Anchor Group Podcast: Episode 8
Listen on Spotify: Anchor Group Podcast Episode 8: What is SuiteCommerce MyAccount? (And Who Needs It)
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Podcast Transcript
Michael (00:00)
Hey everybody, thanks for tuning into the Anchor Group Podcast. This is episode eight. Today we're going to dive into MyAccount, which is a feature of the SuiteCommerce e-commerce platform that's built on NetSuite. We're joined by Peter, one of our solution architects at Anchor Group, who's going to walk us through MyAccount. This conversation will be pretty high-level, but by the end of this podcast, you'll understand what MyAccount is, how it fits into the NetSuite ecosystem, and who it might really benefit.
Peter, thank you for joining us today on the Anchor Group Podcast. I know this is your first time on our podcast. Have you been on any other podcast before?
Peter (00:37)
No, I haven't. I've been able to watch my wife do a couple of author podcasts, but no, I've never been on one myself.
Michael (00:47)
Well, there you go. Welcome to the podcast world—get your voice out on the airwaves, right? So Peter, you work at Anchor Group, and you and I work together on various sales roles and tasks. Could you share with us a little about how you got started at Anchor Group, and specifically, what your role is here?
Peter (00:51)
Anchor Group is a unique company, even within the ERP space, and initially it was very much driven by word of mouth. I got into Anchor Group primarily through my brother, who was connected with some of the founding members. He was good friends with them, and he brought a couple of us onboard from the local area. Because of our unique in-office culture, location is obviously important to working here.
I initially became interested because Anchor Group was doing things differently from other companies. My background was a bit more technical and science-focused, but early on, I joined the delivery team as a foundational piece, supporting SuiteCommerce and NetSuite in their early days. After a few years in that role, I transitioned to the sales team about two years ago to assist with technical sales.
Michael (02:17)
Cool, thanks for sharing. Anchor Group does have that unique in-office culture, and it's nice. You and I work in the same office, and it’s refreshing to have that dynamic, especially in a world where so many people are working remotely in e-commerce and software.
Peter (02:33)
Absolutely. I'm sure people remember how things used to be before the remote shift. I recall clearly the inefficiencies we dealt with during that transition, which many still experience today. It’s refreshing to work in an office where I can quickly talk to someone face-to-face without sending a message or an email.
Michael (03:01)
That's right. There are definitely efficiencies gained by working in-office. Today, we're excited to have you with us because we want to discuss SuiteCommerce MyAccount. MyAccount is a feature we work with frequently here at Anchor Group. However, when prospects approach us seeking solutions, many don't initially know what MyAccount is, how it works, or how it can help their businesses. So Peter, could you help provide some clarity on what MyAccount is and how it might benefit businesses? At a high level, could you start by explaining what MyAccount is and how it integrates into the NetSuite ecosystem?
Peter (04:06)
That's a great question. We've seen MyAccount gaining popularity recently, but it’s not exactly new—it's been around for a while. MyAccount is essentially a customizable customer portal specifically designed for NetSuite. It’s built directly on top of the NetSuite ERP, providing a seamless, unified system. It connects all your inventory and customer data directly to your customers, allowing them to view orders, order history, update orders, manage quotes, and handle other B2B-focused customer portal needs. Basically, it gives customers direct access to the powerful capabilities of the NetSuite ERP.
Michael (05:05)
That's a good point. One of its greatest strengths is that it sits right on top of the ERP. On the e-commerce side, when building websites using platforms like BigCommerce or Shopify, you typically need integrations to create a customer portal experience. But with MyAccount, you don't need an integration—it’s built directly into NetSuite.
Peter (05:24)
Exactly. Unlike most e-commerce platforms—even those with B2B options—SuiteCommerce MyAccount removes the need for third-party integrations and front-to-back-end data syncing. We often tell customers that there's no such thing as "MyAccount data"—it’s simply NetSuite data. You don't need to sync customers or sales orders, because anything created in MyAccount is directly created in NetSuite, and vice versa.
Michael (06:13)
So essentially, MyAccount is just a different way of displaying data—it's another interface for interacting with NetSuite data. Just to clarify for listeners who might be confused about where MyAccount fits: You have NetSuite itself, then SuiteCommerce, which is the e-commerce extension built on top of your NetSuite account. Within the SuiteCommerce ecosystem, there's the MyAccount feature.
Peter, first, did I explain that correctly? Second, do you actually need SuiteCommerce to have MyAccount, or can you just have MyAccount connected directly to your NetSuite environment?
