// E-COMMERCE PLATFORM COMPARISON

E-commerce Tech Stack
2026 Complete Guide

Q: Should I use Shopify or build a custom e-commerce site?

For 95% of businesses, Shopify is the right choice. It handles hosting, security, PCI compliance, and scales to hundreds of millions in revenue (Allbirds, Gymshark, MVMT). Only consider custom/headless when: you need unique UX that Shopify can't provide, you have dedicated engineering resources, or you're doing $1M+/mo and hitting platform limits.

Q: What is headless commerce and when do I need it?

Headless commerce separates your storefront (frontend) from your commerce engine (backend) via APIs. You need it when: you want complete design control, need to power multiple storefronts (web, app, kiosk), require better performance than themes allow, or want to use modern frameworks like Next.js. Most businesses under $500k/mo don't need headless.

Q: How much does it cost to build an e-commerce store?

Shopify store: $0-5k to launch, $150-400/mo ongoing. Custom WooCommerce: $5-15k to launch, $200-500/mo. Headless (Medusa/Saleor): $20-50k to launch, $500-2k/mo. Enterprise (commercetools): $100k+ to launch, $10k+/mo. Start simple and upgrade as revenue grows.

Q: What's the best payment processor for e-commerce?

Stripe is the default choice for most: best developer experience, global coverage, and competitive rates (2.9% + $0.30). Use Shopify Payments if on Shopify (same rates, no extra fees). Add PayPal for customer trust. Add Klarna/Affirm for BNPL (increases AOV 20-30%). For enterprise, consider Adyen for unified commerce.

Q: How do I improve my e-commerce conversion rate?

Focus on: 1) Page speed (under 2.5s load time), 2) Mobile optimization (70%+ traffic is mobile), 3) Trust signals (reviews, security badges, clear returns), 4) Streamlined checkout (guest checkout, multiple payment options), 5) Abandoned cart recovery (email + SMS), 6) Social proof (UGC, testimonials). Average e-commerce conversion is 2-3%, top stores hit 5-8%.

Q: Is WooCommerce still a good choice in 2026?

Yes, for the right use case. WooCommerce is best when: you already have a WordPress site, need maximum customization on a budget, want to own your data completely, or have PHP developers on staff. Downsides: requires good hosting ($50-200/mo), security maintenance, and can be slow without optimization. Not recommended for non-technical founders.

From Shopify to headless: choose the right platform for your revenue stage, product complexity, and growth ambitions.

6 Platforms

3 Architectures

15min Read Time

// TL;DR

RECOMMENDATIONS BY BUSINESS SIZE

Dropshipping / Side Project $0 - $10k/mo

< 100 SKUs

Recommended Shopify Basic

Lowest friction, built-in dropship integrations (DSers, Oberlo)

Budget $29-79/mo

Alternative WooCommerce if budget-constrained

Most Common

Small Business / DTC Brand $10k - $100k/mo

100-1k SKUs

Recommended Shopify or BigCommerce

Proven at scale, great app ecosystem, reliable support

Budget $79-299/mo

Alternative WooCommerce + good hosting for more control

Growing E-commerce $100k - $1M/mo

1k-10k SKUs

Recommended Shopify Plus or Medusa.js

Shopify Plus for speed, Medusa for customization

Budget $300-2,500/mo

Alternative BigCommerce Enterprise

Enterprise / Multi-brand $1M+/mo

10k+ SKUs

Recommended commercetools or Shopify Plus

MACH architecture for complex requirements

Budget $5,000+/mo

Alternative Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Key insight: Allbirds does $300M+ on Shopify. Gymshark scaled to $500M+ after migrating TO Shopify Plus. Don't over-engineer. Start with proven platforms and go headless only when you hit clear limits.

// SECTION 01

PLATFORM COMPARISON

Scores based on e-commerce success factors for growing businesses

Top Pick

Shopify / Shopify Plus

All-in-one, fastest time to market Hosted SaaS

83 avg

Time to Launch

95 Best

Customization

Scalability

Ecosystem

95 Best

Cost Efficiency

Performance

WooCommerce

WordPress-powered, highly extensible Self-hosted Plugin

79 avg

Time to Launch

Customization

Scalability

Ecosystem

Cost Efficiency

Performance

Top Pick

Medusa.js

Open-source headless, developer-first Headless Open-source

85 avg

Time to Launch

Customization

95 Best

Scalability

Ecosystem

Cost Efficiency

90 Best

Performance

commercetools

Enterprise MACH architecture Headless Enterprise

79 avg

Time to Launch

Customization

Scalability

98 Best

Ecosystem

Cost Efficiency

Performance

95 Best

Top Pick

BigCommerce

Enterprise features, SaaS simplicity Hosted SaaS

82 avg

Time to Launch

Customization

Scalability

Ecosystem

Cost Efficiency

Performance

Saleor

GraphQL-first, Python/Django backend Headless Open-source

81 avg

Time to Launch

Customization

Scalability

Ecosystem

Cost Efficiency

Performance

// SECTION 02

ARCHITECTURE PATTERNS

Choose your architecture based on team size and customization needs

Monolithic (Traditional)

