Thinking
Which CMS should you choose to create your marketplace?
Thinking
| 04.10.23
Discover a complete presentation of the CMS sa marketplace, explore the essential selection criteria and benefit from a detailed comparison!
thinking
Discover a complete presentation of the CMS sa marketplace, explore the essential selection criteria and benefit from a detailed comparison!
It’s the essential tool for all digital companies employing staff who are not trained in code (in other words, all companies!).
A CMS is a software program or platform that enables dynamic, simplified management, storage and publication of content on a website, without the need for programming or IT skills.
Thanks to a user-friendly interface, users can easily create and modify pages without needing to know how to code.
CMS offer a wide range of functionalities such as editing, user management, design customization, SEO, domain name purchase and workflow management. CMS are widely used today, as they make it considerably easier to create and maintain websites.
However, they can also have their drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks is the limitation of customization, as CMS have a pre-built structure that can limit advanced customization.
CMS are also frequent targets for hackers, which can expose websites to potential security flaws. Websites built with CMS can also present performance problems due to the use of plugins and custom themes.
Finally, when using a CMS, you are dependent on the provider’s maintenance and support, which can pose a problem if the provider stops supporting it, or if you wish to migrate to another system.
There are many different types of content management systems. Each is adapted to specific needs. Here are some of the most common types:
Today, there are a large number of solutions available on the market: WordPress, Drupal, Prestashop, Webflow, Dato… Sellers wishing to launch their own online store are spoilt for choice, but for the launch of a marketplace, it is recommended to choose a tool specialized in e-commerce.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of the strengths of a CMS:
Ready to make your choice? Here are the points to bear in mind when making your decision.
Ask yourself several questions before making your decision. Ask yourself, for example, whether the solution offers features such as product management, payments or SEO, the ability to integrate third-party payment tools and currency management, CRM solutions, analytics and accurate data?
Another important point is the ability to customize your marketplace. Here are a few typical e-commerce examples. If any of these seem essential to you, check that the tool you’ve chosen offers them:
Although some CMS, such as Drupal, are available free of charge, to achieve a high-quality, complex or customized site, it may be necessary to hire developers.
Proprietary solutions may have higher costs, such as annual subscription fees. Some e-commerce solutions also take transaction fees on each sale, such as the 3% to 0.5% fee depending on the subscription plan chosen on Shopify.
Other costs to consider include human resources such as developers and designers, subscriptions, hosting, domain names, purchases of themes, extensions and plugins.
It’s important to explore every potential cost line for each solution, without necessarily sticking to the offer presented on the home page.
CMS with active communities tend to offer superior functionality, regular updates and a wide variety of themes and plugins. Active communities are also useful for quickly resolving problems, offering tips and sharing knowledge.
Such software should also offer quality support, including assistance, comprehensive documentation and a support forum to answer questions that may arise during the project.
CMS must offer advanced security options, such as protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, SQL injection protection and XSS vulnerabilities.
Content management systems must also be regularly updated to correct security flaws and be compatible with the latest security standards.
CMS must also offer backup and restore functionality, as well as options for limiting access to sensitive data.
It’s also important to choose CMSes that have an active community to monitor security flaws and offer solutions to users.
Here are the three solutions most frequently used by sellers: Drupal, Shopify and Sharetribe.
Shopify also has a large community of developers and fast technical support. Sharetribe has a smaller community, but offers solid support.
Drupal, an open source software designed by Dries Buytaert in Belgium in 2000, enables the creation of complex, modular websites thanks to its flexible structure and extensible modules. Primarily based on the PHP programming language, Drupal works with databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL.
The solution includes Drupal Commerce, a suite of e-commerce modules specifically designed for e-commerce and marketplaces.
Highlights
Drupal Commerce offers native integration with Drupal, advanced customization and a modular architecture for marketplaces. It supports multiple languages and currencies, and facilitates product management.
However, its learning curve is high and development costs can be significant. What’s more, it lacks marketplacespecific extensions and offers fewer ready-to-use e-commerce themes than other solutions.
The price of this CMS
Drupal Commerce is free of charge, but it does require some technical skills to be used to its full potential. Don’t hesitate to call on experts to support you.
Shopify is an e-commerce platform founded in 2004 by Tobias Lütke, Scott Lake and Daniel Weinand. The platform makes it easy to create online stores to sell physical or digital products. Shopify is built on Ruby on Rails, an open source web development framework. H4: Percentage of usage on the market
1,6%*
Shopify is a turnkey e-commerce platform, offering ease of use, a wide variety of attractive themes and rapid configuration. It offers apps and integrations to extend its functions and facilitates payments. It also enables easy integration of third-party applications, such as e-mail marketing and CRM.
However, customization can be limited, application and subscription costs can mount up, and migration to other platforms can be difficult.
Shopify offers several plans to suit the needs of different types of business. Plans vary according to the number of products offered, advanced features and transaction fees. Installing Shopify is easy and requires no advanced technical knowledge.
Sharetribe is a marketplace platform created in 2011 by Juho Makkonen and Antti Virolainen. It lets you create marketplaces to sell products and services online. Sharetribe is based on Ruby on Rails. It enables easy customization of the marketplace thanks to a user-friendly interface and advanced customization options.
Less than 1%* of sales.
Sharetribe offers rapid configuration and a particularly user-friendly interface. Sharetribe offers ready-to-use marketplace functionality, including payment solutions, messaging and reservations.
However, customization is limited compared to open-source CMS, subscription costs can be high and adaptability to traditional e-commerce sites is limited.
Sharetribe’s platform is available in several plans to suit the needs of different types of business. Plans vary according to the number of products offered, advanced features and transaction fees. Installing Sharetribe is easy and requires no advanced technical knowledge.
Have you found this article useful and would like to go further with your project? Then contact our teams to find out more.
