Which e-commerce platform do I choose?

In this blog, we compare 2 popular opensource platforms: Magento 2 and Shopware 6. In June 2020, the maintenance of Magento 1 ends so many customers are looking at, either migrating to Magento 2, or choosing a new platform. Because there is currently much more choice in the number of e-commerce platforms than five years ago and each platform has its pros and cons, it is important to choose the platform that best suits your business. We compare Magento 2 and Shopware 6 in this blog on the following components:

1. Functionalities
   We look at the functionalities offered by both platforms and where they differ.
2. Extensions & Community
   One of the big advantages of an open source e-commerce platform is the community and the number of agencies developing functionalities for the platform. As a company, this ensures that you can always find a suitable partner to support you in the development of your webshop and that you do not always have to incur high costs for a functionality that is already available as an extension/plugin.
3. Ease of use of the management environment
   The e-commerce platform will have to be managed by someone in the organisation. here, it is a good idea to look at the level of knowledge present and which platform fits this best.
4. Scalability and flexibility
   An important part of an e-commerce platform is that it is scalable and can grow with you. The e-commerce world is still changing rapidly and your platform needs to be flexible to deal with this.
5. Cost of ownership
   The e-commerce platform you choose should match the budget available in the organisation for e-commerce. Besides the one-off cost of implementing a new B2C or B2B webshop you have to take into account monthly costs for maintenance, hosting and further improvement of your webshop. We will compare both platforms on implementation costs and maintenance costs.

Magento 2

Magento has been one of the global leaders in e-commerce platforms for years. Emerce research from 2019 shows that 1/5 of Dutch e-commerce websites use Magento. In 2018, Magento became part of Adobe and two versions of Magento are available.

1. Magento Open Source: This is the non-paid variant of Magento used by the majority of companies. The open-source variant can be extended with different functionalities through extensions.
2. Magento Commerce: This is the paid variant which starts from an annual licence fee of $22,000 euros and depends on the turnover achieved via the webshop.This variant includes the B2B suite and more extensive promotion options as standard.

Shopware 6

Shopware is an e-commerce platform originating from Germany and founded in 2000. Shopware is especially big in Germany, but is rapidly gaining market share in other European countries. Shopware aims to provide a platform in which a customer can progress to different versions for both the B2B and B2C markets. At the end of 2019, the latest version Shopware 6 was launched which is available in the following versions:

• Open source: this is the non-paid version of Shopware.
• Professional edition: the professional edition has a one-off licence fee of 2495 euros and includes more extensive functionalities than the open source variant such as customised products and a more extensive CMS.
• Enterprise edition: This edition includes more extensive functionalities such as a B2B suite and improved search functionality. The price for the Enterprise edition is on request.

Below, we compare the two e-commerce platforms on the above 5 features where the comparison is mainly based on the two open source variants.

Functionalities 

Looking at the standard functionalities present, Magento includes more functionalities by default. Because more does not always mean better, it is important to consider which functionalities are required for your organisation. Shopware 6 clearly distinguishes itself on the possibilities it offers users to customise the "look and feel" of the webshop themselves. The open source version already comes with a "Drag and Drop editor", whereas Magento requires extensions or the Commerce version. Magento again offers more options when it comes to different product types, promotions and pricing rules and working with different roles and rights in the system.

Extensions and community 

Both e-commerce platforms are open source which means that extensions/plugins are available for functionalities that the platform does not offer by default. This has the advantage that customisation does not have to be developed directly but that these extensions or plugins can be used to add new functionalities. If we look at the community of both platforms and the number of extensions and plugins, Magento 2 community is a lot larger than the Shopware community partly because Magento is a global platform and Shopware is mainly focused on Europe. For Shopware 6, many new plugins are being added quickly, but because the community is smaller and Shopware 6 has just been launched, the number of plugins is still much more limited than for Magento.

Ease of use management environment

Compared to Magento 2, Shopware 6 is more user-friendly to manage than Magento. This is mainly caused by the fact that the platform has fewer functionalities and is therefore clearer. It also has a visual editor, making it easier to customise the look and feel of your webshop yourself than with Magento. Magento, on the other hand, is stronger in managing and adjusting product features in the management environment.

Scalability and flexibility

Both platforms offer good opportunities to grow within the platform and are adaptable to new requirements, through extensions and plugins or through customisation. Here, Magento is more focused on international online shops due to its more extensive VAT structure and currency options.

Cost of Ownership 

The cost of ownership is the total cost involved in using the platform. This includes implementation, management, maintenance and update costs. When choosing a new platform, it is essential to consider not only the implementation costs but also the costs of maintenance, updates and further improvement. Because Shopware is somewhat easier to use and contains fewer functionalities, the total cost of implementation and maintenance for Shopware will also usually be somewhat lower than for Magento. This may make it a better entry-level option for smaller parties than Magento 2.

So which platform is best suited for my business?

To choose the platform that best suits your business, it is important to weigh all these factors and look at which platform best suits the organisation now and in the coming years. There is no "best" platform, but there is always a platform that suits your organisation better because certain factors are more important than others. Would you like to spar about which platform would be a good fit for your organisation, or receive a demo of both platforms to experience the difference? Then take contact with us!