Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce | Spree Commerce is a great option for your online store for seven reasons.

The number of e-commerce sites is rapidly increasing. And the best way to remain ahead of the competition is to make sure your online business is running on the most efficient platform possible: one that is flexible, scalable, easy, and configurable. Aren't these rather self-evident requirements? Spree Commerce satisfies all of them.

Do you want to discover why Spree Commerce is a good choice for your business? Then take a look at our article! We go through all of the benefits of this feature-rich eCommerce platform in depth, as well as our own personal experience with it.

What is Spree Commerce, and how does it work?

Spree Commerce (commonly known as Spree) is a free and open-source e-commerce framework. Essentially, this is a free codebase that web developers can utilise to create stunning online businesses of unlimited complexity.

Sean Schofield founded the platform in 2007, and it has grown in popularity since then: the number of Spree Commerce developers (as well as the number of framework downloads) is growing year after year. AOL and True Ventures invested $ 1.5 million in Spree in July 2011, and their investment marked a new milestone for the project.

The arguments in support of Spree Commerce development include: more than 500 active authors, who have helped Spree eCommerce become one of the top 50 open source projects (out of over 3 million);

Over 20,000 successful Spree Commerce stores; no licensing restrictions: 230,000 platform downloads Spree is an open-source platform; it has modularity (the ability to customise the product, which we'll discuss later); and it has language localization capabilities.

It's time to move on to a more in-depth examination of the system. Ready? Let's get this party started!

Spree Commerce

Features of Spree Commerce Overview

In the next paragraph, when addressing the system's benefits, we'll go over the extensive capability of the Spree Commerce platform in further depth. In the meantime, take a look at the infographics below to discover what the solution has to offer.

developers of spree commerce

Spree Commerce, in other words, allows you to construct an online store with advanced search, personalization of supplied content, easy payment, and other fantastic features that are essential for a successful customer experience.

Furthermore, the developer community backs any open-source initiative, and Spree Commerce is no different. Spree developers are working on a variety of real-world problems and are ready to answer any questions you may have. On the Spree mailing lists or GitHub, community members are always available.

Spree Commerce

Advantages of Spree Commerce

The platform you choose for your eCommerce store is critical, and we'll go through some of the reasons why Spree Commerce is a suitable fit for your business.

#1. Customization

Spree Commerce is a modular platform, as we've already mentioned. It implies that you are free to upgrade and modify it as much as you like. As a result, you will receive a customised solution that is tailored to your exact needs.

Because the "out of the box" version cannot account for everything, this is only a starting point. Fortunately, a skilled Spree developer may adapt such a foundation to meet the client's requirements by utilising the extensive set of extensions available. Furthermore, the construction of new customised extensions is achievable with no effort (especially since RoR is a guarantee of a high-quality result).

#2. Flexibility in integration

Third-party solutions, such as payment gateways, should be able to be integrated into the creation of an online store. Spree's ruby on rails eCommerce platform, fortunately, allows connection with the most popular of them: Paypal, Stripe, PayU, and Authorize.net.

You haven't found what you're looking for? It's not a problem; adding a new payment gateway is also simple.

Spree Commerce features, on the other hand, aren't restricted to payment tools; they also allow you to integrate other third-party solutions. As an example...

Spree Commerce

Features of Spree Commerce

#3: Sizing

Even if your online store was supposed to be simple in the beginning (with a small database of goods and a small client flow), you should just consider it as a starting point. Always keep in mind the possibilities of future business growth.

You might wonder how this affects the eCommerce hosting solution. The fact is that your project will scale as a result of business development. Furthermore, your web resource must be able to sustain increased traffic. You run the danger of having a lot of issues if your selected platform isn't powerful enough.

Spree Commerce, on the other hand, will assist you in avoiding such an unfavourable conclusion. The technology allows you to extend the resource in a smooth manner, and it will grow with your company.

