ecommerce platform comparison

EcommErcE Platform comParison 20+ Shopping Carts Reviewed

www.CpcStrategy.com

www.CPCStRategy.com | [email protected] 619.677.2453

2

introduction

One of the worst mistakes a retailer can make is shack up with the WRONG ecommerce platform. Don’t find yourself wanting a divorce after only a couple weeks. The decision to go with a platform is a big one, and most likely you’ll hop on a few calls with several before you decide.

This ecommerce platform comparison is meant to provide general overviews (stereotypes, if you will) to send you down the path best suited for your business.

This Review Series has been featured in Internet Marketing Magazine

taBlE of contEnts

How wE GradE tHE Platforms

ovErall rankinGs

individual Platform & sHoPPinG cart rEviEws

4

8

14


4

How wE GradE tHE Platforms

Our ecommerce platform comparison grades are based on the expectations of a medium-sized retailer. These types of retailers don’t have the resources ($1-10M/year in revenue) to set up and run an enterprise-level ecommerce store but they also have more general and technical expertise than small retailers.

lEt’s rEviEw tHE critEria

Pricing

For a mid-sized retailer, unlimited products and data storage is typically ideal. These features were generally included in the upper-tier/premium plans for each solution, and so we compared each solution’s premium plan price and value (i.e. what are you getting for what you’re paying).

Functionality

A mid-sized retailer needs to have all the fundamental ecommerce functions and more. Premium features generally include email marketing, loyalty programs, coupons and promotions, strong customization options, advanced SEO, etc. Ultimately, ratings were based on the platform going above and beyond in terms of power and completeness.

User-experience

Did this platform give you the hot, stuffy, and dark experience or the cool, breezy, and sunny experience? We looked at and compared each platforms’ ease of setup, navigation, and


5

design as well as the customer service and knowledge support (support articles, instructions, tutorials, forums, etc.) offered.

Overall Value

These platforms were hands down the best value based on the above criteria.

ovErall rankinGs

Ecommerce Platform

Magento Enterprise C+ A+ A A+

IBM Websphere C+ A+ A A

Demandware C A+ A A

Hybris C A+ A- A

Shopify A- B+ A+ A-

Magento Community A A B+ A-

Miva Merchant A- B B A-

CS-Cart A A- C+ B+

Bigcommerce B- A A- B+

Volusion B+ A C+ B+

X-Cart A B+ C+ B+

Nexternal C B+ B+ B

Yahoo! Stores C B+ B+ B

Zen Cart A+ A- C- B

PrestaShop A A C B

WooCommerce A+ C A B-

Open Cart A B+ C+ B-

Magento Go B+ C+ A- B-

Amazon Webstores C- B- B+ C+

3dcart B B- C- C+

osCommerce A+ C- C- C

VirtueMart A C C- C

Big Cartel

AmeriCommerce

UberCart

A-

A-

A-

D-

D-

D-

A-

A-

A-

C-

C-

C-

Pricing Functionality User Experience Overall Value


8

individual Platform & sHoPPinG cart rEviEws

We compare 25 of the most well-known ecommerce platforms and shopping carts today on the basis of pricing, functionality, user-experience, and overall value. It’s important to check out the individual platform reviews for a more in-depth perspective.

Click on a ecommerce platform to view our review:

3dcart Review CS-Cart Review Magento Enterprise Review

osCommerce Review

Volusion Review

Amazon Webstores Review

Demandware Review

Magento Go Review

PrestaShop Review WooCommerce Review

AmeriCommerce Review

Hybris Review Miva Merchant Review

Shopify Review X Cart Review

BIg Cartel Review IBM Websphere Commerce Review

Nexternal Review UberCart Review Yahoo! Stores Review

Bigcommerce Review

Magento Community Review

Open Cart Review VirtueMart Review Zen Cart Review


9

amazon wEBstorEs rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE amazon wEBstorEs Platform?

Amazon Webstores is a new all-in-one ecommerce solution for online retailers.

Webstores opens its services up to retailers of all sizes because their 2 plans both include unlimited storage, bandwidth, and SKUs. Retailers have the option of signing up to sell on their own site AND sell on Amazon.com or solely just selling on their own website.

As you can imagine, Amazon.com encourages selling on their own site, and so we see a 1% transaction fee for the former plan and a 2% transaction fee for the latter.

However, retailers who sell on Amazon Marketplace still have to pay Marketplace’s separate selling fees. Amazon tacks on 2 other fees, called “payment processing and fraud protection fees,” regardless of whether you sell on Amazon.com, and so it can get a little confusing.


10

Ultimately, when comparing ecommerce platforms, it becomes clear that Amazon Webstores is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses because smaller businesses can benefit from the built-in market that comes with Amazon Marketplace integration and larger businesses will unfortunately see transactional fees pile up very quickly.

Good amazon wEBstorE fEaturEs


11

Bad amazon wEBstorE fEaturEs

You can view all of Amazon Webstores’ features here.

notaBlE amazon wEBstorEs ExamPlEs

Russell Athletic (Sports Apparel and Equipment)Fruit of the Loom (Apparel)Argo Tea (Tea)

Bottom linE

Using Amazon Webstores is like trusting the wise and experienced guy you met in an alley: he knows what he’s doing and will help you some of the way, but he has his own ulterior motives. Bad analogy? Well, just know that Webstores is designed and catered for the inexperienced retailer who

http://webstore.amazon.com/product/b/6368777011

http://shop.russellathletic.com/

http://shop.fruit.com/

http://www.argoteastore.com/


12

prefers the “set it and forget it” approach, and the multitude of fees you’ll pay for that kind of service will pile up quickly.

Amazon Webstores will provide a very user-friendly, hands off (for you), and complete kind of experience, but in any case where a smaller retailer puts his/her business in the hands of the largest internet retailer in the world, there is likely going to be some sort of bullying down the line.

Platform GradE: c+


13

amEricommErcE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE amEricommErcE Platform?

AmeriCommerce is a hosted, comprehensive ecommerce platform that allows you to design, launch, and manage your own online store. Founded in 2005, the platform is now used by more than 5,000 stores worldwide and has sold more than $4 billion in products to date.

AmeriCommerce’s real strengths lie in its cross-platform selling functionality. With just the click of a button, users can push sales to Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, or they can export products to comparison shopping sites. Additionally, AmeriCommerce also allows for multiple storefronts and microsites, and all can be controlled from the same, singular admin dashboard.

From a technical standpoint, AmeriCommerce is a pretty thorough platform. It includes hosting (which boasts 99.9 percent uptime) and every package comes with a free shared SSL and is PCI compliant, which helps provide the


14

security needed to accept payments and funds online. AmeriCommerce also offers help with domain names, though those come at an extra cost.

A few years ago, AmeriCommerce caught flak for its backend/admin area. Customers reported it to be confusing, difficult to navigate and designed for only the truly tech-savvy individual. The company listened to these concerns, however, and launched a new, completely redesigned backend just last August. Now, the dashboard is fully customizable, includes easy-to-understand graphics, and is even viewable on tablets and mobile phones.

