SuiteCommerce VS SuiteCommerce Advanced: The Key Differences

The power of NetSuite is undeniable. But if you ever find yourself asking the question, SuiteCommerce vs SuiteCommerce Advance, what’s the difference? Then you are at the right place. Netsuite has designed two web apps, NetSuite Suite Commerce and Netsuite SuiteCommerce Advanced. Both of them function on the Netsuite platform. Although they both can have fundamentally identical codebases, there are significant differences in how both developers access this code. Hence you can perceive both the applications have individual products.

While both the platforms offer a plethora of features and benefits, they still may not help you take a decision on which is better than which. In this article, we will break down the key differences so that you are versed and can pick the better one to run your e-commerce business. But before we dive into the difference, let’s cover the basics first.

What is SuiteCommerce?

SuiteCommerce is an eCommerce platform created by NetSuite. It is pre-integrated with the NetSuite ERP platform. This means direct access to all your ERP data and no need to pay for integration. With SuiteCommerce, a company’s eCommerce management is directly connected to its other NetSuite tools, such as order and inventory management and CRM for streamlined business management. Due to its seamless nature, the solution is a single integrated platform that easily supports B2C (business-to-customer) and B2B (business-to-business) operations.

SuiteCommerce was launched in 2018 as a lighter version of SuiteCommerce Advance. It was also a more cost-effective alternative to SuiteCommerce Advance. When we talk about the constantly changing dynamics, SuiteCommerce provides unmatched agility and the ability to scale and optimize the user experience across B2C and B2B. With all your data at your fingertips, you can easily scale and grow your business while reducing operational costs.

Key Difference: Access to Source Code

Let’s look at the key difference between the two platforms: access to source code.

SuiteCommerce

SuiteCommerce does not have access to the source code. This means that extensive customizations that change the platform’s architecture are not possible. However, you can create extensions that allow you to create almost any customization you want.

SuiteCommerce Advance

SuiteCommerce Advance gives developers full access to the source code, opening the doors to almost any customization imaginable. Depending on your business, this can prove to be very important. For example, suppose innovation is your competitive advantage  and you want to position your web shop to do something that has never been done before, or at least not commonly done. In that case, SuiteCommerce Advance is perfect for you.

Secondary Difference: Upgrade

SuiteCommerce updates automatically, whereas SuiteCommerce Advanced has a “version lock”. At first glance, automatic upgrades seem much easier to manage but version locking is useful for businesses that demand more customization within their ecommerce platform.

SuiteCommerce

SuiteCommerce makes website maintenance easier as there is no “version locking” and no need to switch between versions. Take care of your customizations before each update, as you risk breaking your customizations during automatic updates.

Pro: Get immediate access to new features and updates that are available with each version by default.

Con: Higher risk of breaking customizations during automatic upgrades.

New SuiteCommerce updates are typically accessible in a sandbox before their release date, allowing you to protect your customizations proactively. NetSuite is committed to ensuring that these features are compatible with future updates, so developers can use the Extensibility API (NetSuite Managed Functions) to prevent customizations from potentially breaking.

SuiteCommerce Advanced

SuiteCommerce Advance is not a managed package, so you must upgrade to the latest version. However, unmanaged packages have their advantages. Enterprises rely on platforms that do not fail during managed upgrades. Unmanaged bundles mean teams can migrate when they have time to test upgrades in a sandbox.

Pro: This ensures that all customizations continue to work properly with new upgrades.

Con: Lack of ease of automatic upgrades.

If you upgrade, you should contact the development team to review your design and enhancements, test the new version in a sandbox, update your customizations, and then deploy it to production after thorough testing.

Scalability

SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced are scalable solutions but with the ability to extend from SuiteCommerce to SuiteCommerce Advanced, there is room for further growth.

If you only want SuiteCommerce now, you can upgrade to SuiteCommerce Advanced later. Migrating from SuiteCommerce to SuiteCommerce Advanced is relatively easy as it uses the same source code, extensions, themes and many other NetSuite ERP customizations. A completely new implementation is not required to make the switch. It takes about a day to get and deploy the code on SuiteCommerce Advanced. However, this process will likely involve migrating from one SuiteCommerce version to another, so there is still some work to be done. The best part about completing the migration to SuiteCommerce Advanced is that the solution is so powerful that you never have to switch platforms again!

Implementation

SuiteCommerce is a NetSuite module that can be downloaded as a package and installed in your NetSuite environment. This requires special skills as it requires advanced knowledge of NetSuite architecture and web development in single-page applications. For this reason, you should find a NetSuite developer specializing in implementing SuiteCommerce.

Implementing or migrating to a new platform takes effort and time, which should be considered when looking for an e-commerce solution. The amount of time required to implement SuiteCommerce varies greatly and depends on the type of SuiteCommerce product you purchase. These are typical averages for each solution, assuming you require multiple activations and customize the platform for your business.

SuiteCommerce: 80 – 200 hours

SuiteCommerce Advanced: 150 – 500 hours

These areas vary widely, as different organizations have different requirements for the look and feel of SuiteCommerce products.

Bottom Line

Having all your data under one roof makes life easier for everyone. This is one of the reasons why businesses and corporations often choose SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced over other platforms. With files, images, and data already in NetSuite, organizations have the tools to increase productivity and achieve operational efficiency that outperforms the competition.