Commerce Layer vs. WooCommerce

Commerce Layer is a great choice, if you want to build a tailored system. The flexible API allows to build all kinds of applications around commerce, but you also need to deep dive a bit into the structure. If you want to set up a simple store and sell a few SKUs, you're probably rather a Shopify customer, but if you want to build great customer experiences and tailer the software to your business, Commerce Layer is a very good choice.

Incentivized

WooCommerce is best suited to customers whose website is built on the WordPress platform, and whose development team has a good understanding of plug-in implementation. If your website is not built on WordPress, but on Laravel or React (or any other non WordPress technology), then WooCommerce is not for you. WooCommerce is also great for customers who just need a simple online shopping experience. If your needs involve more complex or immersive features such as timed discounts, pick up locations, delivery reminders, or post shopping feedback surveys, know that you will need to purchase additional add-ons to make to get these features using WooCommerce set up on WordPress.

Incentivized

• Flexibility
• True headless (based on MACH principles)
• Integrated sales/shipments solution
• Seamless integration (extensive API, webhooks, etc.)

Incentivized

• Free base package means I can use it when I need to and not pay for it when I'm not using it
• I can customize the e-commerce options and integrate the calendar booking
• Payment processing is quick and easy and I can choose my provider

Incentivized

• Specific POS features are on the roadmap (we're using now a market per store, which works but creates some issues with it)
• Payment flexibility (as we're using it fully as a POS solution)
• Flexibility in order editing after approval of order

Incentivized

• Because of how the Wordpress database is structured, WooCommerce isn't great for large or complex e-commerce sites.
• More out-of-the-box options would be nice within the base software.
• Because add-on plugins are developed by 3rd parties, sometimes you get conflicts that break things.

Incentivized

Commerce Layer is at the core of our operations

Incentivized

Despite very rare glitches, more connected to an excessive number of plugins, that affect the speed of the site, we are extremely satisfied with the platform, the ability to import and export products, even though we just export them, as we have our proprietary system for updating inventories. We love the ease of upgrading, enhancing, innovating, and the freedom we have to do whatever we want, which is a plus, when you consider Shopify can take down your whole store as they please, if they think you aren't abiding to their TOS or their ever changing set of rules.

Incentivized

The new apps are great, but in our case, we built so specific functionalities around it that we built our own admin tool. Based on the complexity (especially for after sales processes), no off the shelf tool would have been able to do this.

Incentivized

It is built on the Wordpress platform, so there are some quirks compared to a dedicated e-commerce product, but it is very intuitive and easy to use, especially for anyone with Wordpress experience. There are numerous great support articles and learning resources available. Significant customization can be achieved with plugins vs other eCommerce platforms, which may require more custom code and have fewer plugin options.

Incentivized

We're in regular contact with Commerce Layer and regularly also discuss issues directly with the tech team

Incentivized

not muh support

The Commerce Layer data model is very flexible, which also creates a certain complexity. It's important to understand how the data model works and how relationships between them are built.

Incentivized

Real headless solution, fully SaaS. In comparison to all other solutions, Commerce Layer has an integrated order management which is lean, but very flexible. With all other solutions, we would have needed a separate OMS which would have increased both the complexity and the cost of the solution.

Incentivized

We were pretty sure we wanted a WordPress site so that we had more control over the site itself, having been burned by third-party vendor sites before. The fact that WooCommerce integrates so well with WordPress was a big selling point for us. Magento would have been too heavy of a lift for our small dev team and we didn't want to rely on Shopify or BigCommerce (though all of those products could have their merits for other projects or clients).

Incentivized

• Reduction of support staff by 2/3 as we could implement a full self-service solution
• 1-2 days faster delivery of glasses to customers due to automated lens ordering (built into Commerce Layer)

Incentivized

• Positive: low cost to start up, and allowed us to start selling right away.
• Negative: better plug-ins have a high cost of entry. For example if you want to do subscriptions you need a paid plugin for it.
• Positive: easily integrates with PayPal and Stripe.

Incentivized