Millions of companies are still very new to ecommerce and although most have understood the significance of integrating ecommerce into their parent websites, including small and medium businesses (like EGA Futura), the trouble still persists in terms of selecting the ideal software or ecommerce platform.

There are two types of ecommerce software available today – open source and hosted or SaaS (software as a service). Both eCommerce open source software and hosted or SaaS has its share of advantages and disadvantages, in other words benefits and challenges. Here we take a look at the good and the bad of ecommerce open source software. Web scraping in the e-commerce sites enables customers to compare the prices of their products with other companies.

Advantages Of eCommerce Open Source Software

eCommerce open source software offers complete freedom to have as many or as few features in your online store. The programmer or coder can enjoy absolute luxury to create the desired ecommerce platform that you wish to host. A company can choose a different host for the server or opt for an in house server to be installed at the head office. eCommerce open source software can be easily implemented and maintained by a specialized developer. Since root files are accessible, any third party software or any integration can be done by the company as and when on deems it necessary.

Disadvantages Of eCommerce Open Source Software

Developing, hosting and implementing ecommerce open source software will require high setup costs, expert programmers or developers and the success is not guaranteed but dependant on eventual testing. There is no support from any software developer or one who create the ecommerce open source software. All bugs, errors or any customizations need to be done internally or by hiring a professional team of expert programmers. The ongoing costs to maintain or upgrade the ecommerce open source software are solely for the company to take care of.

When Is eCommerce Open Source Software Ideal

Many companies have in house team of programmers or they have outsourced it to an efficient team with extensive experience in developing and operating ecommerce open source software. Such companies will find ecommerce open source software to be an ideal choice. Any company that doesn’t have an employee or employees with experience in ecommerce open source software and those who wish to keep costs low will find it difficult to create and manage the entire exercise. For them, a hosted solution or software as a service is the best alternative.