Considering an eCommerce platform for your online business? It might be difficult to choose between Shopify vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Although both platforms are full-featured, the question is which one will suit your particular requirements most. To help you understand the case better, this blog post will give a thorough comparison that briefly discusses every strength and weakness of each platform.
In this review, we’ll delve into key elements like pricing, usability, customization, and customer support. This knowledge will guide you in choosing the right platform for your online store. This crucial decision can significantly influence your business success. Let’s dive in!
Contents
1. Shopify vs Salesforce commerce cloud: An overview
1.1. Overview
Before we get to those details, let’s try to understand what Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify are.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a collection of cloud-based products built for commerce companies. It is intended to enable the establishment of electronic commerce sites, increase automation, and provide individualized customer service. One of the strengths of this platform is that it suits brands in both B2C and B2B sectors; thus, you will get access to powerful order literature tools together with their life cycles.
On the other hand, Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms that helps a business sell their products online. It can be noted that its interface is very easy to use and it has a lot of themes, capable of customization.
1.2. Key difference between Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify
Let us now discuss the main points relating to Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Shopify.
- Shopify primarily targets small- to mid-market businesses, while Salesforce Commerce Cloud caters to larger enterprises. Shopify’s popularity stems from its user-friendly interface, perfect for beginners.
- Salesforce offers a diverse toolkit, including AI-based personalization and advanced marketing features, but it can be more challenging to master.
- Shopify’s pricing plans are more affordable, making it a favorite among start-ups and small businesses. In contrast, Salesforce’s higher costs reflect its extensive functionality and enterprise-focused audience.
We’ll delve deeper into each platform’s features, pros, and cons in subsequent reviews.
2. Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Shopify: Comparison table
Choosing the correct eCommerce platform is key to guaranteeing success for your online venture. Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Shopify are 2 sets of excellent elements that meet divergent demands. This table compares them across key elements to help you choose wisely:
| Feature | Salesforce Commerce Cloud | Shopify | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | – 1% – 3% Gross Merchandise Value- From $25kmonth + implementation charges. – GMV-related type growing prices as volumes increase.. | $25/month – $399/month | Winner: Shopify |
| Customization options | Very configurable – developer-specialized or expensive agency support needed. | Weak default customization; depends on themes and app inclusions. | Draw: It’s all depend on your need |
| Ease of Use | It has quite a high learning curve and requires technical knowledge or training. | Ease of use interface; a good platform for starters who have little technical knowledge. | Winner: Shopify |
| SEO & marketing tools | SEO tools included, marketing automation platform integrations. | Provides simple SEO features; advanced marketing tools are dependent on app integrations. | Draw: They both have decent support for SEO, with Commerce Cloud having some more advanced marketing automation possibilities. |
| Apps & Integrations | Huge app store with a wide array of needs that are required to select and carefully manage. | Huge app store with user reviews; quality apps can come and go depending on the season. | Draw: They both have a great collection of apps, but Shopify has an easier one. |
| Scalability | High level of scalability to cope with organizations at global scales and rapid growth rates. | Serves well for medium-sized businesses, but larger corporations may have restrictions. | When it comes to scalability, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a winner but when it comes to smaller businesses Shopify wins this category. |
| Help and support | Enterprise-level support; Usually part of the subscription cost | Community-driven support; premium plans offer priority help. | Draw: Both provide good support, however, Commerce Cloud has features of receiving dedicated account management. |
>>> Learn more: Shopify vs OpenCart: What’s the Perfect Fit for Your Business?
3. Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Shopify: Full comparison
3.1. Pricing
Let’s kick off our detailed comparison with the first crucial element: Pricing.
The cost of Salesforce Commerce Cloud is quite high. Its pricing model depends on a certain percentage of your Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and charges from 1% to 3%. Moreover, it does not come cheap – from a staggering $ 25,000 per month plus standard installation fees. Your costs will also increase because as your sales gain momentum, you ascend into higher GMV-based thresholds.
In turn, Shopify has quite a cheap pricing format. Their subscriptions range from $25 monthly to a maximum of $399 per month. This transparent-priced menu provides clear, steadfast costing aiding in budget decision-making for all businesses but more especially for those who recently started or demonstrated moderate sales volume.
Puma, a global athletic wear company, utilizes Salesforce Commerce Cloud due to its extensive product range and high sales volumes. The platform’s high cost is justifiable for Puma as it drives significant online sales globally. On the other hand, Biko, a Canadian jewelry brand, uses Shopify’s affordable $25 per month plan. This allows them to focus on crafting unique pieces without worrying about high platform costs.
