Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) is a powerful ERP solution built to handle the core operational needs of wholesale distributors—managing inventory, processing orders, and streamlining supply chains. But when it comes to digital commerce, many distributors are still relying on Infor Rhythm, a legacy solution that no longer meets the demands of modern B2B buying behavior.
Today’s B2B buyers expect more: fast, intuitive, personalized shopping experiences with flexible pricing, real-time data, and omnichannel access. Rhythm, with its limited frontend customization, rigid architecture, and lack of third-party extensibility, often creates bottlenecks for growth-minded businesses. As a result, a growing number of Infor CSD users are transitioning to BigCommerce—a modern, API-driven platform built to support scalable, integrated B2B commerce.
In this blog, we break down how BigCommerce compares to Rhythm across critical functionality—from customer experience and pricing logic to ERP integration, shipping automation, and multi-channel selling—and why it’s becoming the preferred choice for distributors using Infor CSD.
In this blog, we’ll explore-
Let’s dive deeper into every aspect to give you a complete picture.
BigCommerce vs. Rhythm: Feature Comparison for Infor CSD Users
1. Customer Experience and Front-End Flexibility
In the digital-first B2B landscape, buyers expect the same ease and intuitiveness they experience as consumers. Personalization, fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and intuitive navigation are no longer optional.
Rhythm offers a functional but rigid frontend. It provides basic B2B features out of the box, but customizing the user interface often requires deep technical knowledge or workarounds. This limits the ability to differentiate and modernize the customer experience.
BigCommerce, by contrast, embraces flexibility. With support for headless commerce and Progressive Web Apps (PWA), it allows businesses to craft tailored, high-performance experiences. Developers can work with modern frameworks (like React or Vue.js) and connect seamlessly to Infor CSD via APIs or middleware. This means faster interfaces, responsive mobile design, and customer-specific storefronts—all maintained outside of ERP constraints.
2. Account-Based Pricing and Catalogs
Managing unique pricing structures, contract rates, and tailored catalogs is core to B2B operations.
Rhythm offers basic support for price lists and restricted catalogs, but often lacks advanced segmentation tools. This can lead to static setups, especially as the business scales or adds new customer segments.
BigCommerce offers robust native B2B functionality: customer-specific pricing, volume-based discounts, shared company accounts with multiple buyers, and catalog restrictions—all integrated with the ERP via connectors like Celigo or custom middleware. The result? Dynamic, real-time pricing pulled from Infor CSD and displayed seamlessly to the right user segment.
3. Shipping Automation and Fulfillment Logistics
Shipping operations in wholesale distribution are complex—multi-warehouse setups, LTL freight, hazmat rules, and dynamic carrier rates are just the beginning.
While Rhythm integrates with Infor’s logistics modules, its standalone shipping features are limited. Distributors often need third-party tools to calculate rates, print labels, or automate returns. Real-time rate shopping or support for carriers like UPS, FedEx, and LTL providers is minimal.
BigCommerce integrates with platforms like ShipperHQ, EasyPost, and ShipStation to bring enterprise-grade shipping automation. Users get rate comparisons across multiple carriers, automated label generation, shipment tracking, return logistics, and compliance handling—all surfaced at checkout or in the customer portal. When paired with Infor CSD, shipping data (such as carrier selection or tracking numbers) can be pushed back into the ERP in real time, reducing manual entry and fulfillment errors.
4. Real-Time ERP Integration
A common assumption is that Rhythm, being an Infor product, integrates more tightly with Infor CSD than third-party platforms. In practice, however, real-time synchronization—especially for pricing, inventory, and order status—is not always consistent.
BigCommerce, while not natively tied to Infor, has matured its integration strategy. Middleware solutions like Cloras, Celigo, and eBridge automate two-way syncs across all major data points: products, customers, inventory, pricing, orders, and shipping. These integrations are real-time, configurable, and built to scale, ensuring that the digital storefront and the ERP stay perfectly aligned.
5. Developer Ecosystem and Extensibility
Modern eCommerce platforms thrive on a vibrant ecosystem. Whether it’s marketing automation, advanced search, analytics, or personalization, third-party integrations play a key role.
