A successful e-commerce strategy starts with selecting the right platform—one that aligns with both your business objectives and technical requirements. In Switzerland as elsewhere, medium and large enterprises face a vast array of e-commerce and e-service platforms as they pursue digital transformation. Choosing the right platform is a strategic decision: the wrong choice can hinder growth, inflate costs, and even jeopardize the entire project. Conversely, the right platform delivers performance, scalability, and a clear return on investment. According to several experts, choosing an ill-suited platform is among the most common—and costly—mistakes that limit the success of an e-commerce or e-service initiative. It is therefore crucial to understand the key differences between the leading options on the market.

In this article, we present a detailed comparison of the main e-commerce and e-service solutions currently available, focusing on modern, high-performing options (such as custom development with Node.js/React, BigCommerce B2B Edition, Medusa, and Commercetools) and those best avoided (like Magento/Adobe Commerce, SAP Commerce Cloud, Odoo, and Bagisto). We will examine essential decision-making criteria including API-first architecture, headless design, asynchronous processing (Node.js vs PHP/Java), security, scalability, and the ability to avoid vendor lock-in. You will find comparative insights on performance, flexibility, total cost of ownership (TCO), licensing, and implementation timelines—presented in a way that is both technically thorough and accessible to business decision-makers. Real-world examples from well-known companies (Netflix, Stripe, Danone, BMW, and others) will illustrate technology choices that align with the needs and priorities of today’s mid-sized and large organizations. Lastly, we’ll briefly mention emerging platforms (such as Saleor and Vendure) to provide a complete overview of the current landscape.

Why Is Choosing the Right E-Commerce Platform So Important?

Before comparing solutions, it’s important to understand why this decision is so critical for an enterprise. The digital landscape is evolving rapidly: both consumers and B2B clients now expect fast, personalized, secure online experiences across all channels—web, mobile, marketplaces, and beyond. An ill-suited e-commerce or e-service platform can seriously hinder your ability to meet these expectations. For instance, the wrong platform choice may result in a slow website, limited flexibility, poor integration with your existing systems, and escalating maintenance or licensing costs. In contrast, the right solution will support your growth sustainably over the long term.

Choosing the right platform also helps reduce the risk of project failure. Numerous studies list poor technical platform selection among the most frequent causes of failure in e-commerce initiatives. This choice directly impacts website performance (loading speed, ability to handle traffic), customer satisfaction (user experience, features), operational costs (hosting, development, licenses), and even marketing agility (ability to deploy new features or sales channels quickly).

Swiss companies in particular often have specific requirements: multilingual presence (French, German, Italian…), high levels of security and compliance, integration with local ERP/CRM systems, and more. The selected platform must be able to accommodate these needs without requiring excessive custom development. The B2B market especially demands tailored features (multi-account management, negotiated pricing, complex ordering processes) that not all platforms provide out of the box.

In short, investing time upfront to compare and select the right platform is essential to ensure the success of your e-commerce or e-service overhaul. Let’s now explore the key technical and strategic criteria to keep in mind when evaluating potential solutions.

Key Criteria: Headless Architecture, API-First, Asynchronous Design, Security, Scalability, and Vendor Independence

When undertaking an enterprise-level e-commerce project, several core criteria should guide your technological decision-making. These factors help assess whether a solution can truly support your business and technical objectives over the long term.

Headless Architecture & API-First

This is a modern architecture where the front end (user interface) is decoupled from the back end (data and business logic). All interactions occur via open APIs.

Why it matters: This setup provides high flexibility—you can build distinct interfaces (website, mobile app, partner portal, etc.) that connect to the same backend. It also simplifies future evolutions: the UI and core logic can evolve independently. This architecture naturally supports omnichannel strategies, where a single backend powers multiple digital touchpoints.

Today, almost all modern platforms follow this API-first/headless paradigm (e.g., Commercetools, Medusa, BigCommerce in headless mode). Legacy platforms like Magento or SAP Hybris often tie front and back ends together, reducing performance and limiting personalization capabilities.

Asynchronous Design and Performance (Node.js vs PHP/Java)

The underlying tech stack greatly affects how well a platform handles high volumes of concurrent users. Node.js, Deno, and Bun (JavaScript-based) use an event-driven, non-blocking model, enabling them to process many connections with minimal resources.

Why it matters: Real-world examples speak volumes:

• PayPal doubled request throughput and reduced latency by 35% after switching from Java to Node.js.
• Netflix cut app startup time from 40+ minutes to under 1 minute by migrating part of its backend from Java to Node.js.

These gains stem from Node’s single-threaded event loop, which avoids the overhead of traditional multithreading.

In contrast, platforms built on traditional PHP or Java may slow under load, as each request may monopolize a thread. While modern PHP 8 and reactive Java are improving, Node.js remains superior for high-concurrency environments.

For a CTO or CIO, this can translate into fewer servers, lower infrastructure costs, and reduced carbon footprint—valuable gains both financially and environmentally.

Security and Reliability

Platform security is non-negotiable—especially in e-commerce where customer data and payment flows are involved. Key considerations include frequency of updates, sandboxing, protection from common attacks (SQL/XSS), and resilience mechanisms (e.g., backups, clustering).

Why it matters:

• SaaS platforms like BigCommerce, Medusa Cloud, or Commercetools take care of security and infrastructure, often providing continuous updates and certifications (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR).
• Open-source or custom solutions (e.g., Medusa, Magento, Odoo, from-scratch builds) offer more control but require you to manage patches and stay vigilant.

Legacy platforms like Magento have suffered repeated security vulnerabilities, pushing companies toward more modern or managed solutions.

