SuiteCommerce vs. SuiteCommerce Advanced
What distinguishes these NetSuite ecommerce platforms from one another, and why might you choose one over the other for your business? Explore our Oracle NetSuite blog to find out how you can maximize some of the most robust NetSuite tools.
What is SuiteCommerce?
SuiteCommerce is integrated directly with the NetSuite ERP platform, allowing seamless access to your ERP data without the need for extra integration costs. With SuiteCommerce, your ecommerce management is closely tied to your other NetSuite tools, such as order handling, inventory management, and CRM, providing an efficient business management experience. This solution effectively supports both B2C (business to customer) and B2B (business to business) operations. Notably, implementations for enterprise-level solutions can typically be completed in less than 30 days with the help of a skilled SuiteCommerce partner.
The two NetSuite ecommerce platform choices are SuiteCommerce (formerly SuiteCommerce Standard) and SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA). While they are very similar, a few important differences exist that you’ll want to assess before making a purchase decision.
Similarities
Before we delve into how the two platforms differ, let's look at the shared features of SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced.
Business Analytics: Business intelligence and analytical tools such as customizable dashboards enable you to generate reports and gain valuable insights, while integrations with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager further enhance your analytic capabilities.
Customer Account: This feature allows your team to provide tailored service to customers through capabilities like viewing purchase history, locations, drop-ship options, wholesale distribution data, customer-specific details, personalized catalogs, checking payment balances, and online invoice payments.
Performance: The use of a content delivery network (CDN) for caching and single-page architecture (loading all JavaScript at once) ensures a smooth shopping experience with enhanced speed and performance that promotes customer engagement.
Purchasing, Payments, and Shipping: Offer your customers an array of purchasing options (customized pricing, terms and credit limits, channel or volume discounts), payment methods (credit cards, promo codes, gift cards, invoicing), and shipping possibilities (integrated solutions with carriers for label printing and automatic tracking information).
SEO and Marketing: SEO-friendly automation (customizable H1 tags, titles, meta tags, and SEO-friendly URL links) alongside other customization options aids in improving your Google rankings, while marketing tools (upselling, cross-selling, related products, social media sharing, and product reviews) assist in enhancing customer outreach and boosting online sales.
Website Management: Easily adjust site content with responsive design themes and drag-and-drop tools, combined with extensions that let you configure new features and functionalities across multiple scheduled site versions.
Storefront: Utilize responsive themes with precise design capabilities to enhance your site for any device, while features like faceted navigation and elastic site search simplify product discovery for shoppers.
Primary Difference: Access to Source Code
Having explored the key similarities of SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced, let's now address the main difference between these two platforms: access to the source code.
SuiteCommerce
SuiteCommerce does not permit source code access; thus, significant customization that alters the platform’s architecture is not feasible. However, it still allows for the creation of extensions that can fulfill most of your customization needs.
Note: Some SuiteCommerce apps are exclusive to SuiteCommerce Advanced as they require source code manipulation. Consult a NetSuite developer to find out if the additional features you wish to incorporate through apps necessitate SCA. They may also inform you about alternative apps or customizations compatible with SuiteCommerce that can address your requirements.
SuiteCommerce Advanced
SuiteCommerce Advanced grants developers full access to the source code, enabling almost any type of customization you can envision. If your business relies on innovation as a competitive edge, and you're aiming to create a web store that implements unique features not typically found elsewhere, SCA is likely your best choice.
