Create online stores with Drupal Commerce

Drupal Commerce is a contributed module that transforms a Drupal site into a powerful eCommerce platform. Since its release, it has gained popularity among developers and online store owners for its flexibility, scalability, and integration capabilities. 

In this article, we'll explore the most relevant features of Drupal Commerce, compare its pros and cons, and show you how to install it on Drupal.

Drupal Commerce Features

1. Flexibility and customization: Drupal Commerce allows for complete customization of the shopping experience. Thanks to Drupal’s modular structure, you can create custom workflows, integrate external systems, and adjust the look and feel of your store to your specific needs.

2. Complete product management: The module offers robust tools for product management, including attributes, variations, prices and stock. This makes it easy to manage a large and diverse product catalogue.

3. Payment System Integration: Drupal Commerce integrates with multiple popular payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. It also allows for the creation of custom payment methods to meet specific needs.

4. Multilingual and multicurrency support: For international businesses, Drupal Commerce offers full support for multiple languages ​​and currencies, making it easy to expand into global markets.

5. Tax Management: The module includes advanced tools for tax management, which can be configured to comply with the tax regulations of different regions and countries.

6. Customize your checkout process: You can customize your checkout flow to improve the user experience, including options like one-step or multi-step payments, and flexible delivery options.

Pros and Cons of Drupal Commerce

Pros:

• Native Drupal integration: Drupal Commerce integrates seamlessly with the Drupal ecosystem, leveraging its capabilities for managing content, users, etc.
• Flexibility: The modular structure allows for deep customizations and specific adaptations according to business needs.
• Scalability: Ideal for sites that expect to grow significantly, as it can handle a large volume of products and transactions.
• Community: We cannot forget the support of the Drupal community, which contributes additional modules, constant improvements and regular security reviews looking for vulnerabilities and security issues.

Contras:

• Learning Curve: Requires a solid understanding of Drupal to take full advantage of its capabilities.
• Complex setup: Initial setup can be more complex compared to other more end-user oriented platforms.
• Dependency on additional modules: Some advanced functionality may require the installation and configuration of additional modules, which may require prior requirements analysis.

Installing Drupal Commerce on Drupal 10 via Composer

To install Commerce you must do it as you would with any other contributed module.

Install the latest version of Drupal Commerce using Composer with the following command:

composer require drupal/commerce

Next, enable the module from the Drupal interface or with drush:

drush en commerce -y

Once enabled, follow the instructions in the Drupal Commerce documentation to continue setting up your store.

Conclusion

Drupal Commerce is a powerful and flexible option for those looking to start their journey in building an online store. Its customizability and scalability make it suitable for a wide range of businesses, from small online stores to large enterprises with complex needs. While it may present a steeper learning curve and more detailed initial setup, the advantages it offers in terms of integration and customization make it a solid choice for Drupal-based eCommerce projects.

Have you tried it yet? What do you think about Drupal Commerce?