Shopify Flow, tasks are executed automatically based on predefined triggers and conditions, eliminating the need for manual intervention. This efficiency leads to faster processing times, better resource allocation, and improved overall productivity.

5.4 Scalability

As your business grows, managing increasing volumes of orders, customers, and data can become challenging. Shopify Flow provides a scalable solution that can handle higher workloads without additional effort. Automated workflows can easily be adjusted and expanded to accommodate growth, ensuring that your business operations remain smooth and efficient as you scale.

5.5 Consistency and Reliability

Automated workflows ensure that processes are carried out consistently, adhering to the same standards every time. This reliability is crucial for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and operational excellence. Consistent execution of tasks also helps in building trust with customers and partners.

6. Limits of using Shopify Flow

While Shopify Flow is a powerful tool for automating eCommerce operations, it’s important to be aware of its limitations and challenges. Here are some key considerations:

6.1 Limited Customization

Although Shopify Flow offers a variety of triggers, conditions, and actions, there may be scenarios where the available options do not fully meet specific business needs. Advanced customization might require additional development work or third-party apps to fill in the gaps. This can lead to increased complexity and potential costs.

6.2 Integration Challenges

While Shopify Flow integrates with many third-party apps, there can be limitations in compatibility or functionality with certain tools. Businesses relying on specialized software may find it challenging to create seamless workflows without encountering integration issues. In some cases, additional middleware or custom API development may be necessary.

6.3 Scalability of Complex Workflows

As businesses grow and their operational needs become more complex, managing a large number of workflows can become challenging. Ensuring that workflows are optimized and do not conflict with each other requires careful planning and ongoing maintenance. Overly complex workflows might also become difficult to troubleshoot and update.

7. Real-world examples

Several successful businesses have leveraged Shopify Flow to streamline their operations and achieve impressive results. Here are a few real-world examples:

7.1 Good American

Good American, a leading fashion brand co-founded by Khloé Kardashian, uses Shopify Flow to automate various aspects of their eCommerce operations. By implementing workflows that manage inventory levels, segment customers, and trigger personalized marketing campaigns, Good American has been able to enhance efficiency and improve customer engagement. These automations have allowed the brand to focus more on growth and less on manual administrative tasks.

7.2 Cozykids

Cozykids, an online retailer specializing in children’s furniture and decor, utilizes Shopify Flow to streamline their order processing and inventory management. Automated workflows ensure that stock levels are updated in real-time, reducing the risk of overselling and improving order fulfillment accuracy. Additionally, Cozykids uses Shopify Flow to send automated follow-up emails to customers, enhancing their post-purchase experience and increasing customer satisfaction.

7.3 Mandaue Foam

Mandaue Foam, a furniture and home decor company, has adopted Shopify Flow to manage their complex supply chain and customer service processes. With automated workflows in place, Mandaue Foam can efficiently handle large volumes of orders, track shipments, and manage customer inquiries. This automation not only improves operational efficiency but also provides a seamless shopping experience for their customers, contributing to higher customer retention and satisfaction.

Final Words

In this blog, we explored Shopify Flow’s capabilities, including its automation of workflows and key features such as building blocks, templates, and connector apps. We also discussed its benefits like time-saving and improved efficiency, as well as potential limitations.

Need more advice? Contact SECOMM today!

International eCommerce platforms are shaping the shopping trends of modern consumers worldwide, where geographical boundaries are no longer barriers to business activities. With the continuous development of technology and the internet, businesses have the opportunity to reach millions of customers around the globe more easily than ever. However, to succeed in the international market, choosing the right eCommerce platform is crucial.

In this article, let’s explore the top 5 platforms that effectively meet the needs of many businesses for implementing international eCommerce.

1. Shopify

Shopify is a well-known SaaS eCommerce platform for businesses worldwide. It offers an all-in-one solution called Shopify Markets, allowing businesses to start selling in over 150+ different markets and manage efficiently on a single dashboard. Shopify Markets comes in two versions:

• Markets:

Integrated into all Shopify plans, providing core features including:

• Translate and Adapt website content
• Theme Editor
• Custom domain or subdirectory settings
• Product pricing customization by market

• Localized checkout forms
• Product catalogs by market
• Managing multiple markets on a single dashboard

Fees are incurred per international transaction, including:

• 3.9% per transaction for processing local payments
• 0.85% per transaction for using tax and import duty calculation tools
• 1.5% per transaction for currency conversion fees.

