Architecture Review
- Scalability and hosting options
- Data handling and performance
- API and third-party support
- Caching and CDN use
- Resilience and uptime
eCommerce Platform Selection
Choosing the Right Platform: Make the Right Call, First Time
At DeeperThanBlue, we understand that selecting the right ecommerce platform isn’t just about technology. It’s a strategic decision with long-term implications. Get it wrong, and you risk slowing down growth. Get it right, and you unlock performance, flexibility, and future potential.
We work with businesses at every stage of their digital commerce journey. Whether you’re upgrading an ageing platform, launching a new venture, or preparing to scale globally, we help you navigate the options with clarity and purpose.
Our advice is platform-agnostic and grounded in real-world outcomes, not sales pitches. We bring together commercial insight, technical rigour, and years of implementation experience to ensure your next move is a smart one.
Our Approach: More Than a Platform Decision
Choosing a platform is not about chasing the latest trend or ticking off a feature list. It’s about ensuring the technology supports your business model, your workflows, and your digital strategy.
Our recommendations are driven solely by your business requirements, technical constraints, and strategic objectives rather than commercial relationships or implementation preferences.
How We Help You Choose With Confidence
- Clear understanding of your business needs and future plans
- Total cost of ownership (TCO) modelling, including hidden costs
- Technical due diligence on shortlisted platforms
- Commercial advice on licensing, contracts, and vendor negotiations
- Implementation planning with full visibility of risks, timelines, and resource needs
All of this is delivered independently. We advise based on what’s right for you, not what suits a particular platform provider.
Solving Common Platform Selection Challenges
Many businesses face similar dilemmas:
- “We’ve outgrown our current platform, but don’t know where to go next.”
- “Our IT and marketing teams disagree on priorities.”
- “We want to move fast, but can’t risk operational disruption.”
- “We’re worried about lock-in or hidden costs.”
Our role is to bring clarity to the process, structure to the decision-making, and confidence to the outcome.
Cutting Through Platform Overwhelm
With hundreds of platforms on the market, decision fatigue is real. We help you focus on the few that genuinely fit your needs, eliminating the noise and hype.
Cost Visibility: We uncover the true cost of ownership, beyond headline licence fees. That includes implementation, integration, ongoing support, hosting, and even operational overheads.
Integration Complexity: Modern ecommerce doesn’t operate in a vacuum. We assess how well each platform will fit within your broader ecosystem—from ERP and CRM to payment gateways and logistics providers.
Scalability and Future Fit: We consider how your business might evolve, and whether the platform can evolve with you. Growth should never mean starting from scratch again.
Platform Considerations That Actually Matter
Choosing an ecommerce platform isn’t about chasing the latest trends—it’s about selecting a toolset that enables your strategy.
Enterprise eCommerce Platform Categories
Traditional Licensed eCommerce Platforms: These established platforms offer comprehensive functionality with extensive customisation capabilities, typically suited to large enterprises with complex requirements and dedicated IT resources.
Cloud-Native SaaS eCommerce Platforms: Software-as-a-Service platforms provide rapid deployment and reduced infrastructure management overhead, with subscription-based pricing models that align costs with business growth.
Open-Source eCommerce Platforms: Open-source solutions offer maximum customisation flexibility and lower licensing costs but require significant development resources and ongoing maintenance capabilities.
Headless and API-First eCommerce Platforms: These modern platforms separate front-end presentation from back-end commerce functionality, enabling greater flexibility in customer experience delivery across multiple channels and touchpoints.
Specialised Platform Categories
B2B-Focused eCommerce Platforms: Platforms designed specifically for B2B commerce requirements, including complex pricing structures, approval workflows, account management, and ERP integration capabilities.
Marketplace and Multi-Vendor Platforms: Solutions enabling marketplace operations with multiple sellers, requiring sophisticated vendor management, commission handling, and quality control capabilities.
