When shopping nowadays, how often do you purchase online and how often do you buy the product in person? ECommerce markets are soaring, and 66% of consumers prefer to shop online , which suggests great business opportunities.
However, it's a highly competitive market, as between 2019 and 2023, the number of eCommerce sites worldwide surged from 9.2 million to an incredible 26.5 million , and 20% of businesses fail because their competitors outperform them. Users want more personalized shopping experiences, broader product selections, and rich content, which is why a strong tech stack is essentiåal.
In spite of using a standalone eCommerce platform or having a traditional CMS like WordPress with WooCommerce, you may notice that they do not provide versatile functionalities that enable you to create a rich online experience.
Choosing the best eCommerce CMS is difficult because there are so many options: What features must be included in an eCommerce CMS? Would you be better off using an eCommerce platform with or without a CMS? What’s the best CMS for your use case?
We will answer all your questions in this article.
#Do you need a separate CMS alongside your eCommerce platform?
The concept of eCommerce platforms and CMS may not be clearly distinct to you. When talking about an eCommerce platform, you might think of Shopify, and when talking about a CMS, you might think of WordPress, but both can be used to manage eCommerce stores. How are they different?
To grasp this concept, we need to examine different ways to manage your eCommerce website:
1. The “standalones”
- You can use a sole eCommerce platform (such as Shopify and Magento) or a CMS (such as WordPress with WooCommerce and Drupal) to manage your online store. Typically, the platforms provide all essential eCommerce features, the storefront is built using the given templates, and you have less flexibility to customize your website.
2. Integrate a CMS with eCommerce platform
The “eCommerce platform first” approach: Integrate your CMS (like Hygraph or Squarespace) with your eCommerce platform. Let the eCommerce platform manage sales administration tasks like shipping, product information, tax management, while the CMS handle your website content. If the CMS is headless, you can customize the storefront as you want.
The “CMS first” approach: Make the CMS your single source of truth for all your data, handling all your marketing content, product information, etc., while keeping the eCommerce system for only operational tasks like SKUs and stock levels.
Naturally, the next question is how to choose between these options. It is a complex subject that depends on numerous nuances of how you plan to manage your website content, but you can narrow down your decision by considering the size of your team and your use case.
When you only have a small team, or you are a one-person team without any development knowledge, starting with a single platform and build your store with templates is a good idea.
Another scenario is when you have a limited product selection and want to keep your store simple. You don't anticipate changing your product information or website content frequently, and you don't expect to add features or change the look of the storefront.
For those who are neither in the one nor the other scenario, we recommend using a separate CMS for your eCommerce store.
It might seem like a standalone platform would simplify your store management, but this is not true. One less platform does not equal easier management, especially not when your business starts to scale. As a result, you will not be able to offer better experiences for your users or provide them with more functionality.
Here is why you need a separate CMS to manage your eCommerce store
1. Manage content independently
No matter you use a eCommerce platform like Magento, which is arguably more capable of hosting complex products, or WordPress with WooCommerce, if you are a company with both developers and content editors hands-on managing your website, it’s always better to keep things separate.
Navigating through a mix of operational information and content is complicated and risky. Non-technical users like editors wouldn’t want to mess with administrative information, and vice versa. By keeping your CMS separate from your eCommerce platform, you keep your public content and business administration clean. Additionally, despite an eCommerce platform's essential features, it lacks features to enhance your content. In CMSs like Hygraph, you can customize roles and permissions, schedule content, edit rich text, and more, all of which enable seamless workflows and rich content experiences.
2. Let your content experience become a distinguisher
As we mentioned earlier, if you are using a single eCommerce platform or CMS, you will build your store using themes and templates. Even if you use your own brand colors and design style, the same theme from platforms like Shopify is easily recognizable, so you might end up looking exactly like other online stores.
In fact, 57.5% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that has a unique brand identity since they want an experience that is one-of-a-kind. It is best to use a headless CMS for your website design, which decouples the backend from the frontend, allowing you to customize the storefront to your specifications without worrying that it won't fit the template.
3.Enable omnichannel eCommerce
Consumers no longer rely solely on one channel. According to a study, consumers have at least 6 touchpoints before purchasing a product . Keeping your business under one roof won't suffice in this day and age of social media, search engines, and paid advertisements.
