In 2023, there are between 12 and 24 million online retailers worldwide. As the number of eCommerce stores is constantly growing, standing out from the crowd is more crucial than ever. Unlike standard solutions, a custom eCommerce website is sculpted to fit your business, offering you the flexibility, scalability, and distinctive features that are essential to stay ahead in the competitive industry. This blog aims is to present the reasons to choose a custom eCommerce solution as well as introduce Sylius Plus as an example of such a solution.
Let’s start with the common challenge of choosing the right eCommerce platform for your business to have more understanding of today’s topic.
Quick jump
- How to choose the right platform for building eCommerce?
- Why you should consider choosing a custom eCommerce platform
- Example of custom eCommerce solution – Sylius Plus
How to choose the right platform for building eCommerce?
Unfortunately, choosing the best eCommerce website builder for your business is not an easy task. However, this paragraph will briefly present some of the factors that should be taken into consideration while choosing an eCommerce platform in order to help you familiarize yourself with such website builders if you are new to the industry or just serve as a reminder if you already have some experience.
When choosing the eCommerce platform to sell online, the first thing on the list is to consider the size and the budget of your business. Going for a platform designed for enterprises when you hire less than 10 people or a platform full of advanced functionalities that significantly exceed your budget is certainly not a good idea. Secondly, think about the future of your company. As your business grows, the scalability of a platform must be sufficient for your needs and expansion. For example, omnichannel capabilities or multi-language support are important features when selling internationally. Consider your business goals and the pace of development of your company to choose a platform that can adapt and evolve accordingly. Prioritize platforms that offer flexibility, adaptability, and reliable web hosting to accommodate changes in technology and market demands, ensuring that your business remains competitive and relevant in the evolving market. The third important factor mentioned here is the features and integrations available within a platform. Apart from some basic features in the eCommerce store, platforms can be extended, for instance, by implementing an external content management system (CMS) that better suits our needs or marketing automation tools. However, check what features and plugins are available and at what cost. Some of them may be free, and some can cost thousands of euros. Moreover, decide whether you need open access to the code, as it allows you to develop and implement custom functionalities in your eCommerce site.
Remember that the platform should ultimately be suited for you, not the opposite.
Why you should consider choosing a custom eCommerce platform
In the eCommerce industry, businesses are in constant pursuit of solutions that can meet their needs and visions. Unfortunately, no solution suits everyone. When establishing an online presence, companies are often met with the pivotal decision of choosing between a custom eCommerce website and a standard platform. This section aims to present the advantages of choosing a custom solution for an online store to explain how it differs from a standard eCommerce store. and when it is the way to go.
1. Better scalability and flexibility
First of all, custom eCommerce solutions are renowned for their scalability and flexibility compared to standard pre-built platforms. These tailored solutions are designed to adapt and grow with the unique needs and demands of a business, allowing for the integration of specific features and functionalities that are essential for the business operations. Unlike standard platforms, which often come with limitations and predefined structures, custom solutions enable businesses to have full control over the design and desired features of their eCommerce platform. This level of customization ensures that the platform can evolve and scale in tandem with the business, accommodating changes and extensions.
2. Enhanced user experience
Secondly, a custom domain allows us to design the user experience precisely how you envision it. You can optimize the navigation, product pages, and checkout process to provide a seamless and user-friendly journey for your customers, increasing their satisfaction and likelihood of making a purchase. Additionally, online stores can offer product personalization – clients can easily customize products they buy, for example, changing fonts and graphics on t-shirts as they like, ending up with different prices for the same product. In a standard out-of-the-box system, applying all these options and changes would be impossible.
3. Improved brand identity
The next advantage of building a website on a custom solution is improved brand identity. Thanks to complete control over layout, design, etc., the custom solution allows businesses to present themselves in a way that is both unique and consistent with their brand values and aesthetics. Furthermore, having a customizable checkout process enhances the user experience by allowing for a streamlined checkout that can include custom fields, payment options, and other features tailored to the business’s needs.
4. Performance optimization
Optimizing performance is generally easier in custom eCommerce solutions compared to out-of-the-box platforms due to the level of control and flexibility in custom eCommerce websites. Businesses can choose what features are necessary and what are redundant, ensuring that the system is not bogged down by unnecessary additions, which can significantly reduce load times and impair overall user experience.
Moreover, the ability to choose and optimize the hosting environment in custom solutions contributes to better performance, while out-of-the-box solutions might impose limitations on hosting options. Providing the best performance of your website is crucial for reducing bounce rates and improving search engine rankings.
5. Better search engine optimization (SEO)
Custom websites are typically designed with SEO optimization in mind. They facilitate the creation of unique content architectures, seamless integration of advanced analytics, and provide the aforementioned flexibility to adapt to changing market dynamics. Optimized performance that ensures quick load times, coupled with responsive design, also significantly impacts search engine rankings. On top of that, custom solutions allow for the management of SEO-friendly URLs and provide straightforward access to meta tags and descriptions, which can be optimized to be recognized by search engines.