As far as pricing goes, AmeriCommerce offers 5 distinct tiers, ranging from $24.99 to $299/month. On the higher end, you’ve got the “Medium Traffic” Gold tier for $149 a month and 10,000 products, and the “High Traffic” Platinum tier for $299 a month and an unlimited number of product listings. For retailers that sell more the $50,000 in products each month, AmeriCommerce offers more customized packages and pricing.

Ideal for: Small to Medium-sized retailers,though it’s particularly beneficial to those who manage multiple storefronts.


15

Good amEricommErcE fEaturEs


16

Bad amEricommErcE fEaturEs

You can view all of Americommerce’s features here.

amEricommErcE storE ExamPlEs

Empire Vehicle AccessoriesBoat Outfitters

Bottom linE

In a nutshell, AmeriCommerce is a robust, full-service solution for those looking to operate an online store. From hosting and design to product upload, order management and even marketing, AmeriCommerce makes a strong case to be considered a dark horse among its main competitors: Bigcommerce, 3dcart, Volusion, and Shopify.

http://www.americommerce.com/features

http://www.empirevehicleaccessories.com/

http://www.boatoutfitters.com/


17

If you’re looking for a main differentiator between AmeriCommerce and its competitors, its the multi-store functionality. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much AmeriCommerce asserts itself in the mid-tier hosted platform market.

Platform GradE: B


18

BiG cartEl rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE BiG cartEl Platform?

With over 200,000 active online stores, Big Cartel lives up to its name. However, the vast majority of those stores are very small to small online stores. Just looking at their pricing plans reveals its simplicity. Their premium plan, Titanium, maxes out at 300 products and is only $29.99/month. Started by a guy who wanted to sell his band’s t-shirts, Big Cartel is essentially the online store solution tailored for artists.

Check out all of Big Cartel’s pricing plans.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that Big Cartel is ideal for very small to small-sized retailers.

http://bigcartel.com/signup


19

Good BiG cartEl fEaturEs

Bad BiG cartEl fEaturEs


20

suBmit Your Product fEEd from BiG cartEl to GooGlE sHoPPinG

Because Big Cartel fosters a very small technical community, your options here are pretty limited. However, if you’re using Big Cartel, odds are that you don’t have many products to begin with.

It’ll no doubt take a while, but you do have the option of developing your own feed exactly to the specifications for Google Shopping. Or you can always pay a one-time fee and hire a software service like Aten Software to create and transfer a feed for you.

notaBlE BiG cartEl ExamPlEs

Parachute (apparel)Boompa (apparel)

Bottom linE

Big Cartel is very cheap and extremely simple to use. If you’re a very small-time retailer looking for the basics, this could very well be your solution. Big Cartel will offer a very basic and user-friendly experience, but it will also be extremely limiting.

Platform GradE: c-

http://www.madebyparachute.com/products

http://shop.boompa.ca/


21

BiGcommErcE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE BiG cartEl Platform?

Bigcommerce is a relatively new (founded in 2009) ecommerce platform that was designed to combine high functionality with good user-experience. Merchants using the Bigcommerce platform can sell any type of product, ranging from physical products to events and services.

Like Volusion, Bigcommerce is loaded with features so it may be overwhelming to a very small retailer with a simple online store in mind. It’s ideal to be somewhat familiarized with shopping carts to get the most out of their many features.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that Bigcommerce is ideal for a retailer of any size because of the range of variation in their plans. However, it can be pricey for a small retailer.


22

Use this chart to determine which Bigcommerce plan is right for you.

Good BiGcommErcE fEaturEs


23

Bad BiGcommErcE fEaturEs

notaBlE BiGcommErcE ExamPlEs

Oh So Celeb (Apparel)Circuit Boss (Gaming and PC Accessories)

Bottom linE

Bigcommerce offers a super customizable hosted ecommerce platform that’s up there as one of the most well-known, feature-rich, and prototypical solutions. It’s perhaps most comparable to other all-in-one solutions like Volusion, 3dcart, and Shopify, with Bigcommerce towards the top in terms of functionality. Bigcommerce offers an online retailer an extremely complete ecommerce platform experience

Platform GradE: B+

http://www.ohsoceleb.com/

http://www.circuitboss.com/


GEt morE on GooGlE, amazon, adwords, & rEtail sEarcH

Find out how to increase your ROI on Google, Amazon, adWords, and retail search campaigns without logging into a platform, dealing with technical elements of your data feed, or poring over performance data.

Dominate Retail Search

http://cpcstrategy.com/packages/


25

cs-cart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE cs-cart Platform?

First things first, CS-Cart is an open source ecommerce shopping cart solution currently used by over 30,000 stores.

Created by ex- X-Cart employees, CS-Cart offers a complete solution for the modern retailer and has gained a lot of buzz and popularity in the last couple of years. For a retailer, open source software means a couple things:

a) unlimited SKU capacity and customization potential andB) you’ll need a developer (preferably in-house).


26

CS-Cart (version 4) offers 3 different products:

The nice thing about CS-Cart’s product offerings is that a retailer can simply download the free Ultimate version to get a feel for the platform interface and decide later on if he/she wants to upgrade for more store functionality. Additionally, many (smaller) retailers may find that the free version will suffice for their ecommerce needs. This review will focus on the $395 Ultimate plan. Check out all 3 of CS-Cart’s versions compared.

Ideal for: Any size retailer with web development resources.

https://www.cs-cart.com/compare.html

https://www.cs-cart.com/compare.html


27

Good cs-cart fEaturEs

Bad cs-cart fEaturEs


28

notaBlE cs-cart wEBsitEs

Greenhouse (Apparel)Chic Cham (Furniture)

Bottom linE

CS-Cart sets the sky as the limit in terms of customization of design and functionality. With tons of features and a very user-friendly design process, the open source platform seems to just fall short in the customer support sector. If you’re a small retailer with limited technical resources, this is a HUGE red flag, but medium to large retailers with more in-house web development expertise will not experience as much duress.At the end of the day, consider CS-Cart as an up-and-coming open source solution that provides a modern, well built-out shopping cart experience.

Platform GradE: B+

http://www.greenhouse.tm/

http://chiccham.com/


29

dEmandwarE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE dEmandwarE Platform?

Demandware is a cloud-based ecommerce platform that launched in 2004. Currently, the platform serves more than 180 companies across the country, including big names like Adidas, Barneys New York, Brooks Brothers, Crocs, Ecco, FILA, Godiva, Kate Spade, Loreal, Lancome, New Balance, PacSun, Panasonic, Pier1 Imports, UGG, and more.

Demandware is unique from other ecommerce platforms in that there are two ways a customer can use it. First, it can be used simply as a “shell”. Customers can build and create the website themselves, using Demandware as the backbone to power it (see here). For less tech-savvy clients (or those who wish to have a more hands-off experience), Demandware also offers a second option: let a Demandware LINK partner handle it for you. With this method, clients are partnered with a one of Demandware’s LINK program partners who can help design, launch, manage, and market the site for optimal success. Demandware boasts LINK partners for technical aspects, strategy solutions, and end-to-end assistance.


