If you are new to looking at NetSuite ecommerce or NetSuite’s flagship ecommerce platform called SuiteCommerce Advanced, then this guide will help you understand resources and the differences between traditional NetSuite roles and ecommerce roles.
SuiteCommerce Standard And SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA):
NetSuite has its own ecommerce platform called SuiteCommerce Advanced. SuiteCommerce developers to help implement the solution and make it easier to have a custom website that works perfectly for your business. You’ll want to check out commerce agency partners that have been authorized by NetSuite or you will lose a lot of money with mistakes. You can also see how it compares to Shopify Plus or other common ecommerce platforms such as Magento. As you begin the purchasing process, the first step will be to choose NetSuite SuiteCommerce theme.
Then you can get the implementation started. NetSuite ecommerce goes beyond SuiteCommerce since you will likely want to integrate to other ecommerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or Overstock. All of these integrations can help drive more revenue for your organization.
Find The Right Partner… Partners Are Better Than Using NetSuite Directly
First of all, let me help you understand the biggest risk you can take that will bite you in the butt and cause you to bang your head.
Finding the right partner...
There are four major types of partners that you will likely come across when working with NetSuite.
• Solution Providers
• Alliance Partners
• Commerce Agency Partners
• Non-NetSuite Partner
Choosing the right partner for implementations is highly important and it is vital to vet your partner to understand their skill sets. Here are some questions you can ask your partner.
1. What types of individual certifications do your team members have?
2. Do you have team members that are SuiteCommerce certified?
3. What type of a partner are you?
4. What niche inside of NetSuite do you primarily focus on?
5. How many SuiteCommerce implementations have you done?
6. Do you subcontract work and to whom?
7. How many NetSuite instances have you worked on?
8. Do you have any references?
9. What sets you apart from other partners? (cost, experience, communication, project management, fully US based consultants, fully outsourced consultants)
You may also find a partner that is not officially tied to NetSuite, but offers NetSuite services. You don't need to write them off right away. The main thing you will want to do is to vet them with the same questions. Especially to see what individual certifications their team members have. It's more important to know the actual team members working on the project with their skills.
The reason why we mention finding the right partner to reduce implementation costs is because efficiency and experience is your friend.
If you are a little unsure of what SuiteCommerce is all about, this article explains what Oracle NetSuite SuiteCommerce is and how it compares to competition in the space.
NetSuite direct is often the easiest to decide to go with, but nearly every SuiteCommerce customer has found that using a partner gives them access to more features, more support, more responsiveness, and faster results. NetSuite is able to implement your ecommerce solutions themselves, but many have found that NetSuite partners are much better and more equipped to offer more solutions specific to your business. Partners have products that have built and NetSuite doesn’t have access to. Plus NetSuite often only is allowed to work with their own products. You can pay $250/hr for their professional services or you can pay $150/hour for a skilled SuiteCommerce partner that will give you focused attention. It is ideal to have a partner that will be able to be flexible. Your business will need a few customizations that partners are more equipped due to their quality of developers on staff. Most of the best SuiteCommerce developers move to different partners and NetSuite struggles consistently to retain talent.
Identify Internal Resources
The more people you have available, then the less you have to pay for hourly contractors. However, keep efficiency in mind because you are still paying for internal workers. Stick to their strong points! It will at least help with the transfer of knowledge for maintaining your NetSuite ecommerce solution. Common existing internal resources companies tend to have in house already are graphic designers, NetSuite administrator, and marketing professional. At the very least, you’ll need to have a point of contact that will be able to communicate your business processes, areas you need improvements in existing processes, and the ability to approval marketing information. Marketing information includes images, layout, and content.
I have heard of companies that try to self-implement and have not been successful after two years!!! They have literally paid thousands of dollars in subscription fees without any income produced!!! If you try to self-implement and 2-3 months have passed...it’s time to pass the torch and accept you need help. Take the opportunity to work with an expert to learn. The moral of the story...know your skill set limits. There is no reason to suffer defeat when you don't have to.
What Is A SuiteCommerce Developer?
A SuiteCommerce Advanced developer differs from your traditional NetSuite developer since they require knowledge of themes and extensions. This skillset is typically a niche skill that some know more of SCA rather than NetSuite. However, SCA developers still need to know NetSuite development. The different is advanced knowledge in HTML, CSS, SCA architecture of single page applications (SPA), web development, search engine optimization (SEO), and JavaScript. An SCA developer should know how to write SuiteScript, configure NetSuite, and understand all areas that SuiteCommerce impacts NetSuite.
Shopping For SuiteCommerce Apps:
There are many places to shop around for pre-built SuiteCommerce customizations or apps. But the two primary locations are SuiteMarkets or SuiteApp. Suite Markets is a 3rd party platform that hosts all types of solutions and Suite App is built by NetSuite and has quality control measures in place. Both options will help you optimize your ecommerce solution. Both options are very good places to find both NetSuite apps and Suite Commerce apps. Getting a pre made NetSuite ERP customization or SuiteCommerce customization can be difficult to find, but SuiteMarkets will likely be the best place to find less common customizations.
