Our team of certified NetSuite developers carries out SuiteCommerce implementations regularly. How affordable is SuiteCommerce deployment? This is the question that every SuiteCommerce customer has throughout the exploration process. In order to help you understand the elements contributing to the cheap cost of SuiteCommerce deployment, we constructed this guide.
Important Errors You Cannot Afford to Make
First, let’s dive into the most significant danger that will hugely affect your business’s resources.
Selecting the ideal candidate
When dealing with NetSuite, you will likely deal with one of four main categories of partners.
- Alliance Partners
- Solution Providers
- Agency Partners
- Independent Partner
It is crucial to carefully select the partner you will work with on implementations and assess their skill sets thoroughly. You can pose the following queries to your candidate.
- What kind of individual certificates do the members of your team possess?
- Do any members of your staff hold SuiteCommerce certifications?
- Are you the right candidate for me?
- What area of NetSuite do you typically concentrate on?
- How many SuiteCommerce rollouts have you completed?
- Do you outsource work, and if so, to whom?
- How many instances of NetSuite have you worked with?
- Can you provide references?
- What distinguishes you from other partners? (Cost, expertise, communication, project management, only US-based experts, exclusively externally hired consultants)
You can also come across a partner that provides NetSuite services but is not formally affiliated with NetSuite. You don’t have to disregard them straight away. You should interview them using the same questions, especially to check on each team member’s certificates. Knowing the team members utilizing their skills on the project is crucial.
We consider selecting the correct partner since efficiency and experience are your friends when trying to cut implementation expenses.
SuiteCommerce’s monthly subscription fees
NetSuite eCommerce
I’m sure you’re interested in learning how much SuiteCommerce costs if you’re starting the research process for an eCommerce platform. Let me first introduce the two options of SuiteCommerce.
- SuiteCommerce Standard
- SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA)
The distinctions between the two types of SuiteCommerce can be inferred from the titles of the two products that SuiteCommerce Standard (also known as SuiteCommerce) is less expensive than SuiteCommerce Advanced. By determining whether SuiteCommerce Standard will benefit your company, you can minimize costs in this area. SuiteCommerce Standard is typically all you need if your business intends to spend much money on the development, SuiteCommerce Advanced.
We understand if SuiteCommerce (SC) causes a price shock for you. However, I’m confident you have experienced many additional instances of sticker shock while purchasing NetSuite and other software solutions. Remember that this aims to provide businesses a platform that cannot be outgrown.
Like Magento 2.0 or Shopify Plus, SuiteCommerce is an enterprise-level eCommerce platform. The annual subscription fees for Shopify Plus and Magento both come to over $60,000.
To reduce employees’ daily tedious waste, many businesses optimize internal automation to offset software expenses. Several factors can aid in automating more procedures, including SuiteApps from third parties, workflows, bespoke scripts (an excellent idea when workflow capabilities are at their maximum), data architecture consultation, and talks about software pain areas.
Several Techniques to Lower the Cost of Your SuiteCommerce Implementation
One of your bulk investments during the purchasing process will be this one. We want to be open with you, so we’ll give you concrete data from clients we’ve worked with.
In general, you should budget a minimum of $18,000 for a SuiteCommerce Standard setup and a minimum of $60,000 for a SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA) solution. There are ways to lower this expense, though.
Factors Affecting SuiteCommerce Implementation Costs
These are the three main elements that determine how much an implementation will cost:
A Company’s Internal Resources That Can Help Decrease the Implementation Cost
- NetSuite Administrator
- Marketing Expert
- Graphic Designer
Any marketing materials that may be utilized to change the website’s images, colors, and overall aesthetic can be produced with the assistance of a graphic designer. They can examine a few currently available theme settings that might be the foundation for the out-of-the-box implementation. If you contact top NetSuite eCommerce partners who gathered custom themes to utilize as a new base, they can be modified, and you will have more possibilities if they need to be better.
