How We Cut E-Commerce Costs and Migrated to a Flexible Open-Source Platform
Migrating your e-commerce platform is one of the biggest decisions you can make as a business owner. Especially when you’re moving away from a platform like NetSuite and switching to an open-source solution. While the process may seem challenging, the benefits are tremendous. With the right approach, you can save a significant amount of money, enhance your site’s features, and provide a better experience for both your customers and your internal team.
In this blog, we will take you through the entire migration journey. We’ll explain how we saved money, overcame challenges, and made sure the entire migration process was as smooth as possible—all by switching from an expensive, subscription-based platform to a flexible, open-source solution.
Why Traditional Platforms Like NetSuite Are Expensive
Many businesses choose traditional platforms like NetSuite because they offer a range of e-commerce solutions designed for large-scale operations. While NetSuite delivers impressive tools for managing e-commerce, inventory, customer data, and finances, it comes at a high price. When you factor in the monthly subscription fees, customization costs, and the growing expense as you scale, it can quickly become unsustainable.
Traditional platforms work on a subscription model, meaning you pay a fixed monthly fee. On top of that, additional costs for customization, add-ons, and support can make the platform increasingly expensive as your business grows.
For instance, NetSuite often requires businesses to pay for custom modules, technical support, and additional licenses when scaling. If you have a growing customer base or expanding inventory, your fees may rise with every new feature you add or customer group you create. This constant increase in costs makes scalability financially challenging.
When we decided to migrate, we understood that we had to find a solution that was not only feature-rich but also cost-effective as we scaled.
Here’s a breakdown of how costs compare between a traditional platform like NetSuite and an open-source alternative:
| Feature | Netsuite | Open-Source Platform |
| Subscription Cost | $999+ per month | Free (except for hosting & maintenance) |
| Annual Maintenance Fee | 22% of the license cost per year | None |
| Scalability | Price increases as you scale | No extra charges as the business grows |
| Customization Fees | High (custom modules) | Free to customize with your in-house team |
How Open-Source Solutions Save Money
The most significant advantage of moving to an open-source platform is the reduction in recurring fees. With no subscription fees, businesses can allocate those funds toward other areas such as marketing, product development, or customer service. But it’s not just about avoiding subscription costs.
Open-source platforms also provide unparalleled flexibility. You only pay for hosting and maintenance, which are often much lower costs compared to what you’d pay on a traditional platform. Additionally, you don’t need to depend on a vendor for every customization request, which significantly reduces costs related to custom modules and support.
For example, with an open-source platform, you can freely modify the code to suit your business needs. There’s no need to pay for special add-ons or modules to adjust the platform. This ability to customize your website on your terms gives you greater control and reduces dependency on external developers or expensive consultants.
The Key Challenges in Platform Migration
Migrating from a traditional platform like NetSuite to an open-source platform isn’t easy, and we encountered several challenges along the way. But with careful planning, thorough testing, and the right expertise, we managed to handle these obstacles without major disruptions. Let’s explore the challenges we faced and how we overcame them.
1. Migrating Data from NetSuite to a New Platform
One of the most critical aspects of migration is data transfer. We needed to move all our data from Netsuite to the new open-source platform, including customer data, orders, inventory, and pricing structures. The challenge wasn’t just about transferring the data—it was about ensuring accuracy and maintaining data integrity.
Challenges We Faced:
- Data Compatibility: NetSuite stores data in a proprietary format. Migrating it to an open-source platform required careful mapping and conversion.
- Data Integrity: Any errors in data migration could result in lost or corrupted customer information, which would affect order fulfillment and customer experience.
- Minimizing Downtime: Data migration had to be done without affecting business operations or leading to extended downtime.
Our Approach:
- Data Mapping: We started by assessing all the data in Netsuite, carefully mapping each data point to the corresponding structure in the open-source system. This helped us identify potential challenges early.
- ETL Scripts: We developed Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) scripts to automatically transfer and convert data from Netsuite’s format to the open-source platform.
- Multiple Testing Phases: Before executing the full migration, we ran a series of test migrations. This allowed us to troubleshoot and address issues before they could cause any major disruptions.
Data Migration Process Timeline:
| Week | Activity |
| Week 1-2 | Data assessment and planning |
| Week 3-4 | Script development and test migration |
| Week 5 | Full migration and validation |
| Week 6-7 | Post-migration testing and tweaks |
2. Managing Wholesale and Retail Sites Together
As a business, we have both wholesale and retail customers, and managing both of these groups from a single admin panel presented a challenge. Netsuite often required separate systems for wholesale and retail operations, which meant additional complexity and confusion for the team managing both.