30

While Demandware is not self-hosted, it does afford users a fully customized experience. Its Eclipse-based support system allows experienced developers to add custom code, debug existing code, and even test new code in a staging environment before going live. Demandware also boasts open APIs, so it can easily and quickly be integrated with outside programs and applications.

As far as pricing goes, Demandware operates on a subscription-based model. Clients are charged a license fee based on a percentage of the sales they generate from the site. This percentage varies from client to client (1-800-Contacts pays around .75 to 1.25 % of monthly sales, according to Equity Research.) Implementation services, which include web design, management, marketing and other services provided by Demandware LINK partners, depend completely on what assistance a client needs. Typically, a customer that boasts annual sales between $20 and $500 million (Demandware’s target client) can expect licensing fees between $200,000 and $700,000 a year and an additional $250,000 to $600,000 a year for other services.

Though Demandware’s sales-based platform model does seem harsh at first (taking a portion of your profits!), it can actually turn out to be quite a beneficial system for both parties involved. Since Demandware only gets a high payday if the retailer does the same, the company is extremely invested in its clients’ success. They’re motivated to help customers be as profitable as possible, so they, in turn, can be profitable as well. According to Demandware’s president and CEO Tom Ebling, this is a “shared success model” of business.

Use of Demandware has been on the rise in recent years, especially among big-name retailers. According to its 2012


31

annual report, the company increased total subscription revenue by 44 percent between 2011 and 2012, raking in a grand total of $67.9 million in licensing fees alone. But despite its seemingly successful system, Demandware is not without problems. In fact, late last year, shoe retailer Finish Line attributed a $3 million dollar loss to its recent choice to migrate from its in-house system to Demandware’s platform.

Ideal for: Enterprise-level businesses that generate between $20 million and $500 million in sales annually

Good dEmandwarE fEaturEs


32

Bad dEmandwarE fEaturEs

You can view all of Demandware’s features here.

notaBlE dEmandwarE sitEs

AdidasBrooks Brothers

Bottom linE

Demandware is best for large-sized, enterprise-level retailers looking for an all-inclusive, customized ecommerce solution. While it is possible to use the Demandware system simply as an open-source ecommerce solution (if you’re tech-savvy or know your way around code), the platform’s real power lies in its unique LINK partner program. Through LINK, customers can pick and choose any number of value-added services that can improve their store and add to their bottom line.

http://www.demandware.com/product/merchandising-capabilities/merchandising/

http://www.adidas.com/us/

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/


33

If you’re looking for a strong differentiation between Demandware and Magento Enterprise, it’s certainly Demandware’s pricing structure, cloud platform, and lack of an active, established community (not as huge a factor for enterprise businesses). Demandware will most likely be significantly more expensive than Magento Enterprise solutions, but speaking just of functionality, enterprise-level businesses can’t go wrong with either feature-set.

Platform GradE: a


34

HYBris rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE HYBris Platform?

Hybris is an enterprise-level ecommerce software suite that offers B2C and B2B store functionality. Currently, more than 2,500 stores use the hybris (the lowercase is intentional) platform, boasting more than 20 million product SKUs and over 500,000 orders each day. Hybris has been a dominant enterprise platform mainly in the European market.

With hybris, you can choose to host your site yourself and simply use hybris software to power it, or you can opt for a hybris-hosted or cloud-based solution. Either way, you’ll have access to multiple sales channels, including B2C, B2B, mobile, and in-store access. Inventory management/content is housed centrally, and you’re able to pick and choose which products are viewable in each channel. This allows you to maximize your selling potential and display listings according to varying customer groups and segments.

While its multichannel functionality is valuable, the true power of hybris lies in its customizable approach. Each


35

hybris deployment is carefully managed to provide exactly what the client needs, whether it be a hands-off, hosted solution or a store that can be handled in-house and on-site. This customizable nature means the platform can easily be expanded or scaled down as a customer grows and changes.

In addition to its ground-up customized options, hybris also offers a more scaled-down, out-of-the-box solution called Commerce Accelerator. Commerce Accelerator is a ready-to-use system that includes numerous templates, order management tools, and payment capabilities. I’ve read that this product takes anywhere from 3 to 4 months to implement a full-scale store.

As for pricing, hybris offers a variety of options, including pay-per-use, long-term licensing, and revenue share. Standard licenses start at $54,000/year and go up from there, depending on what modules and services you need.

Ideal for: Large-sized companies who have a significant budget and can commit to a long-term online store solution (B&M presence is ideal).


36

Good HYBris fEaturEs

Bad HYBris fEaturEs


37

It’s frustrating to see that hybris doesn’t release granular feature-information (reporting capabilities, advanced marketing capabilities, etc.), but here’s a rough overview of their product.

notaBlE HYBris wEBsitEs

Land’s EndRadioShack

Bottom linE

Although your hybris solution will depend on your unique, individual needs, one thing is certain: it’s not a solution for beginners or even middle-of-the-pack retailers. With licenses starting at more than $50K and a built-in multichannel functionality, this platform is best suited for large to enterprise-level retailers with sizeable budgets and numerous revenue streams.

B&M + ecommerce brands will benefit the most from hybris, though it may be the better route to go with a cheaper, similarly functional solution like Demandware or IBM Websphere.

Platform GradE: a

http://hybris.com/en/products/product-overview

http://hybris.com/en/products/product-overview

http://ocs.landsend.com/cd/frontdoor%3Fstore_name%3Dcorpsales%26store_type%3D1

http://www.radioshack.com/


38

iBm wEBsPHErE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE iBm Platform?

IBM WebSphere Commerce is an ecommerce platform that offers multi-channel selling for B2B, B2C and B2B2C companies. It allows for web, mobile, social, call center, and in-store functionality, and lets users control all channels from one central admin platform. It’s currently offered in three deployment forms: Software as a Service, cloud implementation, or on-premises. IBM allows customers to transition between these three methods easily as their businesses grow and change.

In addition to the three deployment methods, there are also three unique WebSphere Commerce products, each aimed at a different target audience. The “Express” package is designed for fast, easy implementation and is considered a “starter store,” of sorts. The “Professional” package is aimed at midsized companies, and the “Enterprise” package is designed for high-volume B2C and B2B retailers with multiple websites on the docket.


39

IBM WebSphere Commerce distinguishes itself from other ecommerce platforms by integrating a number of selling channels and allowing the user to control them from one single admin area. WebSphere’s features are aimed towards delivering a personalized shopping experience that speaks to your customers’ needs, increases their brand loyalty, and improves your sales simultaneously.

Unfortunately, WebSphere’s pricing structure is somewhat confusing. Not only do you have to pay a licensing and subscription fee (the subscription is annual); you also have to pay a set fee per PVU, or processor value unit. The PVU is the number of units within the operating system that will be hosting the WebSphere software. Typically, this number can fluctuate anywhere from 30 to a few hundred, depending on the brand you have.