• Markets Pro:

Includes all core features plus additional advanced features such as:

• Exclusive shipping rates
• Compliance with local taxes
• Fraud prevention
• Tax setup and labeling
• Automatic tax remittance
• Managing restrictions on international sales

The cost of Markets Pro is 6.5% per transaction, including local payment processing fees, so businesses do not need to pay this fee separately. Additionally, businesses will pay 2.5% per transaction for currency conversion fees.

Advantages:

• Intuitive, user-friendly interface
• Allows setup, optimization, and management of multiple international markets on a single dashboard
• Supports multi-language, multi-currency configurations and setting specific prices for each market
• Comprehensive solution without the need for third-party system support
• Automates tax calculation and collection, optimizing expenditure planning
• Offers local payment options without restrictions
• Optimizes international SEO

Disadvantages:

• Implementation costs may increase over time
• Requires the Shopify Markets Pro version to access advanced features
• Shopify’s website does not support language variants (e.g., Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Brazilian/European Portuguese)
• High currency conversion fees: 1.5% per transaction for the standard version and 2.5% per transaction for the Pro version
• Requires knowledge of international trade and a well-defined business strategy
• Advanced or Plus plan upgrades are needed for complex customizations
• Depend on the platform.

2. Magento

Implementing international eCommerce involves many challenges related to language, currency, and taxes, requiring websites to be optimally customized to provide the most engaging customer experience. This is why Magento is on this list.

Some standout features of Magento that support international commerce include:

• Multi-store, multi-language, multi-currency, and multi-region management
• URL localization, Meta Description, and targeted keywords
• Currency selection and automatic conversion
• Region-based tax calculation
• Customizable formats
• Efficient multi-location inventory management

Advantages

• Open-source code allows for easy customization and expansion of international stores.
• Efficient centralized management of stores.
• Optimization for international SEO.
• Partnerships with hundreds of leading global payment gateways, enabling easy integration via API.
• Partnerships with top shipping companies worldwide, allowing seamless integration via API.
• Collaborations with reputable currency exchange services, ensuring competitive rates and providing customers with the best shopping experience.
• Large Magento community, including developers and businesses, facilitating quick and effective support and collaboration.
• In-depth technical support.

Disadvantages:

• High initial implementation costs.
• Complex implementation process with a typically long deployment time.
• Requires knowledge of international trade and a well-defined business strategy.
• Requires good technical skills for complex customizations.

3. BigCommerce

Similar to Shopify, BigCommerce is also a SaaS eCommerce platform that provides international eCommerce solutions. The platform offers features and tools to help businesses expand their operations in the international market simply and effectively.

Some standout features of BigCommerce supporting international eCommerce include:

• Easy and quick setup of multiple stores, multi-currency, and multi-language options
• Localization and personalization of the shopping and checkout experience for each international store
• Management of all international stores on a single dashboard
• Support for B2C and B2B deployment with customizable shopping experiences for each customer segment
• A wide range of integrations for order processing and shipping

Advantages:

• Intuitive, user-friendly interface
• Quick setup and efficient centralized store management
• Easy integration of international payment and shipping methods
• Optimized processes for calculating and collecting taxes
• Mobile-optimized design to reach a broader customer base
• Support for implementing localized marketing strategies
• Multilingual customer support services
• Optimization for international SEO

Disadvantages:

• Initial implementation fees are not disclosed, making it difficult to estimate costs
• Requires knowledge of international trade and a well-defined business strategy
• Dependence on the platform
• Limited customization options compared to Open Source platforms
• Restrictions on interface customization

4. OpenCart

Similar to Magento, OpenCart is a popular open-source eCommerce platform used for international eCommerce implementation. This platform offers many useful features and tools, allowing businesses to better serve global customers.

Some standout features of OpenCart supporting international eCommerce include:

• Management of multiple stores on a single dashboard
• Customizable localization settings for international stores
• Support for over 40 different languages
• More than 36 integrated payment gateways and seamless integration with many other payment gateways available on the OpenCart marketplace
• A wide range of popular global payment options integrated by default

Advantages:

• High customization and scalability
• Support for multiple languages and currencies
• Partnerships with many leading global payment gateways, allowing easy integration via API
• Partnerships with top global shipping companies, allowing seamless integration via API
• Optimization for international SEO
• Rich library of themes and extensions
• Large user community

Disadvantages:

• High initial implementation costs
• Complex implementation process with typically long deployment times
• Requires knowledge of international trade and a well-defined business strategy
• Requires good technical skills for complex customizations

5. PrestaShop

Another widely used open-source eCommerce platform for international e-commerce implementation is PrestaShop. With excellent customization and scalability, as well as outstanding tools and features, PrestaShop is the perfect choice for businesses looking to expand globally.

