Top Enterprise eCommerce Platforms for Australian Businesses

What are enterprise eCommerce platforms?

An enterprise e-commerce platform is software designed to meet the complex needs of large-scale retail businesses. It facilitates online commerce for merchants and consumers by providing the necessary infrastructure, features, and integrations to support both internal and external e-commerce functions.

These platforms’ core commerce capabilities typically include product management, pricing, promotions, search, inventory, orders, cart, checkout, and user identity. Known as e-commerce primitives, these essential functions drive everything in commerce, such as inventory management, order processing, customer relationship management (CRM), marketing, payments, and analytics.

Top enterprise eCommerce platforms are highly flexible, scalable, and composable. They enable retailers to automate and streamline complex operations, integrate with top-tier third-party systems, eliminate manual processes, and adapt to changing market demands. This allows businesses to focus resources on more strategic initiatives, such as delivering superior products and services to customers.

Top pick for the best eCommerce website platform in Australia

Magento

Magento is a globally popular open-source platform, widely used in Australia. According to BuiltWith, over 4,000 live websites in Australia utilize Magento. Its high flexibility allows businesses to tailor features and scale the system according to their unique requirements.

Magento offers two versions: Open Source (Free) and Adobe Commerce (Paid), making it a versatile choice for enterprise eCommerce platforms.

Pros:

• Ideal for large businesses with complex customization needs and high-budget investments
• High customization and scalability capabilities
• Rich built-in features and advanced functionalities compared to SaaS platforms
• No limit on sales volume
• A diverse range of extensions is available
• Large user community

Cons:

• Requires a high level of technical expertise
• Relatively long deployment time
• High initial costs

Core Features:

• Multi-brand solution
• Inventory management
• Headless commerce implementation
• Loyalty program development
• Advanced search
• High-security measures
• Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
• Advanced SEO

Pricing:

• Magento Open Source: Implementation costs range from $20,000 to $50,000 in the first year, with a go-live time of 3 to 6 months depending on project complexity.
• Adobe Commerce: Implementation costs range from $100,000 to $150,000 in the first year, with a go-live time of 6 months to 1 year depending on project complexity.

Watch more: Top 10 Magento Agencies In Australia 2024

Shopify

Shopify is one of the most popular SaaS enterprise eCommerce platforms with over 4.8 million active websites worldwide. In Australia alone, more than 150,000 online stores operate on Shopify. Recently, the premium version, Shopify Plus, has garnered significant attention from Australian businesses across various sectors. 

These businesses may have initially used other eCommerce platforms or started with core Shopify plans before upgrading to Shopify Plus for enhanced features and optimization.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Drag-and-drop builder
• High scalability and customizability, especially with the Plus package
• A diverse range of unique themes for various industries
• Extensive app store
• Supports multiple local payment gateways
• 24/7 customer support
• Rich learning resources
• Large user community

Cons:

• Ongoing costs increase over time
• Limited customizability and scalability in core Shopify plans
• eCommerce system reliance on Shopify

Core Features:

• Point-of-Sale (POS)
• Email marketing
• Blogging
• SEO
• Multi-marketplace selling
• Automation (for Plus merchants)
• Headless commerce (for Plus merchants)
• Composable commerce (for Plus merchants)
• Omnichannel (for Plus merchants)

Pricing:

• Shopify offers three main subscription plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced, costing from 56 AUD to 575 AUD per month, with a 25% discount if paid annually.
• High-volume businesses can consider Shopify Plus, starting at $2,000 or more monthly.
• New customers can enjoy a 3-day free trial, followed by the first month for $1 per month on select plans.

BigCommerce

In the field of enterprise eCommerce platforms, BigCommerce is another popular SaaS platform globally, with over 43,000 active websites. In Australia, there are more than 2,000 active BigCommerce websites. The platform stands out for its integrated features, enabling businesses of all sizes and technical expertise to quickly deploy eCommerce websites. 

Besides standard solution packages, BigCommerce offers an ‘Enterprise’ version tailored for large businesses with custom pricing.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Suitable for businesses of all sizes
• Rich integrated features
• 24/7 customer support
• Diverse affordable pricing plans
• No transaction fees
• Supports over 65 popular payment gateways
• Variety of themes and extensions

Cons:

• Limited online sales volumes
• Ongoing costs increase over time
• Limited customizability
• eCommerce system reliance on BigCommerce

Core Features:

• Point-of-Sale (POS)
• Blogging
• SEO
• In-depth analytics and reporting
• Multi-marketplace selling
• Headless commerce (best for ‘Enterprise’ businesses)
• Automation (best for ‘Enterprise’ businesses)
• Omnichannel (best for ‘Enterprise’ businesses)

Pricing:

• BigCommerce offers three subscription plans: Standard, Plus, and Pro, ranging from $39 to $399 per month, with a 25% discount if billed annually.
• For larger businesses, there’s the option to request a custom Enterprise quote.
• A 15-day free trial is available to test the most suitable plan for your store.

Watch more: Top 10 BigCommerce Design Partners You Need to Know

WooCommerce

WooCommerce, a free and open-source WordPress plugin, enables brands to integrate eCommerce functionality into their existing WordPress websites. With just a few clicks, the WooCommerce plugin helps convert standard WordPress sites into fully-featured enterprise eCommerce platforms, complete with essential features and easy customization.

Pros:

• Free and open-source
• Seamless integration with WordPress
• User-friendly interface
• Large user community
• In-depth analytics and reporting
• Support for various products and payment methods

Cons:

• Limited support for technical and security issues
• Some integrations demand advanced technical skills
• Reliance on the WordPress system
• Multilingual deployment may sometimes have limitations
• Potential costs may accrue over time

Core Features:

• Multi-marketplace selling
• Selling a diverse range of products
• Remote operation with a mobile app
• Customization and expansion
• Blogging
• SEO

Pricing: Free to use. However, some integrations with other plugins may incur charges.

Watch more: 5 Leading Digital Commerce Solutions in Australia

OpenCart

OpenCart is a globally popular open-source platform, powering over 900,000 active websites worldwide. In Australia, it has gained popularity with more than 2,000 active OpenCart websites, making it one of the favored enterprise eCommerce platforms in the country, following Magento.

Founded by Daniel Kerr in 1998, OpenCart operates as open-source software, utilizing the PHP programming language. It currently offers two versions: Free (Free-to-use version) and Cloud Store (Paid version).

Pros:

• User-friendly interface
• Extensive library of themes and apps
• Flexible customizability and scalability
• No transaction fees

Cons:

v

• Requires strong technical skills
• Lacks advanced extension features
• Many hidden costs

Core Features:

• Diverse payment and delivery methods
• Multilingual capabilities
• Multi-marketplace selling
• Seamless management of products, orders, and inventory
• Headless commerce deployment
• Blogging
• SEO

Pricing:

• Free for the Free version.
• For the Cloud Store version, the specific costs vary based on the chosen plan and additional services.

Conclusion

Choosing enterprise eCommerce platforms goes beyond just features and pricing. It’s crucial to find one that aligns with your business model, supports your growth trajectory, and meets your specific needs. Take the time to research your options thoroughly, seek expert guidance, and select a platform that fits your business perfectly.

SmartOSC excels in eCommerce Solutions and crafting scalable eCommerce systems with comprehensive features and user-friendly interfaces. With a proven track record of delivering over 300 eCommerce projects globally, we bring extensive experience to help businesses thrive online. Contact us today for the expert guide!