SAP Commerce End-of-Life 2026: Migration to Shopware 6

On July 31, 2026, mainstream maintenance for SAP Commerce on-premise (formerly SAP Hybris) will end. For businesses running on this platform, this means: action is required. Without security updates, patches, and functional improvements, operational and compliance risks increase significantly. But where to migrate? Shopware 6 offers an open, modular e-commerce platform with strong B2B capabilities - making it a strategically compelling alternative, particularly for companies in the DACH region.

What Does SAP Commerce End-of-Life Mean in Practice?

SAP has announced that the final on-premise version, SAP Commerce 2205, will reach End of Mainstream Maintenance (EoMM) on July 31, 2026 (SAP Help Portal). After this date, only so-called "customer-specific maintenance" remains available - without guaranteed response times, security patches, or functional updates.

In practical terms, this means for affected businesses:

• No security updates: Newly discovered vulnerabilities remain unpatched - cyberattack risk increases substantially
• No compliance updates: Changes to payment standards (PSD3), data privacy, or e-invoicing requirements will no longer be addressed
• No compatibility updates: Integrations with payment providers, ERP systems, and third-party services may gradually break
• Rising maintenance costs: Custom fixes through third-party providers are typically far more expensive than regular updates
• No access to innovations: AI features, new B2B functionality, or performance improvements will not be available

This decision is part of a larger SAP strategy: Other on-premise products such as SAP BPC 10.1 (end of June 2026) and SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.3 (end of December 2026) are also losing mainstream support this year (Rimini Street, 2025). SAP is consistently pursuing a cloud-first strategy and discontinuing development of on-premise solutions.

Who Is Affected? SAP Commerce Usage Globally

Over 3,000 companies worldwide use SAP Hybris Commerce as their e-commerce platform (6sense, 2025). Germany is the second-largest market after the USA with approximately 267 companies. These are typically mid-sized and large enterprises with complex B2B requirements - often in manufacturing, wholesale, and industrial goods.

According to 6sense data, most SAP Commerce customers operate in companies with 1,000 to 10,000 employees - a segment where dependence on stable B2B processes is particularly high. These organizations face the challenge of integrating a migration into ongoing business processes without disrupting day-to-day operations.

For these organizations, the central question is: Migrate to SAP Commerce Cloud or switch to an alternative platform? Both paths have pros and cons - and the decision depends heavily on the individual system landscape.

Migration Options at a Glance

Companies currently running SAP Commerce on-premise essentially have three paths forward:

Continuing on unsupported software is not a sustainable option for security and compliance reasons. The choice between SAP Commerce Cloud and an alternative like Shopware depends on factors such as budget, technical complexity, and strategic direction.

Why Shopware 6 Is Compelling for SAP Commerce Migrants

Shopware 6 has been recognized as a Visionary for the sixth consecutive year in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce (Gartner, November 2025). The platform is the market leader among the top 1,000 online shops in Germany with approximately 11.5% market share (EHI/Statista, 2025) and offers strong arguments specifically for B2B e-commerce:

The modular B2B Components, embedded in the Shopware core since 2025, cover typical SAP Commerce requirements: customer group management, tiered pricing, order approval workflows, and ERP integration. Learn more about the technical possibilities in our Headless Commerce Guide.

B2B Feature Comparison: SAP Commerce vs. Shopware 6

For B2B decision-makers, the central question is whether Shopware 6 can match the functional depth of SAP Commerce. Here is an overview of the most important B2B features:

SAP Commerce has advantages with native integration into the SAP ecosystem. Shopware 6, however, scores with lower costs, more flexible architecture, and a growing B2B feature set. For companies not deeply embedded in the SAP ecosystem or reconsidering their ERP strategy, switching can be strategically sound.

Another relevant difference: developer resource availability. While SAP Commerce expertise is becoming increasingly scarce in the DACH region, Shopware as a PHP/Symfony-based platform is accessible to a broader spectrum of developers. Over 80% of Shopware customers are located in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (6sense, 2025), resulting in a dense network of certified agencies and developers.