As for reliability, cloud-native microservices architectures (Commercetools, custom Node.js systems) offer better fault isolation—a failed module doesn’t bring down the whole system. This enables zero-downtime deployments, which is a critical point for CTOs aiming for 99.9%+ availability.

Scalability (Handling Growth)

Your platform must scale with your business—supporting larger catalogs, more traffic, and higher transaction volumes without performance degradation.

Why it matters:

• Headless/microservices-based platforms scale horizontally: individual services (cart, inventory, etc.) can be replicated on demand.
• Monoliths (like SAP Commerce) often require duplicating the entire application, which is less efficient, more costly, and increases your carbon footprint.

Case studies show that feature rollout speed is also a form of scalability. A MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless), like Commercetools, drastically shortens time-to-market compared to monoliths.

For example, deploying new features on SAP Commerce Cloud is often slow and risky, making it less viable in today’s fast-moving digital environment.

Scalability also enables omnichannel deployment: modern platforms should allow you to add new channels (marketplaces, IoT devices, B2B portals) without requiring a rebuild.

Independence and Long-Term Viability (Avoiding Vendor Lock-In)

No company wants to be trapped in a proprietary ecosystem after launch. Yet some platforms make migration costly and difficult, locking businesses in.

Why it matters: One CIO from a Swiss e-commerce firm stated:

“We can’t migrate away from the system—we’re locked in for life… the only way out is to rebuild everything from scratch, which is expensive and wipes out all our SEO and marketing efforts.”

This quote—about Shopify—applies broadly to any closed platform.

To ensure long-term viability, businesses should favor:

• Open-source solutions (editable code, data hosted in-house)
• Standards-based, interoperable platforms with API access and data export options

A custom Node.js/React build gives you full code ownership and zero license fees. Even platforms like Commercetools, while SaaS, offer clean, standard APIs—so rebuilding or migrating later is possible if needed.

Conversely, all-in-one suites from large vendors (Adobe, SAP) can result in prohibitively high exit costs. Also assess the community and ecosystem: a vibrant open-source project (like Medusa or Saleor) ensures longevity and support beyond a single vendor.

In short, assess each platform’s technical architecture (headless vs monolithic, Node.js vs PHP/Java), product philosophy (open vs closed), and operational attributes (performance, security, scalability).

Keep these strategic criteria in mind as we compare the leading market options below—followed by a look at the platforms you should avoid, to help you sidestep common e-commerce pitfalls.

Comparative Overview of the Main B2B and B2C E-Commerce and E-Service Platforms on the Market

Let’s now examine the key contenders. We’ll take a closer look at four established and innovative solutions that currently stand out for ambitious e-commerce projects: a custom Node.js/React development, the BigCommerce B2B Edition SaaS, the open-source Medusa platform, and Commercetools, the microservices-based solution. For each, we’ll cover their key features, advantages, limitations, and typical use cases.

Solution 1: Custom E-Commerce Development in Node.js/React with TypeScript

Technology Description

This consists of developing a fully tailored e-commerce or e-service solution, using modern technologies on the front end (e.g., React/Next.js, Vue, Angular) and the back end (Node.js with frameworks like Express, NestJS, etc.). Sometimes referred to as a custom framework. This approach is headless by nature: the front end (React) consumes the APIs from a bespoke Node.js back end. Edana often recommends this model for specific projects, taking the time to analyse the business holistically and build a solution 100% tailored to the client’s needs.

While technologies like Java (Spring), PHP (Laravel), or .NET are also viable, the combination of Node.js, React (or Next.js for SEO), and TypeScript offers the best balance of performance, flexibility, and development speed. This full-stack JavaScript/TypeScript approach ensures technical consistency, high productivity, and the ability to build advanced UX interfaces. That agility makes it, in our view, the most relevant choice for a scalable and well-integrated custom project.

Advantages of Node.js/React Development with TypeScript

Maximum flexibility: you can precisely replicate your business processes and create unique user experiences. No functional limits—everything is possible, unlike pre-packaged platforms.

The code belongs to you (no licensing fees), so there’s no vendor lock-in. Technically, a well-structured Node.js back end is highly performant and scalable. A microservices architecture can be adopted (e.g., separate services for catalog, orders, payments), ensuring great scalability and maintainability. On the front end, React enables rich UX interfaces as single-page apps or with server-side rendering using Next.js for SEO.

Major tech firms have proven this stack’s efficiency: Netflix uses Node.js to serve its UI to millions of users smoothly. PayPal also showed that developing in full-stack Node/JavaScript halved the development time (compared to Java) and significantly boosted user performance.

In short: custom Node/React = performance + customisation + independence.

Drawbacks

The trade-off is the initial cost and implementation time. Building a platform from scratch requires a substantial budget and several months depending on complexity. You need a skilled technical team (or a reliable partner) to design, develop, and maintain the solution—challenging for some companies, though agencies like Edana specialise in this type of custom project.

A custom solution also means developing everything: few ready-made modules like Magento, SAP Commerce, Salesforce Commerce, or Shopify provide. You’ll need to build or integrate basics (cart, orders, promotions) using NPM packages. However, open-source tools can speed up development (e.g., integrating Elasticsearch, Stripe via APIs). Scalability depends on the initial architecture: it must support load increases (e.g., via service-based architecture, scalable DB). Maintenance is also on you: tests, dependency updates, server monitoring—this is the cost of software freedom. But with a good IT partner, it remains manageable.

Who Is Custom Development For?

