Top 10 ECommerce Platforms in 2024

While many associate digital eCommerce platforms with coupons scattered across websites, the scope of digital commerce extends beyond that perception. Even if your transactions don’t occur online, your website’s contact form serves as a digital commerce element, acting as a vital source for lead acquisition. Complete traceability of customer journeys depends on robust digital commerce capabilities, emphasizing their broader significance.

While understanding the scope of eCommerce is straightforward, selecting and implementing the right eCommerce platform for your digital objectives poses challenges. Issues like integrating payment and shipping providers, ensuring optimal site speed, and minimizing bounce rates are crucial for capturing a significant share of web traffic. As the number of channels continues to expand, evaluating pre-built integration capabilities becomes essential to prevent cost overruns. With increasing transaction volumes, the necessity for enterprise-grade features like digital asset management, approval flows, and a comprehensive digital experience management platform becomes evident. Additionally, operating in a regulated environment adds complexity, introducing compliance requirements that impact your transactions.

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Ultimately, even if a platform functions effectively with lower transaction volumes, the inability to scale with concurrent sessions—characteristic of enterprise-grade systems—can lead to missed opportunities. These factors contribute to the complexity of choosing eCommerce platforms. To navigate this challenge, consider initiating your journey by shortlisting a couple of options from the leading eCommerce platforms in 2024.

Criteria

• Overall market share/# of customers. The higher the market share of the eCommerce platform, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Ownership/funding. The more committed the management to the product roadmap of the eCommerce capabilities, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Quality of development (legacy vs. legacy dressed as modern vs. modern UX/cloud-native). The more modern the development stack, such as headless and React-based development, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Community/Ecosystem. The larger the community with a heavy presence from eCommerce companies, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Depth of native functionality for specific industries. The deeper the publisher-owned out-of-the-box functionality, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Quality of publicly available product documentation. The poorer the product documentation, the lower it ranks on our list. 
• eCommerce market share and documented commitment (of the publisher through financial statements). The higher the focus on eCommerce, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Ability to natively support diversified business models. The more diverse the product to support different business models and business processes, the higher it ranks on our list.
• Acquisition strategy aligned with eCommerce. The more aligned the acquisitions to deepen eCommerce capabilities, the higher it ranks on our list.
• User Reviews. The deeper the reviews from eCommerce users, the higher the score for a specific product.
• Must be an eCommerce platform. It can’t be a module of an ERP or CRM product. It can’t be an app that might support eCommerce and POS processes. At a minimum, the product must support CMS and website development for different business models.

10. WooCommerce

WooCommerce primarily caters to small, content-focused companies aiming to augment their static websites with commerce capabilities, which are particularly appealing to entrepreneurs familiar with WordPress. However, businesses surpassing the $5-10 million revenue mark might encounter limitations in WooCommerce, making it more suitable for content-driven companies with lighter eCommerce requirements.

Despite its widespread popularity and numerous installations, WooCommerce’s commerce capabilities face substantial limitations, leading to conflicts among plugins. The security architecture isn’t tailored for commerce transactions, potentially causing failed eCommerce projects. While debates about transaction and commercial fees persist, ongoing maintenance and development efforts are comparable to both open-source and commercial platforms. Due to these considerations, we’ve significantly downgraded WooCommerce in this year’s ranking, replacing the Microsoft Commerce platform, which no longer features on the list due to limited developments in its ecosystem.

Strengths

1. Price. WooCommerce offers budget-friendly pricing for startups, supported by a robust ecosystem of plugins and developers.
2. Open-source. As an open-source platform, WooCommerce benefits from a vibrant developer community, eliminating licensing fees.
3. Superior Content Management System. Leveraging WordPress, WooCommerce provides an excellent content management system with extensive plugin options.

Weaknesses

1. Clunky User and Permission Management. Dependency on WordPress for user and role management poses challenges in handling complex B2B and B2C workflows. The workflows, especially those that involve multiple user personas.
2. Plugin Conflicts. Multiple plugins are required for eCommerce operations, leading to potential conflicts that demand careful analysis and management.
3. Data Model. Suited for content-centric operations, WooCommerce’s weaker data model may result in data integrity and maintenance issues compared to other platforms on the list.