Rhythm’s ecosystem is limited. With fewer developers, plug-ins, and integration-ready tools, extending its capabilities often requires costly custom development.
BigCommerce is API-first and boasts a large marketplace of vetted apps. Tools like Algolia (search), Klaviyo (email and SMS marketing), Avalara (tax compliance), and PunchOut2Go (procurement systems) integrate directly. This allows distributors to add functionality without heavy lifting—and stay agile as digital requirements evolve.
6. Cost of Ownership and Scalability
Rhythm’s upfront appeal lies in its bundled nature. But over time, many businesses find themselves constrained by its rigidity. Custom workarounds, patchwork integrations, and technical debt accumulate, leading to increased IT overhead.
BigCommerce offers predictable pricing, automatic updates, and scalable performance. Whether it’s peak season traffic or expanding into new markets, the infrastructure adjusts without costly upgrades or downtime. For distributors, this translates into lower long-term costs and faster ROI.
7. Security, Compliance, and DevOps Support
As digital commerce matures, security and deployment agility are non-negotiable. Rhythm offers basic enterprise-grade security, such as SSL support and PCI compliance, but lacks built-in tools for modern DevOps practices. Deployment workflows often depend on Infor’s release cycles or manual interventions, which can slow down iteration and testing.
On the other hand, BigCommerce is PCI DSS Level 1 certified and provides advanced options like custom SSL, SAML-based Single Sign-On, and API token-based authentication. Developers working with headless front ends benefit from built-in staging environments, GitHub integration, and continuous deployment pipelines, enabling faster innovation and more secure, testable rollouts.
8. Multi-Channel and Marketplace Selling
Modern B2B buyers are not confined to a single channel. They browse on marketplaces, consult distributors, and often expect a unified experience across touchpoints. Rhythm does not natively support multi-channel sales or integrations with platforms like Amazon, Walmart, or eBay—adding such capabilities usually requires extensive custom development.
BigCommerce, however, comes pre-integrated with major marketplaces and supports social selling through platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With centralized inventory management and unified order processing, businesses can extend their reach without duplicating backend logic. Middleware ensures that data flows seamlessly between Infor CSD and external channels, creating a true omnichannel B2B experience.
| Features | Infor Rhythm | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend Flexibility | Rigid templates, limited UI control | Headless-ready, PWA support, customizable UX |
| B2B Features | Basic pricing/catalog tools | Advanced pricing, shared accounts, and custom catalogs |
| Shipping & Fulfillment | Minimal native options | Integrates with ShipperHQ, EasyPost, and ShipStation |
| ERP Integration | Limited real-time sync | Real-time 2-way sync via Celigo, Cloras, eBridge |
| Developer Ecosystem | Small, proprietary | Large, open API ecosystem with app marketplace |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Higher long-term due to custom dev | Predictable SaaS model, low maintenance |
| Security & DevOps | Basic compliance, slow deployments | PCI Level 1, SSO, CI/CD, GitHub workflows |
| Multi-Channel Support | No native marketplace support | Built-in Amazon, eBay, and Meta integrations |
Infor CSD + BigCommerce: What Seamless Integration Looks Like
Integrating BigCommerce with Infor CloudSuite Distribution (CSD) unlocks the full potential of both platforms, creating a powerful, unified solution tailored for modern B2B commerce. When done right—typically with an experienced implementation partner—this integration delivers real-time data synchronization, streamlined operations, and a superior buying experience. Below is a closer look at the core components and compliance considerations involved in a typical integration architecture.
Key Integration Points
- Product Synchronization: All product information—such as SKUs, descriptions, categories, pricing tiers, and images—is continuously synced between Infor CSD and BigCommerce. This ensures that your online catalog is always accurate and up-to-date, reflecting any changes made within the ERP instantly on your storefront.
- Inventory Management: Inventory quantities are tracked in real time by warehouse location. As stock levels fluctuate, availability updates immediately on the BigCommerce site, preventing overselling and enabling accurate backorder management. Multi-warehouse support helps optimize fulfillment and shipping decisions.