For the Express package, you’re looking at $5,030 cost for the user license and subscription fee. In addition to that, you’ll need to pay $327 per PVU. Let’s say you have an IBM Power Systems core with a Linux operating system, which clocks in at 70 PVUS. In this scenario, your PVU fees would come in at a total cost of $22,890. Add that to the licensing fee, and you’re at just around $28,000 (for 1 year).

If you want the Enterprise package, you’ll pay $15,700 for a 25-store license and subscription or $20,800 for a 10-user license, whichever serves your company best. Then, on the PVU side, you’ll owe $1,990 per PVU. If we use the previous example, Enterprise would run you between $139,300 and $160, 730 per year. For the Professional package, the prices continue to climb. You’ll pay $15,700 for a 25-store license or $23,300 for a 10-user one, plus $1,230 per PVU. In total, that comes out to $101,800 or $162,600.


40

Ideal for: High-volume, enterprise-level sellers with a B&M presence and those primed to take advantage of its multi-site, multi-channel functionality.

Good iBm wEBsPHErE fEaturEs


41

Bad iBm wEBsPHErE fEaturEs

You can view many of Websphere Commerce’s features here.

notaBlE iBm wEBsPHErE wEBsitEs:

StaplesDavid’s Bridal

Bottom linE

The IBM WebSphere Commerce platform offers a number of features that could be a real game-changer for a retailer. Reviewing it gave me the feeling that the IBM Websphere Commerce was designed by a conglomerate of the some of the most brilliant tech-nerds in the world because of the sophistication of many of their retail features. Unfortunately, many of these features aren’t available with the platform’s most basic (and most affordable) product, WebSphere Commerce Express. Only Demandware, another enterprise-level solution, compares to the sophistication of WebSphere.

Platform GradE: a

http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/websphere-commerce

http://www.staples.com/

http://www.davidsbridal.com/


42

maGEnto communitY rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE maGEnto communitY Platform?

Used by over 125,000 online stores and powering 26% of the Alexa Top 1 Million sites, Magento Community is a big deal in ecommerce. You’ll probably think to yourself, “What’s the difference between Magento and the likes of other open-source solutions like CS-Cart and PrestaShop if they’re all so customizable and they all have hundreds of extensions available?” Well, the reality is that the user-experience with open-source software differs greatly by the customer/technical support made available, the user-interface, and the amount of built-in functionality.

All 3 solutions are geared for tech-savvy retailers of any size. For some perspective, if PrestaShop is the baseline, CS-Cart offers a more stress-free user-experience (easy installation, great interface) and Magento provides exceptional functionality. At the end of the day, Magento Community will distinguish itself from other open-source software with its high power and functionality best-suited for retailers with high traffic and large inventory.


43

Ideal for: Upper tier, middle-sized retailers as well as large retailers

Good maGEnto communitY fEaturEs


44

Bad maGEnto communitY fEaturEs

You can view a comparison of key Magento plan features (including Magento Community) here.

maGEnto communitY wEBsitEs/ExamPlEs

Buy a KiltCoffee For Less

Bottom linE

Sure, Magento Community is not going to look elite next to Magento Enterprise, but that should not cloud the fact that Community is still one of the most capable open-source software solutions on the market. Ultimately, your success with Magento Community is going to be determined by your accessibility to highly skilled web developers and your vision for the potential of your store.

http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/overview-compare%3Ficid%3Dtopnav

http://buyakilt.com/

http://www.coffeeforless.com/


45

The reality is that a retailer could technically create an online store similar to the robustness and sophistication of an Enterprise store using Community by purchasing extensions and having great programmers. The multitude of extensions will be expensive, but it’s better than paying a huge annual licensing fee.

Though it has a high barrier to entry (for optimal potential), Magento Community provides a highly capable and sophisticated ecommerce experience.

Platform GradE: a-


46

maGEnto EntErPrisE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE maGEnto EntErPrisE Platform?

Everyone knows about Magento. The company was launched in 2008 and now offers three unique versions of its software: Magento Go, Magento Community, and Magento Enterprise. While Go is suited for smaller retailers, Community and Enterprise are geared toward medium- and large-sized retailers. The primary difference between the two? How tech-savvy the client needs to be.

Magento Community is a free open source solution, meaning its code is completely customizable to your store’s needs. Unfortunately, that means you’ll also need to be extremely well-versed in code (or have someone on staff who is) in order to configure your store the way you want it. Magento Enterprise, on the other hand, offers a complete ecommerce solution, including PCI compliance, tax calculation features, return management modules, loyalty programs, email marketing, and much more. It’s more geared toward retailers who want an all-inclusive, hands-off package. It also includes 24-7 expert technical support, in case you need help along


47

the way. Magento Enterprise and Magento Community, unlike Magento Go, are not hosted by Magento itself. If you go with Enterprise, you will need to purchase a separate hosting plan relative to the size store you wish to operate. Because of this, there is no limit to the number of products you can upload (though it’s important to remember: the more server space you take up, the more you’re going to pay for hosting.

In a nutshell, Magento Enterprise is best for medium- and large-sized retailers with high sales and deep pocket books. Magento Enterprise’s pricing looks like $15,550 a year, and the premium version runs upwards of $77,000 annually. One of the biggest reasons retailers choose to cough up these high costs for Magento Enterprise is its advanced marketing capabilities – in particular, its ability to segment customers. This allows you to treat unique groups of customers differently so you can give them incentives, invite them to special sales, and do more to encourage buying on a personal level.

Opening a Magento Enterprise store puts you in company with current clients like Nike, Vizio, Toms, and OfficeMax.

Ideal for: Medium and large-sized retailers who bring in significant sales numbers annually.


48

Good maGEnto EntErPisE fEatuEs


49

Bad maGEnto EntErPisE fEatuEs You can

Check out just about all of Magento Enterprise’s features here.

notaBlE storE ExamPlEs

NikeWarby Parker

Bottom linE

Unlike designer clothing, you get what you pay for with Magento Enterprise, and it’s a lot. As one of the most popular ecommerce platform providers in the world, Magento has pulled out all the stops with its Enterprise edition.

Magento Enterprise offers a plethora of unique and game-changing features that can help your store run smoothly and add value to your bottom line. From customer segmentation, private sales, and built-in loyalty programs to fast loading

http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/enterprise-features

http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/

http://www.warbyparker.com/


50

pages, easy checkout processe,s and more, Magento Enterprise offers many benefits you can’t find with other platforms.

Magento Enterprise isn’t for everyone. Despite its power, speed, and functionality, Magento Enterprise’s high licensing costs significantly limit who can take advantage of this software. Enterprise is best reserved for medium- and large-sized retailers who have a lot of product SKUs, a large IT budget, and a high number of annual sales. Only then is it worth the up-front costs.

Platform GradE: a


51

maGEnto Go rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE maGEnto Go Platform?

