How to choose an e-commerce platform
A decision framework by turnover, catalogue complexity, team and integrations, and the questions to settle before you look at a demo.
Guides
2026
Plain guides to choosing and running an e-commerce platform.
Articles from 2026
Shopify vs Shopify Plus: when the upgrade pays for itself
Plus is the same Shopify with lower fees, an open checkout and fewer limits. Here is the arithmetic, the signals that it is time, and when to keep your money.
Shopify vs Magento (Adobe Commerce): which should you pick?
Shopify costs less to run and changes faster. Magento bends further when your business has unusual rules. How to tell which side of the line you are on.
What an e-commerce platform really costs over three years
The licence is the smallest line. A three-year view of what a store really costs on Shopify, Shopify Plus and Magento, and the costs that get left out.
Replatforming: moving platform without losing sales or rankings
When a replatform is worth it, when it is not, and the plan we follow for data, redirects, integrations, launch timing and the first 30 days.
Headless commerce: what it is and who actually needs it
What headless means, what it costs to run, what Shopify, Adobe and BigCommerce offer, and the honest test for whether you need it. Most retailers do not.
E-commerce integrations: connect your store, stock and accounts
Native app, middleware or custom build: how to choose, the seven failures we see most, and a scoping checklist to use before you ask for a quote.
B2B e-commerce platforms: trade accounts, pricing and ordering
Shopify B2B is now on every plan. Here is what that covers, where Adobe Commerce and BigCommerce go further, and when a trade portal is the wrong answer.
Selling internationally: currencies, duties, delivery and returns
Currencies, duties and taxes at checkout, the EU's IOSS and small-parcel duty, the end of US duty-free parcels, delivery, returns and Shopify Markets.