Peter (06:50)
Great question, and there is definitely some confusion around this in the industry. There are three versions of the SuiteCommerce module that NetSuite sells: SuiteCommerce, SuiteCommerce Advanced, and SuiteCommerce MyAccount.
SuiteCommerce itself is the full e-commerce solution. Within SuiteCommerce, MyAccount exists as a feature. So while SuiteCommerce MyAccount is often viewed as a third option, in reality, it's actually foundational. It's the customer portal—the login to see data, orders, quotes, and so on—it's the main B2B tool SuiteCommerce uses.
If you purchase SuiteCommerce, you receive full e-commerce functionality—shopping pages, carts, checkout, integrated payments—and SuiteCommerce MyAccount is included as part of that. The same goes for SuiteCommerce Advanced, which is essentially an upgraded version of SuiteCommerce. The key distinction is that SuiteCommerce and SuiteCommerce Advanced include shopping and checkout functionality, whereas SuiteCommerce MyAccount is just the portal component.
But to directly answer your question: you don't have to purchase SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced to get MyAccount. You can buy MyAccount separately, which makes sense for companies that don't need the shopping cart experience but still want a robust customer portal.
Michael (08:28)
Has it always been this way? Have you always been able to purchase MyAccount as a standalone NetSuite module, or is that a newer development from NetSuite?
Peter (08:42)
It's somewhat new. I'd say the bigger change is the evolution of MyAccount’s feature set. Originally, SuiteCommerce Advanced was far ahead in terms of features and customization capabilities. Unless you needed an out-of-the-box setup, you were pushed toward SuiteCommerce Advanced.
That's changed now. The standard SuiteCommerce has mostly caught up to SuiteCommerce Advanced, and SuiteCommerce MyAccount has evolved similarly. NetSuite rolls out new features twice a year, keeping it up-to-date. Also, the development ecosystem around SuiteCommerce has matured. Companies like Anchor Group have found efficient ways to customize the base code. Now, more companies are willing to customize SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce MyAccount. Previously, any customization would automatically lead you into SuiteCommerce Advanced territory.
Michael (10:02)
Just to clarify: if you have SuiteCommerce Standard or SuiteCommerce Advanced, is the MyAccount feature exactly the same in both? You get the same feature set right from the start?
Peter (10:19)
Yes. Both include MyAccount as part of the module. You can think of SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced as essentially three websites bundled together: the customer portal (MyAccount), the shopping experience, and the checkout experience. In many other systems, these are treated as separate pieces of software, but NetSuite bundles them.
What's unique about SuiteCommerce MyAccount is that you can purchase it separately if the portal is all you need.
Michael (11:01)
So why might a company consider purchasing just MyAccount without SuiteCommerce? If SuiteCommerce offers the full e-commerce front-end—shopping cart and all—do you lose that functionality by only purchasing MyAccount?
Peter (11:21)
There's some nuance here, especially considering Anchor Group's capabilities. Generally, no—you don't completely lose functionality. There are clear advantages to having the full SuiteCommerce module, and in most e-commerce situations, we'd recommend SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced.
However, SuiteCommerce MyAccount alone isn't strictly limited to being just a portal. You can create orders, and there's an integrated cart and checkout process. But its main use-case is for businesses aiming to centralize data access for customers. They want to reduce calls from customers checking order statuses, inventory availability, or quotes.
MyAccount gives customers direct visibility into your ERP system—they can check order statuses, see shipping updates, track quotes, initiate returns, pay invoices, and communicate directly with your support team through messaging. As companies grow, sales teams often get overwhelmed with these repetitive tasks. SuiteCommerce MyAccount helps separate your sales team's time from managing routine customer interactions, allowing them to focus more on generating new leads and building existing relationships.
This doesn't mean your customers get ignored or pushed away—rather, it streamlines interactions, freeing your sales team to engage more meaningfully and effectively.
Michael (14:05)
I like the way you described that. It essentially allows your customers to become more independent in managing their orders and invoices.
Peter (14:16)
Exactly. And another important point is that younger generations prefer this. Many aren't interested in making phone calls or having direct conversations just to check order statuses or quotes—they'd rather just quickly log in online.
Michael (14:44)
That's a good point, Peter—I have a quick story about that. I'm not sure if you consider me part of the younger generation, but recently I had a reverse osmosis water filtration system installed at home. You know those systems?
You have to replace the filters every six months. Well, the manufacturer didn't have any online ordering system. There was no website portal or Amazon availability, and you couldn't find them in stores. To get filters, I had to call a specific representative, and when I urgently needed replacement filters, he was on vacation for a week.
