The eCommerce platform is the glue that keeps an online business running efficiently. It is the most vital piece to selling anything online and the first step to creating an eCommerce website. As an enterprise, you need an eCommerce platform that will handle tedious tasks from producing product catalogs to managing inventory and orders and much more. This article covers the industry’s best eCommerce platforms for Enterprise.
- Magento Commerce: Best for experienced web developers
- Shopify Plus: Best overall option for eCommerce enterprise
- Squarespace Enterprise: Best for tailored support
- WooCommerce for Enterprise: Best low-cost solution
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Best for international businesses
- BigCommerce: Best response time
What exactly is an enterprise business? While almost any business can be considered an enterprise at some point, not every Enterprise needs a particular enterprise eCommerce platform. It’s best to consider investing in an enterprise-level eCommerce platform if the business specializes in more than one kind of service or product and usually has annual revenues exceeding millions of dollars. It might also have its own marketing department and serve as an umbrella over multiple brands if they have a global presence.
While many small businesses that are not considered full-enterprises can use the same platforms, they will not see the full benefits since most additional features could be irrelevant. Most major enterprise eCommerce platforms are now cloud-based, which eliminates any need for external software installation and upgrade demands. If you are exploring this level of eCommerce, your business is likely larger and established or fast-growing.
What to search for in an enterprise eCommerce platform?
All eCommerce platforms carry the essential fundamental features every online business needs. However, Enterprise specific eCommerce platforms require more critical elements to ensure the business runs smoothly on the front-end as it does in the back-end, such as:
- Third-party integrations for accounting, customer relationship management, fulfillment, and inventory.
- Customer purchase history and recommendations.
- Managing several different product categories across multiple stores and locations.
- Scalability. Scalability. Scalability. We cannot emphasize this enough. Choosing a platform that scales as your business grows is vital to ensure there are no roadblocks in the future.
How to pick the right enterprise eCommerce platform
By now, you should have an understanding of the type of products or services offered, including the specific customer base to target. Would that be B2B, B2C, OR D2C? Fortunately, there is a vast selection of eCommerce solutions that specialize in each of these target markets.
Finding the perfect eCommerce solution is not an easy process. It is also considered one of the most vital pieces to running a successful online store. That is why the technology each platform offers, such as Saas, IaaS, or PaaS, should be considered in the decision process. These are the different service models of cloud-based eCommerce platforms.
The Best Enterprise Ecommerce Platforms
Now that we’ve covered the basics of sourcing an eCommerce platform for an enterprise, keep reading for a deep dive into each eCommerce platform.
1. Magento Commerce
Magento Commerce is a self-hosted eCommerce platform that provides its users with complete creative freedom. The catch is there is a requirement for at least some coding. Enterprises who opt in for Magento Commerce typically have an in-house web developer or outsource a developer to help create the website if they do not already have first-hand coding experience. Magento is an excellent fit for enterprises of all types and sizes. It allows third-party integrations to boost creative control and overall efficiency across the website.
Magento Commerce takes pride in delivering unique and engaging online shopping experiences using its rich and powerful features such as limitless customization, flexible headless architecture, automation, and much more. The level of quality stems from their value to empower users to build and launch an eCommerce website with confidence. While there may not be a dedicated customer support team, they host the largest community of professional developers in the industry who are ready and willing to answer any questions.
Magento is not as easy to use as some of the other platforms in this list, but that’s due to being a self-hosted platform. The user is put in charge of hosting, security, updates, trends, and more. This can be an overwhelming experience for someone new to the eCommerce industry, but many take great satisfaction in the level of control available. Additionally, Magento features a drag and drop web building tool to custom design the front-end to your liking while the back-end requires coding. To join Magento Commerce, users must go through Adobe Commerce for the assessment.
2. Shopify Plus
Shopify is already the eCommerce industry’s favorite platform, so we can only imagine the next best with Shopify Plus. After all, it is the most popular for several reasons. Setting up a shop is quick and easy with Shopify considering it is a fully hosted eCommerce platform. Not to mention, there is no need to worry about coding. Shopify covers that for its users, although there is the option to play with it if they have the experience. Shopify also provides an extensive range of plugins and extensions from over 1,500 apps. Each app is made to improve the performance of an eCommerce website across the board, from product management to fulfillment.
Shopify Plus happens to be one of the most affordable eCommerce options. It is also much cheaper than hiring a full development agency. Shopify’s technology enables users to process at least 10,000 transactions every minute. Now that is impressive! Considering coding is still a viable option to customize the website, Shopify still offers fewer customization possibilities than some other platforms such as WooCommerce or Magento.
Additionally, Shopify’s straightforward onboarding process is easy to use and designed to make your life easier and allow more time and energy to focus on business growth. The best part is more than one storefront can be managed under a single Shopify Plus admin. Shopify Plus starts at $2,000 per month and includes the basic setups and integrations. Depending on the business level and complexity, it is recommended to look into getting a custom quote. With over 70 professionally designed themes to choose from, Shopify Plus is an excellent choice for eCommerce enterprises.
