The Best SaaS eCommerce Platforms Of 2024

In the world of eCommerce, keeping up with customer demands while managing the technical backend can be tough. Ignoring the website backstage isn’t an option, even though the spotlight is on the main show. Slow website speed? That’s a no-go for customers. This is where SaaS eCommerce shines — it’s like having a crew overseeing backend technicalities while you’re on stage running the show.

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Best SaaS Ecommerce Platforms

Shopify

[sh_product_widget name=’Shopify’ id=’SHPW1027′ overview=’2′ benefits=’1′ key_features=’2′ limitations=’2′ researchers_summary=’1′ ]

Platform Analysis

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

BigCommerce

[sh_product_widget name=’Bigcommerce’ id=’SHPW1028′ overview=’2′ benefits=’1′ key_features=’2′ limitations=’2′ researchers_summary=’1′ ]

Platform Analysis

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Adobe Commerce

[sh_product_widget name=’Adobe Commerce’ id=’SHPW1029′ overview=’2′ benefits=’1′ key_features=’2′ limitations=’2′ researchers_summary=’1′ ]

Platform Analysis

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Oracle Commerce Cloud

[sh_product_widget name=’Oracle Commerce’ id=’SHPW1030′ overview=’2′ benefits=’1′ key_features=’2′ limitations=’2′ researchers_summary=’1′ ]

Platform Analysis

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Optimizely

[sh_product_widget name=’Optimizely’ id=’SHPW1031′ overview=’2′ benefits=’1′ key_features=’2′ limitations=’2′ researchers_summary=’1′ ]

Platform Analysis

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

What Is SaaS Ecommerce?

SaaS eCommerce, or Software as a Service eCommerce, is a deployment strategy for tools and software that allows you to manage online stores from any web browser. These cloud-hosted platforms facilitate access from any location and device. They are typically fully hosted and managed by vendors, meaning you don’t need to:

• Invest in hardware to host the platform
• Maintain the software architecture
• Manage security updates and data storage

You can use necessary eCommerce functionalities through a web browser without complex installations or maintenance. It’s ideal for businesses that want to build their online presence and sell products without heavy investments in IT infrastructure and personnel. It allows them to focus on core operations while relying on the SaaS provider to handle server management, software updates, security and technical support.

Some of the main advantages of SaaS eCommerce are:

• Cost-Efficiency: SaaS eCommerce eliminates the need for upfront infrastructure costs, reducing expenses and making it affordable for businesses.
• Scalability: Businesses can quickly scale their operations up or down based on demand. Adding new features doesn’t require heavy hardware upgrades, and you can add third-party software using APIs.
• Accessibility: The SaaS model allows you to access the platform from any location with an internet connection, promoting convenience and remote management.
• Faster Time to Market: Rapid deployment and pre-built features enable you to launch stores faster and stay ahead in the competitive market.
• Automated Security: SaaS providers handle security updates and maintenance, ensuring data protection and reducing the burden on businesses to manage security measures.

On-Premise vs. SaaS Ecommerce

To better understand the ins and outs of this deployment strategy, let’s look at the key differences between SaaS eCommerce and traditional platforms deployed on on-premise servers:

Aspect	On-Premise Software	SaaS Platforms
Cost	It involves higher initial investment for infrastructure setup, maintenance and software upgrades.	It has a lower upfront cost as the vendor takes charge of most backend management processes for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
Data Storage and Software Hosting	You store data and host the software architecture on proprietary servers, increasing IT complexity.	The vendor is responsible for hosting software on the cloud and securely storing user data.
Customization	You can extensively customize the platform by accessing and manipulating the software’s source code.	The vendor owns the software source code and doesn’t share access. You can make limited customizations through built-in options, integrations and add-ons.
Frontend Designing	Storefronts and website designs are fully customizable.	Frontend customizations are limited to vendor templates as these platforms are designed for users with minimal technical knowledge to launch a store.
Security and Update Patches	It requires you to manage security measures, including timely updates and software patches.	The SaaS provider handles platform updates and ensures the software meets security standards for payment processing and data handling.

Note that this table summarizes the key distinction points between these two deployment models. Individual platform capabilities may vary from vendor to vendor, and you may find solutions with overlapping features from both options.

Types of SaaS Ecommerce Models

Depending on the tenancy structure, there are mainly two types of SaaS eCommerce models. In SaaS, tenancy refers to the ownership and sharing of computing resources in a public or private cloud environment.

Single-Tenant SaaS

Single-tenancy is when each client or user gets a dedicated server and supporting infrastructure to host, manage and maintain their eCommerce platform. In this architecture, you don’t need to share resources with other businesses (using the same platform) and can customize the software environment to suit your requirements.