#4. A Mobile-First Strategy

Perhaps it is now self-evident to all that a successful eCommerce resource should work in all browsers and, of course, support the mobile version. In today's business world, mobility is a must-have.

Spree Commerce was built from the ground up to be mobile-friendly. As a result, the solution ensures UI usability right away: you receive an online store with a responsive design right out of the box.

#5 Marketing Possibilities

Having a visually nice online store isn't enough. To attract as many visitors as possible, you must market it. Spree's extensive functionality also includes a number of marketing-oriented capabilities. Among them are the following:

Spree Commerce

• Advanced user analytics; A/B testing; 

• the ability to manage loyalty programmes (discounts, gifts, promotions, and so on); 

• integrated search engine optimization; 

• the ability to connect coupons; advanced user analytics; 

• the ability to connect coupons;

• the ability to connect coupons; the ability to connect coupons; 

• the ability to connect coupons; the ability to connect coupons; 

• the ability to connect coupons; the ability to connect coupons; 

• the ability to connect coupons

• additional customer-facing contact channels;

• High-level email marketing; streamlined campaign administration

#6. Omnichannel marketing

The evolution of eCommerce has resulted in an omnichannel strategy. The client is positioned front and centre in a successful omnichannel approach, which provides him with perfect purchasing conditions. To provide the optimum customer experience, all channels, platforms, and devices are leveraged. Everything should be considered, from the store's layout to the manager's decision.

The Spree Commerce platform implements an omnichannel strategy by providing you with all of the eCommerce options you need to expand your business, from A to Z. One of the more intriguing features is the ability to service the most irrational clients via remote guiding (say, if you need to help them in choosing a product from the catalogue).

Spree Commerce

Development of Spree commerce

#7. More rapid growth

Spree is built on Ruby on Rails, as you may know, which allows for rapid development. Spree Commerce is a fantastic option for developers and their clients because of its rapid speed.

To be clear, Ruby on Rails is a full-fledged framework for developing web applications based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. In comparison to any other programming language, RoR boosts the speed of developing projects by 30–40%. This is because to the vast RoR toolbox and a large number of ready-to-use solutions. Furthermore, the Ruby programming language is easy to learn.

Do you want to build an e-commerce site but don't know how much money it will cost? Your concerns will be addressed in our article.

Spree Commerce

You can see why Spree Commerce has so many excellent reviews now. However, there is still one major question to be answered, and that is...

When is Spree Commerce the best option?

If you want to start selling online, you'll need to use Spree Commerce.

You wish to open an online store with a variety of fascinating features and the ability to customise it (so that it meets your personal requirements);

You want to grow your company, thus you recognise the necessity to scale the project (by growing the product line, expanding the client base, upgrading functionality, and so on);

You want to build a one-of-a-kind and efficient trading platform.

We don't want to come across as uninformed, therefore we'd like to share our own personal experience with this technology. We'll also show you a couple additional Spree Commerce examples.

Spree Commerce-powered e-commerce sites

Let's take a look at a few of the most successful Spree commerce stores.

Kitchen in the South

The website is dedicated to a delectable lifestyle with a touch of the south. Everything from traditional southern food recipes to kitchen supplies may be found here, allowing you to realise even the most refined culinary concept. Of course, you'll only get a cooking gadget when you buy it, but the recipes are completely free to use.

Spree Commerce was chosen by the site owners because they were certain of its effectiveness and trustworthiness, and it was a wise decision!

Spree Commerce

Paravel

Because the majority of travellers' luggage appears to be too dull, the site's designers decided to remedy the problem by offering them an alternative: high-quality and attractive travel bags at an inexpensive price. Of course, creating such a resource necessitates the usage of a well-known eCommerce platform, and Spree Commerce is just that.

Yeah

We'd also like to bring up our Spree development experience. We're referring to the men's fashion web store that we've established.

We constantly do a thorough analysis of the initial requirements in order to provide a unique strategy to each project (given the specific situation). In the instance of the YEAH store, we had a high impression of Spree Commerce's benefits and determined that it was the ideal option.

