Salesforce Commerce Cloud, still called Demandware by many teams, and Shopify Plus both run large international brands. They differ most in two places: how you pay for them, and how much specialist help you need to change anything.
How you pay
Commerce Cloud is usually licensed as a share of the revenue that goes through it. As you grow, the licence grows with you, and the terms are negotiated per contract.
Shopify Plus has a monthly fee plus a variable part that also rises with sales. For many brands it costs less, but do the arithmetic on your own numbers, with both contracts in front of you, before you trust anyone's estimate. Ours included.
Where custom code lives
On Commerce Cloud, custom work goes into cartridges, inside the platform. It is powerful, and it needs developers who know Commerce Cloud. There are not many, and they are expensive.
On Shopify, custom logic lives in apps and Shopify Functions, beside the store. The limits are real, but far more developers can work on it.
Content
Commerce Cloud has Page Designer and content slots. Shopify has the theme editor, sections and metaobjects. Both let a merchandising team build pages without a developer. Teams moving across usually find the Shopify editor simpler, with fewer options.
Personalisation
Einstein recommendations and personalisation come with Commerce Cloud. Shopify has basic recommendations built in. Anything more is an app. If your numbers depend on Einstein, test an app against it before you decide.
When to stay on Commerce Cloud
- Your commerce is tied closely to other Salesforce products, and that link drives real revenue.
- Einstein personalisation is measurably earning its cost.
- You have a stable specialist team and a contract you are happy with.
When Shopify is the better fit
- The licence is a growing share of your revenue and you want a cost that grows more slowly.
- Small changes wait weeks for specialist developers.
- You want one store with several markets instead of several sites.
The honest next step
If you are leaning towards the move, readSalesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify: what moves and what does not. It covers the cartridges, the integrations and the order to do the work in.