Some shops fit a standard platform. Others do not: large catalogues, trade-only pricing, mixed fulfilment, or ordering rules that change by customer. Vita builds those commerce flows as Rails applications instead of bending a template until it breaks.
Wholesalers, importers, and specialist retailers whose catalogue, pricing, or fulfilment does not match a generic shop template.
Document how an order really moves from enquiry to fulfilment
Model products, customers, and prices before screens
Ship a staff-usable admin and a customer path in the same release
Harden edge cases: stock, permissions, and failed payments
An ordering system that matches the business, instead of a shop theme with exceptions hidden in spreadsheets.
Only when the business rules do not fit a hosted shop. If a standard platform is enough, we will say so.
Yes. Roles and price lists are a common reason to build commerce in Rails.
Imports are part of the plan when a catalogue already exists. We agree the source, the cleanup, and what must be right on day one.