What Is the Best Microsoft Ecommerce Platform?

If you’re an organization in need of a new business website or looking to run an online store, an ecommerce platform can simplify that process. You can quickly set up a storefront and start displaying products from your inventory. Two popular options provided by Microsoft include Dynamics 365 Commerce and Microsoft Azure Marketplace. You can also incorporate various tools into these products to expand their functionality, which this article also covers. 

Dynamics 365 Commerce

The primary purpose of Dynamics 365 Commerce is to enable businesses to deliver a seamless and personalized shopping experience to their customers. It leverages the Dynamics 365 ecosystem to enable businesses to manage all retail operations and provide exceptional customer service. 

With Dynamics 365 Commerce, you can provide customers with a consistent view of your business across all channels. They receive the same experience whether they browse one of your social media pages or contact you through your business website. The platform is an evolution of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Retail. Microsoft expanded its capabilities to allow companies to set up a unified commerce experience and integrate it within other Dynamics 365 applications. 

Key Dynamics 365 Commerce Components

• Omnichannel retailing: You can engage customers through various channels, including online stores, mobile applications, and customer service centers. Businesses receive a unified presentation of information, including customer activity, transactions, and preferences.
• Current Point of Sale (PoS): Since Dynamics 365 is built on Microsoft Azure, you benefit from its cloud services. This means being able to leverage cloud-based PoS capabilities to support sales transactions, inventory checks, and returns.
• Ecommerce support: You can manage all aspects of your ecommerce operations, including digital storefronts and websites, without needing advanced technical skills. Other ecommerce features include the ability to manage content and product catalogs. You can also make product recommendations to customers and manage their accounts.
• Back-office management: Businesses can take advantage of tools to manage pricing, promotions, and employee schedules. They scale seamlessly to support your company’s growth, allowing for efficient operations. 

Benefits of Dynamics 365 Commerce

Here’s what you gain by using Dynamics 365 Commerce to support your online business efforts:

• Get rid of any silos between your in-store, online, and back-office systems
• Gain access to a single source of truth for data and operations
• Have complete control of setting up personalized customer experiences
• Set up consistent branding across different channels
• Engage customers through loyalty programs
• Allow customers to create wish lists and leave product reviews to gather feedback

Companies that can benefit from using Dynamics 365 Commerce include:

• Retail chains that need to manage stores across a large geographical area
• Direct-to-consumer brands that want to set up an ecommerce platform and provide customers with a more personal shopping experience
• Franchise businesses that want to standardize operations and brand consistency

Because it integrates seamlessly into other Dynamics 365 instances, businesses gain access to a broader feature set. Microsoft provides your business with a robust ERP system capable of handling supply chain issues. Your company can leverage AI insights to optimize its approach to customer appeal and drive sales growth. 

Microsoft Azure Marketplace

Companies looking beyond Dynamics 365 Commerce might be interested in exploring the Microsoft Azure marketplace. You can access various pre-configured software applications currently running on the Azure cloud platform. After signing up, you can try out different solutions provided by independent software vendors, Microsoft, and other Microsoft partners, including ecommerce platforms and services. 

Azure Marketplace lets you explore over 17,000 listings that cater to a diverse range of industries. You can sort through what’s available to find a solution that fits your ecommerce business needs. One of the benefits of using Azure Marketplace to find an ecommerce solution is that you can deploy it with minimal configuration. That means less overhead and reduced setup time, which is crucial for small businesses that may not have a large technical team. 

Your organization can explore various pricing options, including bring-your-own-license (BYOL) or pay-as-you-go models. That provides your company with financial flexibility when acquiring and paying for new technology. 

Platforms already available in containerized apps or as virtual machines ready to run on Azure infrastructure include:

• Adobe Commerce
• eBridge Connections
• Virto Commerce Cloud
• Studio Store
  

With the help of a partner like Internet eBusiness Solutions, you can have a robust ecommerce platform up and running quickly. When evaluating solutions, look for those that can provide a personalized customer service experience. Additionally, verify if it integrates with popular payment vendors such as PayPal and Stripe. You want to make the payment process as easy as possible for customers. 

Platforms also need to handle surges in traffic, especially during special or holiday periods. Other options to consider include the ability to perform data analytics and gain customer insights through the use of AI. If you service international customers, your platform should provide multilingual and multicurrency support, as well as localization services. 

Tools for Enhancing Microsoft Ecommerce Platforms

Now that we have a better understanding of Dynamics 365 Commerce and Azure Marketplace, let’s look at some Microsoft tools you can leverage to enhance both.

• Power BI: Use Power BI to build real-time dashboards that let you review data related to sales, customer behavior, conversion rates, and inventory.
• Power Automate: Power Automate supports automating workflows for order processing, inventory updates, email notifications, and returns. You can trigger flows based on an event like a new order being submitted or a customer signing up for a newsletter.  
• Power Apps: Use Power Apps to create mobile or desktop apps for employees, including warehouse teams and store associates. 
  

Improve Ecommerce Workflows With IES

With so many options on the market, it can be hard to decide on an ecommerce solution. You may have specific business needs that need to align with your choice of platform. Internet eBusiness Solutions (IES) makes the process easier by comparing your ecommerce needs to what’s available in the marketplace. Let us help you create optimal ecommerce experiences for customers by contacting one of our representatives.