A digital marketing strategy is the path to profitability. Optimum7 can help you set the right goals, offer and implement creative and technical strategies, and use data and analytics to review and improve your business’s performance.
Build or move your store on the right platform
Optimum7 designs, develops, migrates, and supports online stores on Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, and WooCommerce, with SEO preserved, zero data loss, and no revenue interruption.
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An eCommerce-only agency since 2007.
Which platform is right for you?
There is no single best platform. Compare the four we build and migrate on at a glance, then open any one below for the full detail and to start a build.
| Platform | Model | Best for | Native B2B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | SaaS | Fast-launch DTC and omnichannel brands that want minimal dev overhead | On Shopify Plus |
| BigCommerce | SaaS | Catalog-heavy and B2B/B2C hybrid stores with no platform transaction fees | Yes, B2B Edition |
| Adobe Commerce | Open source | Large, complex, or enterprise B2B catalogs needing deep customization | Strong, native |
| WooCommerce | Open source | Content-led, WordPress-native brands that want full control | Via extensions |
Shopify
Hosted commerce for fast-moving DTC and omnichannel brands.
Explore Shopify developmentBest for
DTC and omnichannel brands that want to launch quickly, retail sellers adding online, and lean teams without in-house engineers.
- Model: fully hosted SaaS; the vendor handles hosting, security, and updates.
- Ecosystem: the largest app marketplace of any platform, so most needs have an app.
- B2B: available on Shopify Plus with wholesale channels and customer pricing.
- Trade-off: less checkout and back-end control, plus fees if you skip Shopify Payments.
We build: custom themes, private apps, Shopify Plus B2B stores, and migrations from Volusion or Magento to Shopify.
BigCommerce
SaaS scale without transaction fees, headless when you need it.
Explore BigCommerce developmentBest for
Catalog-heavy stores, B2B and B2B/B2C hybrids, and brands that want SaaS convenience with room to go headless.
- Model: fully hosted SaaS with no platform transaction fees on any plan.
- B2B: native B2B Edition with price lists, quotes, and customer groups.
- Headless: API-first, so a custom or WordPress front end runs on a BigCommerce back end.
- Scale: high product and variant limits suit large, complex catalogs.
We build: BigCommerce Elite Partner stores, headless WordPress front ends, and Volusion migrations.
Adobe Commerce
Maximum control for large, complex, enterprise B2B catalogs.
Explore Adobe Commerce developmentBest for
Enterprise and B2B catalogs with complex pricing, many SKUs, or deep customization needs.
- Model: open source (Magento Open Source, free) or licensed Adobe Commerce.
- B2B: strong native B2B in Adobe Commerce with company accounts and quotes.
- Control: self-hosted or on Adobe's cloud, fully customizable at the code level.
- Trade-off: needs real engineering resources to build and maintain.
We build: Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce stores, custom modules, and enterprise replatforms.
WooCommerce
Full control on WordPress for content-led brands.
Explore WooCommerce developmentBest for
Content-led and WordPress-native brands that want ownership and flexibility on a familiar CMS.
- Model: open-source plugin on WordPress; free to use, you provide hosting.
- Content: commerce lives inside WordPress, so selling and publishing share one system.
- Extensibility: thousands of plugins and full code access for custom work.
- Trade-off: you own hosting, security, and performance tuning.
We build: WooCommerce stores, custom plugins, and combined WordPress and commerce builds.
Already on Volusion, VTEX, or another platform and thinking about moving? We handle eCommerce migrations.
SaaS, open source, or headless?
An eCommerce platform is the software your store runs on: catalog, checkout, payments, and operations in one system. Every platform delivers it through one of three models, and the right one depends on how much control you need and how much engineering you have.
SaaS
The vendor runs the software, hosting, security, and updates, so your team focuses on selling. Fastest to launch and lowest technical overhead, with less low-level control over the code and checkout.
Best whenyou want speed and a small technical footprint
ShopifyBigCommerceOpen source
You host and control the full codebase, so anything is customizable at the code level. You take on hosting, security, and maintenance, and you need engineering support to do it well.
Best whenyou need full control and deep customization
WooCommerceMagentoHeadless
The storefront is separated from the commerce back end and connected through APIs, giving full front-end freedom and site speed. It costs more development and suits teams with engineering capacity.
Best whenfront-end performance and custom experience lead
BigCommerceShopifyHow to choose an eCommerce platform
Six factors decide the fit. Weigh each against where your business is headed over the next few years.