Use this chart to determine which Magento plan is right for you:

Magento Go is the most basic Magento plan and is also the least customizable. If Enterprise is the father and Community is the mother, then Go is the middle school child. It’s designed for small businesses that prefer a simple online store. For the sake of not beating a dead horse, this Magento review will focus on the little known Go.


52

Magento Go starts at $15/month for 200MB of storage space and 100 SKUs and ends at $125/month for 10,000 SKUs and 5 GB of storage space. Given the fact that Magento Go has limited SKU and storage space plans, it is ideal for small businesses.

Good maGEnto Go fEaturEs


53

Bad maGEnto Go fEaturEs

You can view all of Magento Go’s features here.

notaBlE maGEnto Go ExamPlEs

Off The Hook (Shoes and Apparel)Arrive Chic (Travel Accessories)

Bottom linE

Magento Go has all the makings to become a great and afford-able ecommerce platform, but they’re still rather infantile in their developmental stages. It’s very possible that over the years, this ecommerce platform will become more sophisti-cated (and perhaps more expensive). Ultimately, Magento Go will offer a very rudimentary and plain experience to its users.

Platform GradE: B-

http://go.magento.com/tour/

http://othshop.ca/

http://arrivechic.com/


54

miva mErcHant rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE miva mErcHant Platform?

Miva Merchant is a complete ecommerce platform solution for retailers of a variety of sizes. It’s one of the few platforms that offers small business plans, enterprise solutions, as well as self-hosting software. This means you can control how customizable you want your Miva Merchant shopping cart to be.

There are 4 Miva Merchant plans for small businesses, ranging from $29.95 to $129.95. Neither of these plans have a product limit and include all of the same essential features.

It should be noted that Miva Merchant doesn’t host for retailers with soft goods (meaning services or downloadable products). When comparing ecommerce platforms, it becomes clear that Miva Merchant is ideal for retailers of any size, considering their unlimited products feature and their consistency in features across all plans.


55

Good miva mErcHant fEaturEs

Bad miva mErcHant fEaturEs

You can view all of Miva Merchant’s features here.

http://www.mivamerchant.com/ecommerce-software-features%23design-flexibility


56

miva mErcHant ExamPlEs

Green Tree Coffee and TeaMad Cat Toys

Bottom linE

Miva Merchant is a platform that is much improved over pre-vious versions. Though not as well-known as some of its com-petitors, it’s a surprisingly robust and powerful ecommerce platform that gives retailers all of the ecommerce essentials and great usability.

Miva Merchant will provide merchants with a conventional, yet powerful experience.

Platform GradE: a-

http://www.greentreecoffee.com/

http://www.madcattoys.com/


57

nExtErnal rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE nExtErnal Platform?

Nexternal is a cloud-based ecommerce platform that was launched in 2000. The platform serves a variety of companies across the apparel, automotive, non-profit and food/beverage industries and boasts several big-name clients, including Korbel, USA Today, Hershey, Taser, Mystic Tan, and Magnolia Bakery. All Nexternal stores are maintained on the company’s corporate server and require no outside hosting package, security precautions, or SSL add-ons.

For pricing, you’re looking at a $1000 initial setup fee. After that, monthly pricing is dependent on your monthly online sales. They also offer a 15-day free trial. Very high volume merchants can also consider the Nexternal Unlimited package, which costs $5000/month for any number of monthly sales. Check out this table for an overview:


58

A big plus of Nexternal is its customer service model. When a client first signs up for the platform, they’re assigned a personal Nexternal representative right away. This rep will be their go-to person for any questions, concerns, or support requests they have throughout the entire life of their account. They’ll assist with setting up and designing the store, recommending marketing efforts, and providing technical support when needed. Unlike most ecommerce platforms that use ticketing systems for customer service, Nexternal’s process guarantees more personalized, customized support, and care.

Based off its pricing structure, I’d recommend Nexternal to larger online retail businesses doing greater than $6 million in annual sales. At the end of the day, Nexternal is an enterprise-level solution.

Ideal for: Depends on annual sales, but medium to large online retail businesses doing greater than $6 mil. annually will see the most value


59

Good nExtErnal fEaturEs

Bad nExtErnal fEaturEs


60

You can view all of Nexternal’s features here.

notaBlE nExtErnal sitEs

ToeSoxSimple Truths

Bottom linE

With Nexternal’s personalized customer service model and all-inclusive functionalities, the platform is a good choice for larger retailers who will actually get the most out of Nexternal’s powerful software. I recommend taking a look at their pricing structure, comparing it to your monthly and annual online sales numbers, and determining if the solution is scalable for your business.

Despite being overshadowed by similarly-priced and more recognized solutions like Amazon Webstores or Yahoo Stores, Nexternal is a viable, dark-horse option for large online stores.

Platform GradE: B

http://www.nexternal.com/ecommerce/features.asp

http://toesox.com/

http://www.simpletruths.com/


61

oPEncart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE oPEncart Platform?

OpenCart is a FRee open-source shopping cart. Like Zen Cart, OpenCart is based on PHP/MySQL code and was developed to to be an affordable, user-friendly, and potent piece of ecommerce software. OpenCart is definitely not as dated as Zen Cart, but the two are very comparable. To compare the two, OpenCart provides an overall more intuitive and well-designed user-interface as well as a higher selection of extensions while Zen Cart adds a bit more built-in functionality.

Straight “out-of-the-box,” OpenCart is very basic in terms of functionality and doesn’t touch the sophistication of Magento’s open-source shopping cart. Like with all open-source software, the potential for your store only rises with how skilled your web development resources are so these will be very necessary when customizing an OpenCart site and installing extensions.


62

OpenCart is a great solution for ecommerce business owners who are just starting out because all the base needs are covered and there’s not all these (sometimes unnecessary) bells and whistles that can become overwhelming. the biggest costs for owning an OpenCart site will be web programming resources and extensions for added functionality.

Ideal for: Small to medium-sized ecommerce stores

Good oPEncart fEaturEs


63

Bad oPEncart fEatuErs

You can view many of OpenCart’s features here.

notaBlE oPEncart ExamPlEs

Mix WigGorgeous Couture

Bottom linE

Despite being around for about 4 years now, OpenCart is still an immature solution (in comparison to other open-source software on the market) in terms of its “out of the box” robustness, and this is where purchasing a wide host of extensions plays a role. A small to smaller medium-sized retailer will have no problem using the OpenCart shopping cart because it includes most base ecommerce functions, yet a quickly growing medium to enterprise-sized ecommerce

http://www.opencart.com/index.php%3Froute%3Dfeature/feature


64

business may want to consider comparable, more complete open-source solutions like PrestaShop or Magento.

It’s become clear that OpenCart users have very polar experiences with the cart, where many customer testimonials either rave about or smash the ecommerce software. Nevertheless, with sound and capable web development resources as well as a clear vision for the store, an ecommerce business owner can have a very functional and sleek store on their hands using the OpenCart software.

