Choosing an eCommerce platform for your business isn't the easiest of tasks. Usually, digital agencies' recommendations play the deciding factor, but with most agencies tending to specialise in a single platform, how do you know the platform you end up with will tick the boxes for you and your business?

Actuate are a little different; we've been at the forefront of eCommerce during our history. Our development team has built websites on several platforms, from Magento and Shopify to WooCommerce and beyond. What we have learnt over the years is that it's handy to have one eye on the future of eCommerce and focus on providing the best solutions on a project by project basis. With this in mind, we're excited about the possibilities of a reasonably new player in the world of e commerce platforms, Aero Commerce.

Much like Actuate, Aero Commerce focuses on delivering incredible customer experiences and provide a flexible platform that grows along with your business.

Traditionally as eCommerce sites evolve and grow, you find they must move on to different solutions, whether because they need extra functionality, additional speed or better support, it's a problem faced all too often within the industry. With each change comes additional costs, not only the cost of re-platforming but also the cost and time involved with training staff on new systems and processes.
<h2>The Aero Difference</h2>
Aero Commerce is different because it has been developed with the evolving needs of retailers in mind. In fact, it was developed in collaboration with retailers and focussed on driving revenue and growth whilst minimising costs. But what does "minimising costs" mean in real terms?
<h3>Infrastructure</h3>
Here at Actuate, we love Magento 2, but we're not afraid to admit it's not without its shortcomings; when it comes to site infrastructure, costs can quickly add up. Whilst you may be lucky and get away with using a shared host for Magento 2, a lot of the time, as soon as you start to grow, you will need to realise that a high powered dedicated server is a must.

Aero Commerce, on the other hand, is built to be light and swift, meaning it can be deployed on much cheaper infrastructure without issue. The saving on hosting costs alone could be as much as 80%.
<h3>Functionality</h3>
Many eCommerce platforms, including Magento, Shopify and BigCommerce come with minimal functionality "out of the box". Although Aero Commerce is a lean system, it packs a punch with more functionality than major competitors, bringing instant ongoing savings for many retailers.
<h3>Merchant Services</h3>
Many hosted eCommerce platforms such as Shopify and BigCommerce charge a premium for merchant services (taking payment from your customers). Again costs such as these can add up over the year, and utilising a platform without these additional costs can provide you with significant savings.

Aero Commerce also has the power to supercharge your sales because of its speed for the end-user. When pitted against other popular platforms in an average speed test, Aero Commerce easily came out on top.
<ul>
 	<li>Aero Commerce: 1.6 seconds</li>
 	<li>Shopify: 2.2 seconds</li>
 	<li>WooCommerce: 3.3 seconds</li>
 	<li>Magento: 4 seconds</li>
</ul>
In real terms, this should mean lower bounce rates and happier customers. Aero also excels where other platforms fail and doesn't start to slow down as your product catalogue grows larger, great for you and your customers.