Catalog size and complexity
Count your SKUs, variants, and configurable products, and how often the catalog changes. A few hundred simple products run well anywhere, but thousands of SKUs, deep variant matrices, or frequent bulk updates favor BigCommerce or Adobe Commerce, which handle large catalogs and bulk editing natively. The wrong fit here surfaces later as slow admin, import limits, and workarounds.
Your team's technical capacity
Match the platform to the people who will run it. In-house engineers open up open source and headless, where you own the code and the hosting. A lean team with no developers is better served by hosted SaaS like Shopify or BigCommerce, where the vendor handles updates, security, and uptime so you can focus on selling.
B2B requirements
If you sell to businesses, list the must-haves: company accounts, customer-specific price lists, quoting, net terms, and approval flows. These point toward BigCommerce B2B Edition or Adobe Commerce, which support them natively instead of bolting them on with apps. Mixed B2B and B2C catalogs need a platform that runs both without a separate store.
Total cost of ownership
Add up platform fees, hosting, apps and extensions, development, and maintenance across the store's full lifespan; the monthly plan is only the visible slice. Hosted SaaS trades a predictable subscription for less control; open source trades licensing for hosting and engineering. The plan price is usually a small fraction of what the store costs to run and grow.
Growth ceiling
Choose for where the business is heading over the next few years. Plan for traffic spikes, international selling and multiple currencies, new sales channels, and any headless ambitions, so you do not hit a wall and replatform again in eighteen months. The right platform leaves room above your current volume.
Security, PCI, and compliance
Every store handles payment data, so PCI DSS compliance, SSL, fraud protection, and reliable backups are table stakes. Hosted SaaS like Shopify and BigCommerce cover most of this for you, including much of your PCI scope. On open source you own the security patching, hosting hardening, and compliance, which is a real, ongoing cost to plan for.
Quick rule of thumb
A fast read once you know your constraints.
Compare the platforms head to head
Five capabilities decide most platform choices. Here is how the four we build on most compare, with the leader in each row marked. Open a pairing below for the full detail.
| Shopify | BigCommerce | Adobe Commerce | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large DTC brands | Mid-market and B2B | Complex enterprise B2B | WordPress-led stores |
| Catalog scale | Strong | Strong | Best | Strong |
| Native B2B | Strong | Strong | Best | Fair |
| Speed to launch | Best | Strong | Fair | Strong |
| Design flexibility | Strong | Strong | Strong | Best |
| Open platform, no added fees | Fair | Best | Strong | Strong |
Choose Shopify for a hosted, low-maintenance store you can launch fast, with the largest app ecosystem and support built in. Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, want to own the code and hosting, and have the technical help to manage updates, security, and performance. Shopify gives up some control for convenience; WooCommerce gives up convenience for control.
Both are hosted SaaS with similar plan pricing, from about $39/mo. BigCommerce charges no platform transaction fees on any plan, includes native B2B, and is friendlier to headless and large catalogs out of the box. Shopify has the larger app marketplace and a more polished admin, but adds transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments. Catalog-heavy and B2B stores often lean BigCommerce; fast-moving DTC brands often lean Shopify.
Both can rank well; the difference is control versus convenience. WooCommerce on WordPress gives full control over URLs, technical SEO, and content, with plugins like Yoast, which suits content-led brands. Shopify handles the technical basics automatically and is fast and reliable, with a few fixed URL structures you cannot fully change. For most stores the platform is not the deciding factor; site structure, content, and page speed are. A migration between them holds rankings when 301 redirects and on-page SEO are mapped correctly.
Adobe Commerce and BigCommerce handle large, complex catalogs best. Adobe Commerce is built for the deepest complexity, tens of thousands of SKUs, configurable products, and B2B pricing, at the cost of engineering. BigCommerce offers high product and variant limits with SaaS convenience and no transaction fees. Shopify Plus works for large DTC catalogs, and WooCommerce can scale with strong hosting, though very large catalogs need performance tuning.
How much does each eCommerce platform cost?
Platform fees are the visible part. The real number is total cost of ownership: fees, hosting, development, apps, payment processing, and maintenance over the store's life.
| Shopify | BigCommerce | Adobe Commerce | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $39/mo$29/mo billed annually | From $39/mo$29/mo billed annually | By quoteMagento Open Source is free | Free pluginyou pay for hosting |
| Plan range | $39 to $399/mo | $39 to $399/mo | License by quote | Free; hosting varies |
| Enterprise | Plus from $2,300/mo | Custom pricing | Estimated tens of thousands per year | Managed hosting |
| Transaction fees | 2% on Basic; 0% with Shopify Payments | None | None | Gateway fees only |
| Hosting | Included | Included | Self-hosted or Adobe cloud | You provide it |
| What adds up | Apps, themes, Plus for B2B | Apps and the enterprise tier | Hosting, engineering, maintenance | Hosting, extensions, maintenance |
Six things, roughly in order: the build itself (design, theme, and custom functionality), integrations (ERP, PIM, payment, shipping, marketing), platform and hosting fees, apps and extensions, payment processing, and ongoing maintenance. On hosted SaaS the platform fee is predictable and hosting is included; on open source you trade the license for hosting and engineering. Across every platform, development and integrations usually dwarf the monthly plan, which is why total cost of ownership matters more than the sticker price.