The NetSuite Administrator can update the item records to guarantee that each has the information required for good search engine optimization (to appear on Google) and marketing material. They will ensure that every product chosen for display on the website has a description, related product photographs, accurate price for MSRP and exceptional pricing choices, and image alt tags (get the SCG Team automation, and it will pay for itself in a day).
Marketing experts will be able to make content decisions quickly to ensure that all items have the necessary information, that the homepage looks right, that my account looks correct, and that the checkout experience is how you want it to be.
Personalization
SuiteCommerce customizations include theme modifications, add-ons, automated data entry scripts (helps maintain SEO), quality assurance, and testing. Developers for SuiteCommerce are required to obtain high-quality customization assistance.
SuiteCommerce Developers and Consultants’ Hourly Rates
A special skill set that is in high demand is SuiteCommerce. Finding resources that are more economical alternatives can be difficult because it is such a specialized field (needs knowledge of NetSuite and web development).
How may the cost factors be reduced?
Let’s start with internal resources.
Internal Resources
You can hire hourly contractors for less money with more available workers. However, since you are still paying for internal employees, consider efficiency. Stay with what they do best! I advise purchasing our process-following video-guided course if you want to try self-implementation or using an implementation as a training technique. At the very least, it will assist in the knowledge transfer for maintaining your NetSuite eCommerce solution.
According to what I’ve heard, companies who try to self-implement have failed within two years. Literally, hundreds of dollars in subscription fees have been paid without generating revenue! It’s time to hand off the reins and acknowledges you need assistance if you try to self-implement and 2-3 months have gone by. Utilize the chance to study with a professional. Knowing the boundaries of your ability set is the story’s lesson. When it’s not necessary, there is no reason to concede defeat.
Utilize internal resources when they can offer value with pre-existing expertise, in other words. The commerce website needs to be launched as soon as possible to start making money.
Customization
Reducing the required customization is the second way to lower implementation costs. This holds for customizing extensions (additional functionality) and themes (look and feel). Don’t be scared to make adjustments only when they are necessary for your company. SuiteCommerce comes equipped with the required business solutions to let you start selling goods successfully. Do it if customization is needed. You can customize it after launch if it’s on your wish list. Before you begin making excessive investments, generate income.
It makes sense to make a few extra customizations when you are switching from another eCommerce platform, such as Magento, to SuiteCommerce. Since your company already receives eCommerce revenue, investing more time in development here makes sense. Otherwise, start modestly.
Your NetSuite eCommerce partner will know the specifics of an out-of-the-box SuiteCommerce solution. It will probably take between 150 and 250 hours. In essence, it makes use of all the built-in functions. When obtaining the project’s initial needs, you should take the time to comprehend what is native fully. It’s not always the intention of a salesperson to mislead you when they claim that more items are native than they are. It could be because they spent less time developing the platform or because the software is constantly improving. Speak with a licensed SuiteCommerce developer; they will surely tell you if it is native. While getting a general concept from the sales team is OK, it is crucial to have total assurance in the estimate by the developer input while trying to lower the implementation costs.
A lower hourly rate will probably lead to a lower implementation cost for SuiteCommerce developers. Using a developer without SuiteCommerce experience is the most significant error that could be committed. You’ll get burned if you go that route. It’s a specialty area requiring knowledge of NetSuite developers, administrators, and SuiteCommerce developers. You should find out more about the NetSuite SuiteCommerce certification from your partner. Or, as they must first pass several project-based examinations, you should also be protected if they are a NetSuite eCommerce certified team.
For as little as $150 per hour, you can hire a skilled team of SuiteCommerce developers in the US. Since lower rates are typically held for larger projects, it is unlikely that you would get that low of a rate for projects under $18,000. If you end up paying less than $150 per hour, you are either hiring non-experienced contractors or developers from outside the United States.
Here are some short suggestions for locating a reasonably priced SuiteCommerce consultant or developer in the US.
- Avoid hiring managers (Every middleman cuts). Don’t eliminate them permanently because they have a real value in the area.
