Comparing eCommerce Solutions: Merchello vs Tea Commerce

Comparing eCommerce Solutions: Merchello vs Tea Commerce

If you’re reading this post, it’s likely that you’re looking for an Umbraco eCommerce solution for your business’ website. It’s also likely that you’ve looked at a range of options, scratched your head, assessed the pros and cons of each, and become more confused than you were when you started out.

That’s understandable. We’ve all been there. But rather than continuing to ponder which is the most suitable eCommerce platform for you, we’ve selected two of our favourite Umbraco packages — Merchello and Tea Commerce — and have here highlighted their strong and weak points.

Hopefully the head scratching will end, and the UmbraJobs team will have helped you choose the package that ticks all the right boxes for your business.

For those who like customising

Unlike Tea Commerce, Merchello is an open-source platform. This means that to those with the right skills, it’s almost completely flexible. So you’ll be able to build a shop that’s exactly how you want it. It has customisable functions for your shop’s appearance and a wealth of notification options — for connecting directly with your accounting providers, for instance, or personalising reports exactly as you want them.

Verdict: Merchello

For experienced developers

Merchello’s simple interfaces means it’s ideal for both developers and those without great technical skills. Tea Commerce has a host of customisable functions too, but you’ll need a strong grasp of Razor, HTML, CSS, or JavaScript to get the most out of them. It’s not essential, but if you’re not proficient with these four development languages, then it’s likely that Merchello is the right option for you.

Verdict: Tea Commerce

For ease of use

If you’re just looking for a simple solution, Merchello is designed for that purpose. From the moment you download and install your package, whether you choose the FastTrack starter pack or opt for the standard option, you’ll be quickly on your way to developing a webshop that’s customised to your needs. But most importantly, you can build a shop that your customers will be able to easily navigate and utilise for purchases.

Verdict: Merchello

For online marketing and discounts

Merchello’s high-performance platform wins here because the method of adding offers to products is simplified using an easy-to-navigate interface. You can quickly create a discount offer for a product and attribute a code to it — ‘10 OFF’, for example — before setting it live. Once saved, simply enable the offer and it will be available to your customers immediately.

Verdict: Merchello

For a more complete product

While Merchello is more suited to beginners, offers simplified use, and is easily customisable, Tea Commerce, because of its earlier development, will provide you with the most complete package. It is more robust and perfect for larger stores, so it’s perhaps most likely to please more experienced webshop managers. But if you work at a startup looking to embark on its first foray into selling online, Merchello will do just fine.

Verdict: Tea Commerce

Merchello or Tea Commerce — which one should you choose?

The eCommerce option you choose depends on the size of your business and your experience with coding and development language. Both Tea Commerce and Merchello have their benefits depending on your needs. If you’re starting from scratch and are a relative newcomer, we recommend you choose Merchello. If your business is already established, you’ll likely be better off with Tea Commerce to integrate with your Umbraco platform.

Still not sure? Speak to a digital marketing agency specialising in Umbraco eCommerce.

About the author

David Armitage

.Net MVC Developer
.Net Core Developer
Umbraco Certified Master
Recruitment Professional

Hey Peeps,

I'm an entrepreneur and web developer with a passion for coding. I absolutely love working with Umbraco CMS and appreciate the Umbraco community even more.

I've got 10 years+ .Net experience and 7 years+ experience working in the recruitment industry, both coding and marketing job websites. I wanted to use my skills to help give something back to this awesome community and so I decided to build UmbraJobs.com.

My vision & fundamentals

I want this website to be a place where Umbraco Professionals and Umbraco Partners can advertise their services but at the same time I want to filter out all the under-qualified freelancers & agencies that take up the biggest part of other job & freelancer websites. We've all worked hard to gain our Umbraco certifications, partnership status, and help build the Umbraco community to what it is today. I want to see everyone get rewarded for their efforts.

Follow me on social media

If you're an Umbraco professional, partner, employer, recruiter or a passionate Umbraco community builder then I'm more than happy to hear from you. Follow me on my social media channels and please reach out if you have any needs, want help or consultation with anything Umbraco related or just want a general chat.