It’s obvious that you need to stay relevant on multiple channels. The question is how to make it efficient. Omnichannel eCommerce leverages the same content source and delivers it to different channels. You should use a CMS that allows you to put content in one place and send it to a variety of platforms rather than launching the same content repeatedly on different platforms.
4. A tech agnostic approach offers more potential for improvement
The problem with a standalone solution, namely WordPress with WooCommerce or Magento, is that you are forced to use the solution they offer. While it can pull the strings, you will most probably face scalability issues. This is due to the nature of technology, when JAMstack was booming, for example, a PHP-based solution like WordPress only appears to be outdated.
Separating the eCommerce platform with a headless CMS means that your frontend, website content and eCommerce system are connected by APIs so they can be maintained separately, and you can integrate third-party applications easily to extend your service offer. Embracing the composable approach also allows you to customize your store with the best-of-breed microservices and avoid spending on en-suite features you won't use.
5. Better security
It’s not hard to understand that when you put all your eggs in one basket, chances are higher that they are all affected if some accident happens, and that’s the short explanation of why using a standalone platform is more risky than having a CMS next your eCommerce platform.
In the event of a security breach or vulnerability in the platform, a centralized approach expose all your information to the bad actors. It mitigates the risk if you separate and store your information on eCommerce platform and CMS. If you use a headless CMS, it will be even more safe since the backend and frontend are decoupled, which get both sides protection.
#ECommerce CMS features checklist
Let's explore some key features to consider when selecting a CMS for eCommerce:
Ease of use
You need a user-friendly CMS that simplifies your eCommerce operations. It must cater to both developers and content editors alike.
For developers, it should facilitate easy setup of content models, seamless integration with diverse data sources, and the flexibility to connect the backend with any frontend of choice.
Meanwhile, content editors need a user-friendly interface and a centralized platform for managing product information, eliminating redundant tasks and boosting content velocity.
SEO-friendly
You can enhance your online visibility with an SEO-friendly CMS tailored to improve your eCommerce site's search engine rankings.
Customizable URLs, metadata optimization, and XML sitemap generation ensure your content is easily discoverable, driving organic traffic and engaging customers.
All this will allow you to maximize your online presence and attract potential customers with ease.
Omnichannel content delivery
With an eCommerce CMS designed for omnichannel success, you can deliver a consistent brand experience across all your channels.
With it, you can synchronize product information, inventory levels, and promotional offers seamlessly across your website, mobile app, other eCommerce platforms, and brick-and-mortar stores.
All this allows you to build brand loyalty and drive sales by providing customers with a unified shopping experience, regardless of their chosen interaction channel.
Integration flexibility for extensibility
With an API-first CMS, you gain the flexibility to effortlessly integrate with best-of-breed microservices, ensuring seamless connectivity with various tools out of the box.
This fosters adaptability and scalability, allowing your eCommerce CMS to evolve alongside the changing market demands. As a result, you can leverage new technologies, enhance performance, and deliver a tailored shopping experience, driving both customer satisfaction and business growth.
Localization
A CMS with robust localization features allows you to seamlessly manage content in multiple languages and tailor your offerings to different regions.
This means you can efficiently handle translations, regional pricing, and local promotions, ensuring your customers receive relevant content no matter where they are.
By providing a localized shopping experience, you can expand your reach, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive growth in new and existing markets.
#10 best CMS for eCommerce in 2024
Here’s a curated list of the 10 best CMS for eCommerce businesses.
1. Hygraph
For eCommerce businesses with complex catalogs, Hygraph's unique GraphQL-native headless CMS is the best solution to manage and unify your content.
Hygraph’s eCommerce CMS uses a composable, API-first approach approach that lets you seamlessly integrate data from diverse sources (such as PIM systems and commerce engines) through a single, global content API.
Online home decor brand Lick adopted Hygraph to manage their eCommerce store and increased 2x sales:
Without Hygraph, we would not have been able to achieve the intuitively modeled content pages in the time frame that we did. After the launch of our new site, our “Add to Bag” conversions increased by 20%. It was easier to build the modular site that we imagined to improve user experience without workarounds.
In addition to Hygraph's flexibility in content modeling, its robust ability to handle complex data means it can also serve as a PIM system. A headless commerce solution paired with Hygraph could let you cross-link content and products directly from remote sources, as well as out-of-the-box integrations.
Pros:
Intuitive interface for content editors to manage content independently with in-line editing tools, live previews, and scheduled publishing.