Some standout features of PrestaShop supporting international eCommerce include:

• Unlimited product and inventory management
• Order and customer management
• A wide range of global payment and shipping options
• Management of multiple stores on a single dashboard
• Advanced reporting and analytics

Advantages:

• High customization and scalability
• Partnerships with many global payment gateways, allowing integration via API
• Partnerships with major global shipping companies, allowing seamless integration via API
• Optimization for international SEO
• Optimized tax calculation and collection

Disadvantages:

• High initial implementation costs
• Complex implementation process with typically long deployment times
• Requires knowledge of international trade and a well-defined business strategy
• Requires good technical skills for complex customizations
• Occasional performance issues

The Bottom Line

The above provides an overview of the top 5 platforms for implementing international eCommerce, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the scale, budget, and technical requirements, businesses can choose the most suitable platform for themselves.

Regardless of the choice, investing in a robust and flexible eCommerce platform will help businesses effectively reach international markets, increase sales, and expand their scale.

Need advice on implementing international eCommerce? Contact SECOMM today!

In the digital age, eCommerce is the key to helping businesses quickly and effectively reach global customers. Shopify, a renowned SaaS platform supporting online business, has launched the Shopify Markets solution to assist businesses in expanding into global markets. So, what is Shopify Markets? What benefits and challenges does this solution bring to your business when implementing international eCommerce? Let’s explore in the article below.

1. What is Shopify Markets?

Shopify Markets is a new solution from the Shopify platform, designed to help you easily and efficiently expand your business into global markets. This tool allows you to manage multiple stores from a single dashboard, customizing each market with specific settings for language, currency, taxes, and payment methods. Moreover, Shopify Markets integrates with international shipping and logistics services, enabling you to optimize your operations and meet the demands of global customers.

Previously, multi-store setups have been done by using Shopify Plus, allowing merchants to establish and operate separate Shopify stores for each target market. This approach gave merchants full control over individual stores, such as running market-specific marketing campaigns, promotions, and inventory management.

However, this approach had several drawbacks. First, operating multiple standalone stores meant discrepancies in inventory levels, requiring data synchronization between stores. This process was time-consuming and prone to errors. Many merchants addressed this issue by integrating systems like PIM or ERP. Second, the workload increased due to the need to update content for each store individually. Third, many merchants complained about having to pay for the same app or integration across multiple stores, leading to inefficiencies in financial management.

Thus, the advent of Shopify Markets serves as a remedy for these three issues. Now, you can apply multi-language, multi-currency, international pricing, domain or subdirectory, and Geolocation features for the stores, all managed efficiently from a single dashboard.

2. Top features of Shopify Markets

2.1 Multi-language

When deploying international eCommerce, the importance of multi-language support cannot be overstated. According to CSA Research, 76% of online shoppers prefer to purchase products with information displayed in their native language. Meanwhile, 40% will never buy from eCommerce websites in a different language.

By using Shopify Markets and the built-ịn Translate & Adapt app, your website can be automatically translated into the languages of your target markets. Beyond mere translation, Shopify’s Translate & Adapt app can customize store content to better connect with local customers. This ensures that your eCommerce website maintains cultural, regional, and seasonal relevance—even when markets share the same language—the app can adjust for variations in vocabulary, spelling, and messaging.

2.2 Multi-currency

Global customers want to see product prices in their own currency when shopping on eCommerce websites. A PayPal report supports this, showing that 76% of survey participants prefer to pay in their local currency. Shopify Markets can automatically convert product prices into over 130 different currencies to cater to your target customers. From product pages to shopping carts, and from checkout to refunds, Shopify Markets can create a seamless multi-currency shopping experience for customers, which will boost conversion rates and sales.

2.3 Localized domain & subdirectories

Shopify Markets can help create localized domains linked to specific languages and countries. For example, “myshop.com” could be the main site operating in the US, “myshop.ca” for the Canadian market, and “myshop.co.uk” for the UK. This not only increases credibility and optimizes SEO but also enhances brand recognition in each market.

Shopify Markets allows the setup of subdirectories for each language or region under the same main domain, such as “myshop.com/en” for English, “myshop.com/fr” for French, and “myshop.com/de” for German. Using subdirectories helps easily manage local versions of the store, improve user experience, and optimize costs related to maintaining multiple domains.

2.4 Localized payment methods

Payment methods significantly influence purchasing decisions. According to a Worldpay report, 27% of users will abandon the checkout process if they cannot find their preferred payment method.