This choice fits companies with specific needs unmet by standard platforms, or those seeking a strong competitive edge via tech (innovative UX, complex IS integrations) or operating in a VUCA market that requires them to pivot quickly. A relatively significant budget is necessary (depending on the development partner), and a mid-to-long-term vision is advised. Fintechs, industrial firms with complex configurators, or innovative digital services often go this route.

For example, Decathlon uses NestJS (a powerful, secure Node.js framework) to build scalable back-end applications aligned with its innovation and integration needs. Walmart also relies on custom Node.js architectures to meet the massive demands of its e-commerce and deliver smooth, large-scale user experiences. These examples show how well-designed custom development enables companies to stay competitive through high-performance and adaptable infrastructure.

In Switzerland, many large firms choose tailor-made solutions to deeply integrate e-commerce with their IS (in-house ERP, CRM, etc.) without compromise. If your goal is a high-quality solution perfectly aligned with your needs and built to scale, custom Node/React is an excellent choice.

Solution 2: BigCommerce B2B Edition (SaaS for B2B E-Commerce)

Technology Description

BigCommerce is a well-established American SaaS e-commerce platform, positioned as a mid- to high-end alternative to Shopify. It recently introduced a B2B Edition—essentially an Enterprise version enhanced with features designed for inter-company sales. BigCommerce runs in the cloud (hosted by them) and is accessed via the browser. Its key differentiator: it’s an “Open SaaS” and headless-ready—you can use BigCommerce as-is with its built-in front end, or as a pure headless e-commerce back end connected to a custom front end (via their APIs). The B2B Edition adds modules for account management, negotiated pricing, quotes, and more—tailored for wholesalers, manufacturers, and other B2B players.

Advantages of BigCommerce B2B Edition

As a SaaS, BigCommerce speeds up time-to-launch. You can have a minimalist but functional storefront online in just weeks or months, as infrastructure, security, and updates are all managed by BigCommerce. The B2B Edition provides ready-made B2B features such as multi-user company accounts, role and permission settings, customer-specific price lists, quote requests (RFQ), bulk ordering, account-based payments, and more. This covers a wide range of needs for suppliers and manufacturers—without requiring custom development.

BigCommerce also stands out for its openness: there are no transaction fees (unlike Shopify), and its API-first philosophy (over 90% of features are exposed via API) enables full headless use. In practice, this means you can use BigCommerce as a backend engine and build a fully custom front end in React/Next.js, for example—BigCommerce supplies product, cart, and order data via API. This headless compatibility has won over companies seeking to combine platform stability with custom front-end freedom.

In terms of performance, BigCommerce is known for stability and scalability (real-world clients report handling sales peaks with ease).

As for cost, it is competitive compared to other enterprise-grade solutions: no six-figure license fee, just a subscription (usually a percentage of sales or a negotiated monthly flat fee)—typically a few thousand francs per month for a large enterprise. This is often lower than the combined infrastructure and maintenance costs of a self-hosted equivalent. Finally, because BigCommerce is a multi-tenant SaaS, it may be more environmentally friendly (though not quite on par with custom Node.js): your store shares an optimized infrastructure instead of occupying underutilized servers.

Drawbacks

Using a SaaS means a degree of dependency on the vendor (moderate vendor lock-in). BigCommerce is more open than most (data exportable, etc.), but you’re still tied to their ecosystem: if the platform evolves in a direction you dislike or prices increase, your options are limited (migrating would be a full-scale project).

Advanced customization is possible, but still constrained: outside headless mode (i.e., using the default front end), you’re restricted by their templates and modules. Even in headless mode, some business logic remains fixed. For instance, if you have very specific pricing rules not supported natively, you’ll need to work around them via external functions or scripts—because you can’t alter the SaaS core or create server-side plugins like in open-source or even certain proprietary platforms.

Another limitation: BigCommerce B2B Edition is still relatively new. It may lack the maturity of more established B2B platforms like SAP Commerce or Adobe Commerce (Magento), which offer long-proven B2B modules. It’s important to verify whether all your B2B needs are truly covered—this is not guaranteed by default.

On the integration front, BigCommerce offers a broad range of apps and connectors (ERP, PIM, etc.) but doesn’t provide the same level of integration flexibility as open-source solutions. You’re limited to the APIs they provide, which may restrict complex use cases.

And in terms of cost: while BigCommerce is cheaper than SAP or Adobe licenses, it’s not to be mistaken for a budget option. This remains an enterprise-grade SaaS: a project based on B2B Edition typically requires an Enterprise-level subscription (a few thousand CHF/month), plus potential additional fees on sales volume beyond a certain threshold. In return, however, you avoid infrastructure and maintenance costs and get access to high-level technical support.

Who Is BigCommerce B2B Edition For?

This solution is a strong fit for mid-to-large B2B companies looking for a fast, robust deployment without investing in a custom build—especially those with standardized needs or at least compatible with available features and no plan to diverge too much from typical e-commerce models. For example, a distributor or manufacturer wanting to launch an online ordering portal for business customers could adopt this solution and quickly benefit from built-in B2B features (custom catalogs, recurring orders, etc.).

There are real-world success stories: Saddleback Leather, a US retailer, saw its online growth accelerate after migrating from Magento to BigCommerce. The switch brought more stability and lower maintenance costs. In Switzerland, an industrial manufacturer with standardized, repeatable B2B processes could use BigCommerce B2B to offer a modern professional portal—with login, custom payment terms, and more—without building everything from scratch. It’s a solid middle ground between customizability (via API/headless) and simplicity (via ready-to-use features). Note that in multi-store mode, BigCommerce lets you manage several storefronts (e.g., multiple brands, B2C and B2B) from a single back office—which is useful for groups operating in multiple markets.