Platform GradE: B-


65

oscommErcE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE oscommErcE Platform?

osCommerce’s online merchant platform is a comprehensive PHP-based ecommerce solution for online retailers. Think of it as the grandfather of all open-source shopping carts (“os” means open-source). Zen Cart is actually a branch off of the osCommerce software. Currently, more than 12,000 business owners use osCommerce as the backbone for their self-hosted (vs. hosted) online store.

Because osCommerce (v2.3) is a self-hosted, open source solution, there are no limits to the number of products that can be uploaded using the platform. Additionally, thousands of free community add-ons make just about any in-store functionality possible. If you’re looking for a differentiating factor for osCommerce among the sea of other open-source solutions, it’s that osCommerce has been in the business for over 13 years now. This means that the cart already has a built-in, active community (which is huge for open-source) and that there are many 3rd party services that integrate easily with it. Customization is one of osCommerce’s strong suits.


66

The general consensus is that although osCommere was the Model T that started it all, it simply does not compare to the more advanced and improved open-source shopping carts available today.

Ideal for: Any-sized retailer (osCommerce is the 5th most used ecommerce software among the Alexa Top 1M; the top 5 are all self-hosted open-source)

Good oscommErcE fEaturEs


67

Bad oscommErcE fEaturEs

Bottom linE

As the original leader in open-source ecommerce software, osCommerce’s run at the top has dwindled as more and more improved-upon solutions popped up on the market and sur-passed it (see Magento, CS-Cart, Zen Cart, and PrestaShop). Your main expenses with an osCommerce shop will be for web development services, hosting, and added security.

Recommending osCommerce to the masses of medium-sized retailers would be like recommending a DeLorean to a family man with 4 kids (another one of my attempts at analogical


68

humor…). There are simply more robust, streamlined, and updated software available for arguably less of an investment of time and resources. Nevertheless, with affordable and capable web development resources, an ecommerce business owner could still have a very functional online store, yet the effort required to get that point will probably not be worth the ROI.

Merchants can be ensured a blank slate and uphill battle with osCommerce.

Platform GradE: c


69

PrEstasHoP rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE PrEstasHoP Platform?

PrestaShop is a complete ecommerce platform for retailers of a variety of sizes, and it gives retailers a large number of ways to customize their store through open-source software.It’s free, too, which gives retailers a low barrier to entry and a lot of flexibility (if you have the programming skills) to build an ecommerce store.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that PrestaShop is ideal for any business that is programming savvy.


70

Good PrEstasHoP fEaturEs

Bad PrEstasHoP fEaturEs

You can view all of PrestaShop’s 310 features here.

http://www.prestashop.com/en/features


71

notaBlE PrEstasHoP ExamPlEs

Dirty Shirty (Apparel)Ode à la Rose (Flower Delivery)

Bottom linE

PrestaShop is a platform that is overall cheap and extremely flexible IF you have the skills to manage it. After reviewing the PrestaShop platform, we believe it should be a top contender in your comparison and analysis of the best ecommerce platforms only if you have a good understanding of programming knowledge and skills.

PrestaShop offers retailers a very technical but robust experience.

Platform GradE: B

http://dirtyshirty.com/

http://www.odealarose.com/


72

sHoPifY rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE sHoPifY Platform?

Founded in 2004, Shopify is the leader in the wave of progressive, modernized ecommerce software for business owners. It currently powers over 70,000 ecommerce stores. Although it’s a favorite for a large range of business sizes, Shopify is best suited for smaller retail businesses because of its simplicity and ease of use. However, that’s not to say that Shopify, especially its Enterprise solution, isn’t a popular choice for huge businesses like Gatorade and Tesla Motors.

For retailers looking to create a complex and highly sophisticated online store, there exists better options (like Magento Community). The hosted ecommerce platform is a favorite for many design-oriented business owners, and its aesthetics along with its user-friendliness are its strongsuits.


73

Check out which of the 4 Shopify pricing plans works best for you.

These rates are typically slightly less expensive than big names like Volusion or Bigcommerce.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that Shopify is ideal for small to medium sized businesses in terms of ease of use, yet it also offers one of the cheapest unlimited plans for retailers with a lot of SKUs.

Good sHoPifY fEaturEs

http://www.shopify.com/pricing


74

Bad sHoPifY fEaturEs

You can view all of Shopify’s features here.

notaBlE sHoPifY ExamPlEs

SMS Audio by 50 Cent (Electronics)Noon Copenhagen (Watches)

Bottom linE

A Shopify store is going to be aesthetically very pleasing, rich with relevant features, and best of all, amazingly easy to create. Shopify is hands-down the most user-friendly premium ecommerce platform, but is not ideal for large businesses with massive inventories.

Shopify offers an aesthetically beautiful and extremely easy to use experience for small-medium size businesses.

Platform GradE: a

http://www.shopify.com/website/templates

http://smsby50.com/

http://shopus.nooncopenhagen.com/


75

uBErcart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE uBErcart Platform?

Ubercart is an open-source shopping cart plugin for Drupal-based websites. It is free to download and install, but will only integrate properly with stores using the Drupal content management system (CMS). Ubercart is a basic, add-on module that offers only shopping cart and checkout functionality for already existing sites. It comes with no built-in hosting or email capabilities; these must be secured from a separate hosting provider.

Overall, Ubercart is a fairly basic shopping cart system with no extra bells and whistles. It allows you to upload products, apply attributes, and list them in separate categories – but that’s about where it ends. For other functionalities, such as SEO, advanced marketing capabilities, mobile readiness and more, you’ll need to use one of Drupal’s many other extension modules (of which there are hundreds). Additionally, your design options are limited with Ubercart. There are no included templates; you’ll need to hire a designer or


76

programmer to alter the site’s theme files and CSS to your liking and style.

Although Ubercart itself is free of up-front charges, you’ll encounter a number of other costs along the way if you want to run an online store with it. In addition to needing a domain name, a hosting package, a programmer, and SSL capabilities, you’ll also need to foot the bill for an account with one of Ubercart’s approved payment gateways before you can begin taking payments.

If your company is on a strict budget and you simply want a way to list a handful of products quickly on the web, Ubercart may do the trick, but certainly better ecommerce plugins for better CMSs exist.

For bigger-sized Drupal stores, Drupal offers its own ecommerce platform called Drupal Commerce, which offers a number of valuable functions that Ubercart simply doesn’t have. Social media integration, more design freedom, mobile responsiveness and international currencies are just a few of the platform’s enhanced capabilities that could provide value to a larger retailer.

Ideal for: Very small retailers, companies on a budget or those only wanting to list a few products.


77

Good uBErcart fEaturEs

Bad uBErcart fEaturEs

You can view a list of Ubercart’s features here.

http://www.ubercart.org/what_is_ubercart


78

uBErcart storE ExamPlEs

Amplified PartsBeauty Hall Indo

Bottom linE

I just can’t imagine any scenario for why I would recommend Ubercart to a retailer. For Drupal devotees, Drupal Commerce is a superior alternative and for those looking for an ecom-merce plugin for a CMS solution, VirtueMart for Joomla and WooCommerce for WordPress are levels beyond Ubercart (WooCommerce is by far the best of these).