- Pricing Sync: Dynamic pricing rules, including tiered pricing, contract-specific rates, volume discounts, and customer-specific pricing structures, are automatically pushed to the storefront. This allows customers to see personalized prices that reflect their negotiated agreements, ensuring transparency and reducing pricing errors.
- Order Management: Orders placed on BigCommerce are instantly transmitted to Infor CSD for processing. Order status updates—such as confirmation, fulfillment, shipment, and invoicing—are pushed back to BigCommerce, keeping customers informed throughout the purchase lifecycle with real-time tracking and status notifications.
- Shipping Automation: Integration with shipping platforms enables automatic carrier selection, label generation, real-time shipping rate calculation, and return logistics. Shipping data—including tracking numbers and delivery status—is synced back into Infor CSD, providing full visibility and reducing manual data entry errors.
Compliance and Governance
- Tax Compliance: The integration supports complex tax rules relevant to B2B operations, including sales tax, VAT, and other jurisdictional tax requirements. Tax calculations and remittances are automated, minimizing risk and ensuring compliance with local and international tax regulations.
- Shipping Documentation: Necessary shipping documentation, such as Bills of Lading (BOL), customs forms, and hazardous material declarations, is generated and managed seamlessly. This compliance reduces delays in freight handling and ensures adherence to shipping regulations.
Data Security and Privacy: Both platforms comply with stringent data protection standards, including GDPR and PCI DSS. Secure API connections, encryption protocols, and authentication measures safeguard sensitive customer and payment data, maintaining trust and regulatory compliance.
Why Infor CSD Users Should Choose BigCommerce Over Rhythm
If you’re currently using Infor CSD and evaluating Rhythm as your eCommerce platform, consider the advantages BigCommerce brings to the table. BigCommerce empowers distributors with modern capabilities that boost efficiency, enhance customer experience, and scale effortlessly—features that Rhythm struggles to deliver in today’s fast-evolving B2B landscape.
Key Benefits of BigCommerce for Infor CSD Users:
- Flexible, customizable storefronts: Headless commerce and PWA support enable superior user experiences.
- Advanced B2B pricing & catalogs: Real-time, customer-specific pricing directly synced from Infor CSD.
- Robust shipping automation: Integration with leading carriers and platforms for seamless fulfillment.
- Real-time two-way ERP sync: Accurate, instant data flow for orders, inventory, and pricing.
- Extensive developer ecosystem: Access to a wide range of third-party apps and integrations.
- Lower total cost of ownership: Predictable SaaS pricing with scalable infrastructure.
- Built-in multi-channel selling: Support for marketplaces and social commerce without extra overhead.
Switching to BigCommerce means equipping your business with a future-ready platform designed to grow with you and deliver the modern digital commerce experience your customers expect.
Why DotcomWeavers Is Your Trusted Partner for Infor CSD and BigCommerce Integration
Choosing the right partner is key to maximizing the value of your Infor CSD and BigCommerce platform. DotcomWeavers brings the expertise and tailored solutions you need to succeed in today’s competitive B2B commerce landscape.
What We Offer:
- Infor Integration: Custom connectors and middleware solutions to ensure seamless data flow between Infor CSD and your eCommerce storefront.
- ERP Integration: Real-time synchronization of pricing, inventory, orders, and shipping for streamlined operations and accuracy.
- B2B Commerce Solutions: Advanced features like personalized pricing, multi-account management, and flexible catalogs are designed specifically for B2B buyers.
- BigCommerce Expertise: Deep experience leveraging BigCommerce’s API-first architecture to build scalable, mobile-friendly, and high-performance storefronts.
- UX & Shipping Automation: Tailored user experiences combined with shipping solutions that support multi-warehouse, LTL, and real-time carrier rates.
- Proven Results: Successful implementations for wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors driving growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Partner with DotcomWeavers to future-proof your commerce platform and deliver the seamless, modern buying experiences your customers expect. Contact us today to start your journey.
About the Author: Amit Bhaiya
Receive a Personalized Consultation for Your eCommerce Requirements!
Receive a Personalized Consultation for Your eCommerce Requirements!