In short, BigCommerce B2B Edition stands as a modern alternative to traditional B2B commerce suites: more agile, often more cost-effective, and delivering the core functionality needed to sell to businesses—provided your processes remain within the bounds of standard e-commerce. Otherwise, the risk is ending up stuck or having to piece together workarounds, accumulating technical debt in the process.

Solution 3: Medusa (Headless Open-Source E-Commerce Platform in Node.js)

Technology Description

Medusa is a next-generation open-source e-commerce platform built in Node.js. Adopted by companies like Heineken, Mitsubishi, and Under Armour, Medusa has emerged as a flexible and independent headless commerce engine, providing APIs and core commerce logic (products, carts, orders, payments, etc.) without enforcing a front end. Launched a few years ago, Medusa has gained traction among developers for its modern approach and composability. It’s a free project (MIT license) supported by a growing community and active contributors. Technically, Medusa provides both REST and GraphQL APIs for all commerce features, a back-office admin panel, and compatibility with any front end (including starters in Next.js and Gatsby). Its modular architecture makes it suitable for various use cases, including multi-vendor marketplaces and basic B2B models.

Advantages of Medusa.js

As a headless and API-first solution from the ground up, Medusa offers excellent flexibility to build custom experiences. You get a complete commerce backend with no licensing costs, hostable on your own infrastructure or in the cloud. Performance is a strong point: Medusa delivers excellent response times thanks to Node.js and a lightweight architecture. Benchmarks have shown that Medusa can be up to 6.5 times faster than Magento for concurrent product queries on the same hardware. This performance boost comes from its architecture difference (Node.js async vs. Magento’s blocking, monolithic PHP). In practice, this means Medusa can handle significantly more user requests on the same server—translating to better scalability, faster UX, and lower carbon footprint.

Another asset is its modularity. Medusa uses a plugin/module system that allows clean customization or feature extensions (e.g., swapping inventory systems, adding search modules) without forking the core. The community already offers many plugins (e.g., Stripe, Contentful). For developers, it’s a pleasure to use: full-stack JavaScript/TypeScript, clear structure, and active documentation. From a business standpoint, Medusa grants independence: your team can adapt everything, deploy anywhere (on-prem or cloud), and there’s no vendor shutdown risk, as it’s fully open-source.

Overall, Medusa strikes a balance between an out-of-the-box commerce engine and the freedom of custom development. It’s faster to deploy than building from scratch (thanks to prebuilt modules) while avoiding the limitations of closed platforms. Importantly, Medusa is free (except for hosting costs)—a compelling argument to reduce TCO. All analyses agree: its total cost of ownership is much lower than Magento (no license fees, fewer resources needed).

Drawbacks

Medusa is still a relatively young project (launched ~2021). It doesn’t yet match the functional maturity of platforms like Magento (which has 15+ years of development). It handles standard e-commerce well (catalogs, variants, discounts), but some advanced features may be missing and require custom development—making it best for semi-custom or hybrid projects. For example, advanced B2B (e.g., hierarchical client accounts, approval workflows) will likely need to be custom-built.

The default admin interface is decent but more minimalist than commercial platforms—it’s developer-oriented. Companies without in-house developers will need to work with an agency or train a team, adding cost but gaining control.

As an open-source platform, Medusa’s support is community-based (Discord, forums) or through partners. This may be less reassuring for decision-makers used to vendor-backed 24/7 support (though Edana offers SLA-backed support). While the community is growing rapidly, it’s still smaller than Magento or WooCommerce, so some connectors may need to be developed in-house.

On the hosting side, running Medusa means managing Node server availability and security—requiring DevOps/cloud skills, unless using a managed service (which is common in enterprise settings). That said, deploying Medusa on AWS, Azure, etc., is relatively straightforward, and some third parties now offer Medusa Cloud services.

Who Is Medusa.js For?

Medusa is well-suited to innovative mid-sized companies, fast-growing e-commerce scale-ups, or even large enterprises looking to test a headless approach without high licensing costs. For example, a high-growth DNVB needing a performant, deeply integrated, and custom storefront will find Medusa an agile framework. Instead of over-customizing Shopify or overspending on Adobe Commerce, it can build on Medusa and adjust freely. Medusa also supports multi-vendor marketplaces, which could appeal to companies launching niche vertical platforms.

Among established enterprises, Medusa is ideal for headless replatforming projects led by IT teams wanting code ownership, TCO optimization, unlimited scalability, or eco-efficiency through Node.js. Think of retailers looking to break free from Magento/Prestashop limitations with something lighter and more modular.

Medusa aligns with Edana’s core values: performance, scalability, and technical independence—leveraging modern technologies (Node, React) without compromise. However, you must be ready to invest in development (though this is often faster than full from-scratch builds).

In summary, Medusa is a forward-looking bet: a young but already powerful and promising headless solution with low TCO and full control. If your organization has a strong tech culture or a reliable digital partner, the gains in flexibility and speed can be substantial. Medusa outperforms Magento, Adobe Commerce, and Salesforce Commerce in speed and performance—making it a serious contender for any company seeking a high-performance commerce platform.

Solution 4: Commercetools (Headless “MACH” Cloud E-Commerce Platform)

Technology Description

Commercetools is widely recognized as a pioneer of enterprise headless commerce. Founded in Germany, this fully cloud-based solution (SaaS/PaaS headless model) embodies the MACH architecture: Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless. Unlike other proprietary platforms (closed-source or semi-open monoliths), Commercetools offers a suite of e-commerce microservices accessible via API, which companies can assemble to build their commerce architecture. There is no default front end—clients use SDKs or APIs to power websites, mobile apps, in-store kiosks, and more. Commercetools provides specialized modules (cart, catalog, promotions, search, etc.) that communicate via API. This is an enterprise-grade solution targeting large organizations requiring maximum flexibility and scale. It’s licensed in the cloud (with substantial annual costs) and includes vendor support and guaranteed high availability (often on Google Cloud infrastructure).