If there is such a thing as a truly ominous sign, the Ubercart site actually crashed during my research for this review. Pre-pare for plenty of development and customization work with Ubercart.

Platform GradE: d

http://www.amplifiedparts.com/

http://www.beautyhaulindo.com/


79

virtuEmart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE virtuEmart Platform?

VirtueMart is a free, open-source ecommerce plug-in that works in conjunction with the Joomla content management system. It was launched in 1997 and, to date, has been utilized by nearly 300,000 retailers worldwide.

VirtueMart is not for the novice business owner by any means. For one, it operates on a less than user-friendly CMS (Joomla). Known for its confusing interface and complicated admin area, Joomla is a platform designed for the highly tech savvy user– not the casual web user. Additionally, VirtueMart’s open source code (which is all PHP and MySQL-based) makes it difficult for the average business owner to manage. In most cases, an experienced web developer or programmer is needed to install and implement the platform successfully (and to maintain it in the long run). Let’s also not forget that VirtueMart and Joomla have both been swept up by WordPress and Woocommerce as the newer, more user-friendly CMS has gained popularity in the last couple of years.


80

VirtueMart (or Joomla, for that matter) does not come with any sort of hosting support. That means business owners who choose to use this platform must acquire a separate hosting package with another vendor in order to get their store up a nd running.

Users also may have to cough up extra dough if they want their store to be mobile-friendly. Mobile compatibility for VirtueMart is only available via the iVM Store application, which must be purchased through the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Depending on the device retailers want to target and the licensing period they choose, the app can run between $110 to $1000. So, if your store/product category inherently attracts a lot of mobile users, VirtueMart is not ideal.

Accepting payment with VirtueMart can also be a costly process. To accept credit cards using the platform, retailers first must install a PCI-compliant plug-in into their Joomla installation, which costs around $50. They’ll also need to sign up with an approved payment gateway and acquire an SSL certificate (both of which mean more fees.) Fortunately, PayPal is a bit easier to install, and it can be done at no cost.

Ideal for: The do-it-yourself small to medium sized retailer with a lot of technical know-how.


81

Good virtuEmart fEaturEs

Bad virtuEmart fEaturEs


82

You can view all of VirtueMart’s features here.

notaBlE virtuEmart storEs

Simply RememberedEliseo Fashion

Bottom linE

Transferring your online store, or even starting out there, would be a huge step backwards. VirtueMart is past its prime and in both design and functionality, appears outdated, weak, and surpassed by more innovative competitors. It seems like VirtueMart also has a stronger international presence than it does in the U.S.

In a nutshell, VirtueMart is a valid option for the retailer who has his/her sights aimed small. Small to medium-sized retailers looking in the open-source market are better off considering more mainstream solutions.

Platform GradE: c

http://virtuemart.net/features/all-features

http://www.simplyremembered.com/

http://www.eliseofashion.com/


83

volusion rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE volusion Platform?

Volusion gives an online retailer every tool necessary to make a highly functional and sophisticated online store. Volusion is highly prototypical of a premium ecommerce platform. There are simpler online stores available for smaller merchants, but Volusion offers solutions for retailers of every size.

Check out all 5 Volusion pricing plans to find your best fit.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that Volusion is ideal for a wide range of business sizes because of the variance in product limits across their 5 plans.

http://www.volusion.com/hosting-plans-pricing/


84

Good volusion fEaturEs

Bad volusion fEaturEs


85

You can view all of Volusion’s features here.

notaBlE volusion wEBsitEs

3M (multiple product categories)School Outlet (Furniture)

Bottom linE

One of the oldest and most established ecommerce platforms in the industry, Volusion is a hosted ecommerce platform that offers an all-in-one ecommerce solution. If you’re looking for a very basic online store with only a few products, a Volusion website probably isn’t for you because of the multitude of features it offers.

Highly customizable and easy to use, Volusion offers a very standard and comprehensive experience.

Platform GradE: B+

http://www.volusion.com/online-store-builder/

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WW3/Country/

http://www.schooloutlet.com/


86

woocommErcE rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE woocommErcE PluGin?

Launched in 2011, WooCommerce is an ecommerce plug-in for the WordPress content management system (CMS) that has gained immense popularity in just a couple of years. In 3 years, it already has 2.3 million downloads, and to put that in perspective, PrestaShop, which doesn’t require a CMS, has 3.4 million in 7 years.

Right off the bat, an online retailer needs to know 2 important things about WooCommerce.

WooCommerce Is A Shopping Cart Plugin, NOT An Ecommerce Platform

This means that retailers who are considering using WooCommerce must first have a WordPress website. If you’re unfamiliar with WordPress, it’s a quickly evolving content management system (a.k.a. “sophisticated superblog” in Layman’s terms). The CPC Strategy blog is a WordPress site, and the likes of Van Heusen and IZOD rely on WordPress to


87

run their retail site as well. If you already have a WordPress site, great. If not, transferring to WordPress just for its WooCommerce plugin may not be worth it.

WooCommerce Is Very Basic

Most features that would come standard with premium, established ecommerce solutions like Volusion, Magento, or Shopify are available for purchase as extensions. I think of WooCommerce as blank iPhone, whereas a PrestaShop or Magento Community is a blank Android. Another bad analogy on my end, but hopefully you get the idea. WooCommerce is FREE and is available to download immediately. As far as pricing goes, the WooCommerce plug-in itself is completely free to download. Extensions, as we mentioned before, will be required and will run you extra cash, and you’ll also need to have a configured WordPress site, hosting package, and SSL in place before you can start selling.

Ideal for: Small-size retailers


88

Good woocommErcE fEaturEs

Bad woocommErcE fEaturEs

There’s little documentation on WooCommerce’s built-in feature set (there’s not much), but here’s a rough outline.

http://www.woothemes.com/woocommerce/%23vendor-friendly


89

notaBlE woocommErcE storEs

Recon InstrumentsSoul Brother

Bottom linE

I’m a fan of WooCommerce. I think it’s the ideal solution for small retailers (from just starting out to roughly $500k/year), and prior experience with WordPress is of course a huge plus. WooCommerce is one of the few solutions out there that real-ly simplifies the ecommerce aspect of a website for the layper-son and packages site management in a highly intuitive and simple user-interface.

That said, a medium-sized retailer (1-5MM/year) is better served with a solution that offers more analytical/reporting data and has higher-level marketing functionality.

Platform GradE: B-

http://shop.reconinstruments.com/

http://www.soulbrother.com/


90

x-cart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE x-cart softwarE?

X-Cart is an e-commerce platform available via download or through a cloud-hosted solution. More than 30,000 online stores use the X-Cart platform.

X-Cart’s primary product is an open-source PHP-based platform that can be purchased, downloaded, and installed on any self-hosted site. In order to use the platform, you’ll first need to acquire a domain and outside hosting package. X-Cart actually offers hosting packages, but these come at an additional price and are not included for the downloadable version. If you’re looking for a differentiator between X-Cart and its open-source peers, it’s more up-to-date software and better user-friendliness than such PHP-based carts like Zen Cart and OpenCart.