With Shopify Markets, you can offer your customers a variety of local payment options, alongside familiar choices like credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Some examples of local payment method integrations include:

• China: AliPay, WeChat
• Singapore: PayNow
• Australia: Klarna, Afterpay
• Vietnam: ZaloPay, VNPay

2.5 Estimate & collect duties and tax

When selling in international markets, pricing can be affected by duties and import tax. In many cases, unexpected costs for customers can lead to a negative shopping experience.

The Shopify Markets solution can help address this issue. This tool can calculate taxes based on the shipping address and the legal regulations of each country, including value-added tax (VAT), sales tax, and other import duties. When customers proceed to checkout, the system clearly displays these taxes, helping them understand the total shopping cost and avoid unpleasant surprises.

Shopify Markets also collects and remits these taxes to the appropriate tax authorities, saving your time and effort in handling tax procedures. This feature also integrates with shipping services to ensure all tax-related costs are accurately reflected, allowing you to plan expenses more effectively. Therefore, you can comply with legal regulations, enhance the customer shopping experience, and optimize your operations.

3. Shopify Markets and the plans

Shopify Markets is included in all Shopify plans, but the features available to merchants vary by plan. Here are the core features that all Shopify merchants can use when embracing Shopify Markets:

• Support for selling in 136 currencies and 20 languages
• Customize domains and subdirectories to optimize search engine performance for each market
• Integrate with a variety of local payment options

For the higher-tier plans, Advanced and Plus, merchants can access exclusive features. This is particularly beneficial for larger enterprises looking to establish and maintain a strong, competitive presence in international markets:

• Automatic tax calculation
• Calculate and collect import tax at checkout
• Manage fulfillments in each market

4. Shopify Markets Pro

Shopify Markets Pro is the upgraded version of Shopify Markets, designed to offer more advanced features. This solution aims to support large-scale merchants in efficiently and flexibly managing complex international operations. The “Pro” version helps sell in over 150 different markets, providing powerful tools to optimize operations, manage taxes and costs, and enhance the international customer experience.

Some special features exclusive to the Pro version include:

• Exclusive discounts on international shipping, order tracking, and expedited delivery worldwide within 1-5 days.
• AllowShopify to handle compliance with legal and tax procedures.
• Recommend top payment methods for each market.
• Suggest to remove products that are prohibited for import in each market.
• Protect fraud for international orders.
• Ensure stable exchange rates to avoid financial risks associated with currency fluctuations or refund variations.

5. Benefits of using Shopify Markets

• Quickly set up and optimize international stores
• Manage all target stores from a single dashboard
• Simplify currency localization by displaying product prices in the target market’s currency
• Localize language and web content to optimize SEO
• Offer local payment options without restrictions
• Localize the website interface to create a familiar and engaging shopping experience
• Localization boosts conversion rates, sales, and customer satisfaction
• Automate tax estimation and collection to optimize budget plans

6. Limits of using Shopify Markets

• You need to use the Shopify Markets Pro version to access more advanced features.
• The Shopify website does not support translations of language variants. For example, Simplified/Traditional Chinese and Brazilian/European Portuguese.
• Currency conversion fees are quite high: 1.5% per transaction for the standard version and 2.5% per transaction for the Pro version.

Final Words

Shopify Markets is truly a robust solution for going globally and manage target stores efficiently and flexibly. However, alongside its strengths, this solution also has several notable limitations.

Depending on the scale, number of target stores, and the need to create a customized shopping experience, you can weigh the standard version against the Pro version. Nevertheless, you must carefully consider cost factors and management capabilities to ensure these solutions align with your strategies.

Need more advice? Contact SECOMM today!

WooCommerce is known as the ‘golden standard’ for many eCommerce businesses. With its intuitive, user-friendly interface and free usage, WooCommerce enables businesses to start operating immediately.

However, its limitations in customization, scalability, and performance, along with the need for ongoing maintenance, have driven many brands to look for better solutions beyond the “WooCommerce world.” Shopify Plus has become a popular choice for those seeking to optimize their platform transition.

Let’s delve into why the five brands below chose to migrate their e-commerce websites from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus and how this decision has boosted their conversion rates and sales.

1. Woobles

The Woobles is a prominent brand specializing in crochet kits for beginners, with a mission to bring joy and creativity through learning to crochet. Founded with the goal of making it easy for people to access and experience the art of crochet, The Woobles provides complete kits and detailed instructions, enabling users to create adorable products within just a few hours of learning.

