A shopkeeper may be faced with many alternatives when thinking about the structure of an e-commerce store. There are several services and integrations that must be considered, but the important thing is to know what kind of platform will host your e-commerce.
And when it comes to hosting your e-commerce store, the SaaS platforms platforms may become a viable option for your business, since they offer customized, robust, and more complete mechanisms, as well as integration with various systems.
In this article, we will talk about five benefits for your e-commerce in opting for a SaaS platform and also some widely used platforms in the market. Enjoy your reading!
What is a SaaS platform?
(SaaS) Software as a Serviceis a software licensing and delivery model in which the technology is licensed to the retailer on a subscription basis. In other words, SaaS e-commerce platforms are hosted and maintained by their provider and then licensed for use by merchants. Users access these applications via web browsers and pay a monthly subscription fee based on the level of service and number of users.
The main advantage of SaaS SaaS e-commerce platforms is that the software is not installed on site or maintained by the user themselves. Instead, your e-commerce provider creates, hosts, and maintains the software on its own servers. However, this means that users are limited in their ability to edit or change the source code of the software.
What is the advantage of the SaaS platform?
The SaaS platforms platforms offer many advantages, especially for companies with differentiated business models. The technologies and integrations provided aim to ensure a good user experience of your store, favoring important metrics such as conversion rate and average ticket.
In addition, concerns with store updates, integrations, security, and many other technological aspects can be easily outsourced. See some of the advantages below.
Few barriers to entry
You can find from free plans, to more robust plans depending on the need of your business, with the advantage of having the initial cost reduced.
In addition, you can use the functions of traditional software models, without maintenance charges, fees, and initial license costs. By already having a ready structure, companies can start their work quickly.
An example of this are the go lives we have already carried out for some brands, where the store development process took only 15 days.
High accessibility
In case your company uses differentiated business models or needs to install different functionalities, SaaS platforms usually have native and third party developed applications that can be easily installed in your online store.
The VTEX platform, for example, contains many features for end-to-end management of a digital commerce business, including digital asset and PIM management, a customer database, an OMS, and fulfillment. This makes the platform suitable for the needs of mid-sized organizations.
Ease of Upgrading
Since the technology of SaaS platforms are managed by the providers, upgrades and updates eliminate the need to make any changes to the source code to keep up with market updates.
The provider of these platforms are also responsible for making these upgrades available to customers. In some cases this can be a negative point, because the technology can make you stiff and not evolve the way your business needs. But, on the other hand, if your business needs to evolve some specific point, you can count on the development of customized functionalities.
Simplified integrations
SaaS systems are natively connected to other services that help retailers sell (such as payment services, providers, and gateways) and have open API documentation that helps your business connect to a variety of services, but for API you need internal IT staff or development partner support.
Many SaaS platforms also offer customization to adapt business models and individual company needs.
Support and evolution
One of the most interesting advantages for those who are starting their online operation is to be able to count on the outsourcing of Maintenance and evolution services for your storethrough agencies and companies that specialize in this type of service.
SaaS platforms have certified partners which can make it easier for your company to find agencies and professionals with the execution skills your business needs. Services are paid separately, but guarantee daily support and troubleshooting, as well as options to evolve the operation.
Example SaaS platform
VTEX
A VTEX platform is a cloud-based solution, offered as Software as a Service (SaaS). With VTEX, your core software is hosted and maintained by VTEX itself, significantly reducing the time, headaches, and unbudgeted work that open source website owners typically face.
VTEX is charged on a sliding scale, starting as low as $ 500 +2.5% revenue share. With plans going as low as 0.3% revenue share for larger companies. It is worth noting that, the VTEX license also includes hosting, maintenance and security.
Want to know how having an e-commerce on the VTEX platform can contribute to the evolution of your online business? Please contact us at.
