Shopware is an adaptable eCommerce platform for the most demanding business needs. It allows for creating an exceptional customer experience while being at the same time innovative and fast, which translates into accelerating your digital growth. Besides being an incredible product, Shopware has a viral ecosystem of partners, community members, and numerous extensions, making it solid software for online business.

What makes the Shopware eCommerce platform special?

  • Dedicated to different business models (B2B, B2C, marketplaces, etc.) due to many ready-to-use features and a great UI
  • Available as a Cloud-based solution or on-premise one, which makes it easy to host and scale
  • Optimized for different sales channels
  • High performance and scalability

This blog post will consider Shopware development from a high level.

First steps with Shopware

A complete installation tutorial and extensive documentation are provided on https://developer.shopware.com/docs/. The Shopware documentation is awesome, and we probably will not write it better. What you will find below is a general overview of what you should know before and after installation.

What you need to consider before installing Shopware software

Below mentioned steps are related not only to Shopware installation but also to any other eCommerce platform:

  • .htaccess file protection – authorize access to your store
  • Check system requirements
  • Adjust the routing settings

After making sure that Shopware system requirements are met and your web server routing settings are properly configured, you can download the Shopware installer and unpack it in the desired directory (at this point, you should also make sure that the unpacked files and directories have the “write” permission).

The installer is intuitive and smooth and consists of the following:

  • First, you have the chance to change the language of the installer
  • Your system requirements are checked, and if not met – you will have a relevant information
  • Read and accept the license
  • Create an empty database (it can be done by yourself or automatically by the installer)
  • Import database structure
  • The last step is to configure the shop e-mail address, default system language, default currencies, and admin information

First access to the shop – First Run Wizard

After you succeed in the installation, the installer will automatically redirect you to the admin interface. To get the access, use Shopware login and password for the admin you just created before.

  • Install the language pack containing multiple languages and set the default one for the admin panel
  • Import some data – you have the opportunity to add some demo data or import them by installing an additional migration wizard
  • E-mail configuration – this step is about configuring the mailer settings
  • Set up PayPal payments by PayPal API access data (it could be set as the default payment method)
  • Accelerate product reach – with the Shopware Markets extension, you may sell your products on marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay
  • Improve customer journey and create outstanding services – it is all about adding independent extensions to your eCommerce
  • Set up your Shopware account to see your purchased plugins and licenses or access other Shopware platforms such as the Community Store or the forum. Then link your Shopware 6 verified domain or create a new shop one (click the checkbox if it is a test environment). 

The steps mentioned above complete the initial setup.

Key features in Shopware

Shopware offers many advanced features that can be delivered by integrating and using different solutions to meet your specific demands. The basic functionalities of Shopware 6 include customer and order management mechanisms and individual price configurations (i.e. price lists based on the rules). In addition, the system offers the possibility of multi-channeling, and the Enterprise Edition provides special B2B functions. SEO options and optimization for mobile-first indexing are already integrated as standard. Comprehensive analytical and statistical tools bring all this together.

API First and flexible architecture

Shopware 6 is a platform based on the API-first approach. All store functionalities can be operated via the API interface, which gives great opportunities for integration with external systems and allows you to automate and delegate processes to third-party services.

Shopware 6 is ready for integration with the marketplace, social shopping, mobile applications, or stationary points of sales on a daily basis. However, its possibilities are much greater. Shopware may even reach IoT or voice search mechanisms to meet the expectations of the modern market.

Shopware PWA

Progressive Web App (PWA) is a technology that gives the possibility of creating websites in an efficient form adapted to the needs of users of mobile devices. Shopware affiliates everything great of PWA in the dedicated solution based on Vue Storefront – Shopware PWA.

Read more about PWA >> 

Promotions management

Managing promotions and discounts in the Shopware 6 panel takes place in a specially prepared tab. You can quickly set up discounts available for all customers or only for selected groups, sales channels, or when certain conditions are met. A remarkable solution is the ability to generate discount codes. You can set up one multiple or single-use code or generate a list of individual codes in any value. You can read more about it in their official documentation, which we highly recommend.

Advanced product management

The product management possibilities in Shopware 6 are enormous. You will often not even need an external PIM to manage your product catalog. You will be good with what is included in the platform by default.

  • Multi-variant products
    Shopware has created a dedicated panel for managing product properties/features. The system will generate a list of all product variants based on the selected options. You can manage inventory, price, or promotions for each product option.
  • Custom products
    It is a module available in the Professional Edition. It is an extensive functionality for configuring and selling non-standard products. Before the purchase, the customer has the opportunity to make decisions about the specific elements of a given entity, which is great for made-to-order products. One of the examples is the possibility of uploading a photo, which will later be used for personalization by printing on the ordered item.
  • Dynamic product groups
    It automates product grouping by creating top-down guidelines. For example, you can create a group of “green boxes”. For this purpose, you should define a rule so that the system automatically assigns to this group all products from the box category that are green. It will include items that meet these conditions at the time of creating the group and those that will be added in the future. The group will update automatically. Dynamic product groups created in this way can be presented in various places of the store, such as the home page or landing page.

Digital Asset Management (DAM)

The digital asset management module is a central warehouse where you can store your products’ graphics, photos, videos, and other files. All documents are in one place, so it is a lot easier and saves time, especially when more than one person watches over the organization of the store. Files no longer need to be saved on computers’ disks, sent by e-mail, or placed in shared folders. When there is one place, you always know where to look.

