After delivering SAP eCommerce solutions for over a decade, we’ve learned that every business has unique requirements and processes for selling their products.
When researching SAP eCommerce options, companies often focus on comparing specific features against their needs. Vendors have polished “battle cards” that highlight why their catalog, shopping experience, or feature set outperforms the competition.
While it’s usually straightforward to assess functionality fit, what’s harder to see in the evaluation phase is the big picture: how everything will work together, how quickly you can launch, and how soon the store will start generating revenue.
Based on years of project experience, we recommend asking these four key questions before committing to a platform.
1. How will the eCommerce site fit into your overall web presence?
Larger organizations often have a separate CMS serving as the main customer-facing website, with the eCommerce store integrated as a new property customized to align with the corporate brand.
For smaller companies, the eCommerce site often needs to do double duty: serving as both a sales platform and a marketing website. In these cases, the chosen solution should offer at least basic content management capabilities, allowing marketing teams to adjust messaging without IT involvement.
2. Who will own and support the eCommerce solution?
Decide early whether Marketing, Sales, or IT will take primary responsibility.
Marketing typically prioritizes visual appeal and flexibility, which can require more ongoing support. IT-led projects may focus on stability and integration with fewer visual bells and whistles. The right balance depends on internal resources — but if ownership is unclear, it can lead to higher costs and slower response times later.
3. What is the realistic budget for deployment and customization?
While license costs are typically fixed, implementation can run two to three times the cost of the license. This is where most cost overruns happen.
A clear scope, a trusted implementation partner, and contingency planning for unexpected requirements can help keep budgets under control.
4. How much internal time can you dedicate to the project?
Even with a third-party implementation team, your staff will need to be heavily involved — making decisions, approving changes, and resolving issues.
In our experience, project involvement can take anywhere from 10% to 50% of a team member’s workday. For a 3-month project, this might be manageable. But if your timeline stretches to 8, 12, or even 18 months, the hidden cost of lost productivity can delay other critical internal projects.
This resource cost is often overlooked in budgeting but can have a major impact on operations.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right SAP eCommerce platform is about more than features. The true success factors are fit within your existing web ecosystem, clarity on ownership, realistic budgeting for both licenses and implementation, and an honest assessment of the internal time commitment required.
A partner like WECO eCommerce can simplify this process with SAP-integrated solutions that shorten implementation time, minimize the need for ongoing synchronization, and provide a balanced blend of functionality, cost, and scalability, helping your project go live faster and start delivering results sooner.
Want to Learn More?
Explore our Blog or contact us to discover how WECO helps simplify eCommerce for SAP-centric organizations.
About the Author