Seamlessly integrate with any MarTech stack, helping content creators maintain full control over their content lifecycle from creation to conversion.
Build modular content with a visual schema builder, enabling editors to create pages using pre-built components and manage complex relationships for maximum flexibility.
Leverages both out-of-the-box integrations and support for remote sources to easily connect your content and products.
Integrates microservices and APIs into a single, consistent layer, streamlining your operations and improving overall efficiency.
Cons:
Steeper learning curve for new users.
Initial setup and integration may require technical expertise.
Use Case - Best For?
Hygraph is ideal for eCommerce businesses seeking to modernize their tech stack with a headless CMS that integrates microservices and APIs. This approach allows you to create a flexible tech stack of best-of-breed content services tailored to your needs.
It is particularly suitable for companies needing flexible content modeling and the ability to create rich content experiences. If your goal is to provide a seamlessly streamlined catalog and product experience while enhancing user engagement and conversions, Hygraph offers the tools and flexibility needed to achieve these objectives at scale.
BigCommerce:
While not exactly a CMS but an eCommerce platform, BigCommerce offers a powerful aplatform for eCommerce businesses of all sizes to launch and manage online stores.
As a SaaS provider, BigCommerce simplifies operations for merchants by offering a mostly cookie-cutter solution with essential built-in features for product management, marketing, and SEO, along with an open API for customization.
This makes it a strong contender for businesses seeking a scalable eCommerce solution with integrated content management capabilities.
Pros:
Extensive marketplace for third-party apps and integrations.
Essential SEO features to help improve your online store’s search engine rankings.
Sell on the platform in multiple languages with a third-party app supporting automatic translations.
Offers good multi-currency support and does not deduct any transaction fees.
Unlike other cookie-cutter CMS options, Drupal functions more like a website framework than a full-service site builder. While this makes it more challenging to use, it also allows for high flexibility and scalability across various use cases.
As a flexible and functional content management framework (CMF), it is well-regarded among developers for powering complex, high-traffic websites in the eCommerce industry.
Cons:
Primarily a commerce platform, so it might lack some of the advanced CMS capabilities found in dedicated CMS solutions.
Revenue-based pricing plans can become costly as your sales volume increases.
Limited customization options compared to some open-source platforms.
Dependence on third-party apps for certain functionalities can increase overall costs.
Use Case - Best For?
BigCommerce is suitable for eCommerce businesses of all sizes looking for a scalable platform to quickly launch and manage their online stores. It's particularly well-suited for businesses that want to streamline their operations with a mostly cookie-cutter solution that still offers room for improvement through its integrations with third-party applications.
Shopify
Shopify stands out as a user-friendly CMS for eCommerce businesses, offering essential tools and features to launch and expand online businesses.
With its cloud-based accessibility, users can manage their stores from anywhere with internet connectivity. Shopify streamlines inventory management, payment processing, and sales tracking, making it a top choice for entrepreneurs seeking efficiency and scalability in their e-commerce ventures.
Pros:
Easy to create and manage the online stores hosted on Shopify, even without technical knowledge.
Built-in analytics and reporting dashboard to help store owners gain valuable insights into customer behavior and sales performance.
Integrates with multiple sales channels like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Instagram.
Built-in tools to recover abandoned carts through automatic emails, minimizing lost sales opportunities.
Cons:
Built-in online store customization options are relatively limited compared to dedicated CMS platforms, making it challenging for brands to implement their desired store design and layout.
Limited options for creating and publishing other content types like blogs and web pages compared to dedicated CMS platforms.
SEO capabilities are limited, lacking custom SEO-friendly URL structures and image file naming options
Limited out-of-the-box and custom integration capabilities.
The pricing structure is not budget-friendly and includes high transaction fees for using third-party payment providers.
Use Case - Best For?
Shopify offers an ideal solution for small to medium-sized eCommerce ventures seeking a comprehensive platform without extensive customization requirements. However, as business needs evolve, particularly in terms of customization and design, Shopify's limitations may become apparent, prompting exploration of alternative solutions.
OpenCart
OpenCart stands out as a free and open-source eCommerce CMS, offering a balance between simplicity and functionality.
The platform offers extensive customization options through its plugin marketplace. This makes it a budget-friendly option for businesses seeking a self-hosted solution with control over their online store. However, OpenCart requires more technical expertise compared to some hosted solutions and may have a higher initial setup cost due to potential hosting and development needs.
