If you ever asked yourself the question, SuiteCommerce vs. SuiteCommerce Advanced, What’s the difference? You’re in the right place. If I had a dime for every time answered this question, I’d have… I don’t know; I’ve honestly lost count.
I decided to create a quick and easy guide to explain the differences and help you understand which one of these platforms would be a better fit for your eCommerce business. But let’s cover the basics first.
What is SuiteCommerce?
SuiteCommerce is NetSuite’s eCommerce platform. It allows you to set up a fully integrated eCommerce website into your NetSuite ERP.
As a result, all the information – products, prices, inventory, you name it — that lives in your ERP feeds your eCommerce website.
Orders placed in your online store will come directly to your ERP system. Everything that happens in NetSuite will show in SuiteCommerce and vice versa. SuiteCommerce is just an additional module of the NetSuite product, becoming the customer’s Single Source of Truth. No connectors or integrations are needed.
There are currently two types of SuiteCommerce products: SuiteCommerce (previously known as SuiteCommerce Standard) and SuiteCommerce Advanced. It might sound counter-intuitive, but SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA) came before SuiteCommerce (SC). Bear with me…
SuiteCommerce
SuiteCommerce came out in 2018 as a lighter version of SCA. This new, lighter, and more affordable alternative would be the perfect hybrid between SCA and Site Builder, including the best of each.
Reasons to go for SC:
- One domain across shopping and check out
- Launch your full-featured online store quickly
- No need to manage hardware, software, or security compliances
- Fast, scalable website
- Because it’s a lighter version of SCA, it’s more affordable.
SuiteCommerce Advanced
SuiteCommerce Advanced, with its first versions launched in 2012, has a lot more history. What SCA offers are optimal and robust multichannel experiences. The possibilities are endless, whether you want to integrate email marketing tools or custom merchandising features. SCA also allows you to manage multiple sites under the same brand umbrella.
Reasons to go for SCA:
- Unrestricted access to the source code
- Omnichannel integrations
- Increased site speed and performance
- Extra merchandising features, e.g., upsell, cross-sell, and faceted navigation.
- Manual upgrades
- Allows multiple sites (micro-sites)
SuiteCommerce vs. SuiteCommerce Advanced: Uncovered
Both versions have fully responsive themes, integrate Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, and support multiple currencies/taxes/shipping prices.
All the features available in SCA are also available in SC. However, the most significant difference lies in the level of control you have over them.
Specifically, SC lacks access to the source code, and version updates in SC are automatically installed instead of being done manually.
In contrast, SCA gives you complete control of your website. You get flexibility, full server-side scripting, and a more powerful search engine.
Differences in SuiteCommerce Features
SuiteCommerce’s available features are an essential part of understanding the platform. Some features come out of the box, i.e., will be readily available from the moment you install SuiteCommerce.
Other features, however, are available as extensions. Customers running on any version available after the Extensibility Layer came out (Aconcagua and later) can use the Extension Manager to install it and configure it. This helps customers add additional features that do not come out of the box.
Any customization through Extensions can be done successfully in SC, too. But if the customization requires making changes to the actual source code, it won’t be possible to do it in SC. You will need to check with a SuiteCommerce Developer to confirm whether your customization is doable in SC.
In other words, SC is an excellent tool if you’re starting your business or if your company does not require complex or advanced customization and maintenance. SCA is the way to go if you want to have complete customization control over your website — and if you’re able to carry it out yourself.
In conclusion
Now that we’ve compared SuiteCommerce vs. SuiteCommerce Advanced, we can sum it up as having two versions of the same product: a limited access version and a full access version.
The bottom line is that both products can help you make the most of your eCommerce website. What’s truly important is understanding each’s full capabilities. With the appropriate guidance and in the right hands, either version can help you accelerate your growth.
To learn more, send us a message and schedule a meeting with our SuiteCommerce experts!