Migration Roadmap: From SAP Commerce to Shopware 6

A migration from SAP Commerce to Shopware 6 is not a simple lift-and-shift but a full replatforming effort. Enterprise installations typically require 4 to 9 months - multi-country setups with many integrations may take longer. A structured roadmap is essential:

1. Analysis & Audit (2-4 weeks): Inventory of the current SAP Commerce installation - customizations, integrations, data volumes, business processes. Which features are actually used?
2. Strategic Decision: Platform choice based on requirements, budget, and roadmap. Consulting from experienced partners is crucial at this stage.
3. Requirements Specification (2-4 weeks): Detailed specification for the Shopware 6 shop with B2B features, role/permission concepts, and interface definitions
4. Plan Data Migration: Products, customers, order histories, media - mapping between the SAP Commerce data model and Shopware 6 requires programming expertise
5. Rebuild Integrations: ERP connections, payment providers, PIM systems, and shipping services need to be connected to the Shopware API
6. Frontend Development: Design and UX concept for the new B2B shop - whether classic storefront or headless approach
7. Testing & QA (4-6 weeks): Functional, load, and integration tests under real-world conditions
8. Go-Live & Monitoring: Gradual rollout with rollback strategy and continuous monitoring

The Biggest Migration Challenges

A platform migration of this magnitude is complex. From experience with similar projects, we know the most common pitfalls:

• Data migration: Large product catalogs (50,000+ items), complex customer structures, and historical order data require custom migration scripts
• Integration complexity: SAP Commerce integrations are often deeply intertwined with SAP infrastructure. Reconnecting to Shopware APIs requires deep expertise on both sides
• SEO preservation: URL structures inevitably change. Without a comprehensive 301 redirect plan, rankings will be lost. More on this in our SEO guide for online shops
• Organizational change management: Buyers, sales teams, and IT must be trained and involved. Resistance to change is typically the biggest non-technical hurdle
• Time pressure: The fixed deadline of July 31, 2026 creates additional urgency. Delays can result in temporarily operating on unsupported software

An often underestimated aspect: Data migration alone can take weeks to months depending on data volume and structural differences. Large product catalogs require special strategies - such as parallel batch migration or incremental data transfer. It is advisable to conduct an early proof-of-concept with a representative data sample.

Cost Estimation: SAP Commerce vs. Shopware 6 TCO

A common argument for switching is the significant cost difference. While SAP Commerce Cloud typically starts at six-figure annual license costs (TrustRadius, 2025), Shopware 6 is available as a free open-source solution (Community Edition). However, license costs are only part of the picture:

License fees typically represent only 15-25% of Total Cost of Ownership over three years (Qualimero, 2025). The biggest cost drivers are implementation, customizations, ongoing maintenance, and hosting. Nevertheless, lower entry costs and greater availability of Shopware developers in the DACH region typically result in significantly lower overall costs for Shopware projects.

In addition to direct costs, companies should consider the indirect costs of remaining on a retiring platform: missed innovations, rising maintenance expenses for custom fixes, compliance risks, and the increasing difficulty of finding qualified SAP Commerce developers. In our experience, these hidden costs typically exceed migration costs within 12 to 24 months.

Ensuring ERP Integration After Migration

For B2B companies, ERP integration is often the heart of the e-commerce system. SAP Commerce customers currently benefit from native integration into the SAP ecosystem. When switching to Shopware 6, this bridge must be rebuilt.

Shopware 6 offers excellent prerequisites for ERP connections with its API-first architecture. Connecting to SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics, or other ERP systems works via REST APIs, middleware solutions, or specialized plugins. The key is that integration must be considered from the start of the migration plan - not as an afterthought.

Companies running SAP S/4HANA as their ERP and migrating to Shopware benefit from the fact that the integration architecture can often be simplified. Instead of proprietary SAP integration layers, standardized REST APIs are used, which are more maintainable and flexible long-term. A dedicated middleware like MuleSoft or an iPaaS service can handle the translation between systems.

Example: What a B2B Portal Can Look Like After Migration

What does a modern B2B portal based on Shopware 6 look like in practice? Features such as customer-specific pricing, self-service ordering, and structured product catalogs are standard platform capabilities. Below is an example that illustrates the possibilities:

Checklist: Are You Ready for Migration?

Use this checklist to assess the current state of your migration planning:

• July 31, 2026 deadline is anchored in your project portfolio
• Inventory of the current SAP Commerce installation is complete
• All used customizations and integrations are documented
• Strategic platform decision is made (Cloud vs. alternative)
• Budget and internal resources are planned
• Experienced implementation partner has been identified
• SEO redirect plan for URL structure change exists
• Change management concept for sales and procurement teams is in place

If several items remain open, you should start planning soon. The earlier you begin, the more room for careful implementation. Learn more about B2B digitalization and the general migration process in our Shopware 6 Migration Guide.