Laravel eCommerce or Ready-Made CMS: Which framework to Choose for Online Store?

In recent years, online stores have become increasingly popular, with more and more businesses seeking to establish an online presence. For those who are looking to create an online store, one of the key decisions that must be made is whether to use a ready-made CMS or a Laravel eCommerce package.

There are a lot of Laravel packages offered by the company to optimize apps or eCommerce stores. So which one is the best for your online store? In this article, we’ll discuss the possibilities of using Laravel eCommerce packages and ready-made CMS solutions.

Laravel eCommerce Solutions

Laravel is a powerful PHP framework that provides a range of tools and features for building web applications, including eCommerce sites. With the latest upgrade of Laravel 9, creating websites is a breeze. Laravel eCommerce packages are pre-built software solutions that can be customized and integrated with other software tools to create an online store. 

Advantages of Laravel eCommerce 

• Powerful and flexible: Laravel provides a wide range of features allowing developers to easily create complex eCommerce sites. It also provides a flexible architecture that enables developers to customize and extend the framework to meet specific requirements.
• Security: Laravel has built-in security features that help protect eCommerce sites from common web application security threats like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF).
• Speed: Laravel is optimized for performance, which means that eCommerce sites built on the framework are typically fast and responsive. This is important for eCommerce sites, as slow page load times can have a negative impact on sales and customer satisfaction.
• Easy to learn and use: Laravel has a simple and intuitive syntax, which makes it easy for developers to learn and use. This is particularly useful for eCommerce businesses that may not have a dedicated IT team or developers with extensive experience in web development.
• Integration with other tools: Laravel can be easily integrated with other tools and platforms like payment gateways, shipping providers, and marketing tools. This enables eCommerce businesses to take advantage of the best available technologies to improve their online store’s functionality and customer experience.
• Active community: Laravel has a large and active community of developers who provide support and share knowledge through online forums, documentation, and social media channels. This means that eCommerce businesses that use Laravel can benefit from the collective knowledge of this community, making it easier to troubleshoot issues and find solutions to common problems.
• Performance: Laravel is designed to be lightweight and fast, which means that eCommerce sites built on this framework will typically load quickly and be responsive. This is especially important for eCommerce sites, as slow load times can significantly impact sales and customer satisfaction.

Disadvantages of Laravel eCommerce 

• Higher development time and cost: Laravel requires a higher level of development expertise, which can lead to higher development costs and longer development times.
• Maintenance: Laravel requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and security patches, which can be time-consuming and costly for businesses that do not have a dedicated development team.

Ready-Made CMS Solutions

Ready-made CMS solutions like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento provide a complete out-of-the-box solution for creating an online store. They are an excellent choice for eCommerce businesses looking for a quick, easy, and cost-effective solution to get their website up and running. Check out some of the very famous CMSs for creating a stunning eCommerce Store.

Advantages of Ready-Made CMS 

• Easy to use: Ready-made CMSs are typically designed to be easy to use, with user-friendly interfaces that make it easy for business owners and non-technical users to create, manage, and update their eCommerce websites without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
• Quick setup: Ready-made CMSs can be set up quickly and easily, which means that businesses can get their eCommerce website up and running in a short amount of time. This is particularly useful for businesses that need to launch their website quickly to take advantage of market opportunities or seasonal trends.
• Extensive feature set: Most ready-made CMSs come with a range of features and functionalities that are specifically designed for eCommerce websites. These include features like product catalogs, shopping carts, checkout systems, and payment gateway integrations, which can be easily customized to suit the business’s specific needs.
• Support and updates: Ready-made CMSs typically have large communities of users and developers who provide support and regular updates, which helps ensure that the website remains secure, stable, and up to date with the latest trends and best practices.
• Scalability: Ready-made CMSs are designed to be scalable, which means that businesses can add new features and functionalities as their needs evolve. This makes it easy to start small and gradually add more functionality as the business grows.
• Cost-effective: Ready-made CMSs are often more cost-effective than custom-built solutions, as they come with a range of features and functionalities that would be expensive and time-consuming to develop from scratch. Additionally, many CMSs have low or no upfront costs, with businesses only paying for additional features or services as they are needed.

