Commerce Layer vs. Optimizely Configured Commerce

Commerce Layer is a great choice, if you want to build a tailored system. The flexible API allows to build all kinds of applications around commerce, but you also need to deep dive a bit into the structure. If you want to set up a simple store and sell a few SKUs, you're probably rather a Shopify customer, but if you want to build great customer experiences and tailer the software to your business, Commerce Layer is a very good choice.

Incentivized

I think that there are a lot of companies (us included) that are looking for a solution to fit into their current needs, versus looking for a solution that is going to solve all of their problems. For us, Optimizely B2B Commerce Cloud fits into the former in that situation where we have specific ERP needs, specific data needs, usability and user management needs, etc. and Optimizely B2B Commerce Cloud just happens to fit in there the most.

Incentivized

• Flexibility
• True headless (based on MACH principles)
• Integrated sales/shipments solution
• Seamless integration (extensive API, webhooks, etc.)

Incentivized

• Edit Pages - A visual editor with custom widgets allows a quick way to edit the website
• Manage users - in the back end editing and managing users is very easy
• Data - the whole system allows us to track users and collect data fairly easily

Incentivized

• Specific POS features are on the roadmap (we're using now a market per store, which works but creates some issues with it)
• Payment flexibility (as we're using it fully as a POS solution)
• Flexibility in order editing after approval of order

Incentivized

• It deployed with a major bug in Guest checkout. It is now fixed, but we lost a lot of business because of it.
• The pricing API is not working.
• Support for multi-warehouse product availability would be helpful. If we have the product in stock in any warehouse, we should be able to book the order.

Incentivized

Commerce Layer is at the core of our operations

Incentivized

The new apps are great, but in our case, we built so specific functionalities around it that we built our own admin tool. Based on the complexity (especially for after sales processes), no off the shelf tool would have been able to do this.

Incentivized

Quite flexible and easy to use for daily marketing user tasks, like updating page listings, promotions, and copy. More in-depth tasks like managing product attributes, rearranging product taxonomy placement, and CMS editing are not user-friendly and require a careful and detailed process to follow.

Incentivized

We're in regular contact with Commerce Layer and regularly also discuss issues directly with the tech team

Incentivized

It's a mixed bag. The team has been very nice, but there has been an underlying feeling of condescension because we have complained or "caused trouble" over the inadequacy of the CMS component. Also, support for modifications or UI changes has been terribly slow. Understandably, COVID has made life hard for everyone, but there is an expectation that we complete our work immediately, but their team will "put it in queue" when we have a request or find a bug. Further, we certainly feel that we were sold a list of capabilities that we have not seen come to fruition. Finally, the change of ownership 3 times (Insite -> Epi -> Opti) over our implementation period has been both confusing and disruptive.

Incentivized

The Commerce Layer data model is very flexible, which also creates a certain complexity. It's important to understand how the data model works and how relationships between them are built.

Incentivized

Real headless solution, fully SaaS. In comparison to all other solutions, Commerce Layer has an integrated order management which is lean, but very flexible. With all other solutions, we would have needed a separate OMS which would have increased both the complexity and the cost of the solution.

Incentivized

We selected Optimizely B2B Commerce Cloud (when it was Insite Commerce) as they were specifically focused on manufacturing clients and the storefront and data management were very robust. The business model and cost were more in our price range as well, so an overall better value for the solution. The ability for the product data to be updated once on the catalog side as well as on the CMS website side was the benefit we saw with a small team of resources to support the product. However, there are definite drawbacks to having not gone with a more turnkey website CMS.

Incentivized

• Reduction of support staff by 2/3 as we could implement a full self-service solution
• 1-2 days faster delivery of glasses to customers due to automated lens ordering (built into Commerce Layer)

Incentivized

• Higher AOV - online customers are buying more than they did before
• amount of pressure it's taken off branch employees who no longer have to give prices or inventory info for every customer request
• But we are spending a LOT of money on custom development to get exactly what we need / want

Incentivized