After a period of selling on Etsy, the company decided to build its own eCommerce website. Initially, they chose WooCommerce and took only a few weeks to set up the site. However, as The Woobles’ brand grew more popular and website traffic increased, the page loading speed became inefficient. They realized that the money saved on platform fees was far outweighed by the costs of fixing technical issues and maintaining the system.

Switching from the WooCommerce platform to Shopify Plus allowed The Woobles to optimize their investment and leverage the application ecosystem and solutions offered by Shopify and third parties. Shopify’s robust infrastructure helped The Woobles provide customers with a customized shopping experience and handle surges in traffic. Notably, The Woobles’ Shopify Plus website can maintain an uptime of up to 99.99%.

Website: https://thewoobles.com/

Industry: Toys and Gifts

Traffic: 4.997M/month

Rank: #6,216 (USA) & #31,974 (Global)

2. Wilding

Wilding is a prominent shoe brand that specializes in providing comfortable and stylish footwear for consumers. In 2018, Wilding experienced remarkable growth. However, despite a fairly high repeat customer rate, the conversion rate for new customers did not meet expectations.

With a multi-channel sales strategy, Wilding decided to transition from WooCommerce to the Shopify Plus platform to rebuild its eCommerce system. Additionally, the brand opened several showrooms in various locations across Germany and implemented the Shopify POS solution. This allows customers to try on shoes before deciding to purchase either in-store or through the website. The Shopify POS system integrates sales channels and links transactions, enabling Wilding to manage inventory, orders, and track customer behavior more easily and efficiently.

Website: wildling.shoes

Industry: Fashion

Traffic: 1.783M/month

Rank: #4,971 (Germany) & #80,383 (Global)

3. Sunology

Since its founding in 2019, Sunology has gradually established itself as one of Europe’s leading solar equipment providers. After a long period of eCommerce implementation with WooCommerce, Sunology decided to switch to Shopify Plus to seek better customization and scalability solutions to achieve its growth and global expansion goals.

Using Shopify Script allows the company to manage custom material allocations for each solar device. This way, customers can design solar power stations tailored to their specific needs. In addition to streamlining and optimizing Sunology’s management processes, Script also optimizes checkout to provide a more appealing shopping experience for customers.

Sunology also leverages the Shopify Markets tool to quickly set up and efficiently manage multiple stores from a single dashboard. This application makes it easy to translate store content from one language to another, significantly supporting Sunology’s international expansion ambitions.

Website: https://sunology.eu/

Industry: Home & Garden

Traffic: 583,349/month

Rank: #12,355 (France) & #353,837 (Global)

4. T1TAN

T1TAN is a brand specializing in the production and supply of high-quality sports equipment and accessories, particularly in the field of football. T1TAN’s flagship product is goalkeeper gloves, renowned for their durability, comfort, and superior protection. These gloves are developed to meet the most stringent standards.

With their WooCommerce system, T1TAN experienced a website crash during a sale of limited edition products at discounted prices. The T1TAN team realized they needed a more robust and flexible eCommerce platform. Since switching to Shopify Plus, T1TAN has handled multiple major shopping events with surges in traffic and transactions without any website crashes. This platform change has resulted in a 25% increase in conversion rates, zero downtime, and expansion into six additional markets across Europe.

Website: https://uk.t1tan.com/

Industry: Sport

Traffic: 492,054/month

Rank: #621,737 (USA) & #241,413 (Global)

5. RUDIS

RUDIS is a renowned brand specializing in products and equipment for wrestling, with a mission to support and enhance the performance of athletes at all levels. RUDIS products are designed using advanced technology and premium materials, ensuring durability, comfort, and high performance.

As their eCommerce business grew rapidly, RUDIS struggled to scale their existing WooCommerce system, making a platform switch the only viable solution. RUDIS chose Shopify Plus. After launching the new website, the RUDIS team quickly integrated ERP NetSuite and third-party systems to optimize sales, shipping, and payment processes. With Shopify Plus, RUDIS achieved unprecedented growth, including:

• An 80% increase in revenue
• A 70% increase in the number of orders
• A 27% increase in conversion rate

Website: https://www.rudis.com/

Industry: Sport

Traffic: 395,166/month

Rank: #42,519 (USA) & #252,797 (Global)

Final Words

Here are five brands that have witnessed a remarkable change in sales by re-platforming from WooCommerce to Shopify Plus. An important point to note is that while WooCommerce is free and easy to use, complex customizations can be costly and sometimes impractical due to limitations in WordPress and WooCommerce infrastructure. Additionally, businesses may face performance and website speed issues, leading to higher costs for system repairs and maintenance.

On the other hand, Shopify Plus provides businesses with flexible customization options at a more optimal cost, and maintenance and updates are streamlined following Shopify’s standards.

