xt:Commerce
Continuously developed over many years, this tried-and-tested store system now offers a wide range of features.
Mother of All Online Stores
xt:Commerce is one of the most popular software developments for online stores. The roots of the store system go back to osCommerce, the "mother of all online stores". Even though xt:Commerce is a first-generation store software, there are some large retailers who continue to use the online store system very successfully.
License, Architecture and Technology
The software has been around since 2003 and was open source until version 3. In 2008, the update to xt:Commerce 4 was released under a commercial license. The provider is xt :Commerce GmbH from Insbruck, Austria. The architecture is monolithic but modular and uses its own framework for PHP and MySQL.
xt:Commerce is offered as "Software as a Product" (SaaP). This means that the online retailer has to take care of hosting and operation themselves. However, the technical requirements for hosting are low, so that the costs are kept within reasonable limits with a moderate number of users.
Target Group: For Which Merchants Is an Xt:Commerce Store Suitable?
The target group of xt:Commerce are smaller wholesalers and retailers who operate a medium-sized mail order business. This store system is often chosen due to its clear cost structure and the many interfaces to existing merchandise management systems.
xt:Commerce Functions
The store system has been continuously developed and optimized over many years. As a result, the current version offers a wide range of functions. With each new version, starting with xt:Commerce 4 (xt:Commerce Veyton), new functions have been added and the system has been adapted to the requirements of customers and online commerce in general.
From version 4 onwards, it is a completely newly developed online store system. An interface for plugins allows new functions to be added to the software without losing the ability to perform automatic updates.
xt:Commerce 5
xt:Commerce 6
The current version of the store system offers a wide range of functions that are not a matter of course even with more modern store systems: For example, any number of new currencies can be added and the exchange rate can be set in relation to the default currency. Additional languages can be activated at any time and, if necessary, translations of all texts can be adapted.
To make your store easy to find on the web, xt:Commerce comes with various SEO features - for example, the automatic creation of meta keywords based on product and category descriptions, a flexible connection to price search engines or search engine-optimized URLs.
Special Features
xt:Commerce is a multishop system. This means that several store frontends can be operated via one store installation (assuming a multishop license). With the multishop version, you can set up to thirty subshops on one installation. This can, for example, facilitate the connection of many store installations to a merchandise management system and makes data maintenance much easier, as all products are created centrally in one store. With the multi-shop system (client system), several stores with different products as well as different layouts and customer bases can be managed via an administration interface. This makes it much easier to create brand, retailer and country stores. An sofortident.de interface integrated into xt:Commerce allows quick and easy age verification for FSK 18 content.
B2B Functions
xt:Commerce 6 offers the most important functions for successfully running a B2B and B2C online business in parallel. For example, customer groups can be created in which the settings for the price display and VAT configuration can be set up. It is also possible to configure which group new customers are assigned to. Specific prices, discounts or minimum order values can be added to different users via the customer groups. Depending on the customer group, you can also display or hide individual products or product groups if, for example, they are only intended for selected countries or are not suitable for minors. You can even choose your own template for each customer group.
xt:Commerce Reviews
As the first generation of store software, the publications on xt:Commerce 6 are often less positive than those of its more modern competitors. But not everything that is old is fundamentally bad.
Many things have proven themselves and have been tried and tested many times. It should also not be forgotten that migrating from xt to another store system is a lucrative project for many agencies. A professional requirements analysis should be preferred to relying on full-bodied promises from other manufacturers. Otherwise, you may end up investing in a new platform only to realize afterwards that all manufacturers only boil with water.
Competitors and Recommendations
The direct competitors of xt:Commerce 6 are Gambio and xtcModified. These e-commerce solutions are themselves spin-offs of xt:Commerce 3, so they have the same roots as xt:Commerce 6, but OXID and Shopware 5 are also monolithic programs that are not designed for a modern cloud architecture. All of these e-commerce solutions work well until they reach their performance limits (in terms of catalog size, simultaneous visitors and purchases).
For all these e-commerce programs, we recommend the support of a commerce agency. In many cases, expanding the range of functions, adapting responsive templates and even installing add-ons requires programming skills in HTML, PHP and JavaScript, knowledge of web server operation and a great deal of experience with the respective software
Our xt:Commerce Services
We offer the following services for xt:Commerce:
- Store installation and setup
- Hosting and support
- Web development and customization
- Plugin development
(Here you can find plugins from blackbit) - Customized design and individual templates
- SEO, social media and digital marketing
- Migration to xt:Commerce 6.x, in particular from Modified Commerce and xt:Commerce 3
- Interface programming and customer-specific application development.
- Product information system
- B2B e-commerce solutions
Case Study FITSTORE24: Achieving New Sales Records With a Powerful Pim System and Service-Oriented Shopping Functions
Read this case study to find out how Blackbit's automated data management processes, a powerful PIM system, innovative shopping functions and an intelligent service offering enabled the store to exceed its sales targets.
The best advice - from platform selection to e-commerce marketing
We have proven partner technologies for every e-commerce requirement - and experts who are on hand to provide you with help and advice. We develop strategies, set up your online store, ensure high-performance, secure hosting and support you in marketing your products.
Which e-commerce platform or online store is suitable for my e-business?
The all-in-one e-commerce solution with integrated payment and low entry barriers is popular worldwide.
Experienced e-commerce player with a new foundation: As a store system made in Germany, Shopware is particularly well suited to the DACH region.
Challenger in headless commerce: The store system for small and medium-sized companies is growing in Europe and Asia.
Speed, reliability and security at a high level - plus simple expandability and fast change management.
Today, marketing measures are predominantly implemented online. The Internet has therefore become the leading medium for most of our customers.