Advantages of Commercetools

With, the full-custom from scratch solution, Commercetools is likely the most flexible e-commerce solution on the market, though it comes with added complexity. With Commercetools, you can compose your entire commerce stack, selecting only the services you need and integrating best-in-class tools (hence the term “composable commerce”). This lets you tailor the system to your exact business processes, without being constrained by a fixed data model.

Unlimited horizontal scalability: each microservice can scale independently, meaning the platform handles very high volumes—built for global retailers and similar.

Enterprises like Danone, BMW, and Ulta Beauty have revamped their digital commerce using Commercetools, showing its ability to meet complex multinational requirements. Danone, for instance, paired Commercetools with AWS infrastructure to deploy multi-country e-commerce sites from a centralized and reusable core.

Fast innovation cycles are another major advantage: thanks to its modular nature, you can launch new features or interfaces much faster than on monolithic systems like SAP Hybris (where code changes often impact the entire stack). With Commercetools, components evolve independently without requiring full regression testing. Performance-wise, each service is optimized, API latency is low, and cloud-native resilience (CDN, multi-region support) ensures robustness.

Security and reliability are fully managed by the vendor: businesses don’t need to worry about server patches—just proper API use.

From a business perspective, Commercetools is designed for omnichannel excellence: it serves multiple customer touchpoints through the same backend, delivering consistent experiences across all channels.

On the IT integration side, Commercetools connects smoothly with modern ecosystems via APIs and event-driven architecture, making it easy to plug into an ERP, CRM, CDP, or other tools. Choosing Commercetools also means betting on a MACH Alliance leader, ensuring that the platform evolves in step with architectural best practices. For a CTO, it’s a guarantee of having a future-proof commerce foundation over the next 5–10 years, without legacy risk.

Drawbacks

The first hurdle is cost. Commercetools is among the most expensive platforms discussed in this article, in terms of licensing and implementation. Pricing is not public, but large clients often face hundreds of thousands of francs per year in licensing fees, based on usage (API calls, catalog size, etc.). You’ll also need to budget for implementation—usually through an agency or skilled internal team. This is a platform for companies with significant IT budgets.

Second, Commercetools is not plug-and-play: there’s no front end or prebuilt UX. Everything must be built around it—front end, headless CMS, search engine, and more. It’s a central commerce engine, but you must assemble an ecosystem to create a full experience—thus the name “composable commerce.” That means a heavy implementation project requiring solid technical expertise to orchestrate microservices and integrate systems. Initial time-to-market can be long (months, even over a year for a global rollout), though later iterations are much faster.

It’s worth noting that monolithic platforms like SAP Commerce Cloud (ex-Hybris) sometimes come with more ready-to-use features (integrated PIM, personalization, etc.). With Commercetools, these require third-party services (e.g., pairing with Contentful for CMS). It’s a build-your-own stack, so complexity increases. From an HR perspective, you’ll need developers and architects who understand API-first and microservice design—not always available in companies used to all-in-one suites.

Finally, as with all proprietary cloud platforms, there is some vendor lock-in. Migrating away from Commercetools would mean rebuilding much of your stack, even if your data is portable. That said, because Commercetools relies on standard REST/GraphQL APIs, this lock-in is softer than that of legacy platforms like Oracle ATG.

Who Is Commercetools For?

This technology is designed for large enterprises and global groups with highly specific, large-scale requirements. For example, international retailers or global brands operating across many countries and channels. A Swiss company like Nestlé or Richemont might use Commercetools to unify global e-commerce platforms on a flexible core, while letting each brand design its own experience through APIs.

Commercetools is also used in automotive e-commerce, powering online configurators linked to direct sales. Danone used it to launch direct-to-consumer sites in multiple countries quickly, showing its relevance for FMCG players. BMW migrated some of its online sales to Commercetools, demonstrating how even non-traditional e-commerce players are digitizing their distribution models.

In short, this is for organizations willing to invest heavily now for a highly flexible, long-term platform that supports digital transformation over the next decade. For a CMO or CEO, Commercetools makes sense if your business model depends on constant digital innovation and you don’t want tech to hold you back: it offers a powerful foundation for creative development (e.g., AR/VR, voice commerce, etc., via APIs). On the flip side, if you’re looking for a plug-and-play tool—look elsewhere. Commercetools is the anti-turnkey solution.

In summary, Commercetools is the pinnacle of composable headless commerce. It matches Edana’s values in scalability and modern architecture, but it’s best suited to those with the vision and resources to unlock its full potential. Choosing Commercetools is like building your own Ferrari: you get top-tier performance and bespoke configuration, but you’ll need the budget and skilled drivers to operate it.

Parler de vos enjeux avec un expert Edana

Solutions Generally to Avoid (and Why)

No comparison would be complete without mentioning the e-commerce platforms we recommend avoiding for mid-to-large enterprises operating in today’s digital landscape. While some of these solutions were popular in the past or may still appear attractive, they come with technical and economic limitations that make them risky or suboptimal compared to modern alternatives. Here are the key platforms to avoid—and why:

Magento (Adobe Commerce) – Heavy Monolith in Its Twilight

Magento was long a leader in open-source e-commerce. However, Magento 2 (now Adobe Commerce in its paid version) is a complex, heavy, and costly platform to maintain. Its PHP-based architecture, while powerful, belongs to a pre-API era: even though it now supports headless mode, it remains a bulky stack to operate.