It depends on catalog size, custom functionality, and how many systems you integrate. A straightforward hosted build can start in the low five figures; most mid-market projects run in the tens of thousands; and complex enterprise or Adobe Commerce builds with deep B2B and integrations run six figures. We give a fixed scope and price before the project starts, so there are no surprises.
What we do on your platform
Whatever you build on, we handle the design, the development, and the engineering the platform can't do on its own.
Explore all servicesDevelopment and design
New builds and redesigns that fit your brand and convert, from storefront to checkout. We design the experience, build the theme, and engineer the front end for speed and conversion.
Replatforming and migration
Move to a new platform without losing rankings or revenue. Every product, customer, order, redirect, and SEO signal is migrated and verified, so traffic holds through the switch.
Custom functionality and integrations
Product configurators, B2B pricing, subscriptions, and ERP, PIM, or marketing integrations. We build the features a platform cannot do out of the box, fitted to how your business runs.
Conversion rate optimization
Testing and CRO tuned to how your customers buy. We find where the store leaks revenue and fix it, turning the same traffic into more orders.
Ongoing support and optimization
After launch we keep building: new features, performance work, and integrations. The store keeps improving as your catalog, traffic, and goals grow.
When should you replatform?
If the platform is holding the business back, moving is usually cheaper than living with it. These are the signals it is time, and what to expect when you move.
The platform can't keep up
The features, integrations, or B2B functions your business now needs are not possible without heavy workarounds.
Costs climb with every patch
Apps, custom fixes, and maintenance keep growing while the platform still limits you.
Performance is costing conversions
Slow pages, downtime, or a clunky checkout are measurably losing sales.
The platform is being sunset
Your platform is losing support or shutting down, as Volusion merchants have faced.
What a migration moves
We move the full store and preserve search rankings, so a replatform does not reset your traffic.
How do you migrate a platform without losing SEO?
Most replatforming traffic loss comes from broken redirects and dropped on-page signals; search engines rarely penalize the move itself. We map and preserve every signal, which is why our migrations typically hold or grow organic traffic.
Baseline before anything moves
We crawl the live store, export every URL with its rankings, and record organic traffic in Search Console so we know exactly what to protect.
301 redirects mapped one to one
Every old URL points to its new equivalent with a permanent redirect, no chains and no orphans, so link equity carries straight over.
On-page signals preserved
Titles, meta descriptions, headings, image alt text, and canonical tags move across intact, so the pages stay recognizable to search engines.
Internal links and sitemap rebuilt
Navigation, internal links, and the XML sitemap are rebuilt on the new URLs, then submitted so search engines recrawl quickly.
Verified before launch, monitored after
We test every redirect and template before go-live, then watch coverage, rankings, and traffic at 7, 30, and 90 days to catch anything early.
What to expect
Timelines and recovery on a typical replatform.
Platform work that grew the business
Builds and replatforms where the move preserved SEO and lifted revenue, traffic, and conversions.
Volusion → BigCommerce
RC Superstore
A toys and hobbies retailer replatformed with 8,720 products and 94,265 customers migrated intact, then grew on organic search.
Volusion → BigCommerce
Arlyn Scales
Rebuilt on a BigCommerce back end with a WordPress front end, paired with an SEO program that grew traffic and conversions.
Volusion → BigCommerce
EcoEnclose
Built on BigCommerce with a custom product-view experience that doubled revenue and multiplied organic leads.
Two decades of eCommerce builds and migrations
Optimum7 has been eCommerce-only since 2007, across every major platform.
How we build or migrate on your platform
A fixed-scope process from platform fit to launch and growth, so there are no surprises on timeline, cost, or SEO.
Platform fit and discovery
We audit your catalog, integrations, traffic, and goals, then recommend the eCommerce platform that fits, or confirm the one you are on.
Scope and architecture
You get a fixed scope and price, a mapped data model, and every integration planned in detail before a line of code is written.
Design and build
We design the storefront, build a custom theme, and engineer the functionality your catalog, checkout, and B2B workflows need.
