What’s really the difference between Shopify and Salesforce Commerce Cloud?

They solve the same problem in different ways. Shopify is light, quick, and easy to manage - the kind of tool that gets you online fast without a lot of overhead. Salesforce Commerce Cloud is heavier, but it’s built for structure. It’s what companies use when they need eCommerce to connect with everything else - sales, service, data, marketing. It’s less plug-and-play, more long game.

Which one suits smaller teams?

Almost always Shopify. You can run it without a developer, the setup is clean, and most of what you need is already there. It’s made for people who want to get selling without worrying about the tech. Salesforce Commerce Cloud fits when there are layers: multiple stores, regions, or teams that need to stay in sync.

How do the costs actually compare?

Shopify starts small: a monthly fee, a few paid apps, done. But as you grow, you start stacking extensions to fill gaps, and that’s when the bill creeps up. Salesforce Commerce Cloud is more of an upfront investment. It costs more to set up, but less to patch later, because most of what you need is already baked in.

Which one handles marketing and CRM better?

That’s Salesforce Commerce Cloud’s strength. Everything runs off the same data - your sales, your customers, your campaigns. Shopify can do it too, but it needs outside tools to make it work.

Can you move from one to the other?

Plenty of businesses do. It usually depends on what stage you’re in. Shopify fits when you want to move fast and stay flexible. Salesforce Commerce Cloud makes more sense once growth demands more structure. The shift takes planning, but it’s completely doable with the right roadmap.

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