Experience shows a lack of performance and flexibility when pushing the platform to its limits. In our team’s many Magento and Adobe Commerce projects, we’ve repeatedly seen the same issues: sluggish performance, rigid integrations, and a back office that’s nearly unusable without developer expertise. Magento requires high server specs or deep optimization just to keep up, whereas newer solutions achieve better results with fewer resources.

Its technical debt also means frequent updates and a high security risk if patches are not applied (e.g., the infamous Magecart attacks). The PHP+Zend stack is also increasingly unattractive to modern developers. Cost-wise, while the open-source version is free, you’ll spend heavily on development and hosting to keep it in top shape. The Adobe Commerce version starts at $22,000/year just for licensing—a steep price compared to more efficient or modern open-source alternatives.

Unless you already run a large-scale Magento setup that’s too expensive to migrate in the short term, starting a new project on Magento today is generally ill-advised. Many companies are moving away from Magento to gain agility (e.g., Saddleback Leather migrated to BigCommerce). In short, Magento/Adobe Commerce is the dinosaur of e-commerce—once king, but now outpaced in a headless, microservices-driven ecosystem. It’s no longer suitable for enterprises seeking speed, adaptability, and innovation.

SAP Commerce Cloud (Formerly SAP Hybris) – Costly, Rigid Megasuite

SAP Commerce (formerly Hybris) is a powerful Java-based e-commerce platform that served major enterprises well in the past decade. But today, it’s a heavy monolith with a complex implementation process. Designed for full integration into the SAP ecosystem, adopting it can lead to significant vendor lock-in if you’re not already a full SAP shop.

Technically, SAP Commerce is often labeled as inflexible: rapid changes are difficult, largely due to its monolithic structure that requires full compilation and deployment for any modification—seriously impacting your time-to-market. In an era demanding rapid releases and A/B testing, this is a major handicap.

While front-end customization is possible, many developers find it archaic compared to modern JavaScript frameworks.

Performance-wise, it can handle large volumes—but only at the cost of expensive, resource-intensive infrastructure (e.g., multiple Java app servers, robust database setups). Delivering truly modern experiences typically requires multiple add-ons (CMS, etc.), revealing its roots in the now-outdated world of integrated enterprise suites. SAP has tried to adapt Commerce Cloud to the headless model, but it remains a rehash of an aging core.

In terms of cost, SAP Commerce is likely the most expensive platform mentioned (alongside Salesforce Commerce). Licenses often run into the hundreds of thousands of francs per year, excluding integration fees from certified SAP partners. Unless you’re a very large enterprise already tied to SAP, the ROI is hard to justify compared to more economical cloud-native alternatives. Comparisons show that platforms like Commercetools or custom-built solutions enable faster innovation and differentiation.

In French-speaking Switzerland, we’ve seen complex SAP Commerce deployments that ultimately delivered average site performance at enormous long-term maintenance cost. Unless you have a very specific case, we strongly discourage using SAP Commerce Cloud for new projects: it’s heavy, expensive, and outdated in its approach. Modern composable solutions are a far better fit for today’s agility-driven environment.

Odoo (E-Commerce Module of the ERP) – Versatile All-in-One, But Limited for E-Commerce

Odoo is a popular open-source ERP/CRM that includes a website and e-commerce module. The idea of having an all-in-one tool (ERP + integrated e-commerce) can be appealing, especially as Odoo is known to be cheaper than SAP, for example. However, for ambitious e-commerce use cases, Odoo quickly shows its limitations. First, it’s fundamentally a general-purpose ERP: its e-commerce module, although improved over time, remains basic compared to dedicated platforms. It lacks many advanced features required by a professional online store (e.g. advanced promotion management, marketplace functionality, experience personalization, native marketing tools). One user we’ve met both online and offline summarized it well: “Odoo has integrated e-commerce, but it can never compete with the depth of functionality of a true e-commerce platform.”

On the performance front: Odoo is built in Python with its own framework, which is great for ERP use, but on the web, it’s known to be slow when handling a lot of data or traffic. User feedback often notes slow-loading pages with large catalogs or scalability issues, as everything runs in the same process.

In addition, the Odoo e-commerce community is much smaller than that of Magento or Prestashop, which means fewer specialized third-party modules. On a technical level, deviating from Odoo’s standard structure to customize the e-commerce functionality can complicate maintenance during ERP upgrades. Finally, Odoo Enterprise (the paid version) charges per user, and while the e-commerce module itself isn’t surcharged, overall costs can climb significantly if many users access the ERP—especially for a suite that remains limited for mid-to-large enterprises.

Odoo is well suited for small businesses looking to unify operations and sales, but for a mid-sized or large company seeking a high-performing e-commerce platform, it’s generally unsuitable—even though some providers try to promote it to larger structures. At most, Odoo might be considered for the back-office (inventory, etc.) connected to a specialized front-end via API. But using Odoo as your main web storefront is risky in terms of customer experience (limited UX, weaker SEO, etc.).

Most SMEs and mid-sized companies that start with Odoo and grow eventually migrate to a dedicated e-commerce solution as they hit certain thresholds, because Odoo can’t keep up (performance or feature limitations). Thus, we do not recommend Odoo as the main foundation for an ambitious e-commerce project. Consider it instead as an ERP complement for smaller businesses.