Mobile-First eCommerce Platforms: Platforms optimised for mobile commerce experiences, particularly relevant for B2C operations where mobile transactions dominate customer behaviour.
Platform Evaluation
We help clients assess:
- Integration with ERP, CRM, PIM, OMS, and legacy systems
- Customisability to match unique business logic or B2B workflows
- Scalability to handle future traffic, product ranges, or global expansion
- Security and compliance within regulated or high-risk environments
- Vendor ecosystem and support for ongoing innovation
Our Strategic Platform Selection Methodology
Requirements Analysis and Prioritisation
We gather and prioritise your business, technical, and operational requirements. This ensures any platform under consideration meets both today’s needs and tomorrow’s ambitions.
Key Business Requirements
- Revenue goals and growth targets
- Product complexity and catalogue scale
- Personalisation and customer segmentation
- Multi-channel selling
- International expansion and localisation
Technical Requirements
- Integration depth with internal systems
- Site performance and scalability
- Mobile responsiveness
- API availability
- Security and compliance
Operational Requirements
- Marketing and content management tools
- Reporting and analytics
- Customer support capabilities
- Stock and order handling
- Admin tools and user roles
Platform Evaluation Criteria
Functionality and Feature Assessment
We compare built-in capabilities and extensibility. Whether you need advanced promotions, B2B features, or composable architecture, we check what’s standard and what will need customisation.
Cost Breakdown
- Setup and migration costs
- Licencing or subscription fees
- Development and integration
- Hosting and maintenance
- Transaction and processing fees
Vendor Assessment
- Product roadmap and support model
- Community, partners, and third-party ecosystem
- Training, documentation, and certifications
Implementation Partner Assessment
- Relevant platform experience
- Delivery capability and resource model
- Ongoing support after launch
- UK or global delivery footprint
Enterprise vs Mid-Market Considerations
Large-scale ecommerce operations require platforms capable of handling high transaction volumes, complex product catalogues, and sophisticated customer segmentation. Enterprise platforms must also accommodate extensive customisation while maintaining performance and reliability. Meanwhile, Mid-market organisations require platforms that balance functionality with implementation complexity, offering sufficient capability for growth while remaining manageable with limited IT resources.
Enterprise Platform Requirements
Scalability and Performance Factors
- Transaction processing capability under peak load conditions
- Database performance with large product catalogues
- Multi-region deployment and content delivery capabilities
- Caching strategies and performance optimisation features
- Load balancing and failover capabilities
Integration and Extensibility Requirements
- ERP system integration complexity and data synchronisation
- CRM platform connectivity and customer data management
- Marketing automation and personalisation tool integration
- Business intelligence and analytics platform connectivity
- Third-party service integration capabilities
Mid-Market Platform Considerations
Rapid Implementation Requirements
- Out-of-the-box functionality that minimises customisation needs
- Template-based design options with customisation flexibility
- Pre-built integrations with common business applications
- Simplified administrative interfaces for non-technical users
- Automated deployment and update capabilities
Growth Accommodation Factors
- Subscription-based pricing that scales with business growth
- Feature expansion options as requirements evolve
- Multi-channel capability addition without platform migration
- International expansion support through localisation features
- Performance scaling without infrastructure management complexity
Implementation Planning and Risk Management
Platform Migration Strategy
Migrating from existing ecommerce platforms or launching new digital commerce initiatives requires careful planning to minimise business disruption and ensure successful outcomes.
Data Migration Planning
- Products, customers, and order history
- Image and content migration
- SEO preservation (URLs, redirects, metadata)
Go-Live Strategy Development
- Phased rollouts or full cutovers
- Testing and user training
- Change management
- Support readiness
Risk Management
- Technical validation and testing
- Load and performance testing
- Contingency planning
- Regulatory compliance
Ongoing Platform Optimisation
eCommerce platform selection is not a one-time decision but an ongoing relationship requiring continuous monitoring and optimisation to maintain competitive advantage and operational efficiency. We stay involved to ensure your investment continues to perform.
