Choosing the best ecommerce solution

There are so many different ecommerce platforms available. So which ecommerce solution best fits your needs? That’s a tough question to answer. ESV Digital partnered with NBS System to help retailers, brands, pure players and B2B companies choose the best ecommerce platform.

The two companies wrote a whitepaper in which they assess and compare the following 8 ecommerce solutions: Websphere Commerce, Demandware, Hybris, Oracle Commerce, Intershop Commerce Suite, Magento, Drupal Commerce and PrestaShop. “We believe these solutions are the most relevant and flexible, with the ability to support ecommerce activities from start-ups to large Enterprises”, they explain.

Java solution best for bigger ecommerce companies

The main conclusion of the whitepaper is that there is no best ecommerce platform that can be recommended or every company. But still, if you need a powerful ecommerce solution, the whitepapers suggests to invest in a Java-based solution. “They provide more native features, can process larger order volumes, have more potential to scale and are overall more reliable. However, Java platforms are heavier solutions.”

Intershop: one of the best solutions, perfect for B2B

According to the whitepaper, Intershop Commerce Suite is one of the best solutions on the market and is recommended for B2B activities. Intershop is said to have a poor ecosystem, but the authors claim that’s common to all Java solutions. They praise Intershop for its capabilities to expand internationally and the easy implementation. “However, Intershop Commerce Suite lacks recognition compared to other solutions due to limited marketing from the company and a strong focus of their activities in Germany.”

Magento: one of the best ecosystems of integrators

Demandware, founded by Stephan Schambach who also founded Intershop Commerce Suite, is praised for its SaaS solution, which includes the software platform and hosting infrastructure. The whitepaper thinks Magento is a good PHP solution for medium to small businesses. “It also has one of the best ecosystems of integrators on the market. It also allows more autonomy and flexibility regarding solution development.”

The authors emphasize there is no best ecommerce platform that can be recommended for every company. “You should select the best solution that meets current and future business needs, aligns with the organization, drives critical KPIs, and supports key success factors for implementation.” It does recommend ecommerce solutions, but by type of online retailer and by business capability.

For omnichannel players, Websphere Commerce or Oracle Commerce is recommended, while Drupal Commerce is said to have a strong content and brand image. Selling cross-border should go easier with Oracle Commerce or Intershop Commerce Suite, while PHP solutions like Magento, Drupal Commerce and PrestaShop can be quickly rolled-out and have a good ratio of cost, quality and ease of integration.