Bagisto – Laravel-Based E-Commerce Solution Mostly Suited for Small Projects

Bagisto is a relatively new open-source project (built on the PHP Laravel framework) aiming to provide a lightweight alternative to Magento. While it can be a good fit for small e-commerce sites with limited budgets and offers a degree of flexibility and independence, Bagisto is not fully designed for mid-sized or larger enterprises.

To begin with, its features are simplified compared to market leaders. It’s meant to be accessible, but that also means that for a company with slightly higher expectations, limitations will surface at some point. Although a skilled PHP/Laravel developer could enhance it, its core structure remains more constrained than something like Medusa.js. Comparative studies point out: “Bagisto delivers simpler functionalities, while Magento, for example, offers advanced capabilities. Bagisto suits small to medium-sized businesses looking for flexibility and tech independence without plans for major traffic scaling.”

In other words, Bagisto covers only the essentials. Its scalability is limited, and its Laravel architecture (in PHP) can become a performance bottleneck as catalog size or traffic increases.

Bagisto does, however, claim low cost—and that’s fair. There are no license fees, and hosting remains inexpensive due to its straightforward deployment (although it’s not particularly energy efficient). This cost model reflects its target audience well.

That said, Bagisto is still not widely adopted, its community is small, and third-party plugins are scarce. It feels more like an “artisan” project than a battle-tested platform. Notably, no major brands are associated with Bagisto, unlike Magento, Shopify, or others. For a company with strong e-commerce ambitions, choosing Bagisto could be risky—you might soon need to migrate if your business succeeds. It’s smarter to start with a more robust foundation (even Medusa or WooCommerce could be better options depending on your budget).

Ultimately, Bagisto is more of a niche tool for Laravel developers wanting a lightweight embedded shop. For serious professional projects, Bagisto should be avoided—stronger open-source or SaaS alternatives are available.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud – Premium, Closed, and Expensive Solution

Salesforce Commerce (formerly Demandware) is a SaaS platform aimed at the high end of the e-commerce market. It offers a rich, integrated suite with strong omnichannel capabilities and appeals to large international retailers. However, for Swiss mid-sized companies or businesses seeking flexibility, this solution is often oversized and overly restrictive.

The platform enforces a highly closed proprietary model: you must use their stack, tools, and certified integration partners. This significantly limits flexibility, makes integrations more complex, and raises the total cost of ownership. Its architecture is less agile than modern headless solutions—even though Salesforce now offers a headless mode with its “Composable Storefront” (formerly PWA Kit), it remains complex to implement.

Another major barrier: the cost. Salesforce Commerce is likely the most expensive platform on the market (alongside SAP Commerce), with a pricing model based on revenue commissions, high fixed fees, and substantial initial integration costs. A high business volume is needed to justify the investment. Outside of a large-scale project with significant resources and the need for tight integration with Salesforce’s ecosystem (CRM, Service Cloud, etc.), this solution should be avoided.

In summary, Salesforce Commerce only makes sense for very large enterprises already invested in Salesforce products. For most Swiss SMEs or companies aiming for a more controlled ROI, it’s better to opt for more open, modular, and cost-effective platforms that better support growth, independence, and scalability.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud – Premium, Closed and Costly

Salesforce Commerce (formerly Demandware) is a SaaS platform aimed at the upper end of the e-commerce market. It offers a comprehensive and integrated suite with strong omnichannel capabilities, appealing to some large international brands. However, for Swiss mid-sized businesses or those seeking agility, this solution is often oversized and overly restrictive.

The platform enforces a very closed proprietary model: you must use their stack, their tools, and go through certified integrators. This greatly limits your freedom to evolve, makes integrations heavier, and increases total ownership costs. The architecture is less agile than modern headless solutions—even though Salesforce now offers a headless mode with “Composable Storefront” (formerly PWA Kit), it remains complex to implement.

Another major obstacle: the cost. Salesforce Commerce is likely the most expensive platform on the market (alongside SAP Commerce), with a revenue-based commission model, high fixed fees, and significant initial integration costs. A substantial business volume is necessary to justify the investment. Unless it’s a major project with strong financial backing and deep integration needs with the Salesforce ecosystem (CRM, Service Cloud, etc.), this platform should be avoided.

In summary, Salesforce Commerce is a viable choice only for very large enterprises already using Salesforce. For most Swiss mid-sized companies or projects with a tightly managed ROI, it’s better to choose more open, modular, and cost-effective solutions to better support business growth, independence, and long-term scalability.

Shopify (Plus) – Excellent for MVPs or Simple Projects, but Scalability Is a Concern

Shopify is a global reference in SaaS e-commerce. Easy to use, fast to deploy, with a rich ecosystem of third-party apps and quality customer support, it’s a very popular platform, including among some major brands. Shopify Plus, its enterprise version, provides more power, more code access (via scripts, APIs), and priority support.

However, despite its many advantages, Shopify comes with important limitations to consider for ambitious B2C or B2B e-commerce projects:

• The architecture is closed (total vendor lock-in): no access to the backend, hosting is exclusive to Shopify, and the structure is rigid.
• Some complex features require costly workarounds or the use of third-party apps, which are often paid.
• The economic model based on commission plus apps can become expensive over time.
• The system’s logic (e.g., price management, variants, or B2B handling) is designed for standard use cases, making it hard to adapt to very specific business processes.

That said, Shopify is an excellent foundation for an MVP or initial market launch, especially if you opt for a modern headless architecture (Hydrogen + Oxygen, Storefront API). This allows you to benefit from Shopify’s stability while controlling the front-end experience. But for multi-country, multi-SKU projects, heavily integrated with IT systems, or with an ambitious roadmap, the platform’s limits quickly become apparent.

