Versatile platform as a key factor influencing the e-commerce success 

Shopping without leaving home has become a constant trend in consumer behaviour and a highly valued alternative to traditional selling. We consider the boom of the e-commerce market to be a time of pandemic restrictions, and today, we are still witnessing its vigorous development.   

More and more advanced solutions offered by e-commerce systems are moving forward. Among them, Shopware, an open-commerce platform for companies of all sizes, occupies a decisive place. Over 186,000 e-shops have already implemented the software, and everything indicates that this number will only increase. The German manufacturer has been number one in the country, dynamically developing its sales abroad. According to the “E-commerce Market Germany 2023” report, Shopware is the leading software provider, occupying 12.2% of the market.   

In the forecast for 2024, Shopware will maintain its strong position ahead of players such as Magento, BigCommerce, and Shopify.   

Discover a solution that has been based on the latest technologies for over 20 years, ensuring your business’s scalability. 

Benefits of using the open-source platform

Shopware is a platform based on open-source software. As a result, it allows the global community to develop its system according to business needs. For the Shopware platform, any new feature introduced to the site may change as the project progresses. The software manufacturer considers the dynamics of the team’s work and the inevitable rotation of employees. Thanks to the use of the open-source solution, the fluidity of the work and the long-term effects are maintained. 

API first – system integrations based on headless technology

Headless e-commerce technology allows you to separate the front-end, i.e. the outer layer of the website, from the inner layer, i.e. the back-end. In this layout, the front-end and back-end are communicated via API. Thanks to this application, the back-end processes run fluently when making interface changes. For running an online business, this means, first of all, reducing the loss of service performance. In addition, you can test new connections and interfaces faster without negatively impacting your core business. When choosing headless e-commerce, Shopware considered the rapidly changing e-commerce factor and the innovations needed to achieve long-term success.   

Headless CMS is also ready for implementation as part of the API technology. This solution helps you professionally manage your content without changing the administrative back-end. Multichannel content distribution on any device is possible with one panel. In turn, it increases brand awareness and makes it easy to reach customers. 

AI for e-commerce

Shopware does not stop, remaining a pioneer in implementing modern technologies based on Artificial Intelligence solutions. Last year, it released a set of features called “Shopware Co-pilot”, available to customers with commercial licenses. Their main goal is the automation of work, which is divided into areas such as:  

• Content generation by AI   
• Data export support  
• Customer classification based on artificial intelligence   
• Automatically assign keywords based on images   
• Summary of customer feedback   
• Personalized Messages   
• Product properties generated by artificial intelligence   
• Translation of customer reviews    
  

More on this topic: AI for e-commerce. Discover the new Shopware platform solution. 

Shopware integration for omnichannel or multichannel eCommerce management

Omnichannel, i.e., communicating sales channels with each other, greatly facilitates the customer’s purchasing process. Shopware manufacturers emphasize that they want to simplify business operations as much as possible through centralized sales and communication channels. This solution is inextricably linked to integrating marketing tools with, among others, the returns module or social commerce. By choosing an omnichannel strategy with Shopware, you increase brand awareness with seamless shopping, and the integration of multiple channels allows you to reach customers at all touchpoints.   

Multichannel, on the other hand, assumes trading, in which different sales channels operate independently. For this strategy, Shopware provides a separate brickfox plugin that connects the platform to marketplaces and other sales platforms.   

Learn how we implementrd a shop based on Shopware in 4 months.

Shopware for B2B

To meet the high needs of the B2B sector, Shopware has prepared an innovative, fully customized solution. 

A separate B2B Suite panel has been developed to automate and simplify complex business operations as much as possible. Its advanced features allow you to adjust sales to changing market conditions. The price is adjusted to the customer, including discounts and special offers. 

With B2B Suite, thanks to the fast ordering option, the likelihood of the subsequent purchase increases. The panel also provides budget management, reducing overhead and maintenance costs. 

Thanks to the adaptation to the individual platform needs, B2B Suite allows you to develop e-commerce and scale your business at your own pace. 

Wide web hosting plan

As part of the partnership with Shopware, there are three web hosting options. Their specification depends on the needs of both the open and dedicated solution.  

SaaS (Software as a Service) – hosting is fully supported by Shopware. You don’t have to know programming to use its modules. The no-code approach makes it easier to enter information and saves much time. Shopware Cloud brings all your e-store resources into one place. That is a safe solution for projects on a specific budget. It will keep TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) low for e-stores that want to scale their business. 

PaaS (Platform as a Service) – a solution that expands the horizons of e-commerce. What sets Shopware PaaS apart is that it deploys strategies quickly, securely and scalable.   

In this hosted service, developers have full access to the platform’s built-in components, effectively reducing coding time, labour, and costs. For owners or managers, PaaS provides a source of analytical tools so they can look at accurate data and monitor performance continuously.   

However, PaaS does not include automatic updates, as in Shopware SaaS. Developers must manage their updates. This approach indicates a high degree of flexibility, where the project teams determine the software’s correctness.   

Whatever cloud provider you choose, your platform will always run smoothly.   

Self-hosted – hosting depends on the owner, who has complete control over the software and client data in this service. Due to its complexity, this solution is dedicated to highly developed e-commerce platforms managed by a large group of specialists. 

Summary

Shopware is not just a development engine. It is above all a universal tool for building modern e-commerce platforms. It is such a versatile solution that both small beginner stores and large entities of enterprise class stores can be implemented and should be interested in the possibilities offered by the German manufacturer. Of course, this involves the proper selection of both the appropriate package predefined by Shopware, and additional modules, whether in the form of ready-made plugins or dedicated code written by the customer service agency. But we will write more about this in the next article.  

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