Long story short, I ended up buying a different system entirely—one that allowed me to easily get replacement filters at local stores. So you're right—many customers prefer a straightforward, independent online experience rather than relying on phone calls.
Peter (15:56)
Right. To your point, there's a broader discussion around e-commerce in general. We're seeing across various industries, politics, and basically everything, this push toward subsidiarity—towards specialization and subsidiarity. The era of giant corporations dominating everything is slowly becoming part of the past. The mom-and-pop shops that excel in one niche thing are increasingly able to get their voice out there because communication is so accessible now. Having an e-commerce platform, or at least a customer portal, is a big step forward.
To your point, I can always go on Home Depot's website and order something. They've got an established platform. If you're trying to compete—not necessarily directly with Home Depot, but perhaps with products that Home Depot sells—you've got to provide customers with those tools as well.
Michael (17:08)
Yeah, and to take your example one step further, it’s also about convenience. The convenience of not only ordering online but seeing shipping options or pickup details. When you handle everything over the phone or email, that information just isn't as transparent.
I like how our conversation highlights that MyAccount provides features catering to customers' needs—needs that maybe haven't been fully addressed before if a business still primarily takes orders by phone or email. That buyer portal can be incredibly critical.
Let's return to the water filtration example. Pretend there was a portal where I could have logged in to order filters. Connect the dots for us, Peter: if I only had NetSuite and MyAccount, could products like those filters be listed within that MyAccount section? If I'm a customer and need to buy a pallet of filters for my mom-and-pop hardware store, could I log in and see products available for me to purchase?
Peter (18:46)
Great question. This goes back to the nuances of what a team like ours can do with MyAccount. It makes the answer a little complicated, but to put it simply: any order that exists can be reordered. Native functionality within MyAccount allows you, once you've made a purchase, to reorder that purchase or even make adjustments to it.
There's a reorder tab displaying all items you've previously ordered, and there's also a reorder button on each sales order. Clicking it places those products into the cart, where you can change quantities, remove items, increase the amount—basically anything you would normally do in a cart.
What's not there natively are what the industry typically refers to as product list pages or product pages. However, depending on your SKU count and product numbers, we've built those out within SuiteCommerce MyAccount.
Michael (19:57)
Yeah, and Peter, I want to dive into that further. Here at Anchor Group, we have a saying internally: "The more complex, the better." We genuinely enjoy tackling challenging problems. Complex issues are one of our strengths. Could you talk about some of the customizations that you and the rest of the Anchor Group team have built out within MyAccount?
Peter (20:26)
Yeah, great. There are really four main ones that we frequently see in MyAccount.
The first one is related to products. If you have a small SKU count and don't need the extensive features of a full SuiteCommerce website—like categories and lengthy product filters—we often see this for companies offering just four or five services or subscriptions. We can build a single landing page that shows each item and lets customers add them directly to the cart. That's a very popular feature because SuiteCommerce MyAccount typically costs about half, or sometimes even less, compared to full SuiteCommerce. So it's very cost-effective.
The second most popular customization—or really two related customizations—are customer swap and contact management. Customer swap allows a single user to switch between different customer accounts. We see two main use cases for this: sales reps and clients who have complicated customer hierarchies. For instance, there might be an administrative customer record with multiple location records beneath it, and the admin needs to view data for each location, pay invoices, or generate orders. Our extension lets users seamlessly switch between customer records while maintaining NetSuite's robust password and security standards.
The related feature, contact management, allows customers to manage their own contacts—adding, removing, and editing contacts that have portal access. This is particularly useful if your sales team frequently receives calls from customers saying, "We have a new employee starting Monday—can you give them access?" or, "Someone left—can you revoke their access?" This feature empowers customers, especially when you have a rigorous onboarding process. You want a high bar to become a customer, but once they’re in, you want to give some management power back to them.
The final popular customization has a simple ROI calculation, which explains its popularity. It's a credit card or late fee extension that automatically applies credit card processing or late fees onto invoices. It includes numerous customization options to ensure compliance with state-by-state or international legal requirements
Michael (23:35)
Interesting. Yeah, those are great. Now, Peter, if someone says, “I need customizations or extensions that don’t exist,” how expensive is it to build out those customizations, or how much time does it usually take to build something custom within MyAccount?
Peter (23:54)
Great question. What I’d say before diving into that is: at Anchor Group, we customize MyAccount, SuiteCommerce, and NetSuite. It’s what we do—and we enjoy doing it. But our instinct is always to look for a native solution first. That saves our clients money and makes their environment easier to maintain in the future.
