This document discusses different models for integrating content management systems (CMS) and e-commerce platforms, including their pros and cons. It outlines three main models: side-by-side, CMS-heavy, and e-commerce heavy. The side-by-side model uses separate CMS and e-commerce systems, while the other models integrate the systems to varying degrees. It provides examples of companies using each model and factors to consider when choosing a model, such as the number of products, pricing complexity, and content needs. The document concludes that all models can work but that dedicated e-commerce platforms may still be better for large retailers due to product catalog and pricing requirements.

1. Integrating CMS
and eCommerce
platforms - different
models and pros & cons for each
model
Perttu Tolvanen, Web & CMS Expert, @perttutolvanen
North Patrol Oy 2014 / 2014 1 -10-06 / CMS Expert Group / Helsinki

2. Advisor for large web projects
2 © 2014 North Patrol Oy
- Vendor-neutral CMS consultants
- Helsinki-based, but most clients
operate in Northern Europe /
Scandinavia / Russia
- CMS selections and partner
selections for large projects
- Founded 2012, growing

3. Agenda
Typical
differences
between CMS
platforms and
eCommerce
platforms
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Different
models: a) side-by-
side, b)
WCM-heavy, c)
eCommerce-heavy
Key decision
factors in
choosing the
right model

4. Areas of strenght
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eCommerce platforms
• product catalog(s)
• product bundles / complex
product taxonomies
• order life cycle management
• payment processes (inc. taxes)
• dynamic/personalized pricing
models
• automated
promotion/personalization/emails
• faceted search & product listings
WCM platforms
• enabling custom user experience
• content management (pages,
content items, metadata)
• rich media management
• mobile delivery options
• campaign management, enabling
rich visual experiences
• flexible personalization system
• flexible platform for unique
concepts

5. Areas of strenght
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6. Side-by-side model
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7. Example: Apple.com
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8. Example: Apple.com
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9. Example: Polar.com Drupal
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10. Example: Polar.com hybris
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11. Example: Suunto.com
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12. Example: Suunto.com EPiServer
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13. Example: Suunto.com
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14. Example: Suunto.com Magento
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15. Side-by-side model
• Two systems: WCM for the .com and
eCommerce platform for the /store or
/webshop
• Why?
– Marketing and eBusiness often separate units
– eCommerce is only for few markets
– Faster version 1.0 implementation
– Integrating eCommerce system to existing product
data & logistics systems usually cheaper & easier
– Overall can be cost-effective to implement, if
limited a) amount of products and b) complexity
– Best-of-breed thinking
Apple.com store.apple.com
Polar.com
This just sucks…
Suunto.com
www.polars
hop.com
Webshop.s
uunto.com
• Key questions:
1. Which systemowns the ”buying
experience”?
2. Which systemowns the product pages?
3. Returning customers: Do we
personalize for them?

16. Side-by-side model
• Challenges:
1. Heavy integration required between two systems
(although one-way integration can be done pretty easily)
2. Returning customers: Single-sign-on and order
history can be challenging to syncronize between
systems
3. All major changes require work on both systems
 slow and expensive to make major user
interface or concept changes
4. Duplicate work: Lot of stuff has to be done two
times (page templates, navigation systems,
possibly even search)
Apple.com store.apple.com
Polar.com
Suunto.com
www.polars
hop.com
Webshop.s
uunto.com
• Benefits:
1. Faster implementation with ’out-of-the-box’
eCommerce platform
2. Best-of-breed idea, and eCommerce
can be a difficult area!
3. Marketing and sales can have their own
systems (!)

17. Side-by-side model – final thoughts
1. If you know what you are doing, side-by-side model can be pretty good.
2. But themore you rely on external partners, the more complex and difficult it
can be. You need strong project management to manage two systems.
3. Recommendation: If you are a brand store that doesn’t have a lot of repeat
customers and complex pricing models you should consider the side-by-side
model. But even then you should decide which system owns 90% of the buying
experience (=WCM for brand stores). See Suunto.com as a good example.