9. Kibo Commerce

Kibo Commerce, an omnichannel and microservices-based eCommerce platform, empowers businesses to launch enterprise-scale commerce experiences that would traditionally require custom development. Its API-first and microservices-based design aligns with modern headless commerce platforms, enabling businesses to meet customer demands with agility.

The platform adopts an integrated approach, encompassing Order Management System (OMS), eCommerce, and subscription commerce. However, it faces competition from larger peers like Manhattan and IBM Sterling Commerce, which offer more integrated options within the same stack, including Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS).

While Kibo’s OMS effectively maintains a centralized statistical inventory, financial perspectives are often disconnected from the operational layer. In eCommerce and retail models, decoupling transactions for subsequent financial reconciliation is a common practice due to higher transaction volumes. Although Kibo excels in front-end experiences, it may encounter challenges with backend integration and supply chain issues, earning it the #9 spot among the top digital commerce platforms in 2024.

Strengths

1. Enterprise Scalability. The microservices architecture facilitates individual scaling of commerce layers, ensuring enterprise scalability for peak shopping scenarios.
2. Integrated OMS and eCommerce. Kibo offers pre-baked integration of eCommerce and OMS, saving considerable costs compared to building from scratch.
3. Subscription Commerce. The platform includes built-in subscription workflows, a challenging feature to develop on vanilla platforms.

Weaknesses

1. Limited Commerce Solution. Unlike competitors like Manhattan and Blue Yonder, which integrate a Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS), Kibo’s offering may not be as embedded.
2. Limited Ecosystem and Consulting Base. Kibo’s consulting base is limited, affecting documentation and community support for their product.
3. Cost. Positioned as a best-of-breed integrated commerce and OMS platform, Kibo tends to be more expensive than mid-market alternatives like BigCommerce or Shopify.

8. SAP Hybris Commerce

SAP Hybris Commerce targets larger enterprises with robust requirements, especially those already integrated into other SAP systems. This strategic alignment enables businesses to capitalize on integration synergies by exclusively partnering with a single vendor.

The eCommerce platforms landscape witnessed significant transformations in 2023, driven by the anticipated discontinuation of Oracle Commerce. This development sparked concerns about the potential sunset of legacy platforms like SAP Hybris, HCL Commerce, and Intershop. 

Despite these challenges, SAP Hybris has made noteworthy advancements in its headless technology stack, contributing to its improved ranking this year. While it may no longer be a frontrunner, SAP Hybris remains a viable choice for companies seeking an embedded and regulated experience, particularly with its CPQ and configurator layer. For these reasons, SAP Hybris Commerce secures the #8 position on our list.

Strengths

1. Integration with Other SAP Products. SAP Hybris Commerce is particularly advantageous for enterprise companies in regulated industries, ensuring audit readiness for compliance standards like GDPR.
2. Greater Control Over Infrastructure. The deployment suite of SAP Hybris Commerce offers comprehensive CI/CD capabilities, empowering IT teams to manage release and production support processes effectively.
3. Deployment Flexibility. SAP Hybris allows deployment on the preferred cloud, providing greater control over infrastructure design and costs—a valuable feature for larger companies with high eCommerce site traffic.

Weaknesses

1. Lagging in Headless Capabilities. SAP Hybris doesn’t boast strong out-of-the-box headless capabilities compared to other platforms on the list, coupled with a limited ecosystem of partners.
2. Clunky Interface. The Hybris CMS exhibits a clunky interface resembling a customer portal rather than a modern eCommerce platform.
3. Reliance on Legacy Technology. SAP Hybris still relies on legacy programming languages like Spring and Java, lacking robust support for out-of-the-box enterprise-grade features such as an asset management platform.