So if you come to us with a tricky problem you think can’t be solved, we’re not going to just throw developers at it and say, “Alright, let’s start coding.” We try to put our heads together with you and figure out: what are we actually trying to solve, and why? I think that’s a big benefit we offer—often to the detriment of our own bottom line—because we regularly talk customers out of customizations.
It builds a better relationship in the long run, and that’s what we care about. If this were just about doing custom work and then disappearing, we’d operate differently. But it reflects some of our Midwest values—we want to provide true expertise in these platforms, and that doesn’t always mean development.
Anyway, to your actual question—it depends on the ask and the system. But all of our project managers can typically scope and quote live on a call. Sometimes they’ll want to check in with leadership or a developer to double-check something.
Some customizations, like the credit card fee extension, usually come in around $4,000 to $6,000. And if you’re collecting credit card fees, that often pays for itself really quickly. While Anchor Group’s hourly rate tends to be high for the industry, we make up for it in speed. Ironically, that might be a reason to charge more—but we end up hitting competitive budget ranges because we’re so fast with customization.
What we offer is better, faster customizations for a similar price point as competitors who might take three or four times as long and still not deliver the same quality.
Now, when it comes to customizations that aren’t already pre-built, that’s an important point. Because this is what we do and we've been doing it for so long, we’ve built up a huge repository of code. It’s actually pretty rare for a customer to come to us with a need we’ve never seen. Almost every time, I’m able to say, “Yes, we’ve solved that. Let me show you how another customer uses it.”
There may be small nuances, but most of the code is already written. That helps us offset our higher hourly rate for onshore developers.
When a customization request comes in, we go through the same process: Can we do it natively? Can we reuse existing code? If not, then we dive in and build something specific to you.
While we’re generally a time-and-materials company, we try to be really upfront with our estimates. We provide detailed visibility into daily and hourly task logs. Unlike many consulting companies where you get a monthly invoice with one big number, our invoices include time entries. Our developers are required to log time multiple times per day.
We want to demystify what’s being worked on and why—so that customers can have confidence that what they’re paying for is worth it.
Michael (28:36)
Great explanation—thank you. As we start to wrap things up, I want to try to summarize what we've talked about and highlight what types of companies might be a good fit for SuiteCommerce and MyAccount—or SuiteCommerce Advanced and MyAccount—versus those that might only need MyAccount.
Peter, correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like if I run a B2B company with a B2C component—or I want my products to be orderable by anyone visiting my website—then SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced (which also includes MyAccount as the customer portal) is probably a better fit.
On the other hand, if I don’t want my products to be visible or orderable by everyone—say I’m a manufacturer who only sells to distributors—then going the MyAccount-only route, without SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced, might be the better option. What are your thoughts on that?
Peter (29:58)
Yeah, that’s almost exactly how I’d put it. I think the clearest distinction between the two comes down to SKU count—how many products you have—and also the complexity of the products you're selling. If you need filters, multiple categories of items, or if your catalog is extensive, then SuiteCommerce or SuiteCommerce Advanced will give you those features.
But if you’re just looking for a customer portal where customers can check their orders, make payments—especially for service companies dealing with subscriptions or recurring revenue—then SuiteCommerce MyAccount is a great fit.
Michael (30:49)
Peter, give us an example of a service company you’ve worked with in the past. From an industry perspective, what would be a direct example of that?
Peter (31:00)
Yeah, I’m trying to recall the name, but it was a small mobile company that provided cell phone plans to underprivileged individuals through a government program. What they needed was a way to monitor payments and give people the ability to make payments, as well as to unify a lot of data.
In their case, the person using the phone often wasn’t the one paying for it. They worked with nonprofit organizations or small-town governments that would purchase a plan for, say, 50 phones and then distribute them as needed. They needed a centralized location to monitor those subscriptions and make changes to them.
Michael (31:50)
Right.
Peter (31:57)
SuiteCommerce MyAccount was a slam dunk for them. It was easy to set up and gave their customers quick access to insights they couldn’t get over the phone. And for a company basically operating on a shoestring budget—you can imagine that providing phones to underserved communities isn’t a high-profit model—it allowed them to keep their sales team streamlined and their personnel lean while still delivering a full-featured experience for customers.
Michael (32:41)
That’s a great example. It really shows what MyAccount can do for a company that just needs that customer portal functionality.
Well, Peter, thanks for hopping on the podcast today. It was awesome having you. I can definitely see you joining us for more episodes in the future—you’ve got expertise well beyond just MyAccount. Thanks again for being here.
Peter (32:53)
Yeah, thank you, Michael. It was a pleasure.
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