In conclusion, Shopify is a strong choice to launch quickly, test a market, or create a simple and elegant storefront. But you should plan for a potential migration if growth is part of your long-term strategy.

Conclusion on the Solutions to Avoid

The solutions listed above should be avoided as they show poor alignment with modern standards (outdated non-headless architecture, lower performance, hidden or excessive costs, and high lock-in risk).

In summary, they should be avoided or selected cautiously depending on the context:

• Magento/Adobe Commerce and SAP Commerce: powerful but outdated, expensive, and not agile.
• Salesforce Commerce: a closed, high-cost solution reserved for very large enterprises.
• Odoo and Bagisto: too limited for ambitious projects, with performance or scalability issues.
• Shopify: a very good choice for MVPs or simple markets, but not suitable for all long-term scenarios.

Our Technological Recommendation

Of course, the best solution depends on the specific context and business needs—a case-by-case analysis is required. That said, in most cases, we recommend building your platform on a modern, headless and API-first architecture (such as Medusa, composable commerce like Commercetools, or a custom Node.js/TypeScript build), to ensure long-term scalability, agility, and technical independence.

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What About Emerging Solutions: Saleor, Vendure, and Others?

To be thorough, let’s briefly mention a few emerging platforms that may catch your eye during your research, even though they are less widespread today.

Saleor is an open-source headless e-commerce platform written in Python/GraphQL, also geared toward composable commerce.

Vendure is another open-source headless solution, written in Node.js/TypeScript, targeting the mid-market segment.

These tools share a philosophy similar to Medusa, Shopify Plus (in the case of Saleor), or Commercetools (for Vendure) in terms of API-first, modular design. While still relatively new with smaller ecosystems, they are evolving quickly. For instance, Saleor is focusing on headless SaaS (they offer a cloud version) and is beginning to see use cases in Europe. Vendure appeals to JavaScript communities looking for a highly modular TypeScript alternative.

Should you consider them? Unless you have a very specific need, these platforms remain less mature than those discussed in detail above. However, for tech-savvy profiles who like to stay on the cutting edge, they’re worth keeping an eye on. It helps to know their names, as they appear in some modern e-commerce platform comparisons. But keep in mind that adopting an emerging solution comes with risks (limited community support, unproven long-term viability). If you’re working with an agency like Edana, we maintain ongoing tech watch and will advise you if one of these becomes a credible, advantageous option for your project.

Build a Long-Term, High-Performance E-Commerce Platform Aligned with Your Strategy

Today’s e-commerce platform market offers many choices. The challenge for Swiss mid-sized and large enterprises is to find the solution that aligns with their business goals and technical context. This comparison highlighted four reference solutions that reflect current trends:

• Custom Node.js/React builds for total freedom and long-term goal,
• BigCommerce B2B Edition for a fast SaaS standard solution oriented toward B2B,
• Medusa for a modern, high-performance open-source platform offering best of both world,
• and Commercetools for an ultra-scalable, composable infrastructure built for enterprise scale and long-term vision.

Each has its strengths and limitations, and the best choice depends on your priorities: deployment speed vs. customization, budget vs. expected ROI, technical independence vs. vendor support, etc.

One key takeaway: concepts like headless architecture, open APIs, asynchronous processing, and composability are not just buzzwords—they are critical success factors for today’s and tomorrow’s platforms. They enable the flexibility needed to innovate (e.g., adding new online services, integrating third-party tools, embracing new sales channels like marketplaces or social commerce), as well as the resilience to handle surges in demand.

In contrast, closed monolithic solutions, beyond their licensing cost, may hinder digital transformation due to their rigidity.

It’s also clear that total cost of ownership (TCO) goes far beyond the upfront license fee: maintenance, scalability, and infrastructure costs vary greatly. For example, while a free solution like Medusa may require more JavaScript development, it avoids high recurring license fees—whereas Adobe Commerce involves both licensing and development costs due to its complex core. Businesses focused on cost-efficiency and sustainability (Green IT) would benefit from lighter, optimized platforms (fewer servers, less energy consumption) compared to resource-heavy legacy systems.

Finally, remember: the success of an e-commerce or e-service project isn’t just about technology—but the platform is its foundation. A well-informed choice—made in collaboration between your tech teams (CTO/IT) and business leaders (CEO/CMO/e-commerce heads)—provides a stable base for executing your digital strategy. A CEO will focus on longevity, cost control, and time-to-market, while a CTO will prioritize robustness, security, and scalability. This article speaks to both, blending business cases (e.g., Netflix or Danone successfully embracing headless) with technical arguments (increased performance, future-proof architecture).

In short, ask yourself the right questions: “Which e-commerce solution is right for my business?”, “Which architecture will let me grow and innovate freely?”, “How do I avoid vendor lock-in and hidden costs?”

The answers will likely point toward the modern API-first, headless solutions compared in this article rather than legacy platforms. Whether you choose a targeted custom development, a B2B-ready SaaS, a next-gen open-source engine, or a composable ecosystem, make sure the solution fits your business strategy.

And remember: it’s better to invest in solid architecture now than to pay for costly rework later. As the saying goes in software: “Do it right the first time, or do it again.”

By choosing the right e-commerce or e-service platform today, you avoid painful overhauls tomorrow—and give your company the digital tools to match its ambitions.

With this overview, we hope to have clarified the landscape of B2B and e-service e-commerce platforms. Don’t hesitate to contact the Edana experts for personalized support: every project is unique and deserves in-depth analysis. By combining our strategic guidance with our cutting-edge tech expertise, we’ll help you implement the solution best suited to your organization—for a high-performance, scalable, and future-ready e-commerce platform that drives growth in Switzerland and internationally.

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