Verdict: In terms of pricing, it is Shopify that leads here. Its cost and clear pricing strategy set it apart from competition making. This is a superior option mostly appealing to SME markets.
3.2. Customization Option
Continuing with our detailed Shopify vs Salesforce analysis, let us now consider the degree of customization that you may expect to get out of each platform. Both platforms give you little chance of self-expression, but they do it differently.
What works for Salesforce Commerce Cloud is the area of personalization. It gives a lot of customization, turning online stores according to the needs and wishes of businesses. This, however, can be a double-edged sword – to unlock the full potential of this flexibility you’ll either need developer know-how or assistive services from an expensive agency.
Conversely, Shopify provides minimal native customization. Its customization leans more on themes and app integrations. Although this may sound limiting, he simplifies the process and makes it approachable even for those who do not know coding.
Global sportswear giant Adidas uses Salesforce Commerce Cloud to provide B2C functionality. The platform’s customization options help Adidas manage their vast product range and complex site navigation.
Meanwhile, Allbirds, a footwear brand focused on sustainability, leverages Shopify’s themes and apps to create an online store that aligns with their brand ethos, without requiring heavy coding or development work.
Verdict: There is no clear winner, it’s depend on your need. If you need a very individual, multifaceted online store and have developer resources available to do so, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is the clear winner here. But when it comes to users searching for an easily customizable eCommerce platform, Shopify is your best bet.
3.3. Ease of use
In the third section of our in-depth comparison, we will review usability. This is an important consideration for most businesses, especially those lacking in technical skills or resources.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud has a rich set of features for an e-commerce platform, albeit with high learning requirements. This platform is very technical and; therefore, one needs a reasonable amount of training to be able to navigate.
Outdoor clothing and gear company, Patagonia, uses Salesforce Commerce Cloud to manage its extensive, complex product line. Given their global customer base, it’s likely they employ experienced professionals to oversee their online store.
In contrast, Shopify is famous for its incredibly intuitive look. It is perfect for newcomers to the realm of e-commerce who are short on some technical skills, as this solution lets you establish your online store and look after it comparatively effortlessly.
“Pipcorn” snack company owned by a family is a sample of Shopify store. Despite being a small team, this brand has managed to develop and run an online store that looks very professional made possible by the intuitive platform utilized in Shopify.
Verdict: in terms of user-friendliness Shopify is the winner. With its ease of use and simple installation process, it is the ideal solution for businesses that do not have significant IT skills.Salesforce Commerce Cloud’s advanced functionality is ideal for larger businesses like Patagonia with dedicated tech teams, despite its steep learning curve.
3.4. SEO & marketing tools
Here, in the second part of our comparison of Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Shopify, we will turn to SEO and marketing instruments. These are the features that will generate huge traffic to your online store and convert those visitors into customers.
The kit of SEO tools is already provided in Salesforce Commerce Cloud and well has become an integrated part of the marketing automation platform amongst other disillusioned. This enables you to make your store more search engine friendly, as well, and automate the marketing process for better results.
A good example is “Uniqlo“. Being an international fashion brand that runs on Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Uniqlo takes advantage of the platform’s built-in SEO instruments and various marketing integrations to quickly reach a broad global audience.
Shopify provides most of the essential SEO tools, however their advanced marketing features mostly depend on app integrations. Though this may not be as holistic compared with what Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers, it provides sufficient capability for most stores to generate enough marketing noise around its products.
Take, for example, the case of Fashion Nova Shopify. Their efficient adoption of SEO techniques and marketing apps from Shopify has made them successful these days among online fashion retailers.
Verdict: As for SEO and marketing tools, it’s a tie. SEO support is great on both platforms, incoherently to marketing automation options that are more advanced and available with Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Shopify is a bit weaker in this regard, but it still has reasonable marketing tools and mostly relies on greater app integrations.
3.5. Apps & Integrations
Picking up with our Shopify versus Salesforce Commerce Cloud in-depth comparison, we will discuss apps and integrations available through these platforms. These integrations can greatly improve the operations of any store, making it much easier for the customers.
With Salesforce Commerce Cloud, there are a lot of applications available on the market that can satisfy diverse demands. But, these need to be chosen and handled properly so they can merge appropriately with your online store.