- Performance tuning
- Adoption and capability review
- Feature rollout planning
- TCO monitoring and optimisation
Platform-Agnostic, Strategy-Driven
At DeeperThanBlue, we partner with leading platforms including BigCommerce, Shopify, and HCL Commerce, enabling us to deliver proven solutions with deep technical and implementation expertise, while our CXOne Storefront enables powerful headless deployments. That said, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all.
Every recommendation is shaped by your business model, digital strategy, and operational complexity. Whether you’re evaluating headless commerce, seeking a composable architecture, or looking to simplify with a cloud-native SaaS platform, we help you cut through the noise and choose with confidence.
Our role is to help you understand the real-world trade-offs—so your platform empowers innovation, rather than becoming a constraint.
Our work:
Find out how our unique process has delivered success for our eCommerce clients.
Our Technology Partners
Helping our eCommerce customers grow their businesses in line with their specific needs
Partner with DeeperThanBlue for eCommerce Platform Success
If you’re planning to replace, upgrade, or invest in a new ecommerce platform, DeeperThanBlue brings the structured thinking and strategic expertise needed to choose wisely and execute effectively.
Get in touch to begin a platform evaluation designed around your goals—not just today’s tech trends.
+44 (0)114 399 2820
Get in touch
eCommerce Platform FAQs
How Do I Determine Which is the Best eCommerce Platform Is Best for My Business Size and Industry?
Before you decide which is the Best eCommerce platform will be the best option for your business, it is vital to consider the following:
What is your budget?
What compliance/security standards do you require?
What are your business goals?
- What is your target market?
- Which channels do you need to be on ready to meet your customers and sell via
- How many products do you have?
- How will you merchandise products
- How will you stock and fulfil the goods for each market
- Do you want to run and manage the platform yourself or have it delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Is it likely your customers will require support?
Learn more about some of the top eCommerce platforms by reading our detailed blog: BigCommerce, Shopify or Adobe Commerce/Magento – which one is right for you?
How Important Is Scalability When Selecting an eCommerce Platform?
As your business grows, so too will traffic and sales. This is why it is vital that the platform you choose has the ability to scale according to customer demand without losing performance (response time) and customers. An eCommerce platform that has scalability will ensure a smooth expansion and effective management of high volume traffic.
Learn more about the importance of scalability for eCommerce websites by reading our detailed blog: 5 steps to prepare your eCommerce website for peak season
What Security Features Should I Look for in an eCommerce Platform?
Certain security measures should be in place to protect both your business and your customers. Examples of typical security features include:
- Latest ISO accreditation
- Secure payment gateways
- Anti-malware software
- Data encryption
- Access control
- Are security patches made available and applied quickly
- Are software fixes to bugs quickly deployed once identified
To learn more about eCommerce platform security for your organisation, contact a member of our team today.
How Can I Ensure a Smooth Migration from My Current Platform to a New One?
To safely and successfully migrate from one eCommerce platform to another, there are a number of steps that must be followed to ensure a smooth transition and performance is maintained. Key steps for migration include:
- Track relevant KPIs such as sales, website performance or SEO
- Research suitable platforms
- Define a realistic timeline
- Maintain data security and compliance
- Understand all 3rd party software used and ensure that it can be migrated to the new platform or a replacement solution or plugin is available
- Ensure all relevant integration points are migrated across and tested against the new eCommerce platform
- Be clear on what data is being migrated across to new the new eCommerce platform – product, price, catalogue structure, customers, orders
- Inform customers with clear communication about upcoming changes and whether they need to reset their password on the new eCommerce platform
Implementing a tool like DeeperThanBlue’s CXOne to sit between your eCommerce platform and your backend data will simplify any switch between frontend solutions. It provides the glue (known as eCommerce middleware) between the new eCommerce platform and your back office applications and third-party systems.
Manage Consent
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.