Changing eCommerce platforms is one of the most expensive decisions a digital team makes: months of project work, operational risk and a huge opportunity cost. And it’s often made for the wrong reason.
At Balloon we build and run stores on VTEX, Shopify and Adobe Commerce for brands and retailers in LATAM. This article doesn’t try to crown a winner. It tries to help you ask the right questions.
First: is the platform the problem?
Before comparing, rule out what a migration won’t fix:
- Poor catalog and content. If your listings are incomplete, they’ll be incomplete on the new platform too.
- Manual processes. If price or stock uploads depend on one person and a spreadsheet, migrating won’t automate that on its own.
- No team or budget to evolve. A new platform without capacity to improve it stalls just like the old one.
If your diagnosis points there, start with a store health check and get the operation in order. The migration can wait.
The three platforms, in one table
| Criterion | VTEX | Shopify Plus | Adobe Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | SaaS with a modular architecture | SaaS | Open source on Adobe’s cloud or self-hosted (Magento Open Source) |
| Strength | Omnichannel and native marketplace (selling third-party products on your site) | Speed to launch, app ecosystem and operating cost | Full flexibility in business rules, complex catalogs and B2B |
| Presence in LATAM | Very strong among large retailers and brands in the region | Strong among D2C brands | Strong among companies with B2B and in-house tech teams |
| Customization | High, with specialized development | Medium-high, within the platform’s rules | Very high |
| Team you need | Specialized partner | Leaner team | Tech team or experienced partner |
| B2B | Yes | Yes, with native B2B features | Very complete |
| Agentic commerce | Evolving | Integrated with the UCP and ACP protocols via Shopify | Evolving |
Platform capabilities change fast. Verify the specific features you need with the vendor or your partner before deciding.
The 7 criteria that weigh most in LATAM
1. Total cost of ownership, not license. Add up the license or commission, initial development, apps and extensions, hosting if applicable, and the team that will run it for the next 3 years. The surprises are almost always in apps and integrations.
2. ERP integration. It’s what sets the project’s timeline and risk. Ask which connectors exist for your ERP and who maintains them.
3. Marketplaces. If you sell on Mercado Libre, Amazon and Walmart, how are catalog, stock and orders synced? A multichannel middleware can matter more than the platform itself.
4. Local payments and shipping. Interest-free installments, cash payments at stores, instant transfers and local carriers. Check what’s available natively in each country where you sell.
5. Omnichannel. Store pickup, store inventory on the site and ship-from-store. If your operation has physical stores, this criterion changes the decision.
6. Site speed. It affects conversion and SEO. Ask for reference sites in your category and measure them yourself.
7. AI readiness. Structured product data, clean feeds and a connection to agentic commerce protocols. We explain it in Agentic commerce in 2027.
When each one tends to fit
- VTEX: retailers and brands with omnichannel operations, several physical stores, their own marketplace or several countries under one operation.
- Shopify Plus: D2C brands that want to launch fast, iterate on marketing and keep a small tech team.
- Adobe Commerce: companies with complex business rules, strong B2B, many catalogs or price lists, and in-house technical capacity.
How to run the evaluation without bias
- Write down your 10 most important requirements, ranked by weight.
- Ask each vendor or partner for a demo on your use cases, not their script.
- Calculate the 3-year total cost with the same assumptions for all three.
- Talk to two clients of each platform in your category.
- Define the migration plan (SEO, customer data, order history, integrations) before signing.
In short
The best platform is the one your team can run and grow. Before migrating, confirm that the problem is the platform and not the operation. And if you do migrate, treat SEO and integrations as if they were the whole project.
Balloon is a certified VTEX and Adobe partner, and also builds on Shopify. If you’re evaluating a migration, we start with a diagnostic of your current store. Request it here.
FAQ
Which is the best eCommerce platform for a brand in Mexico?
There's no best one in the abstract. VTEX tends to fit omnichannel operations with their own marketplace; Shopify Plus fits D2C brands that prioritize speed and operating cost; Adobe Commerce fits complex catalogs and business rules, especially B2B. The decision depends on your operation, not on a ranking.
How long does a migration take?
A migration for a mid-size brand usually takes 3 to 6 months, depending on the number of integrations (ERP, OMS, PIM, payments) and catalog volume. The ERP integration almost always sets the timeline.
When does migrating not make sense?
When the problem isn't the platform but the operation: a messy catalog, poor content, manual processes or a lack of team. Migrating doesn't fix that, and it costs months of focus.