E-commerce

Why should you choose Broadleaf Commerce?

While choosing an e-commerce solution, go for stability and scalability – both of which the Broadleaf Commerce platform offers. Broadleaf is an ideal choice for companies that want a serious digital transformation without investing in high-end enterprise-class solutions or building a tailor-made system from scratch.

Broadleaf Commerce technology is relatively new in Poland, but it has been used for years in the United States as a digital transformation tool.

This article will tell you:

  • Why Broadleaf Commerce is an excellent alternative to more expensive solutions.
  • Whether Broadleaf Commerce is an option for your company.

When neither expensive enterprise solutions or off-the-shelf e-commerce solutions are the solution

So, you’re ready to start your e-commerce adventure.

Many companies go for the safest option: something from a recognized market leader that comes with an impressive client list. Frequently, this also means a high licence fee, which is a major turnoff for organizations uninterested in a serious e-commerce investment.

These companies may research some alternatives, finding cheaper ready-made solutions which neither offer many options nor allow users to customize the solution to real business needs. Such tools are meant for smaller businesses and may experience efficiency issues when operated by many users or applied to many products. They are not an effective way to handle the complex, non-standard purchasing processes of specialist products or B2B sales.

What can you do when the licence fees and implementation costs charged by a market powerhouse are beyond reach and off-the-shelf solutions don’t meet your needs? A reasonable answer may lie in an e-commerce platform built from open source components, like Broadleaf Commerce.

Broadleaf Commerce is a set of e-commerce implementation tools. It supports the integration of all digital and physical customer communication channels on a single platform, including:

  • online,
  • mobile,
  • kiosks,
  • customer service call centers,
  • social media,
  • print information.

What makes Broadleaf a viable e-commerce option?

Flexibility

Broadleaf Commerce is not a closed, off-the-shelf product; it’s an open framework comprising over 1,000 components that handle key product information management and ordering processes. These components may be easily customised to match your business specifics, or new functions may be designed from scratch. Broadleaf is also easy to integrate with other solutions.

The code is open, so it may be uploaded and a proof of concept may be created at relatively low cost. This will allow you to quickly verify if Broadleaf Commerce can meet your needs in practice.

Efficiency

Broadleaf Commerce has been tested in demanding conditions. It is guaranteed to handle:

  • 10,000 simultaneous website visits.
  • 200 transactions per second.
  • A 1,000,000-product catalog.

This high level of efficiency is guaranteed by the renowned and tested technologies that make up Broadleaf Commerce: Java, Spring, Hibernate, and Thymeleaf.

It is vital to over-engineer your e-commerce solution, even if your current traffic load is not very high. Plus, a system based on Broadleaf Commerce can grow with your company.

"Within a few weeks, Broadleaf proved their ability to handle our complex challenges, including the ability to scale to millions of SKUs and handle our store integration requirements". 

Jeff Lauro

SVP of Information Systems

O'Reilly Auto Parts

Java-Based

Broadleaf Commerce is written in Java. This ensures its security, but it also allows for high platform efficiency. Java developers who want to join the project can do so. There are no barriers to entry, no certificates to obtain or specialist technology to master.

Moreover, Broadleaf is regularly updated, with new versions getting rolled out every six months. Companies can choose to use it via the Cloud or install it on-premise.

B2B support

B2B e-commerce poses completely different challenges than B2C. First of all, B2B must accommodate a complex purchasing process that can involve several persons, rounds of negotiation, and price customization. B2B also often involves complex products, which can be difficult to clearly explain online.

Off-the-shelf solutions are often designed primarily for B2C and support uncomplicated baskets. Adjusting them to the needs of most B2B businesses is virtually impossible. Broadleaf Commerce, however, has functions designed for B2B e-commerce, such as:

  • Handling complex negotiations and bids.
  • Re-order options: fast reordering of a list of products from a previous order.
  • Price customization based on individual client terms.
  • Controlling which customers see which products in the catalogue.
  • Hierarchical accounts for the purchasing process, with various authorization rules.

Additionally, companies can easily add their own bespoke functions to Broadleaf’s open-source platform as needed.

Physical sales support

Broadleaf Commerce also supports omnichannel sales. For example:

  • Product and catalogue information modules: The platform offers a complex product card and allows users to audit the product and check the history of its changes.
  • Customer support: Customer service staff can log into a customer's account in real time (e.g. while talking to the customer) and help find products or place an order.

"Ganz now has a simplified application compared to the complexity we had with our home grown eCommerce engine. We can better accommodate feature changes in the future and better support future business needs”.

Roy Reshef

Software Architect

Ganz

Marketing support

Broadleaf Commerce is also a marketing tool. It can handle promotions and personalization (targeted promotions). Promotion and discount service modules have been expanded to run sophisticated campaigns.

The system allows companies to set customized promotion rules (e.g. special offers for a given user segment or product group) and handle various types of promotions (e.g. generating percentage discounts or vouchers). It also includes an analytical module that allows users to test the effectiveness of these actions.

Start your e-commerce journey with broadleaf

Broadleaf is so much more than just something to manage e-commerce orders. It can help companies present product information, handle the order cycle, assist with customer service (including anonymous, unregistered clients), support a load of products, and track the effectiveness of marketing promotions.

All of this makes Broadleaf Commerce an especially appealing option for companies that are at the beginning of their digitalization process. It can be very difficult to precisely define all their needs at this stage, so a platform that offers flexibility, scalability, and efficiency is greatly appreciated.