Choosing an Ecommerce Content Management System: nopCommerce versus Sitefinity

Learn the differences between nopCommerce and Sitefinity, and how to choose the best option for your Ecommerce website.

Technology is critical to running a successful Ecommerce business. It’s not a matter of simply choosing whatever tool promises that it’s the latest and greatest — to set up your business for success, you have to choose the best technology platform and the best development partner for your unique needs. It all starts with your content management system (CMS), which dictates how you manage your business website, publish new content, and control inventory. 

Here we will discuss how to choose an Ecommerce CMS, looking particularly at two web development platforms that our team at Spinutech highly recommends: nopCommerce and Sitefinity. 

How a CMS Benefits Your Ecommerce Business

A content management system makes it much easier to update and manage your Ecommerce website, especially compared to a hard-coded website. It eliminates the need to write code from scratch for every addition or alteration you make to your site. 

While a skilled developer can highly customize the back-end of a CMS at the outset, you will be able to manage your website’s content in-house on a day-to-day basis. Multiple people within your company can be granted CMS access to make updates, which can eliminate bottlenecks that occur when only one person has to do it all. You can also vary permission levels to keep major changes under administrator control, while items like blog publishing and content updates can be managed by lower permission levels. 

Not all content management systems are created with Ecommerce in mind. If your current website is in a CMS like WordPress, you might choose to install plugins to manage your Ecommerce operations. These plugins, such as BigCommerce and WooCommerce, are ideal for businesses that don’t have high-traffic Ecommerce operations or rely on Ecommerce as their primary revenue stream. If you run a large Ecommerce business and want to maximize your growth potential, an Ecommerce-oriented CMS is worth the investment. 

Regardless of your type of business, there are several factors you should consider when picking the right CMS. For now, we will focus on considerations specific to Ecommerce businesses. Both of the tools we’re about to discuss are ASP.NET Ecommerce platforms. This means they allow for a high level of customization and strong security.

Benefits of nopCommerce as an Ecommerce CMS

As a nopCommerce Gold Partner and certified developer, Spinutech knows this Ecommerce platform thoroughly. nopCommerce is a free, open-source, .NET platform offering high security, fast loading speeds, and numerous integration possibilities. It works for all business sizes, from start-ups to global corporations within both B2B and B2C operations. It can allow your Ecommerce business to offer thousands of products, accept multiple currencies, and integrate with suppliers and shipping services. In 2018, nopCommerce upgraded its core features and improved their compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and GDPR. Our 24 certified developers continue to keep up with any and all changes with the platform to make sure we always bring our clients the best that it has to offer. In fact, Spinutech has partnered with our clients on more complex nopCommerce solutions than any other U.S.-based agency. 

While nopCommerce will serve your Ecommerce needs, if you want a complete CMS with a lot of content (such as a blog), you may choose to integrate with a platform like Umbraco or Hubspot. But if you are strictly an online store, it can be a cost-effective and trustworthy choice on its own.

Benefits of Sitefinity for Your Ecommerce Website

Sitefinity is a powerful CMS platform loved by developers, marketers, and business owners alike. Described as a digital experience platform, Sitefinity is ideal if you need to manage multiple websites or have a high traffic volume. Responsive and scalable, it supports the latest Microsoft ASP.NET MVC techniques.

By choosing Sitefinity, you can create rich, personalized content to enhance your customer experience and move visitors through your sales funnel. You can customize it with a range of third-party platforms and integrations.

As a Sitefinity Premier Partner and certified developer, we recommend this CMS to many of our clients, including those who wish to switch from WordPress in order to increase security. Clients who have made the jump frequently tell us Sitefinity is extremely easy to use for site updates and Ecommerce functions. 

Things To Look For in Any Ecommerce CMS

Regardless of which CMS you choose, your goal should be to create a positive user experience for your customers. Put yourself in their place and take the time to fully understand their process through the sales funnel, from completing a purchase to becoming a repeat customer. Make sure the platform you choose is mobile-friendly and can handle the volume of inventory you need it to. 

Remember that managing a successful website doesn’t end with launching a beautiful new design. Consider how you will manage it long term, including hosting, digital marketing, and site maintenance. An end-to-end partner like Spinutech can help you think through all of your needs for the future of your business.

Spinutech is among the top partners in the world for nopCommerce and Sitefinity. We also work with a variety of different Ecommerce platforms and can help you choose the best for your business.