Ecommerce Ingredient List: 12 – Ecommerce Extensions, Apps etc…

In the last article, we gave you some tips on how to choose an ecommerce platform. Now that you’ve decided which solution you are going to use, you will probably have to extend its functionality using plugins, apps and integrations. Essential Ingredients for ecommerce success.

Extending Your Ecommerce Platform

Even if your ecommerce solution has all the bells and whistles, chances are you will have to extend the functionality and integrate with other systems. Ecommerce is an ecosystem of tools – online shop software is just that – it was not necessarily designed to be a blog, or a CRM or an ERP.

There are two approaches to extending your ecommerce system.

• Apps, Plugins etc: Available through marketplaces and app-stores. Pre-built, common functionality from payments, to marketing to shipping. Some charged as a one off license and some on a subscription basis.
• Custom Development: More common for Open Source ecommerce systems. Allows for more flexibility and control over IP.

Apps, Plugins & Extensions

Some functionality is common to many businesses, and yet, not ‘baked in’ to an ecommerce platform. Perhaps you want to have customer reviews on your product detail page. Maybe you want to tag your products in your Instagram post, or you want to add product recommendations into personalised emails.

For these ‘common’ extensions, there are thousands of pre-built’ applications available through various marketplaces.

The availability of these pre-built apps could be one of the reasons you choose your ecommerce system. Many large ecosystem partners will create free integrations for the more well-known platforms and not support others.

There are some tensions emerging here. SaaS ecommerce systems especially can be protective of their ecosystems. Some use the User Experience as an ‘excuse’ to restrict certain integrations, however this is probably more about the value chain than the end user.

A Note about Pricing

It has become fashionable for extensions and apps to be charged as a subscription on a monthly basis. Keep in mind your budget. At $10 or $20 a month, these tools can add up. SaaS and subscription services also bundle functionality into arbitrary packages. So consider the utility that you actually need and weigh up whether developing something to your own requirements might end up being a better return on investment in the long run.

Custom Built Customisations.

You may want to consider building your own app or extension if you require something that is unique or if you have access to developers who understand your needs. This might be especially true if you are in an emerging market where some of the global players are not prioritising the roll out of functionality or developing the ecosystem.

Also consider your IP and your place in the value chain. Do you really want all of your data that feeds your recommendation engine being hosted by a 3rd party or the algorithms that make decisions about your business being controlled by someone else?

Downsides of creating your own extensions or customisations include having to consider security issues as well as compatibility. If the ecommerce platform is upgraded, then you might also need to update your plugin.