Need more help? Contact SECOMM today!

The cosmetics eCommerce industry in Singapore is witnessing explosive growth and continuous innovation, becoming one of the most promising and dynamic markets in the Southeast Asia region. With the increasing demand for beauty and personal care products from consumers, coupled with support from advanced technology and digital infrastructure, online cosmetics businesses in Singapore have been seizing opportunities to expand market share and enhance customer experiences.

Below are cosmetics 8 eCommerce websites trusted by Singaporean consumers for shopping.

1. Watsons Singapore

The cosmetics and healthcare retail chain Watsons has gained fame across Asia, and Singapore is no exception. As a member of the A.S. Watson Group, Watsons has solidified its position with thousands of stores worldwide and a robust eCommerce website.

Watsons Singapore is renowned for its extensive product portfolio, ranging from cosmetics and skincare to haircare and healthcare products. The eCommerce website of Watsons Singapore is built on the SAP Commerce Cloud platform, providing customers with a smooth and diverse shopping experience. Search, product filtering, and cart features are optimized and customized, while encouraging customers to create accounts to enjoy exclusive benefits. This helps track and measure customer behavior on the website, leading to the most effective sales and marketing strategies.

• Website: watsons.com.sg
• Platform: SAP Commerce Cloud
• Traffic: 1.852M/month
• Ranking: #322 (Singapore) & #69,750 (Global)

2. Guardian Singapore

Guardian is a retail chain specializing in healthcare, cosmetics, and other consumer products. Guardian has a presence in many countries and regions worldwide, including Singapore, offering a range of products from renowned and reliable brands.

The eCommerce website of Guardian is built on the SAP Commerce Cloud platform, providing many useful features for users. Customers can easily search for and purchase products, manage their shopping carts, and make convenient payments. Additionally, the website offers promotions and online support services to help customers have a comfortable and secure online shopping experience. Furthermore, customers can also review and provide feedback on products, providing useful information for other users.

• Website: https://guardian.com.sg/
• Platform: SAP Commerce Cloud
• Traffic: 1.349M/month
• Ranking: #676 (Singapore) & #126,366 (Global)

3. Sephora Singapore

Similar to Guardian, Sephora is a global retail chain specializing in cosmetics and beauty, known for offering a variety of beauty products from leading brands worldwide. Currently, Sephora has a presence in the Singapore market with physical stores in major shopping centers and an eCommerce system, including a website and app for customers. Sephora is loved for its product diversity, customer care services, and innovation in the online cosmetics shopping experience.

Sephora’s eCommerce system in Singapore is built on Vue.js and Nuxt.js programming languages. With this system, Sephora’s customers can quickly search for and explore products through smart search bars and diverse filters. The online shopping experience is optimized with detailed product information, crisp images, and customer reviews.

The Sephora app is also highly regarded, making shopping easier for customers with features like “Virtual Artist” and receiving notifications about promotions. Overall, Sephora provides a range of features and services to meet customers’ cosmetics shopping needs, creating a professional and convenient online shopping experience.

• Website: https://www.sephora.sg/
• Programming language: Vue.js, Nuxt.js
• Traffic: 1.287M/month
• Ranking: #605 (Singapore) & #93,279 (Global)

4. Venus Beauty

Venus Beauty is one of the retail chains for cosmetics and personal care present in most shopping centers across Singapore, beloved for its product diversity and quality. Since its establishment in 2002, Venus Beauty has continuously grown and expanded, becoming a familiar destination for many local consumers.

The eCommerce website of Venus Beauty is built and developed on the Magento platform, with superior customization and scalability. Customers can easily search for and purchase products thanks to the intuitive and user-friendly website interface. Venus Beauty also regularly offers attractive promotional programs to attract customers to shop more on the website and app.

• Website: venusbeauty.com.sg
• Platform: Magento Open Source
• Traffic: 325,090/month
• Ranking: #2,211 (Singapore) & #321,368 (Global)

5. LanCôme Singapore

Lancôme Singapore is the branch of the renowned cosmetics brand Lancôme, part of the globally famous L’Oréal Group. Lancôme is known for its high-quality skincare products, makeup, and fragrances, always endorsed by beauty experts and celebrities. In Singapore, Lancôme not only offers premium products suitable for various skin types but also provides optimal online shopping experiences for customers.

The Lancôme website is developed on the Salesforce Commerce Cloud infrastructure with a user-friendly interface, allowing customers to browse, search, view products, and make purchases easily and quickly. The website also integrates AR technology to provide a “Virtual Try-On” experience, allowing customers to try on lipsticks, eyeshadows, and other products realistically before making purchasing decisions.

