Sana Commerce vs. k-ecommerce: A Quick Ecommerce Platform Comparison

Differences Between k-ecommerce vs. Sana Commerce

Both k-ecommerce and Sana Commerce focus on distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers that run their B2B businesses using SAP ERP systems or Microsoft Dynamics.

The two platforms use the client’s ERP to eliminate system siloes, power their ecommerce customer experiences, and minimize data maintenance.

However, even though they both focus on the same industry, the way they integrate into the ERP and do business is entirely different.

Let’s dive into the main differences between Sana Commerce and k-ecommerce:

1. ERP Integration

k-ecommerce’s and Sana Commerce’s approaches to ERP integration differ significantly. Sana Commerce is tightly coupled while k-ecommerce synchronizes to the ERP.

Sana Commerce’s tight integration means that the cloud-based ecommerce platform is built into the ERP, so the webstore and ERP system depend on each other.

Tight ecommerce ERP integration might seem like a good idea, but it can become expensive and troublesome.

Here are the pros and cons of such a solution:

Pros:

• It retrieves data from your ERP system in real-time.

Cons:

• A tightly integrated solution isn’t flexible. It can be challenging to make future changes to your ERP or ecommerce platform. A tech support battle may also occur between the ERP and ecommerce teams to pinpoint the source of a technical issue.

• The webstore and ERP depend on each other. As a result, changing one requires you to change the other, which can be troublesome and expensive.

• Because Sana Commerce relies on a direct ERP connection for many functions, ERP availability can affect webstore functionality.

• Because Sana Commerce relies heavily on real-time ERP requests, spikes in ecommerce activity can place additional demand on the ERP environment and potentially affect storefront performance. k-ecommerce separates the webstore from the ERP through synchronization, reducing that direct dependency.

k-ecommerce uses Sync Technology to synchronize data from your k-ecommerce platform to your ERP’s back-end system and vice versa. It provides an online web shop integrated with your ERP.

Here are the pros of sync technology:

• Since your service-level agreement (SLA) doesn’t depend on the ERP, you don’t have to worry about price hikes or changes in contract terms.

• ERPs are only supposed to handle a few users. That’s why sync technology works best since your ERP and webstore are separated. If there’s a peak of traffic on the website, it won’t affect your ERP.

• Even if the ERP platform is unavailable due to an upgrade or maintenance, your ecommerce website will continue to work.

• Your ecommerce platform will continuously evolve and improve without any impact on your ERP.
• You can add more functionalities to your products later, as the k-ecommerce platform doesn’t modify the ERP.

ERP Compatibility and Real-Time Data

k-ecommerce works with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics GP, Acumatica, and SAP Business One. Learn more about B2B ecommerce for Business Central and confirm support for your ERP version and custom fields.

Sana Commerce Cloud uses ERP calculations, storing orders directly in the ERP. k-ecommerce’s proprietary Sync Technology maintains a cloud database, detects any changes, and queues two-way updates.

Additionally, it helps to ask vendors to demonstrate order submission, ERP validation, and inventory updates, including how soon changes appear.

B2B Features and Customer Self-Service

Both platforms provide customer-specific pricing and self-service portals. Compare the B2B features—quoting, bulk ordering, and approvals—and ask what’s included in your proposed package. During a customer-portal demo, test out repeat orders, invoice access, and account permissions.

Both platforms also offer options for international selling and multi-site operations. Request that demonstrations use your actual catalog size, peak order load, storefronts, and currencies, and keep in mind that features and capacity vary from plan to plan.

2. Security

Sana Commerce Cloud connects directly to the ERP, making the security of that integration an important consideration when evaluating the platform.

As mentioned, k-ecommerce uses Sync Technology. Since your webstore and ERP system are two different environments, if a security breach were to occur, the information in your ERP wouldn’t be accessible.

Sync Technology uses TLS 1.2 web services to transfer ERP data to your webstore. That ensures your organization’s back-end data is secure and encrypted.

In addition, k-ecommerce services are designed so that, as an online merchant, you don’t store credit card information in your system. When customers enter cardholder data (CHD) into the k-ecommerce credit card popup, the information redirects to our specialized PCI servers and bypasses your system entirely. k-ecommerce also complies fully with PCI-DSS specifications, using industry best practices to protect credit card information and achieve a high level of security in its PCI Environment.

Sana Commerce Cloud runs on Microsoft Azure, while k-ecommerce uses private-cloud hosting. For further information, request the most current PCI-DSS documentation, supported encryption protocols, ERP access controls, and plan-specific uptime commitments.

3. Cost and Services

The Sana Commerce vs. k-ecommerce battle also comes down to the platforms’ costs and services. Let’s take a look at each one:

Sana Commerce

• Your SLA depends on the ERP. As a result, you have little flexibility in negotiating a better deal.
• Since the ERP and webshop depend on each other, a change in one requires a change in both. That can be expensive and troublesome.
• Customization is challenging and expensive.
• One platform’s maintenance or upgrade will halt the other, leading to further inconvenience and potentially making the ERP environment unusable.

k-ecommerce

• The k-ecommerce solution is more advantageous than Sana Commerce because it’s all-inclusive (deployment, hosting, maintenance, upgrade, and support).
• Customization isn’t as pricey and complicated as Sana’s integrated ecommerce solution since k-ecommerce uses sync technology instead of tight integration.

First-Year Costs and Switching Effort

For a rough first-year estimate, add up 12 months of subscriptions, implementation, migration, required add-ons, and ERP customization. Request itemized quotes that cover your ERP, stores, features, and support, and check whether ERP upgrades change customization costs.

Ahead of the switch, make sure to map data, confirm transferable order history, test pricing and order flows, and plan cutover.