X-Cart also offers a hosted, Cloud version of its software called X-Cart Cloud. With X-Cart Cloud, your site is hosted on the X-Cart cloud servers, and security, installation, and set-up are all included. Both the downloadable X-Cart platform and the


91

X-Cart Cloud include a mobile ready design, unlimited product listings, and built-in SEO tools, like customizable meta tags and titles, XML sitemaps, search engine-friendly URLs and more. They also integrate easily with all major payment gateways and shipping providers.

Unlike a lot of open-source solutions, X-Cart isn’t free. Packages for the downloadable version include: Mobile, its most basic solution ($99, can’t have soft goods), Business, designed for mid-sized and growing businesses ($495), and Business Premium, which is for larger businesses and includes SSL, additional support ,and store set-up help ($1,495). A 15-day free trial is available for the Cloud solution, while merchants can test out the open-source software until they decide to go live.

It’s Cloud packages (most comparable to a hosted platform like Shopify), range from $20 to $200/month.

Ideal for: Small to Medium sized businesses


92

Good x-cart fEaturEs

Bad x-cart fEaturEs


93

You can view all of X-Cart’s features here.

notaBlE x-cart wEBsitEs

XeroxDr. Denim

Bottom linE

Honestly, my expectations weren’t high going into this, but X-Cart has proved to be a surprisingly capable and adaptable solution for the mid-tier retailer. If any aspect of X-Cart sounds familiar, it’s because it’s very similar to CS-Cart, another modern, more high-end open-source cart. The 2 are very comparable in terms of their feature-set and customer support structure.

If I were advising a medium-sized business going through the platform migration process and it came down to these 2, I’d go with CS-Cart by a thin margin (also has strong multi-store capability). At the end of the day, make sure you have a lump sum to spend on modules and reliable, very capable development resources before diving into X-Cart (a strong relationship with you developer is key here).

Platform GradE: B+

http://www.x-cart.com/features.html

http://www.xerox.com/

http://www.drdenim.com/


94

YaHoo! storEs rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE YaHoo! Platform?

Yahoo! Stores is quietly one of the premier ecommerce platforms out there, and it hosts more of the top 500 internet retailers than any other platform. It’s also the only platform whose plans reflect a retailer’s expected monthly sales rather than the number of products or storage space. All 3 of Yahoo! Stores’ pricing plans feature unlimited storage space and a max of 50,000 SKUs, ranging from $39.95 per month to $299.95 per month.

When comparing ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that Yahoo! Stores is ideal for medium to large size businesses, but its Starter Plan is an inexpensive but very comprehensive solution for a small merchant.


95

Good YaHoo! storEs fEaturEs

Bad YaHoo! storEs fEaturEs


96

notaBlE YaHoo! storEs ExamPlEs

Organize.com (Home & Garden)Greekgear.com (Apparel and Accessories)

Bottom linE

Yahoo! Stores offers the fundamentals and essentials to launching an effective ecommerce site. The platform is feature rich but lacks the innovation and optimizations of other plat-forms like Magento, Volusion, or Bigcommerce.

Yahoo! Stores will provide a very typical and complete experience for a retailer.

Platform GradE: B

http://www.organize.com/

http://www.greekgear.com/


97

zEn cart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE zEn cart Platform?

Zen Cart is a popular, FREE open-source ecommerce software solution. It’s PHP-based so PHP programming experience is an absolute necessity. Zen Cart is a branched-off project from the veteran ecommerce software osCommerce, with the major difference being that Zen Cart’s pages are template-based and a bit easier to customize.

The shopping cart has been around since 2003, so there is extensive documentation on its use. Zen Cart also goes toe-to-toe with other major open-source ecommerce software solutions like Magento Community, CS-Cart, and PrestaShop on close to every fundamental ecommerce function.

If you’re just looking to get an ecommerce store off the ground and on the web, then Zen Cart will get the job done. However, don’t expect jaw-dropping designs or highly sophisticated bells and whistles on your site, and PHP programming knowledge/resources is an absolute requirement.


98

Ideal for: All business sizes, particularly smaller retailers with web development resources.

Good zEn cart fEaturEs


99

Bad zEn cart fEaturEs

You can view many of Zen Cart’s features here and the key features here.

notaBlE zEn cart ExamPlEs

Fox Cartel (Apparel)Main AttraXion (Apparel)

Bottom linE

Zen Cart is typically preferred by small to medium-small retailers because while it is initially difficult to customize the look and features of the store, many will just set-and-forget the website interface until they’re ready to upgrade to a more

http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Features_List

http://www.zencartcustomization.com/zen-cart-features.php

http://www.foxcartel.com/

http://www.mainattraxion.com/


100

advanced, premium solution. The very low overall cost of a Zen Cart store doesn’t hurt either. The biggest costs for Zen Cart will be programming/web development services and hosting.

Ultimately, Zen Cart proves itself to be a solid, highly capable, and very affordable shopping cart. It will cover all the ecommerce essentials a lower-size retailer will require, but it tends to sacrifice design and aesthetics in the process (depending on how good your programmer is). Additionally, the Zen Cart brand has been around a while, and it will continue to be a solid and stable solution.

As a side note, it is absolutely vital that you have a highly skilled and dependable PHP developer on-hand because customizing your store is something you want to get done right the first time.

Overall, Zen Cart will provide retailers with high capability and reliability.

Platform GradE: B


101

3dcart rEviEw

wHat kind of mErcHant sHould usE tHE 3dcart Platform?

3dcart is another all-in-one ecommerce platform that has plans for retailers of all sizes. Their prices are on the lower end for a solution of this scale, and 3dcart is one of the easier platforms to use compared to its competitors (i.e. Shopify, BigCommerce,Volusion).

Use this chart to determine which 3dcart plan is right for you.


102

Check out all of 3dcart’s pricing plans to find out which one best suits your business.

When comparing other ecommerce platforms, it’s clear that 3dcart is ideal for small to medium sized businesses because of its cheap price and middle-tier functionality.

Good 3dcart fEaturEs

http://www.3dcart.com/pricing.htm


103

Bad 3dcart fEaturEs

*These are the costs for customizing the design of the following features (ALL of these features come standard in a default design for any 3dcart plan): Drop down menus ($199), mobile integration ($399), daily deals ($799), “view cart preview” box ($499), social media tie-ins like Facebook and Twitter ($299), blog ($399)

You can view all of 3dcart’s features here.

notaBlE 3dcart ExamPlEs

The New York Times Store (Gift items)Lems (shoes)

Bottom linE

3dcart is a decent shopping cart that many smaller retailers will enjoy using because of its ease of use. There are better

http://www.3dcart.com/features.htm


104

solutions that exist if you’re looking for more a highly functional, robust solution and there are platforms that provide better customer service. The ecommerce platform will provide a very run-of-the-mill, conventional experience for retailers.

Platform GradE: B-

ecommerce platform comparison

Documents