Single platform handles everything: storefront, checkout, admin

Platforms:

ShopifyWooCommerceBigCommerce

Pros

Fastest setup
Single vendor support
Lower complexity

Cons

Limited customization
Vendor lock-in
Performance ceiling

Best For: Most businesses under $1M/mo revenue

Headless Commerce

Separate frontend from commerce backend via APIs

Platforms:

Medusa.jsSaleorcommercetoolsShopify Storefront API

Pros

Full frontend control
Better performance
Omnichannel ready

Cons

Higher dev cost
More maintenance
Complex deployments

Best For: Brands needing custom UX or multiple storefronts

Composable Commerce (MACH)

Best-of-breed services: CMS + PIM + Commerce + Search

Platforms:

commercetoolsContentfulAlgoliaStripe

Pros

Maximum flexibility
Independent scaling
Best-in-class tools

Cons

Highest complexity
Integration overhead
Expensive

Best For: Enterprise with dedicated engineering teams

// SECTION 03

RECOMMENDED TECH STACKS

Complete stacks for each architecture pattern

Quick Launch Stack

Live in 1-2 weeks Monolithic

Shopify Commerce Platform

Fastest path to selling, handles everything

Dawn Theme Storefront

Free, fast, customizable via Liquid

Shopify Payments Payments

No extra fees, instant setup

Klaviyo Email Marketing

Best Shopify integration for flows

Gorgias Support

E-commerce native helpdesk

Alternative: WooCommerce + Starter Theme when Already on WordPress or need full control

Headless Commerce Stack

Custom frontend, API backend Headless

Medusa.js Commerce Backend

Open-source, Node.js, full API coverage

Next.js Frontend

SSR/SSG for SEO, React ecosystem

Stripe Payments

Best-in-class, global coverage

Meilisearch Search

Fast, typo-tolerant, self-hostable

Vercel Hosting

Edge deployment, preview URLs

Alternative: Saleor + React when Python team or need GraphQL-first

Enterprise MACH Stack

Maximum flexibility at scale Composable

commercetools Commerce Engine

API-first, multi-region, enterprise SLAs

Contentful CMS

Structured content, multi-channel

Algolia Search & Discovery

AI-powered, merchandising rules

Adyen Payments

Unified commerce, global acquiring

AWS / GCP Infrastructure

Enterprise compliance, global edge

Alternative: Shopify Plus + Hydrogen when Want enterprise with less complexity

// SECTION 04

ESSENTIAL INTEGRATIONS

Must-have tools for every e-commerce store

Payments

Stripe Global, developer-friendly

PayPal Customer trust, buyer protection

Klarna/Affirm BNPL, higher AOV

Apple/Google Pay Mobile conversion

Always offer 3+ payment options. BNPL can increase AOV by 20-30%.

Shipping & Fulfillment

ShipStation Multi-carrier rates

Shippo API-first, startups

ShipBob 3PL fulfillment

Flexport International, large volume

Show real-time rates at checkout. Free shipping threshold increases AOV.

Marketing & Analytics

Klaviyo Email/SMS flows

Google Analytics 4 Traffic analysis

Triple Whale Attribution, ROAS

Yotpo Reviews, loyalty

Email generates 30-40% of revenue for top stores. Automate flows early.

Customer Support

Gorgias E-commerce native

Zendesk Enterprise, omnichannel

Intercom Chat-first, product tours

Help Scout Simple, affordable

Response time under 1 hour = 7x higher conversion on pre-sale questions.

// SECTION 05

PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS

Speed directly impacts conversion rates

Metric	Shopify	WooCommerce	Headless	Target
Page Load (LCP) 1s delay = 7% conversion loss	1.5-2.5s	2-4s	0.8-1.5s	< 2.5s
Time to Interactive Affects mobile UX significantly	3-4s	4-6s	1.5-2.5s	< 3.8s
Mobile Score (Lighthouse) Google ranking factor	50-70	30-50	80-95	> 70
Checkout Speed Each step = 10% abandonment	Shop Pay: instant	3-5 clicks	Custom: 1-3 clicks	< 60s total

Reality check: A 1-second delay in page load reduces conversions by 7%. Mobile users are 5x more likely to abandon slow sites. Performance should be a top priority, but don't sacrifice launch speed for perfect Lighthouse scores.