Working with resources in Shopware 6 is facilitated by the possibility of grouping them into categories and organizing them in folders. Searching, sorting, and filtering mechanisms are available. The files have the option of assigning tags (keywords), after which you can quickly search for the appropriate groups of materials needed at the moment. A functionality worth mentioning is that each file has information about the places in the store where it is currently used.

Support for multiple sales channels

Shopware is an excellent tool for companies using a multi-channel strategy and operating in several foreign markets. The platform offers many solutions to facilitate B2C and B2B sales support, regardless of where the customers are obtained.

Different sales channels often have different product ranges, currencies, or languages. In addition, online stores, marketplaces, social media, and point of sales have their own specificity. Nevertheless, the Shopware 6 administration panel will allow you to handle transactions from all these points in one place. Providing this freedom and opportunity is one of the main ideas behind Shopware software.

Want to explore the best eCommerce technologies and deep dive into Shopware? Check out our free e-book – A comprehensive guide to choosing the best technologies for eCommerce

Why choose Shopware?

Shopware 6 has over 3,500 applications, templates, and interfaces available in the Shopware Store. From standard extensions for the most popular payment providers (including PayPal, Klarna, credit cards, etc.) to integrations with external systems such as ERP, newsletters, marketplaces, etc. All are controlled via an intuitive manager that allows easy management, installing, and updating of extensions. The platform also has technical support available to the teams working with it.

The advantages of the software:

  • Possibility of building an eCommerce store in the cloud or on-premise
  • Suitable for B2B and B2C business models, even multi-vendor marketplaces
  • Efficient architecture that may be developed with ease
  • High scalability
  • Engaging customers with storytelling and internet marketing (Live Shopping Shopware, videos, reviews – there are many different choices)
  • The easy and intuitive design of the landing pages, product pages, and product categories (rich Shopware media manager)
  • Profit from the possibility of selling an unlimited number of products.
  • Connect with your clients on any device

Implementation of the B2B eCommerce platform based on the Shopware 6

Extensive B2B features allow you to reflect the most complex business vision into any B2B functionality. Provide your partners with the eCommerce they need through:

  • Creating an offer tailored to a specific customer or organization and managing it
  • Convenient management of roles and authorizations to recreate the decision-making process on the client’s side with transparency
  • Sales representatives: due to the fact that the B2B market service is based on customer relations and comfort, the system includes functionalities that allow for contact between the customer and his supervisor in the eCommerce quickly

Is Shopware Search Engine friendly?

An online store with SEO features is essential for proper promotion. Shopware 6 is packed with valuable features for optimizing your store for search engines, including extended descriptions, breadcrumbs, meta tags, and canonical tags. As a result, online marketing is more manageable with Shopware.

Robots.txt Shopware

The file is generated in Shopware automatically and updated with each change in the store. It has already implemented disallow commands for the most important subpages that should be blocked before indexing. However, changes to the file can be easily made using one of the plugins available for this purpose.

Shopware URLs and Redirects

Shopware has default URL settings, which can be changed freely. Thanks to this, it is easy to implement friendly addresses of all subpages of the online store on Shopware. Furthermore, when changing the URL of subpages within the site, 301 redirects are automatically executed.

Meta Title and Meta Description

Shopware has established patterns for meta titles depending on the type of subpage. For example, for categories, the structure is quite simple: category name | shop name,

With meta descriptions, Shopware automatically pulls the first 150 characters from the content of a given subpage. However, both meta titles and descriptions can be changed manually.

XML Shopware Map

As with robots.txt, the sitemap is generated automatically. Changes can be made via the plug or after going to the settings.

Configuration → Cache → Settings → Sitemap

Migration to Shopware

If you plan to break away from outdated technologies and choose a new system that will fit your strategic orientation, you may want to think about migration to Shopware.

As the whole process is engaging and should be carefully thought out, first, you should have some important information that will support you with your preparations.

The migration process can be divided into 3 phases:

  • Preparation
    It is about gathering all information you need in advance, checking system requirements and installation
  • Migration
    The “real” step forward. It should be performed over a longer time so that your data is always up-to-date and correct.
  • Final stage
    The final stage of creating a new shop. Adjust and customize your new website – with Shopware you have limitless possibilities!

Each of the phases involves different resources, so you should be able to manage processes and team wisely.

It is a general overview as each case needs an individual approach.

Shopware – pricing

Shopware has both an open-source and a paid version, with different functionalities. These are:

  • Shopware Community Edition – an open-source version that gives you a lot of freedom in adapting the platform to your needs. However, the software manufacturer’s technical support is not available for this option.
  • Shopware Rise
    It is dedicated to B2C/D2C segments. It allows creating unique shopping experiences and growing the brand presence.
    The price starts from €600 per month
  • Shopware Evolve
    It is a more advanced version of Shopware Rise, suitable for different business models – B2B, B2C, D2C or even hybrid. It lets scaling your business and allows your ideas to be reflected in a real eCommerce project.
    The price is set individually.
  • Shopware Beyond
    It is the right solution for the most advanced eCommerce projects and for business owners that always go for more. A wide range of functionalities supplemented with comprehensive vendor support will ensure continuous development in international markets and a remarkable customer experience.
    The price is set individually.

Summary

Shopware 6 is a future-proof solution focused on business needs and adapted to current trends. As a result, the platform is worth recommending for both smaller stores, dynamically developing medium-sized and enterprise companies operating in many markets and channels.

If you feel that Shopware may be a solution that meets your company’s needs and you want to learn more, do not hesitate to contact us.