Store Builder
Drag-drop storefront with 50+ themes, custom CSS for polish, and product catalogs imported from Zoho Inventory. The page builder uses a section/column model — Hero, Featured Products, Testimonials, FAQ, Custom HTML are the high-use sections. Custom code lives in Site Settings → Custom Head/Body, which is where you drop GA4, Meta Pixel, or chat widgets. Mobile preview is per-breakpoint (mobile, tablet, desktop), and you should test all three before publishing because Commerce themes do not always degrade gracefully. Domain mapping supports your own TLD via CNAME; SSL is auto-provisioned via Let’s Encrypt within an hour of DNS propagation.
Payments
Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay, Authorize.net, 2Checkout, and PayU are the headline integrations, with regional methods like UPI (India), iDEAL (Netherlands), and Klarna (EU). Configure each gateway under Settings → Payments → Online Payments. Test mode credentials are available for Stripe and Razorpay — always run a real $1 test transaction before launch. Manual payment methods (bank transfer, cash on delivery, cheque) are toggleable per region. COD enabled across the entire site is a common mistake; restrict it to specific countries via Shipping Zones.
Tax
Tax rules per region cover EU VAT, US sales tax, GST (India), HST (Canada), and configurable custom rules. Avalara integration (paid add-on) handles US sales tax nexus calculation if you sell across multiple states. EU VAT requires the OSS scheme registration if you ship cross-border B2C above the €10k threshold — Commerce computes the right rate per destination but you still file the return. Books integration pushes invoices into the accounting ledger automatically; reconcile weekly to catch payment-gateway-fee mismatches.
Marketing
Built-in SEO (meta titles, descriptions, schema.org Product markup, sitemap.xml auto-generated), Google Shopping feed integration, and abandoned cart recovery. Abandoned cart emails fire at 1h, 24h, and 72h by default — adjust the cadence under Marketing → Abandoned Cart. Email marketing flows through Zoho Campaigns, with order data available as merge fields. Coupons support percentage, fixed amount, BOGO, and free shipping; URL-coupons (auto-applied via referral link) help with influencer campaigns.
Multi-Channel Selling
Sync inventory and orders with Amazon, eBay, and Etsy on Premium plans. Stock counts stay consistent across channels via the Inventory module. WhatsApp Catalog integration (2026 release) lets customers browse and order via WhatsApp Business — useful for emerging markets where checkout abandonment on web is high.
vs Shopify
Cheaper at scale — Commerce Premium is roughly half the cost of Shopify Advanced for equivalent features. Tightly integrated with Zoho One (CRM, Books, Inventory, Campaigns) so you avoid the Shopify-app sprawl. Less third-party app ecosystem than Shopify; if your store needs a niche post-purchase upsell tool or a specific subscription engine, Shopify still wins on selection. Fits cleanly if you’re already Zoho-native and don’t want a separate ecommerce silo.
What to do this week
Run a test order through every payment gateway you’ve enabled, configure the abandoned cart email at 1h, and verify your sitemap.xml is submitted to Google Search Console.