What exactly is Spree Commerce? Everything You Should Know About

Have you come across Spree Commerce while surfing the web and aren't sure what it is or how it may benefit your company? If that's the case, you've come to the correct place. Read our in-depth review to learn everything there is to know about this product. Let's get started!

Spree Commerce is a company that specialises in e-commerce.

Spree Commerce was built in 2007 by Ruby on Rails. In a nutshell, it's a full e-commerce framework that provides a scalable, open source solution to entrepreneurs. Simply put, it's a free library of code that web developers may use to create attractive digital stores.

Spree Commerce

They've managed to assemble an international community of developers to help them refine their software after more than two decades of experience. As a result, it is one of the most effective and dependable e-commerce platforms available.

Spree Commerce's Benefits

Because it has a streamlined set of fundamental capabilities that can be tweaked to meet your needs, Spree Commerce is great if you're trying to establish and market a digital store (within a short time frame).

Developers can realise their vision by creating an e-commerce store that meets their exact design requirements. This is because Spree Commerce gives you complete control over all aspects of your business (yes, even your unique CX).

You can also use a variety of 'unofficial' plugins in addition to their 'official' extensions. If you want a programme that can be customised to your specific sector or business strategy, this is the way to go.

The Spree User and Developer guides are a blessing for many users. These are fantastic tools to use if you have any questions or concerns.

Customers can also take advantage of Spree's active community, which consists of:

• Web developers, 

• Spree contributors, 

• software houses, 

• and other Spree users

Use Spree's official Slack channels to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs. Slack is available for download on any device that runs Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android (on either desktop or mobile).

If you need help from a Spree developer or want to network with other individuals in your field, the Slack chats are fantastic tools. With over 2000 members, you're sure to get your query answered.

Here are a few of Spree's most popular slack channels:

• General - this is where you can introduce yourself, say hello, and ask general inquiries.

• Support - this channel offers technical assistance and allows you to look through previous difficulties that other users have reported.

• Contributors - if you're an expert in coding and web development, this is the position for you.

• Github — keep track of all the latest updates to the code repository.

• You'll also be relieved to learn that Spree Commerce has no effect on the performance of your e-commerce site. The device you're using, the content on your site, the internet browser you're using, and other factors all affect the overall performance of your site.

Spree Commerce, on the other hand, is exceedingly light, which means you'd have to overburden the server in order for it to slow down your site—how cool is that?!

Spree Commerce

The best part is that Spree Commerce is completely free to download. It is, without a doubt, one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your online business (in comparison to other popular SaaS and Enterprise software).

If you're not a talented coder, though, you'll need to budget for the services of a professional web developer—these costs can add up quickly! You'll need to pay for a domain name and web hosting as well.

Spree Commerce's Disadvantages

One of the most significant drawbacks with Spree Commerce is that there is no other kind of customer service available outside of the Slack channels.

It's wonderful to have the option of phoning or emailing a dedicated customer care team while we're attempting to figure out new software. Spree Commerce, like most other open-source resources, does not provide this type of service.

Worse, Spree's official website is filled with outdated information and broken links, both of which are inconvenient!

There are a number of technical hurdles to using Spree Commerce, as we've already mentioned. There's a significant probability you won't be able to set things up unless you have coding and web development expertise. This implies you'll have to either swot up or hire someone to help you get started.

There are a limited number of extensions, as you might imagine (especially when you compare Spree to the likes of Shopify). There are limitations on who you can integrate with as well. For example, unless you engage a developer to organise this feature for you, you won't be able to combine Xero, ShipStation, or StitchLabs with Spree.

Spree's Highlights

The following is a quick rundown of all of Spree's primary features:

• Order Processing: This allows store owners to accept payments for orders, enter shipping information, and guarantee that there is enough stock on hand to complete the customer's transaction. You can also manually process and update your customers' orders if you choose.

• Returns: You'll be relieved to learn that you can deal with any returned merchandise swiftly and efficiently.