For example, there must be numerous apps under the name ‘Adidas,’ a global sportswear brand running Salesforce Commerce Cloud that enables it to perform various processes such as managing inventory and serving its customers.
Shopify also offers a vast app store, supplemented by reviews. This gives you the power to have an idea of what a given app can provide and its reliability before including it in your store. Nevertheless, there is a range of quality on offer, meaning that it remains important to choose wisely.
To illustrate this a great example of Shopify stores is the ‘Gymshark’. This fitness attire manufacturer has been successful in using multiple apps – from product reviews to social media integration, everything adds value and improves the performance of its online store.
Verdict: In terms of apps and integrations, it’s a tie. Both platforms also have enormous app ecosystems, but Shopify’s one is more user-friendly because of the access to user reviews.
3.6. Scalability
Further in our Shopify vs Salesforce detailed comparison, let’s discuss the possible scalability of both solutions for the sake of your business. Today, scalability is one of the key features that can define the future success and development perspectives of your store.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is scalable and suitable for enterprise-level companies and fast-growing businesses. This implies that it can effectively manage growth in traffic, scope of products, or internationalization.
Shopify can also increase its size to serve mid-sized businesses. Nevertheless, bigger companies may find certain boundaries, especially in adjustments and high-level integration.
Verdict: On the topic of scalability, it is more or less a two-way street. For bigger enterprises, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is the clear winner as it has unlimited scalability. Nevertheless, Shopify is doing great for small and medium-sized companies that need to be able to ensure their development without fearing the lack of scaling possibilities.
3.7. Help and support
As we conclude our in-depth comparison of Salesforce Commerce Cloud vs Shopify, let’s look at the support services available on either platform. It is important to emphasize this last feature as the ability to receive trustworthy advice from professionals on time can direct the whole process of handling your E-store.
The users of the Salesforce Commerce Cloud receive a specialized support service at an enterprise level. With a subscription, this service is usually included in its constituents and allows you to seek professional help at any time.
For example, Birchbox subscription beauty service utilizing Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a user of these privileges. Their customers may be guaranteed immediate and informed support to address the technical questions as soon as possible; this factor will help ensure that all their clients enjoy a perfect shopping experience.
On the other hand, Shopify has a more community-based support system. While this can prove useful in resolving generic problems or drawing lessons from shared experiences, it may not offer the type of immediate and tailored attention that a large corporation might need. Shopify’s paid plans include priority support that enables faster response times for those who require them.
One of Shopify’s stores is Jeffree Star Cosmetics. They receive a plus from learning the collective wisdom of users at Shopify, remaining priority members eligible for premium support to resolve their questions immediately or in more complex ways.
Verdict: both platforms offer strong support, with Salesforce Commerce Cloud slightly leading due to its dedicated account management.
4. Shopify vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: The verdict
Having delved deeper into the features supported by each platform, it is high time we arrived at a definite conclusion in our Shopify vs. Salesforce Commerce Cloud duel discussion.
While both applications have strong e-commerce functionality, they are designed for niche markets and business sizes. The final choice to make is yours, considering unique needs, budget constraints, and growth plans.
Choose Shopify if: You are an SME just wanting a simple and user-friendly platform. For young businesses or those aiming at gradual growth, the choice of Shopify might be a wise decision since this platform has an intuitive interface and is made to serve its community.
🤔 Looking beyond Shopify? Explore Shopify vs other eCommerce platforms comparisons for more options and find the perfect fit for your online store’s success.
Choose Salesforce Commerce Cloud if: You are a big company that requires a very scalable and configurable platform. Salesforce Commerce Cloud provides enterprise-level support and robust features for rapid scaling or very complex operations.
Additionally, if you already used Shopify and want to integrate Salesforce Commerce Cloud, check out our guide on Salesforce Shopify integration
5. Conclusion
To sum up, there is no 100% correct answer to the debate about Shopify vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud. This is all about platform selection that perfectly suits your enterprise methodology and needs for growth.
Finally, in the battle of Shopify vs Salesforce – which one to choose – it would depend on what a business might want. Shopify may be suitable for you if you are a small to mid-sized business looking for ease of use. Large-scale еntеrprisеs rеquiring powerful, customized tools might prefer Salesforce Commerce Cloud. The bottom line, solutions are not beautiful simply in eCommerce.
Here at Ecomstart, we have made it our business to help you make these choices. Check out more interesting comparisons and guides on ecomstart.io. With a reasonable decision, your online store may become prosperous. Happy selling!
6. FAQs
