When you are about to build an ecommerce website, you will get two choices for building the site and getting it online: a content management system (a CMS), or an open source or managed ecommerce platform. The two are not the same, despite having some overlapping similarities. Read below to learn about the differences between a CMS and a managed ecommerce platform and how to choose between the two:
What is a Content Management System?
A content management system is a platform like WordPress, Drupal, or Magento, that anyone can use to build a website. The main difference between a CMS and a managed ecommerce platform is that a CMS is not self-hosted. Customers have to purchase a separate hosting plan for the website. Paying for a separate hosting plan is not necessarily disadvantageous. Companies will have the option to choose the exact type of hosting they want, or even choose dedicated server to have more administrative control.
There are many benefits of using a CMS platform. Compared to managed ecommerce, these platforms generally have better functionality. Users can benefit from a multitude of plugins, themes, add-ons, and other features that improve the functionality and appeal of online stores. CMS allow users complete freedom to customise as well. It’s just the better option to have more modification leeway. Some CMS platforms are arguably quite complicated to use. But with skilled help, such as by hiring Magento developers Melbourne, users can design a unique website for a brand.
CMS platforms are commonly used by very large stores. Because the websites are hosted separately, there are no cumbersome limitations like restrictions on the number of products allowed. Sophisticated websites that require larger bandwidth volumes are highly recommended to use a CMS platform.
What is a Managed Ecommerce Platform?
Managed ecommerce platforms are also called hosted ecommerce or open-source platforms. This type of ecommerce solution is hosted on a server. This server will be owned by a third-party provider who will charge for the server space and other associated fees. Examples of a managed ecommerce platform include the massive brand Shopify and the lesser known BigCommerce. Managed ecommerce is highly preferred by companies that want to have their hosting issues solved at the same time as the online store. This method is appealing to many thanks to low expenses.
Because the ecommerce company doesn’t own the server, there’s no need to hire coders or similar personnel to maintain a server. In most cases the costs of hosting will be shared with another company, which lowers the costs even further. Managed ecommerce, in general, is less cumbersome to execute as there is no technical team to develop.
How to Decide between CMS and Managed Ecommerce Platforms?
Which one to choose will depend on the needs of the online store. If you are planning on building a large, complex online store, then go with CMS. If you have as e-store with small to moderate amounts of traffic, then a hosted solution may help cut down operational costs.
However, for those brands that plan on growing, a CMS maybe the better option of the two given the independent these platforms afford. It’s very important to choose which of the two would be best suited for your company’s business needs.