Pros:
The free platform is a cost-effective solution for those with a tight budget.
Offers a large community of users and contributors for support.
Provides a range of plugins and extensions to enhance its capabilities.
Flexible options to either self-host your online store or opt for managed hosting via Amazon.
Cons:
Requires technical knowledge to operate at its full potential.
Plugins can significantly slow down its performance.
While free, you still need to pay for your web server, security add-ons, and connected third-party applications.
Best For?
OpenCart is a strong fit for small and medium-sized businesses seeking a budget-friendly, open-source eCommerce platform. It caters well to businesses with some technical expertise, as it offers a good balance between user-friendliness and customization capabilities.
Joomla
Joomla, written in PHP, is another free and open-source CMS for developing both eCommerce websites and web applications.
It utilizes the MySQL database to store content and offers extensive customization options through various templates, making it suitable for users with varying needs and technical expertise.
Pros:
Highly customizable with easily accessible third-party components.available.
Extensive range of templates for various design needs.
Numerous developed extensions available for different applications.
Easy to install with abundant information and support available.
Cons:
Steep learning curve, requiring basic understanding of website development and specific languages.
Requires CSS and PHP knowledge for advanced customization, which can be challenging to learn.
Risk of site breakage during updates, requiring constant backups.
SEO options need improvement.
Use Case - Best For?
Joomla caters best to eCommerce businesses with some technical expertise or access to development resources. Its strength lies in high customizability through readily available third-party components and extensions. However, this flexibility comes with a steeper learning curve.
Drupal
Drupal designed to help eCommerce businesses build professional websites from scratch.
Unlike other cookie-cutter CMS options, Drupal functions more like a website framework than a full-service site builder. While this makes it more challenging to use, it also allows for high flexibility and scalability across various use cases.
As a flexible and functional content management framework (CMF), it is well-regarded among developers for powering complex, high-traffic websites in the eCommerce industry.
Pros:
Offers a vast library of modules for tailored functionality and a flexible core for in-depth customization.
No licensing fees makes it an attractive option for budget-conscious businesses.
An active and engaged open-source community that provides continuous assistance and resources.
Excels in managing diverse content types and architectures.
Cons:
Drupal's interface can be challenging for beginners, requiring users to have technical expertise.
Large number of plugins from various developers pose security challenges.
Requires more powerful infrastructure, increasing hosting and server costs.
Difficult navigation and hidden settings make the interface less user-friendly.
Initial setup and configuration require technical skills and can be time-intensive.
Use Case - Best For?
Drupal CMS is most suited for medium to large eCommerce businesses that require a highly customizable and scalable platform to handle complex, high-traffic websites. Such established eCommerce businesses have complex needs and in-house technical expertise required to achieve the right results.
WordPress
WordPress is a highly popular CMS. Paired with the WooCommerce plugin, it can deliver powerful eCommerce websites.
It stands out in the market not only as a top choice for eCommerce websites but also for various other types of web pages. WordPress boasts a vast community, providing numerous plugins, themes, and resources for support.
This open-source nature of WordPress allows for complete customization of your online store. However, regular updates and maintenance are crucial, which might require significant time and effort.
Pros:
Open-source CMS that has no licensing fees and extensive customization options.
Convenient admin panel and user-friendly interface for theme editing.
Easy and quick to install on any hosting service.
Abundant online resources, tutorials, and user forums for support and learning.
Cons:
Requires separate web hosting arrangements.
Potential page load issues due to the number and quality of installed plugins.
Vulnerable to hacks and malware due to its popularity.
Limited official technical support since it's free.
Use Case - Best For?
The CMS offered by WordPress is a perfect fit for budget-conscious businesses seeking an easy-to-use and highly customizable eCommerce platform. Plus, its user-friendly interface simplifies the process of managing and editing website content, making it suitable for entrepreneurs without extensive technical expertise.
Squarespace
Squarespace stands out as a user-friendly, all-in-one SaaS CMS for building beautiful and functional eCommerce websites.
The intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality simplify website creation and management, making it ideal for beginners.Squarespace seamlessly integrates eCommerce functionalities, allowing you to launch an online store alongside your website. However, this ease of use comes with limitations in customization compared to more technical platforms.
Pros:
Easy website creation and management with intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality.