7. HCL Commerce

HCL Commerce, the enhanced iteration of IBM’s flagship product, IBM Commerce, inherits and advances its capabilities for modern headless development after acquiring it from IBM. Notably, it excels in offering enterprise-grade commerce features, allowing access to all of the commerce layers, including DAM assets, search, and cart, through APIs. 

While HCL Commerce introduces headless, React-based composable commerce capabilities, it primarily targets B2C brands. As a new entrant on our list, it replaces other eCommerce platforms like Oracle Commerce.

Strengths

1. Headless Content Workflow and Management. HCL Commerce facilitates the retrieval and programmable publishing of DAM assets, leveraging enterprise versioning capabilities inherited from IBM Commerce. This supports intricate workflows for content collaboration.
2. React-based Storefront Capabilities. With modern React-based composable commerce features, HCL Commerce enables the construction of omnichannel storefronts tailored for various geographical locations.
3. Enterprise Scale Ready. Having proven its mettle with enterprise-grade commerce workloads over decades, HCL Commerce is an ideal choice for teams familiar with IBM Commerce, eliminating the need to learn a new data model and platform from scratch.

Weaknesses

1. Legacy Programming Language and Architecture. Despite a redesigned front end, the back end still relies on legacy Java and Spring boilerplate, coupled with IBM’s intricate development practices, which might be less user-friendly for web developers.
2. Limited B2B Capabilities. HCL Commerce’s data model isn’t optimized for industrial B2B use cases, making it more suitable for high-volume B2C companies. B2B companies might need significant investments in custom development.
3. Limited CDP Capabilities. For B2C companies seeking personalization capabilities based on deterministic identity, HCL Commerce falls short compared to platforms like SAP Hybris, Sitecore, and Salesforce Commerce.

6. Episerver Digital Commerce

Episerver Digital Commerce/Optimizely is tailored for mid-to-large B2B companies seeking comprehensive B2B capabilities within a suite, minimizing the need for costly add-ons and extensive IT resources. Particularly advantageous for industrial businesses, it falls short of a fit for larger organizations requiring the robust enterprise-grade capabilities offered by bigger eCommerce platforms. 

Unlike some SMB platforms dependent on add-ons for digital experimentation, Episerver integrates the ability to build features and A/B tests seamlessly into its suite. It excels in providing deep features for intricate channels, encompassing partner management, product-based variants, and rule-based promotions.

Strengths

1. Content Management Platform. Episerver’s CMS stands out for its flexibility, allowing marketers to execute intricate layout changes swiftly, enhancing the overall content management experience.
2. Digital Experimentation Platform. In contrast to SMB platforms relying on additional components for digital experimentation, Episerver enables the creation of features and A/B tests seamlessly within its suite, ensuring full traceability across channels.
3. Natively Supported Rich B2B Features. Episerver impresses with its provision of deep features catering to complex channels, including partner management, product-based variants, and rule-based promotions.

Weaknesses

1. Ecosystem. Unlike the thriving communities surrounding platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, Episerver faces limitations in terms of its ecosystem.
2. Too Big for Smaller Brands. Geared toward larger companies, Episerver may overwhelm smaller brands due to its steeper learning curve.
3. Expensive. Smaller brands with simpler needs might find Episerver’s pricing to be on the higher side.

5. Commercetools / Frontastic

commercetools, a startup valued at over $2 billion and backed by Accel, has garnered attention from major automotive brands like Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Bentley for its customizable commerce experience. Pioneering a true microservices-based architecture, commercetools is a key advocate of the MACH alliance. 

Although the MACH and headless concept is relatively nascent, businesses prioritizing customized and composable experiences will find commercetools compelling. However, commercetools doesn’t offer the same bundled enterprise solutions as some competitors, potentially requiring several best-of-breed options for a comparable experience.

Strengths

1. True MACH Platform. commercetools embodies the MACH principles—Microservices, API-first, Composable, and Headless—differentiating itself from platforms with mere APIs claiming to be headless.
2. B2C-Friendly. Tailored for B2C companies, particularly in industries like automotive, commercetools boasts a data model conducive to interactive commerce experiences, with enterprise-grade B2C features embedded in its platform.
3. Enterprise Scale. Proven in handling complex, multi-brand sites with billions of hits, commercetools has successfully secured clients that traditionally leaned towards legacy platforms like Oracle ATG, Hybris, or IBM Commerce.

