Accelerated by industry-leading ratings in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant and Forrester’s Wave Report for B2B, 2017 has been a good year for Magento. Some of the World’s biggest B2B brands are now migrating to the platform, solidifying its succession of previously dominant systems such as SAP Hybris.
Magento is now unquestionably a market leader in the B2B space, having been crowned the most popular eCommerce platform on the Internet Retailer B2B TOP 300 list. As the platform’s reputation in the sector continues to grow, so does the number of retailers that are choosing to migrate from Hybris. So how do they match up?
Total Cost of Ownership
In terms of return on investment, Magento comes out on top every time. Generally speaking, the total cost of ownership of a Magento implementation is much, much lower than that of competition platforms such as Hybris, while also offering a far greater level of flexibility and dynamism.
On average, merchants using Magento grow three times faster than those on competitive platforms. They also realise a 50% reduction in total cost of ownership. If you’re looking for a cost-effective, yet powerful B2B solution, Magento ticks all the boxes.
Availability of Developers
Magento’s active community remains one of its strongest selling points, and the platform’s open-source flexibility has attracted more than 250,000 developers. So, there’s an army of developers ready to work on your M2 implementation. More developers mean more competitive pricing.
In the case of Hybris, there is a very limited number of developers on the global scale, particularly when you look at independent companies and freelancers. This creates a considerable stumbling block for those looking to complete Hybris projects on finite budgets with unforgiving deadlines.
Out-of-the-Box vs. Custom Integration
There’s no hiding the fact that Hybris, as part of SAP, is a feature-rich and supremely powerful out-of-the box solution for B2B brands. With Magento, the solution needs additional customisation, but with access to the developer community, an experienced solution implementer, and Magento’s vast extension library, the same heights of performance can be reached for a much more competitive investment.
At least for the time being, if you’re considering migrating from Hybris to Magento, you must also think about integrating supplementary commerce solutions such as PIM and Order Management. However, with the release of Magento 2.2, the gap in out-of-the-box functionality between the platforms is closing fast.
The Logical Choice
Hybris is a solid, stable eCommerce solution, but there is no doubt that Magento can match it, even better it, for a fraction of the cost. With more flexibility to adapt, faster time to market, and a lower TCO, Magento is experiencing unprecedented growth in the B2B space, superseding every other B2B eCommerce platform in the market.
As Magento rolls out further features for B2B merchants, and the marketplace of B2B extensions continues to grow, the platform will attract more and more businesses to initiate their migrations. To start your conversation before resources are stretched, speak to eWave today.
Nick Hull is an expert in commerce strategy and technology for global brands and retailers. He is the Manager of Strategic Partnerships & Accounts at eWave. See his work here or connect with him on LinkedIn.
