SAAS Platforms/Customizable eCommerce Platforms or Custom Built Software – Make the Right choice

When you are building an eCommerce store, it’s necessary to know about the eCommerce platform. Today there are many options available and it confuses what to choose. In simpler words, you will have to decide whether you want to go with SaaS platforms, customizable software or you have to use custom design and code for building your website. Every business depending upon its size has a different requirements. This guide will answer your question and will help you choose the right technology for your eCommerce store.

 

Introduction eCommerce business

eCommerce is one of the most popular industries. You can now create an eCommerce store in many possible ways. We will see all the ways to create the store as well as we will the pros and cons of each.

 

What is SAAS?

SAAS stands for Software as a Service. There is a ready eCommerce software that has all major eComm features needed for a fully functional website. Many eCommerce platforms like MoreCustomersApp, StoreHippo, eCwid, etc have different subscription plans suitable for small to larger businesses. Some of the platforms have many plugins that can be added as and when needed to the eCommerce websites. There are very few customizations allowed here. In simpler words, you can’t do a lot of things here.

Pros

• You can set up your website in minutes. No training or technical knowledge needed.
• No hassle of managing hosting, server, security, or network.
• All the things are already created for you.
• As they are service-based, you can start or stop depending upon your business.
• Charges are as per your usage.

Cons

• Limited functionality.
• No much customization and integrations.
• You don’t completely own the store, they can ban you anytime.

 

What are customizable eCommerce Platforms?

If SAAS is too simple for you or you to want more functionality, you can use customizable eCommerce platforms. They provide a script that you can install on your server. It offers too many features and you can customize it as your own. Coding knowledge is not needed but you will have to host it by yourself.

Pros

• Most of the platforms are free but you will have to pay for the hosting.
• You can pretty much do all the customizations you want. (There is still a limit).
• Charges are less.
• You own the website and the store.

Cons

• In most cases, you will have to handle the server and hosting.
• There are still some of the limitations you will face.

 

What is custom-built eCommerce software?

The last thing you can do is custom-built eCommerce software. Here, the developer team uses specific technology to create custom software from scratch. It will surely cost you more but on the plus side, you will get all the features that you possibly need for an eCommerce store. In simpler words, it’s your website, you can create the functionality that you want.

Pros

• It looks unique.
• You can get all the functionalities that you want.
• Some of the unique features that are not available in customizable software can be implemented here.
• You can choose your preferable technology.

Cons

• It costs a lot more.
• You will need to spend money on customization as well as on the security of the website.
• Even a small feature addition will take a lot of time to add.
• You will need to hire a team of developers to work on a specific technology.

 

Take away

If you are still wondering, which one you should go with, here is a simple explanation for it.

Go with the SAAS platforms if

• You want to have a simple eCommerce website and for a short time.
• For a short period, SaaS will cost you less.
• You want the basic functionality and nothing fancy.

Go with Customizable Software if

• You want a little advanced technology and want to customize themes and add more features.
• You want to own the website

Go with Custom development if

• You are ready to spend some money on your website.
• You’re looking for a long-term project.
• You want some unique features on your website that no other platform provides.

With this, you can make the choice and go with the preferred platform.