• Search: To find specific orders, use the search bar. Purchases can be filtered by date, status, or customer name.

• Products: Users can create, update, and delete products from their digital store using a variety of options. You can clone existing products, for example. This is especially useful for products that are quite similar to one another and have only a few differences. You can also include a lengthy description for each product that highlights all of the product's features.

• Reports: Spree doesn't have a lot of reporting options, and the ones it does have aren't very sophisticated. They do, however, provide basic sales reports. Spree also allows you to link your digital store to Google Analytics. This is fantastic for keeping track of your traffic, consumer demographics, and other marketing trends.

• General Settings: The general settings option allows users to change their store's name, currency, and security regulations.

• Taxes: Spree has some fantastic features to assist you with your taxes (these may vary depending on the zones, countries, and states your online shop serves). Similarly, you can choose which countries and states you want to conduct business with. You may change and manage both your shipping and taxes settings from there.

• Payment Methods: At checkout, you can choose the payment methods you accept.

Spree Commerce

What You Should Know About Spree to Get the Most Out of It

The majority of potential Spree users want to know how simple it is to use. Simply said, it all depends on your level of understanding of the following:

• UNIX/LINUX

•  SQL

• Ruby On Rails (ROR)

• HTML/CSS 

If you're confident in all of the aforementioned areas, setting up Spree Commerce will be a breeze. Once you've had Spree up and running, the admin panel is straightforward and simple to use. You'll see a sidebar presenting Spree's primary tools while you browse your dashboard:

• Orders, 

• Returns,

• Products, 

• Reports, 

• Promotions, 

• Users, 

• Configurations,

You'll note that the backend is rather simple to use. The sidebar has a number of collapsible menus that allow users to rapidly access more advanced capabilities.

Furthermore, all of the basic activities related with running an e-commerce store are rather straightforward to grasp. To add a new product to your shop, for example, you'll see a large green "Add" button at the top of the "products page." All you have to do now is click it to begin the procedure. Isn't it simple?

Who Makes Use of Spree?

Spree is used by a number of major corporations to create an online shopping experience for its customers. Chipotle, Bonobos, and Casper are just a few of their well-known clients.

However, just because larger companies are benefiting from Spree doesn't imply that small businesses can't benefit from it as well.

How Do You Begin Using Spree?

If you're interested in getting started with Spree Commerce, all you have to do is follow these steps:

• Spree can be tried out utilising a private Spree Demo. This can be up and operating in a matter of minutes. It's excellent because it allows you to try out the most recent version of their programme.

• To get the most of the programme, review the Spree user guides, development guidelines, API guides, and release notes.

• Now go to GitHub and download the Spree code. This provides you with the latest recent version of Spree's software.

• You can choose from a variety of Spree extensions or create your own.

• Join the Spree Slack community to connect with other Spree users.

Spree Commerce

Who Is a Good Candidate for Spree Commerce?

It doesn't matter what type of e-commerce business you're running; if you know how to code, you can utilise our software—that 's easy!

Spree Commerce may be right for you if any of these endeavours sound similar to the project you're working on:

• When it comes to running an online store,

• With the help of a multi-vendor marketplace,

• Launching a content-driven commerce initiative

• Developing an E-commerce app's backend (on either iOS or Android),

Spree Commerce, of course, necessitates a certain level of technological expertise. It's more suited to web developers, programmers, and coders as a result. If you have no prior experience in this field, you should generally go with something more user-friendly like Shopify.

If your organisation has an in-house web developer, however, this resource is well worth utilising. It provides a cost-effective and reliable way to customise and manage your online store. After all, it's free, so there's no harm in giving it a shot!

Summary

When you use Spree Commerce to create an eCommerce store, you get a fully customised, multi-functional system that is also simple to use and maintain. The framework is ideal for developing scalable online shops.

We, on the other hand, would be delighted to assist you with your project. As you may be aware, our staff has extensive Spree Commerce development experience, and we offer our services with the assurance of a high-quality outcome.