theCMSblog

When the Web was full of “brochure-ware”, e-commerce functionality was only critical for dedicated online retailers. As business owners and marketers recognized new ways to monetize their Web investment, more and more companies have added e-commerce to their sites. Now even companies that don’t sell physical goods are making profits selling memberships or content. It’s a rare Web site that will never require an e-commerce component.

Ironic, then, when a business buys a content management platform, then decides they need e-commerce, they end up having to buy a separate e-commerce platform and integrate the two. Or, the opposite happens. They start with an e-commerce package with very limited content handling, only to find later that they need CMS features. The result? A messy process of integrating their e-commerce system with a CMS, often with dubious results.

While there are dozens more considerations involved in evaluating platforms, here are just a few things to look for when considering a complete solution to manage your Web site:

• If you’re looking primarily for a CMS, does it have an e-commerce component? Was the e-commerce part built by the same developers, or built separately and cobbled together? Does the system handle memberships and sale of intangible goods? How do you integrate your existing data, like your master product and inventory data?
• If you’re looking primarily for e-Commerce, what CMS functions does it provide? Is there a user-friendly authoring environment? How about workflow and version control? What types of content can you manage within the system? (Just a product catalog descriptions, or other types of content, like articles and documents?) How about managing images and media? How easily can you update the product catalog with new content? Is it a multi-step publishing process?
• If the solution doesn’t have both CMS and e-commerce functionality, then with which other systems have customers successfully integrated? Can you get reference sites and contacts?
• If you planning to expand your horizons (and, who isn’t?), are the CMS and e-commerce solutions built on the same technology platform (e.g., Microsoft .net, Java)? Are they built on open or proprietary standards? What features are planned in the next year or two? Does the vendor have other customers whose businesses are similar to your own and who will need similar enhancements in the future?

Bottom line (and isn’t that what it’s all about?): Beware of CMS and e-commerce integrations. They’re often trickier than you think. Without due diligence up front, you may end up with your hands tied when it comes to getting the system to do what you really need it to do.