Weaknesses

1. Limited Head Capabilities. While commercetools provides robust APIs for the quick development of omnichannel heads, marketing practitioners may find its head limitations notable, even with the acquisition of Frontastic.
2. Limited Bundle Offerings. While ideal for best-of-breed platform users, commercetools might be less appealing to organizations seeking bundled offerings available in tools like Sitecore or Salesforce Commerce, especially those favoring seamless integrations.
3. Limited B2B Capabilities. Although commercetools is expanding B2B features, the distinct data model requirements for B2B may limit its applicability for industrial distributors and B2B companies.

4. Salesforce Commerce

Salesforce strategically targets larger enterprise companies seeking sophisticated eCommerce workflows, particularly those already leveraging other Salesforce products like CRM and Pardot. While it excels in catering to enterprise scenarios with a vibrant developer ecosystem and involvement in the React and headless communities, it may not be the optimal choice for smaller businesses. Salesforce Commerce stands out for supporting both B2B and B2C models, providing deep capabilities and robust product recommendations through its AI engine.

Maintaining its position from the previous year, Salesforce Commerce’s commitment to the eCommerce market is evident, backed by ongoing investments in eCommerce-centric capabilities through Salesforce ventures. Notably, it remains the sole platform on this list with equally profound capabilities for both B2B and B2C. However, its pricing structure may be considered expensive for SMB companies.

Strengths

1. Ecosystem. Salesforce boasts one of the most vibrant developer ecosystems, actively participating in the React and headless communities. Additionally, it offers integration with modern headless platforms, facilitating the development of progressive web applications.
2. Enterprise-grade Capabilities. Catering to both B2B and B2C models, Salesforce Commerce provides deep capabilities for enterprise scenarios, complemented by seamless integration with other Salesforce products.
3. Robust Merchandising and Product Recommendation Capabilities. Distinguishing itself from other SMB products, Salesforce Commerce delivers robust product recommendation and merchandising planning capabilities through its AI engine.

Weaknesses

1. Price. The pricing structure of Salesforce may be perceived as expensive by most SMB companies. Unlike competing products that include these capabilities in their suite, Salesforce Commerce employs separate pricing for its products, making total cost of ownership computation more challenging.
2. Headless. While options for a headless experience are available on the Salesforce app marketplace, the platform lags behind in its headless journey compared to competitors like commercetools or VTEX.
3. Challenging for Smaller Brands. The steep learning curve associated with Salesforce Commerce may overwhelm smaller companies that are less focused on enterprise-grade features.

3. Adobe Commerce/Magento

Adobe Commerce caters to mid-large enterprise companies with intricate eCommerce workflows, particularly those with complex needs for both B2B and B2C business models. However, it may not be the most suitable option for smaller companies. While Adobe Commerce/Magento offers an open-source version, many companies may opt for the enterprise edition for features like RMA and promotion permission, which are not available in the community edition. Noteworthy is Magento’s capability to run large-scale consumer-focused commerce sites with millions of daily visitors, though this scale typically requires the enterprise edition.

Maintaining its position from the previous year, Adobe Commerce is recognized for its commitment, backed by Adobe, and continues to attract an expanding customer base.

Strengths

1. Enterprise-grade Functionality for B2B and B2C. Adobe Commerce/Magento boasts an exceptionally rich data model tailored for enterprise workflows, providing robust support for both B2B and B2C business models.
2. Open-source. While an open-source offering is available, many companies opt for the enterprise edition to access features like RMA and promotion permission, which are unavailable in the community edition.
3. Scale. Distinguishing itself from other platforms, Magento successfully powers large-scale consumer-focused commerce sites with millions of daily visitors, necessitating the enterprise edition.