Migration and QA
Products, customers, orders, and SEO move across with 301 redirects mapped one to one, then we test every template before launch.
Launch and growth
We go live with monitoring in place, then keep optimizing conversion and building new features as your store and catalog grow.
eCommerce platform questions
An eCommerce platform is the software your online store runs on. It combines your product catalog, checkout, payments, and store operations in one system, delivered either as SaaS (hosted and maintained by the vendor, like Shopify or BigCommerce) or open source (self-hosted for full control, like WooCommerce or Magento).
There is no single best platform; the right one depends on your catalog size, integrations, B2B needs, and how much you build in-house. Shopify suits fast-launch DTC brands, BigCommerce fits catalog-heavy and B2B stores, Adobe Commerce handles large complex catalogs, and WooCommerce fits content-led WordPress brands. We recommend a fit based on your specific requirements before any build starts.
SaaS platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce are hosted and maintained by the vendor, so you launch fast with low technical overhead. Open-source platforms like WooCommerce and Magento Open Source are self-hosted, giving full control at the cost of managing hosting, security, and development. Headless commerce separates the storefront from the back end through APIs, giving full front-end freedom and performance for teams with engineering support.
Weigh five factors: catalog size and complexity, your team's technical capacity, B2B requirements, total cost of ownership over time, and your growth ceiling. As a rule of thumb, choose SaaS for speed and low overhead, open source for full control with engineering support, and headless when front-end performance and custom experience are the priority.
Adobe Commerce (Magento) and BigCommerce both handle large, complex catalogs well. Adobe Commerce gives the deepest customization for enterprise B2B, while BigCommerce offers high catalog limits without the engineering overhead. Shopify Plus works for large DTC catalogs but is less suited to deep B2B complexity.
Headless commerce separates the storefront that shoppers see from the commerce back end, connecting them through APIs. It gives full control over the front-end experience and site performance, at the cost of more development. BigCommerce and Shopify both support headless builds.
Yes. Our replatforming process preserves every 301 redirect, page title, meta description, structured data element, and canonical tag, which is why our migrations typically hold or improve organic traffic. See our eCommerce migration services for the full process.
Yes. We migrate stores between all major platforms, moving catalog, customers, orders, and SEO with 301 redirects in place so rankings hold.
For day-to-day selling, no; both are hosted and merchant-friendly. For custom functionality, integrations, or a headless front end, you need development, which is what we provide.
It depends on the platform, catalog size, custom functionality, and integrations. A straightforward SaaS build can start in the low five figures, while a complex enterprise or Adobe Commerce build with custom features runs six figures. We give a fixed scope and price before the project starts.
Adobe Commerce and BigCommerce are the strongest for B2B. Adobe Commerce has the deepest native B2B, company accounts, shared catalogs, quoting, and requisition lists, which suits complex enterprise wholesale. BigCommerce B2B Edition covers price lists, quotes, and customer groups with SaaS convenience and no transaction fees. Shopify Plus supports B2B for brands that also sell direct to consumers. We build B2B pricing, portals, and ERP integrations on all three.
Headless commerce separates the storefront from one commerce back end through APIs. Composable, or MACH, commerce goes further and assembles the whole stack from best-of-breed services (cart, search, CMS, payments) connected by APIs, so you can swap any piece. Headless is a front-end decision; composable is an architecture. Both give flexibility and performance at the cost of more engineering, and we build both on BigCommerce, Shopify, and open-source stacks.
A typical migration runs 4 to 12 weeks depending on catalog size, custom functionality, and how many systems integrate. Catalogs under 500 products can move in 4 to 6 weeks; complex enterprise replatforms with deep B2B and integrations take several months. Organic traffic usually holds and recovers within 30 to 90 days when redirects and on-page SEO are preserved.
We integrate the systems your store runs on: ERPs like NetSuite, SAP, and Acumatica, PIM and inventory systems, payment and tax providers, shipping and 3PL, CRMs, and marketing tools like Klaviyo. On hosted platforms we use APIs and middleware; on open source we build custom modules. Integration work is usually one of the largest parts of a build, which is why we map it before scoping.
Hosted platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce are PCI DSS compliant at the platform level and handle most of your compliance scope, since card data never touches your servers. On open source like WooCommerce or Magento you are responsible for PCI compliance, SSL, security patching, and hosting hardening, which we handle as part of a build and ongoing support.
Not sure which platform is right for you?
Tell us about your catalog, integrations, and goals. We will recommend the right platform and handle the build or migration end to end, with SEO preserved and no revenue interruption.