// SECTION 06

REAL-WORLD SUCCESS STORIES

Billion-dollar brands on every platform

S Shopify

Allbirds

Footwear

$300M+ revenue

Shopify Plus, custom theme, global expansion

Gymshark

Apparel

$500M+ revenue

Migrated from Magento, scaled 10x

MVMT

Watches

$100M+ revenue

DTC success story, acquired by Movado

H Headless

Nike

Sports

$50B+ revenue

Custom headless, mobile-first

Target

Retail

$100B+ revenue

Headless PWA, same-day delivery

Burrow

Furniture

$100M+ revenue

Next.js + custom backend, 3D configurator

W WooCommerce

Porter & York

Food

$50M+ revenue

Premium meat delivery, subscription model

AeroPress

Coffee

$20M+ revenue

Single product focus, global shipping

Singer

Sewing

100+ years, global

Legacy brand, complex product catalog

// SECTION 07

COST BREAKDOWN BY TIER

What to budget at each stage of growth

Starter ($0-50k/mo revenue)

Platform $29-79/mo (Shopify Basic)

Hosting Included

Apps/Plugins $100-300/mo

Development $0-5k one-time

Monthly Total $150-400/mo

Most Startups

Growth ($50k-500k/mo revenue)

Platform $79-299/mo (Shopify/BigCommerce)

Hosting Included or $50-200/mo

Apps/Plugins $300-800/mo

Development $5k-20k one-time

Monthly Total $500-1,500/mo

Scale ($500k-2M/mo revenue)

Platform $2,000-5,000/mo (Shopify Plus)

Hosting $200-500/mo if headless

Apps/Plugins $1,000-3,000/mo

Development $20k-100k one-time

Monthly Total $3,000-8,000/mo

Enterprise ($2M+/mo revenue)

Platform $5,000-50,000/mo

Hosting $1,000-5,000/mo

Apps/Plugins $3,000-10,000/mo

Development $100k-500k+ one-time

Monthly Total $10,000-50,000+/mo

// SECTION 08

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Learn from failed e-commerce implementations

Over-engineering from day one

Building headless commerce for a $10k/mo store

6-month launch delay, $50k+ dev cost, no revenue

Start with Shopify/BigCommerce, go headless when hitting limits

Ignoring mobile performance

Heavy themes, unoptimized images, slow checkout

70%+ traffic from mobile, but 50% lower conversion

Mobile-first design, lazy loading, optimized images (WebP/AVIF)

Too many apps/plugins

Installing 30+ Shopify apps or WooCommerce plugins

Slow site, conflicts, security vulnerabilities, high costs

Max 10-15 essential apps, audit quarterly

Skipping abandoned cart recovery

No email/SMS flows for cart abandonment

Missing 10-15% revenue recovery opportunity

Set up 3-email sequence + SMS within first week

Poor inventory management

Manual tracking, overselling, stockouts

Canceled orders, bad reviews, lost customers

Use inventory management system from day one (Stocky, SKULabs)

// FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Shopify or build a custom e-commerce site?

What is headless commerce and when do I need it?

How much does it cost to build an e-commerce store?

What's the best payment processor for e-commerce?

How do I improve my e-commerce conversion rate?

Is WooCommerce still a good choice in 2026?

Build Your E-commerce Stack

Get personalized platform recommendations based on your business requirements

Start Building Compare Platforms

E-commerce Tech Stack 2026 Complete Guide

RECOMMENDATIONS BY BUSINESS SIZE

PLATFORM COMPARISON

Shopify / Shopify Plus

WooCommerce

Medusa.js

commercetools

BigCommerce

Saleor

ARCHITECTURE PATTERNS

Monolithic (Traditional)

Headless Commerce

Composable Commerce (MACH)

RECOMMENDED TECH STACKS

Quick Launch Stack

Headless Commerce Stack

Enterprise MACH Stack

ESSENTIAL INTEGRATIONS

Payments

Shipping & Fulfillment

Marketing & Analytics

Customer Support

PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS

REAL-WORLD SUCCESS STORIES

Allbirds

Gymshark

MVMT

Nike

Target

Burrow

Porter & York

AeroPress

Singer

COST BREAKDOWN BY TIER

Starter ($0-50k/mo revenue)

Growth ($50k-500k/mo revenue)

Scale ($500k-2M/mo revenue)

Enterprise ($2M+/mo revenue)

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

Over-engineering from day one

Ignoring mobile performance

Too many apps/plugins

Skipping abandoned cart recovery

Poor inventory management

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Build Your E-commerce Stack

E-commerce Tech Stack
2026 Complete Guide