Weaknesses

1. Inflexibility. Magento’s data model exhibits tight data integrity with a prescriptive approach to eCommerce, aiming to prevent maintenance issues in the long run. However, this level of inflexibility may not be appreciated by developers.
2. Overwhelming for Business Users. Business users may find the platform less user-friendly compared to some alternatives due to the complexity of Magento’s data model.
3. Challenging for Smaller Brands. Adobe Commerce/Magento may prove overwhelming for smaller brands that are less focused on advanced eCommerce features and are in need of developer support.

2. BigCommerce

BigCommerce focuses on meeting the deep functionality needs of B2B SMB organizations, particularly those lacking internal IT capabilities for designing and supporting eCommerce operations. However, it may not be the ideal choice for larger companies. With an underlying data model tailored for B2B organizations, BigCommerce can accommodate complex product mixes and variants, which is especially critical for B2B organizations, with some B2C organizations requiring similar features as well.

Despite its popularity among smaller merchants, the growing BigCommerce ecosystem and capabilities might prove limiting, necessitating the use of multiple add-ons. While the platform offers pre-baked integrations with POS and ERP systems, building an omnichannel architecture could pose challenges due to the number of required add-ons. Additionally, BigCommerce has limited headless capabilities. Nevertheless, it maintains its previous ranking due to its momentum.

Strengths

1. Deep Capabilities for B2B. BigCommerce’s underlying data model is designed to support the complex needs of B2B organizations dealing with intricate product mixes and variants.
2. User-Friendly. While catering to the needs of B2B organizations, the platform is not as overwhelming as some enterprise-grade alternatives, requiring less training for business users.
3. Flexible Pricing Options. BigCommerce provides companies with various pricing options at different stages of their journey.

Weaknesses

1. Limited Enterprise-grade Features. The core suite may lack certain enterprise-grade features such as product recommendations, digital asset management, and digital experimentation management, requiring additional add-ons and incurring extra costs.
2. Not Tailored for B2C Experiences. The distinct B2B data model might overwhelm companies primarily focused on B2C experiences, making it less suitable for such scenarios.
3. Pricing Structure. Companies disliking GMV-based pricing may find BigCommerce’s pricing model less appealing, especially if they have internal IT capabilities for support.

1. Shopify

Shopify caters to B2C SMB organizations with products that don’t require intricate configurations, making it ideal for brands seeking omnichannel and DTC experiences without heavy IT infrastructure investments or developer assistance. Its ecosystem is a significant advantage, offering diverse options, and the Hydrogen on Oxygen headless platform has gained favor among the development community.

However, Shopify’s drawback lies in transaction fees and the need for add-ons to access complex B2C and B2B features. Despite these considerations, its thriving ecosystem ensures it maintains the top rank.

Strengths

1. Simplicity for B2C. Shopify’s user-friendly data model suits B2C companies, providing flexibility and simplicity accommodating various payment providers and shipping options.
2. Omni-channel Commerce. With pre-integrated POS, Shopify facilitates seamless data and inventory sharing across digital and physical channels, enabling a hassle-free omnichannel experience without costly custom integrations.
3. Vibrant Ecosystem. Shopify boasts one of the most active developer ecosystems, heavily engaged in modern tech stacks and Javascript-based communities.

Weaknesses

1. B2B Limitations. Although Shopify recently introduced B2B capabilities, they may be limited and more suitable for companies supporting both business models. Industrial distribution companies might find these capabilities restrictive.
2. Transaction Fees. Companies uncomfortable with GMV-based pricing might perceive Shopify’s fee structure as unfavorable.
3. Enterprise-grade Features. Unlike competitors offering bundled enterprise features, Shopify requires add-ons or third-party products for digital asset and experience management.

Conclusion

Selecting an eCommerce platform poses challenges. A profound grasp of financials is essential for comprehending total ownership costs, coupled with the expertise of independent eCommerce consultants to estimate custom functionality efforts. Additionally, this decision impacts overall architecture and operational efficiency, necessitating a comprehensive approach to eCommerce platform selection.

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