You can consider this architecture as a residential community comprising only single-family homes built by the same real-estate company. Each household has the flexibility to modify their homes while maintaining the security and conveniences of living in a community.

Pros

• Each database is isolated, leading to lower chances of breaches.
• Individual upgrades don’t affect the overall architecture, ensuring an uninterrupted experience for other users.
• Database isolation makes it easier to access historical data and restore previous settings.

Cons

• Involves a higher cost as you can’t share management and maintenance services with other users.
• Requires more time and resources to maintain the architecture.
• Can lead to wastage and inefficient resource utilization as each user individually owns servers, domain controllers and security patches.

Multi-Tenant SaaS

Multi-tenancy is when many businesses share the same software architecture to store data and power their online stores. It’s less technical than single-tenant architectures because the vendor owns the software license and takes charge of every backend management workflow. They usually offer access to the platform’s user interface only, not the source code.

Following our previous example, multi-tenant architectures are like an apartment or a condo where multiple families inhabit the same building. Each family can lower the cost of living by sharing maintenance and utility charges but can’t make large modifications to the building structure.

Pros

• Multiple users use every resource simultaneously, leading to optimum utilization and minimal wastage.
• Clubs maintenance costs into the subscription fee, and vendors don’t charge per case like in a single tenant structure.
• Multi-tenant SaaS providers have enormous computing capacity, and scaling your business can be as simple as upgrading to a higher subscription plan.

Cons

• Vendors typically manage complex and large databases and servers, leading to higher maintenance time and platform availability issues.
• Hardware and software issues for a single user can impact the overall software performance and disrupt other users’ experiences.
• Offers fewer customizations and limited control over the software environment, making it harder to personalize experiences.

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Software Comparison Strategy

Now that you know what SaaS eCommerce is and identified the best platforms, it’s time to decide what’s best for your business. The first step is to identify your problem. Start by preparing a checklist of your major pain points and eCommerce system requirements.

Factors To Consider

Here are a few key points you should keep in mind while outlining the requirements checklist:

• Customizations: Examine the software architecture’s adaptability and the frontend’s branding options. Find software that seamlessly aligns with your operations and offers branding tools that reflect your business identity.
• Payments: Select a solution that ensures swift payment processing and cost-effective rates. Vendors charge different fee structures; some charge only external payment gateway fees, while others include additional charges per transaction.
• Features: Outline vital features required for inventory management, marketing, order processing and shipping. Prioritize platforms that accommodate your immediate needs and offer room for future expansion.
• Integrations: Assess the accessibility and versatility of the platform’s code and API. Opt for a system that either encompasses all necessary functionalities or permits integration with external solutions to add functions.
• Security: Prioritize platforms that uphold data encryption, SSL certificates and PCI compliance, ensuring a secure backend process and a trustworthy environment for customers.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Select solutions that provide customers with a seamless mobile browsing experience.
• Support and Documentation: Choose vendors that offer comprehensive documentation, tutorials and support tailored to your IT proficiency level, ensuring a smooth adoption and operational process.

Questions To Ask

Beyond the requirements checklist, ask yourself these questions to identify your needs and priorities:

• How big is our catalog, and do we plan to expand our product range soon?
• Do we need connections between our physical and online stores?
• How technically adept is our business at handling software architecture?
• What’s our fulfillment strategy, and how many warehouse connections do we need with the new platform?
• What are the major challenges in our order fulfillment workflows?

Once your requirements are ready, you should contact the top software vendors to gauge their suitability with your operations. You can consider asking them the following questions to get the conversation rolling in the right direction:

• Do we need external integrations to connect with popular marketplaces and social media channels?
• How mobile-friendly is your platform?
• What are your payment processing structures and fees?
• Do you provide training, knowledge forums and troubleshooting options?
• Which security standards does the platform comply with?

You can also try out our nine-step software selection process that ensures you tick all the boxes to find the perfect solution that meets all your needs. We call it lean selection, and we guarantee you success.

Compare Top SaaS eCommerce Platform Leaders

Next Steps

Today, seamless customer experiences are non-negotiable, and SaaS eCommerce platforms ensure that you focus on frontend growth while the technical backend hums along smoothly. However, the catch lies in choosing the right tool, which not only does that but leaves room for you to grow in the future.

Akin to driving a high-speed car with a dysfunctional pit crew, having a misfit solution can hamper performance, hinder customer engagement and ultimately stall business growth. To avoid such scenarios, consider using our free comparison report that you compare the most popular solutions in the market based on features, pricing and custom criteria to identify what’s best for you. Happy selecting!

Which SaaS eCommerce platform resonates the most with your business aspirations? What are the potential growth avenues you envision with a scalable platform? Let’s start a conversation below.