18. WCM-heavy vs. eCommerce-heavy
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19. Example: Suunto.com
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The website has a lot of rich
media content, e.g. video
backgrounds – and everything
is very mobile-friendly
(responsive)  the website is
like a huge campaign website
that wants to tell stories about
Suunto’s products and
customers.
Suunto.com runs on EPiServer.
WCM-heavy

20. Example: XXL.no/.se/.fi
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The website is just
another store for XXL. The
website is about product
search, pricing info,
product listings. It doesn’t
try to tell stories – it just
sells. XXL webshops run
on hybris.
eCommerce-heavy

21. WCM
(e.g. EPiServer)
eCommerce
eCommerce platform is just the last step or completely
invisible (as a service layer only) – orWCM handles the
whole process (e.g. EPiServer Commerce / Sitecore)
Tyically the model for ”brand stores”.
eCommerce platform
(e.g. hybris)
WCM (?)
eCommerce platform owns the website. WCM is either
inside the eCommerce platform or in background
content repository role (eg. Drupal / WordPress).
Typically the model for retailers.

22. Typical reasons behind the choice
22
eCommerce-heavy model is chosen
• by retailers that have thousands
of products and categories
• by retailers that are building tight
relationship between stores and
digital channels
• by manufacturers who have large
existing customer bases to whom
they want to automate marketing
and promotions
• by B2B companies that have
highly complex pricing models
and require log-ins to see pricing
info and other details
WCM-heavy model is chosen…
• by manufacturers like Suunto.com
who have a lot of content and
visual experiences to offer
• by companies that do a lot of
campaign-style content publishing
• by companies that have a
complex and custom buying
process (especially fulfilment
process), eg. airlines, hotel chains
• by companies that are building a
very unique website concept, e.g.
a webshop that includes lot of
community-style features

23. Challenges
23
eCommerce-heavy model:
• Less flexible templating system
• Lot of features can be lost if highly
customized layout is used
• Lack of CMS features, and can be
expensive and difficult to
complement with a CMS
• Personalization systems not very
flexible, e.g. for campaign
purposes
WCM-heavy model:
• Usually more integration work –
and challenges related to
integrations
• Often slower to implement due to
integration work and more
custom templating system
• Product catalog features often
much simpler than in eCommerce
platforms
• Payment process support and
order lifecycle management
usually quite simple

24. Summary: key decision factors
1. Large amount of products (thousands of products, think XXL)  +1 for eCommerce-heavy approach
2. Large amount of product changes / bundle changes (possibly coming fromseveral catalogs, or just a complex product
taxonomy)  +1 for eCommerce-heavy approach
3. Complex pricing models (dynamic pricing, depending on several factors, often B2B challenge – but can also be B2C,
especially if there is a lot of discounts given)  +1 for eCommerce-heavy approach
4. Complex and customcheckout/fulfilment process (eg. hotels, airlines, food eCommerce)  +1 for WCM-heavy approach
5. Lot of content that needs to bemanaged (thousands of pages, different kinds of content producer roles)  +1 for WCM-heavy
approach
6. Campaign-heavy online business with richmedia requirements (think Suunto.com)  +1 for WCM-heavy approach
7. Community desires  +1 for WCM-heavy approach
8. Cross-promotion concept where content needs to have product recommendations and product pages need to have
content recommendations  +1 for WCM-heavy approach
9. Requirements for unified analytics across content and product pages and checkout process (and possibly capabilities to use
this analytics data automatically, e.g. for personalization)  +1 for WCM-heavy approach
10. Your additions? => perttu.tolvanen@northpatrol.com // This is certainly a work-in-progress and I hope to do an updated
version of this in the future.
=> Final score gives advice whether to do side-by-side model,
WCM-heavy or eCommerce-heavy model.

25. Conclusions
1. There are business cases for all models.
2. CMSs are evolving and building eCommerce feature sets (through acquisitions or in-house)
 but it will take years to truly catch up the dedicated eCommerce platforms
3. For big brand stores the availability of choices is really good right now – for large
retailers it often still makes sense to go with eCommerce platforms (due
complexities related to product catalog or to dynamic pricing requirements).
4. Future: For most customers eCommerce should be an invisible service that could be
”started” from any point – and content producers could embed it everywhere they
want. But right now the productmarket isin’t really taking huge steps in this
direction.

26. Thank you.
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