6. Long-term cost-effectiveness
While a custom eCommerce website requires a higher upfront investment, it emerges as a more cost-effective choice in the long term for those looking to sell online. Unlike standard platforms that come with recurring fees, a custom solution eliminates such ongoing charges. What’s more, custom eCommerce solutions are developed with the precise needs and objectives of a business, ensuring every feature and functionality is purpose-driven. Due to that, a company pays only for features and functionalities that are necessary for its operations.
For instance, an online store with luxury watches could have a special system for potential customers to book private viewings and high-quality picture galleries to show off their products. Regular online selling platforms might not have these features or only offer them for an extra fee. However, with a custom-built website, these important features are included without any extra ongoing fees, saving money over time while meeting the brand’s unique needs perfectly.
Example of custom eCommerce solution – Sylius Plus
Sylius is a modern eCommerce solution based on the PHP Symfony Framework. It is an open-source platform that offers a range of features and benefits for businesses looking for a flexible and easily customizable platform. In addition, Sylius developers created an even more powerful version of Sylius Standard named Sylius Plus.
Both Standard and Plus versions are great custom eCommerce solutions for businesses with unique needs. Nonetheless, Sylius Plus is additionally equipped with enterprise-grade features that aim to meet the needs of even the most demanding stores.
Key features of Sylius Plus
Although Sylius Plus is constantly developing, it already provides many features designed to make running an eCommerce business easier and more effective. Take a look at the features below and see if it suits your business.
Advanced multi-store management
First of all, great multi-store management aids in global operations by allowing the creation of various business units within a single platform, each dedicated to specific channels. It’s particularly useful for businesses operating in different regions or countries, making management more organized and centralized. This way, a company can manage multiple stores or operations from a single dashboard, maintaining a coherent strategy across all sales channels.
Multiple inventory sources
Secondly, the platform supports the creation of multiple inventory sources like warehouses situated in different locations. It helps in ensuring that products are dispatched from the most appropriate source to customers, optimizing shipping times and costs. For instance, if a customer orders a product from Berlin, it’s cost-effective and faster to ship from a nearby warehouse rather than one located in Warsaw.
B2B Suite
This is a package of functionalities for the B2B business model. It includes functionalities such as organization management, order management, custom price lists for individual customer segments, quick purchases, advanced search engine and multiple wish lists. Using this module will significantly speed up the process of entering the market.
Marketplace Suite
This is a highly efficient and extensible solution dedicated to online stores with many independent sellers and virtual shopping malls with separate departments or sales channels. The module provides key functions needed by the marketplace platform.
Staff and customer management
This functionality is based on the management of staff members and customers, along with assigning them to specific roles and managing their access across different sections of the application. This hierarchical setup guarantees a structured and accountable operational framework, which is crucial for maintaining order and ensuring responsibilities are clearly defined within the organization.
Returns Management (RMA)
Returns Management streamlines the process of handling returns, whether for refunds, repairs, or replacements. By making the post-purchase process smoother, it enhances the customer service experience, which is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and trust. It also potentially saves the business time and resources by organizing returns in a systematic manner.
Loyalty system
The loyalty system feature allows business owners to establish reward rules through the admin panel, fostering a rewarding shopping environment. This feature aims to encourage customer loyalty and repeat purchases by providing benefits for regular shopping. It’s a strategic way to enhance customer retention and build a loyal customer base, which is beneficial for long-term business growth.
One Page Checkout
This solution allows you to place all the necessary checkout steps on one page and provide customers with a one-click checkout – fewer abandoned carts, higher conversion rates, and better UX!
Keep in mind that modules in Sylius Plus fully cooperate with each other.
Want to know more about Sylius Plus?
Other benefits of Sylius Plus
With the Plus version, you get a designated contact for your project whose role is to look after your needs. This includes providing technical assistance for any issues you encounter on the platform or offering business consultancy. They will ensure all your needs are communicated to the Sylius team. Such a person collects feedback to help provide you with the optimal Sylius experience, as engaging with experts and promptly reporting any issues or concerns is crucial to align with the project vision.
What’s more, Sylius provides SLA-backed technical support both during the website development process and after going live. As a subscriber of the Plus version, you receive immediate access to new features and security updates as they are developed. On top of that, as flexibility and customization are vital parts of this platform, Sylius Plus offers the aforementioned modular model to meet even the most advanced needs. Thanks to this approach, a company can choose and buy modules that are necessary, without spending money on redundant features.
What about the price?
Payment options for Sylius Plus are versatile, allowing for monthly, annual, or a one-time payment for a lifetime license. The total cost is determined by the Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) generated through the Sylius software in the online store, alongside various other aspects like the selection of modules, business framework, and business size, among others. This price encompasses all selected features and the previously mentioned technical support. Importantly, acquiring Sylius Plus continues to grant access to the source code, affording developers full freedom to tailor it to specific requirements, thereby optimizing the customer experience. The price of Sylius Plus starts at 14 900 EUR annually.
Summary
In essence, opting for a custom eCommerce platform is synonymous with choosing great flexibility and scalability. It not only provides a tailored shopping experience to your customers but also gives you the freedom to implement unique features that set you apart from the competition. While it might require a higher initial investment, the long-term benefits are certainly worth it.
If you are thinking about a custom solution for your online store, feel free to contact our specialist!