Your favorite e-commerce site is no-longer just a Product Catalog.
It has something unique that the competitor does not offer (say a USP),which gives e-shoppers reasons to keep coming back! Your Site has become a destination!
Did they just stumble upon this ? Or is it powered by strong digital prowess?
Well,Yes! Enter: e-commerce ! It is Living and ubiquitous !
I want to start my e-commerce shopping business,but I am confused whether to opt for open or closed source platform?? I wish to run a small to medium sized enterprise.
The debate between Self-Managed e-commerce carts versus Hosted is mostly heated!
It is rather impossible to take sides. Only an expert of both will be able to profess the right answer. We are a group of dedicated Open Source Explorers who provide both Self Managed and Hosted Cart Solutions.
In this article, we want to focus on constructing guidelines when you get Stuck in the Rut!
(I) Self Managed e-commerce solutions
- These are made available with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study,change and distribute the version at no cost to anyone and for any purpose.
- It literally does not mean that a layman can copy all your source codes.
- Only with a great pool of skills and talent , you could scoop into how the application actually works!
(II) Hosted e-commerce solutions
- The source code is not shared with the public for anyone to look at or make changes to.
- Most companies who sell their carts for money keep it closed source to make it harder for people to change it or copy it for free!
- Basically , it doesn’t let you modify the product.
- You can contract an e-commerce hosting provider to purchase his online space which gets leased to you on a monthly basis,depending on your contact terms.
With this little comparison chart given below, We want to draw light upon the peaks and valleys seen within the two E-commerce Giants!
|
Value |
Hosted or Closed Source Carts |
Open Source Carts |
|
Lower set-up costs for Custom Design |
Higher set-up costs for code customization, integration ,testing and implementation |
|
Can be managed by anyone with decent computer skills |
Needs to be managed by a specialized developer |
|
These can be run smoothly |
These need enhanced servers |
|
Limited |
Great |
|
Full support from developers |
Exceptional Developers give Great Service and Support |
|
Synced automatically into your cart |
Could be done both manually and automatically |
|
Limited, since original or root files cannot be accessed |
Great ; can access any file |
As an early investor you need to focus on below three points before arriving at a decision–
1. Your Budget: Because of both popularity and advances, it is easier to get a cost-effective customizable version for your business. So its more about the different bands in the Rainbow than just appearing in the Clouds!
2. Your Company’s programming Skills and Competencies– (both recruited or Outsourced)
In a security breach, it takes a very advanced reversed engineering and tedious assembly language skills to fix a hosted e-commerce platform. Within an Self managed e-commerce cart, the solutions are available within less than couple of hours.
3. Support: Do you want support for a fee or free?This makes more sense to gauge the service provider’s ability to solve your woes on time. Because remember a few hours of being out of action, could result in heavy loses and bad word of mouth too!
If you are still feeling unsure about which platform is right for you, then contact us for a consultation, or leave a comment below. Do tell me a bit about your business so that I can give you helpful feedback.
Kalpana Dogra
Digital Marketing Executive – ”AvactisNext”
[email protected]