Challenges We Faced:
- Functional Differentiation: Wholesale customers require more complex features like bulk ordering and custom pricing, while retail customers need a more streamlined and simple experience.
- Unified Admin Management: We needed a unified admin panel to manage both websites, but with a clear separation of features for each customer group.
Our Solution:
- Role-Based Admin Panel: We created a single, unified admin panel but incorporated role-based permissions. This ensured that wholesale features were only visible and accessible to wholesale users, while retail users could manage their simple interface.
- Customized User Interface: The user interface for both wholesale and retail customers was tailored to their specific needs. Wholesale customers had access to features like bulk orders and custom pricing, while retail customers had a streamlined shopping experience.
3. Hiding Wholesale Prices Until Login
A common requirement for wholesale businesses is to hide prices from the public until a customer logs in. Since wholesale pricing is usually different for each customer group, we needed to ensure that only authorized buyers could see the correct prices.
Challenges We Faced:
- Price Visibility Control: We needed to develop a system to ensure that wholesale prices were not visible to unregistered or non-logged-in users.
- Customer Group Pricing: Different wholesale customers required different prices, so we needed to ensure that the platform could handle various price points based on customer groups.
Our Solution:
- Price Control Logic: We implemented a conditional display feature that showed the pricing only when a user was logged in. This helped ensure that sensitive pricing information was kept secure.
- Clear Messaging: To guide users, we added banners and messages like “Log in to view prices” on product pages, which helped reduce confusion and set customer expectations.
Cost Breakdown: NetSuite vs Open-Source E-Commerce Platform
To make the savings clearer, here’s a pie chart that shows the cost breakdown of using a platform like NetSuite compared to an open-source solution.
You can see that with NetSuite, most of the costs go toward subscription fees, customization, and scalability. With open-source, you only pay for hosting and maintenance.
How We Made the Migration Smooth
The key to a successful migration is planning and execution. We followed a structured approach to ensure everything went as smoothly as possible.
- Planning: Before starting the migration, we thoroughly analyzed the existing platform. We documented the features, data, and functionalities we needed to preserve and adapt in the new system.
- Testing: We conducted multiple test migrations to ensure that the data transfer would be accurate. Each test helped us address any issues, so when the time came to execute the full migration, we were ready.
- Incremental Rollout: Rather than switching everything over at once, we decided to migrate our systems in stages. We moved over different parts of the business gradually to minimize any disruptions.
- Post-Migration Support: After the migration was complete, we provided continuous support. We monitored the system to ensure everything was functioning as expected and were ready to address any issues that came up.
Cost Comparison: Old Platform vs. New Platform
Here’s a quick comparison of the costs between using a traditional platform like NetSuite and our open-source solution:
| Feature | Old Platform (e.g., Netsuite) | New Open-Source Platform |
| Monthly Subscription Fees | $999 – $20,000+ | Free (only hosting and maintenance) |
| Customization Fees | High (custom modules) | Free (in-house customization) |
| Scalability Costs | Increases with growth | No additional cost as the business scales |
| Transaction Fees | Additional charges per transaction | Free |
| Support Costs | Premium support costs | Community and internal support are available |
As shown, open-source solutions can save you a significant amount over time.
Cost Comparison: NetSuite vs Open-Source E-Commerce Platform (Bar Chart)
In addition to the pie chart, here’s a bar chart that highlights the cost comparison across different categories:
This chart clearly shows how much cheaper the open-source platform is compared to NetSuite, especially in terms of subscription and customization costs.
Key Benefits of Migrating to Open-Source
The benefits of migrating to an open-source platform are clear, especially when it comes to cost savings and flexibility.
- No Subscription Fees: Open-source e-commerce platforms have no ongoing subscription fees. This immediately cuts down on operational costs.
- Customizability: With open-source, we have complete control over the platform. We can make any changes or adjustments we need without paying extra for customization.
- Scalability: As our business grows, the platform will grow with us. Open-source platforms are scalable without additional charges.
- Security: Since we have full access to the platform’s code, we can implement security measures as needed and ensure our customers’ data is protected.
Conclusion: The Future of E-Commerce Migration
Migrating from a traditional platform like NetSuite to an open-source e-commerce solution was one of the best decisions we’ve made. Not only did we save significant amounts in subscription fees, but we also gained the freedom to scale and customize our platform to meet our specific needs.
If you’re thinking about making the switch to an open-source solution, we highly recommend it. The savings, flexibility, and scalability it offers are unmatched.
Ready to make the switch? Start your journey today with an open-source e-commerce platform that grows with your business.