Professional-looking websites with mobile-friendly layouts for a seamless user experience across devices.
Automatic updates ensure security without user intervention.
Tracks basic website analytics like site traffic and sales without needing additional tools (may not be suitable for advanced analytics needs).
Streamlined website creation process for a quick launch.
Cons:
Templates offer less flexibility compared to other CMS alternatives, potentially restricting brand identity.
Challenges in scaling for larger online catalogs.
Higher maintenance costs compared to open-source CMS alternatives.
Limited design options may require technical expertise to customize beyond template
Use Case - Best For?
Squarespace is well-suited for creative entrepreneurs and small businesses launching their first online store. Its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop editing make it ideal for beginners with limited technical knowledge. The built-in eCommerce features allow for a quick and easy launch to help them get started.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source, self-hosted eCommerce CMS that offers significant flexibility and customization options.
Launched in August 2007, PrestaShop is written in PHP and available under the Open Software License.
While extensive customization might require technical expertise and the quality of third-party modules can vary, PrestaShop stands out as a lightweight and versatile CMS, giving users substantial control over their website’s setup and management.
Pros:
Free open-source software, ideal for starting a website without additional costs.
Minimal reliance on plugins, simplifying the setup process and reducing expenses.
User-friendly admin panel appreciated by clients for its ease of use.
Wide range of payment option plugins available for global sales.
Ability to manage multiple online stores efficiently from a single control panel.
Capable of handling large inventories without compromising performance.
Cons:
Limited online documentation compared to competitors, posing challenges for new users.
Complexity in setup requires technical knowledge and experience, making it daunting for beginners.
Content creation and extension of functionality can be cumbersome.
Basic functionalities are free, but essential plugins often come at a cost, increasing expenses for advanced features.
Use Case - Best For?
PrestaShop caters well to businesses seeking a customizable and cost-effective eCommerce platform. As an open-source solution, it offers extensive customization options and a dedicated community for support. However, this flexibility might require some technical expertise, especially when dealing with third-party modules of varying quality.
Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) goes beyond a traditional CMS, offering a combined web content management system and digital asset management system in one cloud-based solution.
AEM allows businesses to create and manage websites, mobile apps, and web forms – all within a centralized platform. Its robust functionality extends through its integration capabilities, allowing seamless connections with various commerce and fulfillment platforms.
Pros:
Unified content platform for creating, publishing, and managing content across channels from a single interface.
Enables componentization and independent content updates, reducing dependency on engineering and accelerating production.
Includes an intuitive site builder with drag-and-drop functionality for easy website creation and editing.
Supports multi-channel publishing for seamless content distribution across various platforms.
Easily integrates with other Adobe products like Adobe Analytics for comprehensive data insights and Adobe Campaigns for efficient marketing automation and management.
Able to support high incoming volume without performance issues, suitable for large-scale operations.
Stable platform with reliable performance for handling customer traffic effectively.
Cons:
Limited design flexibility can result in cookie-cutter websites unless designers and developers dedicate time and effort for creation of a customized online store.
Requires significant user and administrator training due to its complexity.
Licensing fees can be expensive, making it less suitable for budget-conscious businesses.
Content modeling is not straightforward and requires customization of site templates.
Use Case - Best For?
Adobe Experience Manager may be too costly for small to midsize businesses, but its user-friendly interface and powerful features make it a great choice for large enterprises. Moreover, AEM also comes with a steeper learning curve, requiring further investment in user and administrator training. If you can afford its high licensing fees and training costs, you will be able to take advantage of its extensive list of features.
#Wrapping Up
To sum up, it is critical to remember that the ideal CMS isn't a one-size-fits-all solution! Consider your technical expertise, budget, scalability needs, and desired level of customization. You must wisely make a choice based on your business use case and available resources.
For businesses seeking a future-proof and flexible option, headless CMS solutions like Hygraph offer a compelling alternative.
Through the adoption of Hygraph’s composable architecture, Burrow, a popular D2C eCommerce furniture store, was able to increase their content velocity by 7 times while managing product inventory that had over 20,000 variations.
Kabeer Chopra, Co-Founder & CPO of Burrow, shared that “Initially, we started using Hygraph just to handle product content for our website. Today we also use it almost as a PIM – where Hygraph provides all the shipping estimates, customer notifications, and product variations.”
Curious to try first-hand? You can request a free demo today!
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