Disadvantages of Ready-made CMS 

• Limited customization: Ready-made CMSs often have limited customization options, which can be a disadvantage for businesses with unique or complex requirements.
• Limited control: With ready-made CMSs, developers have less control over the code and architecture of the eCommerce website, which can be a disadvantage for businesses that require a high level of control over their websites.
• Less scalability: Ready-made CMSs are often less scalable than Laravel, which can be a disadvantage for businesses that anticipate rapid growth or changing requirements.

Laravel eCommerce vs CMS eCommerce

The ability of both platforms to produce top-notch eCommerce websites is one of their strengths. CMS will undoubtedly make it simpler to create one, but let us compare them to one another first. 

Laravel eCommerce 

There is no denying that Laravel is a fantastic platform for eCommerce. It offers a variety of eCommerce packages. Each one is completely customizable and comes with a special set of benefits and drawbacks. 

Yet, the uniform construction of everything in Laravel really sets it apart from other eCommerce platforms. Conventional eCommerce ready-to-use CMS systems are packed with separate components that must all be updated separately. This is not the situation in Laravel. Instead, everything is interconnected, which requires less upkeep from you. 

With that said, it is important to reiterate that creating an eCommerce site would require extensive code. Hence, it is not simple. But the payoff is great. 

CMS eCommerce 

Ready-made CMS is the 800-pound gorilla in the room when it comes to eCommerce. More than 5 million online stores are being supported by it. In reality, you may create an online store using dozens of eCommerce plugins. 

For a while, let us concentrate on WooCommerce. With the help of this technology, WordPress will be transformed into a powerful eCommerce platform at no additional cost to you. You can even access almost every payment gateway with WooCommerce (PayPal, Stripe, etc.). 

The platform is unsurpassed in terms of customization. When you combine the vanilla WooCommerce install with a number of useful add-ons, you get an unrivaled eCommerce platform that is both free and simple to use.

Laravel eCommerce Packages Provider

There are several Laravel eCommerce packages available that developers can use to build eCommerce websites quickly and easily. Here are some of the most popular Laravel eCommerce packages:

1. Bagisto

Bagisto is an open-source and free eCommerce platform that is built on the Laravel framework. It provides a range of features and functionalities, including a customizable storefront, multi-currency support, multi-lingual support, and advanced SEO features.

2. AvoRed

AvoRed is another open-source Laravel eCommerce platform. It provides a range of features and functionalities, including product management, customer management, order management, and customizable themes.

3. October CMS

October CMS is a popular content management system that is built on Laravel. It provides a range of eCommerce features and functionalities, including product catalogs, shopping carts, checkout systems, and payment gateway integrations.

4. Shopist

Shopist is a Laravel eCommerce package that provides a range of features and functionalities, including product management, order management, and customer management. It also includes a customizable storefront and advanced SEO features.

5. Laravel eCommerce

Laravel eCommerce is a comprehensive eCommerce platform built on the Laravel framework. It provides a range of features and functionalities, including product management, order management, and customer management. It also includes a customizable storefront, multi-currency support, multi-lingual support, and advanced SEO features.

Ready-made CMS Provider

There are many ready-made content management systems (CMS) available that businesses can use to build eCommerce websites quickly and easily. Some of the most popular ready-made CMS providers include:

1. WordPress

WordPress is the topmost popular CMS in the world, and it is used by millions of websites. It provides a range of features and functionalities, including eCommerce functionality through the WooCommerce plugin.

2. Shopify

Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform that provides a range of features and functionalities, including product management, order management, and payment gateway integrations.

3. Magento

Magento is another open-source eCommerce platform that provides a range of features and functionalities, including product catalogs, shopping carts, checkout systems, and payment gateway integrations.

4. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another popular eCommerce platform that offers a slew of features and functionalities, including product management, order management, and payment gateway integrations.

5. PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source eCommerce platform that provides a range of features and functionalities, including product management, order management, and payment gateway integrations.

Conclusion

So which one should you choose for your online store: Laravel eCommerce packages or ready-made CMS solutions? The answer to this question relies fully on your specific needs and technical expertise. If you have the technical expertise to set up and maintain a Laravel eCommerce package and you need a high level of customization, then this may be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you are hunting for an easy-to-use solution that offers a range of out-of-the-box features, then a ready-made CMS solution may be a better fit. So choose what best suit your needs!