• Website: lancome.com.sg
• Platform: Salesforce Commerce Cloud
• Traffic: 170,443/month
• Ranking: #7,671 (Singapore) & #1,007,547 (Global)

6. Cocomo Singapore

Cocomo is an eCommerce website specializing in beauty and personal care products from Korean brands. Cocomo boasts a rich product portfolio, including cosmetics, skincare products, haircare, and various other beauty items, catering to all customer beauty needs.

The Shopify website of Cocomo Singapore is designed with a clear, intuitive interface, making it easy for users to search for and select products. Product categories are organized logically, along with efficient search tools, making shopping quick and convenient. Cocomo frequently offers promotions, discounts, and special deals, helping customers save money. These promotional offers are regularly updated and can be easily found on the homepage or product category pages.

• Website: https://www.cocomo.sg/
• Platform: Shopify
• Traffic: 138,532/month
• Ranking: #13,831 (Singapore) & #1,356,641 (Global)

7. Paula’s Choice

In Singapore, the skincare brand Paula’s Choice is just as renowned as in other markets. Founded by skincare expert Paula Begoun, the brand is famous for its science-backed skincare products, known to be safe and effective, free from harmful ingredients like fragrances or dyes.

Paula’s Choice eCommerce website is built on Shopify Plus. The website offers a range of skincare products, including cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, sunscreens, and specialized treatments like BHA, AHA, and retinol. These products cater to all skin types, from oily, dry, sensitive, acne-prone to aging skin. Each product on the website comes with detailed descriptions of ingredients, usage instructions, benefits, and supporting scientific research.

Paula’s Choice Singapore regularly runs discount programs, bundled gifts, and special offers for customers. Additionally, customers can easily access support from the customer service team via hotline, email, or live chat.

• Website: https://paulaschoice.sg/
• Platform: Shopify Plus
• Traffic: 132,171/month
• Ranking: #7,064 (Singapore) & #839,402 (Global)

8. Hush Singapore

Hush is a familiar destination for Singaporean consumers when they need to shop for cosmetics online. This retail giant specializes in providing beauty and personal care products from various leading brands worldwide such as Laneige, Aveeno, Bioderma, CeraVe, and more.

The Hush website is designed to be simple, modern, and user-friendly. Customers can easily search and browse through products thanks to clear categories and efficient search tools. Additionally, customers can make payments by registering an account or as a guest. Hush also offers fast and free delivery services, allowing customers to track their orders and estimated delivery times.

• Website: https://hush.sg/
• Programming language: Ruby
• Traffic: 77,937/month
• Ranking: #10,733 (Singapore) & #1,548,638 (Global)

Lời kết

In summary, the cosmetics eCommerce industry in Singapore has seen significant growth over the years with the presence of many reputable and well-known names. From international brands like Watsons, Lancôme, and Paula’s Choice to local eCommerce platforms like Cocomo and Hush, consumers have countless options to search for and purchase high-quality beauty and personal care products. Each website offers unique and convenient shopping experiences, catering to the increasingly diverse needs of customers.

Hopefully, the list above will help motivate many other beauty businesses to confidently build their own eCommerce websites.

Need more in-depth advice? Contact SECOMM today!

B2B eCommerce represents a vast opportunity, often likened to a sizable cake sliced evenly for every business. Bobby Morrison, Shopify’s Chief Revenue Officer, echoes this sentiment, suggesting that this business model will be a significant opportunity for enterprises of all sizes in 2024 and beyond.

Selecting the appropriate B2B eCommerce platform is pivotal for success, yet with the multitude of options available, it’s not always a straightforward decision. Let’s delve into the key considerations when choosing a B2B eCommerce platform and explore the essential steps to ensure that the chosen platform aligns best with the business’s needs.

Read more: B2B eCommerce: The next big opportunity in 2024 and beyond

1. Key Considerations for Choosing the Best B2B eCommerce Platform

When confronted with various B2B eCommerce platforms, making an accurate decision requires careful consideration of the following important factors:

1.1 SaaS vs Open Source

These are the two most common deployment models when it comes to eCommerce in general and B2B eCommerce in particular. B2B eCommerce SaaS platforms are services provided over the internet and run on the service provider’s cloud infrastructure. Some familiar service providers are Shopify and BigCommerce. Data is stored on the service provider’s servers, and they will directly manage it. This ensures high flexibility, low initial costs, and easy scalability, but businesses will face some limitations regarding customization and data control.

