From osCommerce to AI: The Evolution of SoloMono with CEO Serhii Kolesnyk

SoloMono started as a passion project built on osCommerce and has since evolved into a powerful, high-performance eCommerce platform supporting everything from small businesses to enterprise-scale operations. In the latest edition of Website Planet interviews, CEO Serhii Kolesnyk shares how SoloMono stands out with its speed, scalability, and AI-powered innovations.

How and when was SoloMono founded, and with what idea in mind?

We began in 2006 when we started creating online stores using osCommerce as the foundation. At that time, osCommerce was a popular choice, but over the years, the official platform stagnated, remaining largely unchanged since 2003. Recognizing the need for new features, mobile compatibility, and enhanced functionality, we continuously adapted and improved upon the original system.

In 2014, we officially launched the SoloMono brand. The name carries two meaningful inspirations:

• Solomon: Named after the wisest king in history, symbolizing the wisdom and reliability we aspire to offer every client.
• Solo + Mono: “Solo” reflects the ability for anyone to independently create their own online store with minimal effort. “Mono” signifies that you can build even a single-product site or landing page with ease.

Initially, our mission was to create a no-code eCommerce platform that allowed users to launch a store in just five minutes. Over time, our vision evolved. Today, while SoloMono still enables quick and easy store creation, we also cater to complex, enterprise-level eCommerce needs. We build and manage stores that handle up to 10 million products (spare parts store) and 5,000 orders per minute, and 30,000 simultaneous users (equivalent to 20 million daily visitors), thanks to the National Bank of Ukraine’s numismatic store.

Whether you’re a small business owner starting your first online store or a major retailer needing robust, scalable solutions, SoloMono offers a full spectrum of services tailored to your growth.

What is the process of creating an online store with SoloMono, and what is the process of transferring an existing store to you?

Whether clients are launching a new store or migrating an existing one, we’ve designed it to be as smooth as possible – similar to other leading SaaS eCommerce platforms, but with our own streamlined touch.

Creating a New Store:

1. Register: Sign up on our website by providing just three fields: phone number, email, and desired store name. No credit card is required. Google authentication is also provided. (~10 seconds)
2. Generating Test Store: Within 10–20 seconds, the online store is live and ready for customization. See an example at take.ms/RmtHj ➔
3. Onboarding: Accessing the admin panel and following our simple onboarding process to set up the core elements of the store. See walkthrough at take.ms/ilRyD ➔
4. Domain and SSL: Easily domain connecting and setting up SSL security within 1 minute through admin dashboard.
5. Import Products: Uploading product catalog and start selling.

Customers have a 14-day free trial with full functionality. At the end of the trial, they can choose one of four options:

• Continue with a Subscription (rent the website)
• Get the Website for Free (limited offer in specific cases)
• Purchase the Website
• Delete the Website (no commitments)

If no decision is made, the store will be automatically deleted after 14 days.

Migrating an Existing Store: There are two simple migration options:

• Quick Import: Clients can use our Import Tool to upload your existing catalog (XML, CSV, XLSX). It imports products, categories, brands, specifications, and images automatically.
• Full Migration: If they are migrating from platforms like WooCommerce, OpenCart, Magento, Drupal, or something else, we can handle complete migration. Just need to provide a SQL database backup, and our team will transfer entire catalog, customer database, orders, and additional data. This process typically takes between 2 and 20 hours depending on the store size.

What features and benefits does your platform offer, and how does it work?

SoloMono is packed with powerful features designed for success at any scale. Key advantages include:

• Modern, Ready-to-Use Templates: We have 6 professionally designed, mobile-optimized templates. Also working on a new modern type of templates, which could generate hundreds of new templates.
• Advanced SEO and Marketing Tools: Built-in features that boost store’s visibility and drive traffic.
• Unparalleled Page Speed: Our sites consistently score 98/100 on Google PageSpeed Insights, ensuring lightning-fast load times.
• Seamless Import and Migration Tools: Easily catalog and data moving without technical headaches.
• Intuitive Admin Panel: User-friendly backend for easy store management.
• Scalability and Performance: Our platform supports large-scale operations with advanced database optimization, CDN for static content, and multi-level caching.

AI-Powered Innovations

Over the past year, we’ve heavily invested in AI development to take eCommerce operations to the next level:

• Store Launch AI Assistant: Instantly builds a store based on a few simple questions.
• Back Office AI Assistant: Helps with onboarding, bulk product import, SEO content generation, and data analysis.
• Front Store AI Assistant: Enhances the customer experience with smart search capabilities, personalized product recommendations, and dynamic promotional banners.

What other services do you offer?

While online stores are our specialty – ranging from SaaS solutions to complex, custom-built enterprise projects – we also provide a full suite of complementary services, including:

• SEO Optimization: Comprehensive search engine optimization services tailored for eCommerce.
• DevOps and Infrastructure Support: Scalable, secure server environments and cloud solutions.
• Project and Content Management: End-to-end management services to keep the site fresh and competitive.
• Continuous Store Support: Ongoing maintenance, updates, and performance monitoring to ensure stability and growth.

At SoloMono, we’re a long-term partner, not just a platform provider.

What sets SoloMono apart from its competitors?

SoloMono shares similarities with leading platforms like Shopify and Magento, but our passion for speed and performance truly sets us apart.

• Unmatched Site Speed: Speed matters for SEO, user experience, and conversion rates. Faster sites rank better, engage users longer, and convert more visitors into buyers. SoloMono sites consistently outperform competitors, scoring 98/100 on Google PageSpeed.
• Enterprise-Level Performance at a Fraction of the Cost: For large, high-traffic stores, we deliver the same quality and scalability as the biggest names in the industry, but at 10–50 times lower cost in both development and ongoing support.

In short, SoloMono offers enterprise-grade solutions without enterprise-level complexity or cost.

Whether you’re just getting started or scaling to millions of products and users, SoloMono empowers you to build, manage, and grow a high-performance online store – quickly, affordably, and reliably.
This article is a copy of the original piece by Predrag Vlatkovic: "From osCommerce to AI: The Evolution of SoloMono with CEO Serhii Kolesnyk.