3. Squarespace Enterprise
Right alongside Shopify is Squarespace Enterprise. This innovative all-in-one platform helps launch quickly using its flexible design tools to help customize an eCommerce website to fit the needs of the business. Squarespace focuses on empowering businesses with the confidence they need to build an impactful online shopping experience. The beauty behind Squarespace is that there is no need for coding, meaning anyone can create a unique eCommerce website without developers.
Squarespace is well known for its white glove tech support to help users every step of the way. It provides special marketing tools, search engine optimization, award-winning web design templates, and so much more. The templates are modern, clean, and ideal for brand-conscious enterprises. The onboarding experience that comes with joining Squarespace Enterprise is entirely personalized to optimize an eCommerce website to the max best. Included in the onboarding process is a dedicated account manager to help ensure there are no stones left unturned.
Unlike some of the other eCommerce platforms on this list, such as Magento, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce, Squarespace Enterprise is exceptionally easy to use. That’s because it is not a self-hosted platform. Starting at just $4,900 per year, this particular eCommerce platform could be more affordable than most eCommerce platforms in the long run. However, it is still recommended to connect directly with Squarespace professionals to ensure no additional features are needed that could result in a cost increase. Better to figure out those details before making a significant investment.
4. WooCommerce for Enterprise
WooCommerce already happens to be one of the most affordable eCommerce solutions out there. While it may be a low-cost option, this platform still packs a punch when it comes to the features it offers enterprises. WooCommerce is a flexible eCommerce solution that offers hundreds of free and paid extensions ranging from technical to logistical. Some of these extensions include, but are not limited to, Zapier, MailChimp, PayPal, Klarna, Square, and many others.
It is important to note that WooCommerce is dedicated to WordPress. Meaning, the Enterprise should already have an existing WordPress site or at least create one. WooCommerce offers impressive technology that enables users to control the data and development of their website thoroughly. It is also compatible with third-party integrations to help build unique and custom databases for marketing and promotional purposes. WooCommerce is recognized to be one of the most customizable eCommerce platforms to ever exist in the industry.
This platform is quite flexible and easy to install on a WordPress website. It offers 18 fully customizable theme templates to choose from for a low cost of just $39. As an open-source eCommerce enterprise platform, it is essential to find solid hosting to launch an online store. WordPress offers self-hosting directly, or you can opt in for BlueHost or Siteground, which also hosts on WordPress.
WooCommerce is undoubtedly a beginner-friendly eCommerce platform, but not as easy as Shopify or BigCommerce. Additionally, WooCommerce offers a Mobile App compatible with both iOS and Android. This is a game-changer considering it takes shopping mobile, making it more convenient for consumers to buy online using their smartphones. WooCommerce is indeed free to install. The only costs to worry about stem from hosting and any plugins or extensions integrated.
5. Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce Commerce is a cloud-based eCommerce platform built entirely on the internet, making it one of the most scalable software on the market. Using the Salesforce software enables users to integrate an eCommerce store with Salesforce’s customer relationship management software quickly and efficiently. This platform is an excellent solution for international brands. Salesforce Commerce Cloud can accommodate several types of enterprises from B2C, B2B, AI to Headless Commerce.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is used by some of the world’s most popular brands, including Petsmart, Coca Cola, and Stonewall Kitchen, to name a few. This platform offers commerce solutions that help users exceed their goals through an innovative branded experience that maximizes productivity and engagement across multiple channels.
This platform provides inclusive customer support available 24/7 and a support team that will handle all system upgrades. Everything is dealt with all from one place, making this platform one of the most convenient eCommerce solutions for enterprises. To determine the cost of investment, users must reach out directly to Salesforce for a custom quote based on business needs.
6. BigCommerce Enterprise
BigCommerce is hands down one of the largest eCommerce platforms in the industry. On average, it can take as little as three to four months to set up a powerful Enterprise eCommerce website faster than its counterparts. This platform offers everything needed to scale an enterprise using innovative built-in features that result in significant cost savings in the end. We’re talking thousands of dollars.
Some favorite features BigCommerce Enterprise offers are automated product updates, concentrated inventory management, and top-rated SEO tools and resources. This platform is also compatible with eBay integration if you want to tap into a larger marketplace. It is also easy to link external marketing softwares.
The user gains access to some of the most incredible support via email, live chat, and phone by choosing this platform. You’ll never feel alone with their in-house technical support team. BigCommerce offers over 150 premium template designs that range from $150 to $300, depending on the complexity of each design. There are just a handful of free designs to choose from, and all are fully customizable. Pricing typically ranges from $500 to $15,000 per month depending on the needs of your business, but it is highly recommended to reach out to the BigCommerce team for an accurate custom quote.ah