On the other hand, Open Source platforms like Magento or OpenCart are publicly available source code, and developers can modify them. This allows for optimized control and freedom to customize as needed. However, managing open-source code also requires high technical knowledge and may pose some security risks.

1.2 Integration with existing system

Choosing a B2B eCommerce platform capable of seamless integration with existing systems will optimize business operations and create a better experience for both the enterprise and its customers. Several aspects need to be considered when evaluating integration capabilities:

• Data integration: The B2B platform needs to have the ability to integrate data with ERP systems, CRM, payment systems, and other applications effortlessly. This ensures that information about orders, customers, and products is seamlessly shared across systems.
• Workflow processes: The new platform should integrate well with existing workflow processes in the enterprise, including order placement, order processing, and customer service. This helps ensure that no disruptions occur in the business process.
• APIs and external integrations: A platform that offers robust APIs will allow the business to integrate third-party tools and services into its system to extend capabilities and flexibility.

1.3 Scalability

The scalability of a B2B eCommerce platform is extremely important to ensure that a business can grow flexibly and efficiently. The platform needs to be able to handle large volumes of traffic, manage data effectively, integrate with expandable services, and be flexible in customization and adjustments. This helps businesses optimize costs and enhance productivity, while also preparing for future growth.

1.4 Customer service and technical support

This is an essential component of any B2B eCommerce platform. It ensures that the business has the necessary resources and support to address technical issues and challenges, as well as to ensure that customers are best supported. Services need to provide quick, quality responses, offer diverse communication channels, detailed support documentation, and continuous training to ensure an optimal experience for all parties involved.

1.5 Security and Compliance

Protecting the vital information of customers and businesses is extremely crucial, especially in the eCommerce industry where sensitive data such as payment information and personal details are exchanged regularly. B2B platforms must adhere to safety standards like GDPR or PCI DSS. Safeguarding server infrastructure and networks is essential to ensure system security against attacks like DDoS, for instance.

2. 5 steps to Choose the Best B2B eCommerce Platform

Once you have a clear understanding of the important factors to consider when choosing a B2B eCommerce platform, the next step is to identify specific steps to select the platform that best suits the needs and business objectives of the enterprise. Here are some basic steps that may be helpful in this process:

Step 1: Partner with a trusted development agency

Starting by partnering with a reputable and experienced development partner in the eCommerce field can make the deployment process smoother. Developers like SECOMM have professional teams with experience deploying various B2B platforms, enabling them to advise and propose the most suitable solutions for specific business needs. Deep understanding of technical aspects and business processes ensures that the deployment project runs smoothly and achieves desired results.

Step 2: Identify business goals

This is a crucial step where the business and development partner need to clearly define short-term and long-term business goals, determine whether to integrate B2C and B2B sales within the same system, and establish criteria for selecting a platform. Additionally, listing the features to be implemented in the B2B eCommerce system is essential for quickly finding a platform that meets the business requirements.

Step 3: Identify budget

The business needs to make decisions considering both budget and timeline to complete the project.

Regarding budget, implementing a B2B eCommerce project will involve various related costs, so when choosing, the business needs to consider whether the platform’s price will affect the overall budget. In particular, the deployment costs of SaaS and Open Source platforms differ significantly and will also impact the business’s decision.

Next, the business needs to determine the desired go-live time – the moment when the B2B eCommerce website goes live. This will depend on the complexity of the project and the business’s chosen platform model. While typical projects deployed on SaaS take about 3 to 4 months to go live, with Open Source, it takes around 6 months to 1 year.

Step 4: Research and compare

This step requires a thorough research process on the available B2B eCommerce platforms in the market and conducting comparisons based on specific criteria such as price, features, performance, security, scalability, and customization, as well as user feedback. Businesses can collaborate with development partners to carry out this process. By conducting careful research and comparisons, businesses gain a comprehensive picture and deep understanding of each option to make the most appropriate decision.

Step 5: Select the platform and plan to deploy

Based on the results of the research and comparison process, the business proceeds to select the platform that best fits its needs and business objectives. Next, the business and its partner need to develop a detailed plan for the deployment process with that platform, including specific deployment steps for each phase in the short and long term, as well as the resources and estimated time for each phase.

Read more: Top 5 platforms for B2B eCommerce

3. Final Words

Above are the specific 5-step process and factors to consider for businesses to select the B2B eCommerce platform that best aligns with their goals. Throughout the research and platform selection process, the development partner plays a role as a reliable companion, providing necessary suggestions and support in the platform selection and deployment planning process.

Need advice on choosing your right platform? Contact SECOMM today!