- Examine NetSuite eCommerce partners to discover if they frequently use developers from other countries. A NetSuite eCommerce partner’s location in the United States does not necessarily imply that they hire American developers. Although it won’t be the end of the world if they do, you should at least inquire if it matters to you.
- Locate a mentor who can help you along the road. Otherwise, you will be left high and dry if you lose the fundamental understanding necessary to be independent.
- Look for a partner who offers post-Go-Live support and has a history of customization. To boost sales, you should enhance your purchasing experience.
Expectations for Implementing SuiteCommerce That Are Reasonable
You should take into account the following assumptions as realistic.
- Because everyone needs at least a few customizations, an out-of-the-box SuiteCommerce Standard implementation could cost as little as $15,000. Still, you should anticipate that it will likely cost at least $25,000.
- Since SuiteCommerce Advanced includes the same standard out-of-the-box functionality, an implementation might cost as little as $15,000. Nevertheless, one of the reasons you bought SCA was for personalization. Due to the higher customization needs for SCA users before Go-Live, you should budget at least $60,000 or more. They frequently migrate from an existing eCommerce platform from which they still receive eCommerce revenue.
- Since Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a specialized talent plan to invest a little more money. Although some guidelines must be followed during implementation, it is possible to automate the process so that every time a new item is uploaded; all SEO fields are automatically filled in. Although this is a long-term endeavor, budget for it.
- For B2B, SuiteCommerce is fantastic. Due to the unique B2B processes you use, your configuration requirements may be more difficult. For B2B eCommerce, customization will probably be your friend. SCG’s My Account Custom Records, which enable NetSuite custom records to appear in the “my account,” is one example. Many B2B companies need this personalization.
- The detailed estimate that breaks down each necessity will likely cost money. For some reason, money can get a detailed estimate for a SuiteCommerce implementation after a 30-minute consultation. That would be highly incorrect because your company has special business procedures that must be well understood. A standard quotation can provide you with an accurate price, but it will only include some of the necessary adjustments. Spend some time going through each one. Standard B2B businesses typically take longer (10–20 hours), whereas B2C companies typically take less time at this phase (5-10 hours). During this period, you will get a solid understanding of what criteria are native and which ones are not.
- There are numerous components in a fully integrated NetSuite eCommerce solution. It is strong, yet it may also be sensitive if not handled properly. Applying all of the NetSuite ERP data to the e-commerce website has several advantages, but having anything fully integrated also means it continually communicates with NetSuite. That might be advantageous or detrimental. Ultimately, It’s a great option for a business looking to centralize all of its data while automating all of its procedures.
- Be prepared to plan out an implementation. Some businesses might have access right soon, but there are few with the knowledge to integrate SuiteCommerce, which is in great demand. You should anticipate having to schedule out at the latest after six weeks. It’s an excellent chance to complete preliminary tasks, educate your NetSuite administrator, prepare things, provision your theme, and perform other unrelated charges.
- Be prepared for follow-up work. Your investment continues after go-live, contrary to popular belief. You should look for a partner with a managed service package who can assist you with your go-live. Even if you have internal staff members in charge of NetSuite, they will want professional assistance as they become more familiar with SuiteCommerce. You should delegate minor jobs from the expert to your NetSuite administrator or developer while a partner handles the bulk of the work. Take advantage of the simpler jobs that your staff may complete while an expert is on hand to provide instruction and review.
- Keep a look out for alternatives for free NetSuite training.
Conclusion
Taking Your Business to the next step can only come to reality if you have the right expertise to deliver outstanding solutions. At Seibert Consulting Group, we specialize in delivering modern solutions to businesses that aim at taking full advantage of the eCommerce platform. We always customize our solutions to align with Your Business requirements and goals. Let’s start talking about your project and find out how we can help your business grow. Get in touch with us via our chatbot or email hello@seibertconsulting.com and via our direct line at 760-205-5440.
