The commercial world is now facing unprecedented growth – around 175 websites appear every minute, and around 252,000 E-commerce websites are created in a day. The global market attracts everyone with its accessibility and an opportunity for unlimited global outreach.
Once the concept of the E-store is developed, the next step is the choice of a relevant platform that will work as a business representative in the digital space and provide uninterrupted functionality. That’s when the most challenging part of business setup begins, as apart from choosing the platform, you will need to choose the developer company, which will adjust the platform functionalities to the concept of the store.
When E-commerce development is under question, the most frequent mentions are SAP Commerce Cloud and Shopify. Let’s define whose efficiency will bring more benefits to your future business.
What Is SAP Commerce Cloud?
SAP Commerce Cloud is a self-sufficient and unified E-commerce platform, with an extensive set of features for B2C, B2B, D2C, B2B2C, and other business models.
SAP Commerce Cloud can easily function as an independent platform, providing its client and their customers with uninterrupted functioning. Yet, it can also be integrated with other SAP solutions like S/4HANA, SAP TM and SAP EWM, which will complement the E-commerce functioning.
The Benefits of SAP Commerce Cloud
SAP Commerce Cloud order management systems, unlimited customization, flexibility of deployment, multiple-presence support, third-party integrations, SAP-product integrations, high scalability, targeted marketing, headless storefront, product information management, etc. Among all, we would like to highlight the most distinctive features:
– Product Information Management
SAP Commerce Cloud features an easily integrated PIM, which streamlines all the activities related to product management. PIM is a unified solution for collecting, and managing product information, creating a product catalog, and its distribution in all the channels of E-commerce presence.
PIM is easily customizable; it provides tools to create product category hierarchies and classifications, which creates a new level of product enrichment.
– Personalization
When the shopping journey is personalized, the customers feel that their presence is appreciated, and thus, makes them come back again. An individual approach is backed up by AI-propelled solutions, which help to tailor the customer needs as much as possible – adjustable search, personalized promotions and suggestions, re-organized catalogues of goods, etc. Such a ‘care’ about the customer turns a journey through the sales funnel into a pleasant activity.
– Headless Design (SAP Spartakus)
Headless storefront is the latest trend in E-commerce development, which increases the flexibility and agility of store development. The headless design separates the store’s back- and front end, which allows content management to perform all the changes without the need to address it to the backend developers.
However, there are a few downsides to SAP infrastructure:
- The cost of implementation is not always affordable for small businesses and startups.
- High-level technical expertise, which creates the need for a developers company with a proven track of successful projects and readily available teams of developers.
SAP Commerce Cloud hybris is a complete ecosystem of tools that help to create a highly functional and highly structured commercial business. Provided you contact SAP Implementation services like LeverX, a global leader in SAP implementation, the perfection of the E-store will be beyond reproach.
What Is Shopify?
Shopify is a global E-commerce leader that offers numerous opportunities for starting, developing, and growing online businesses. Shopify features more than 4.4 mln stores globally, with the numbers growing daily.
The Benefits of Shopify
1. One-day-setup
Shopify comes with different subscription plans, which allow everyone to start an online trade within days or hours. It creates an opportunity for everyone to try their hand at commercial business, understand how things work, and move on to more advanced forms of digital presentation.
2. No need for technical skills
Shopify comes with out-of-box solutions and patterns, which allow users to set up an E-store and adjust its design as much as possible. Besides, there is 24/7 online support, which helps to resolve all the issues once they appear.
3. Mobile-friendly solution
Shopify has already adjusted to mobile view, which makes the store easily accessible by any kind of device, which yet again, provides more convenience for the customers.
4. Numerous payment options
One of the best features of Shopify is the variability of the gateways, which simplifies the shopping journey for the customers.
Shopify is a decent choice for E-commerce beginners, yet, it is important to consider its drawbacks:
- Fees – an ideal ‘one-day-store’ picture might be ruined as soon as the clients see the fees for each transaction. The cheapest subscription plans feature the highest fees.
- ‘No individual touches’ – the design patterns are a good idea, yet, they will never set a store apart from others, which leaves fewer chances to succeed in competition.
- Limited opportunities – The scalability and growth of the store are limited by the subscription plan. The more space and tools you need, the higher the payment.
SAP Commerce Cloud vs Shopify
SAP Commerce Cloud and Shopify are both efficient tools when there is a need to create a highly functional E-commerce presence.
You may be first attracted by the ‘low-starter’ Shopify pricing, as it is an appealing option for those who lack any kind of experience in E-commerce. However, while growing the volumes of inventory and sales, there will be a need for extension, and the price will get significantly higher. As a result, you will start looking for other more comprehensive solutions for migration.
Instead, we’d recommend elaborating on the future perspectives and considering the SAP Commerce Cloud, as it will help to create the E-store from scratch adjusting and customizing every function according to your vision and strategy of development.
SAP Commerce Cloud helps to enter the E-commerce world as a unique and distinctive solution, developing the performance in the right direction, and claiming your brand existence. Shopify gives a ticket to an E-commerce world to everyone, yet with rather limited tools and conventional design and features.
Which one is better? You are the one to choose the quality of your digital performance.
