Composable Commerce

The eCommerce software market is dominated by versatile platforms offering lots of customization options and industry-specific modules. However, these commerce platforms are no longer sufficient for businesses to keep up with evolving consumer expectations and respond to rapid changes in the industry.

Composable commerce, an innovative approach to continuously optimizing customer interactions, seems to be the solution to modern trading challenges. But is it just a buzzword, or does it have a promising future? Let’s find out.

Composable Commerce Definition

Despite the abundance of complex eCommerce solutions available, no single vendor can offer an impeccable platform for all intents and purposes. Today’s business environments and customer demands are changing too fast. That’s why at some point your company may encounter a situation where existing tools fail to meet your business requirements. Resolving these issues through integrations, migrations, and other means can be both time-consuming and costly.

Composable commerce, a dynamic concept that has been shaping the eCommerce landscape since 2020, has proven to be a catalyst for enhanced business agility.

• According to Gartner’s research, companies with implemented composable solutions are enjoying an impressive 80% faster pace in adopting new features compared to their competitors.

• Elastic Path’s 2023 study revealed that a substantial 72% of US retailers have already embraced composable commerce, and the trend is poised for even greater acceleration in 2024.

The essence of composable commerce is to empower organizations to respond swiftly and effortlessly to shifting business requirements and customer expectations, without being limited by rigid and monolithic eCommerce systems. To achieve this, companies can choose best-of-breed components from different software providers and combine them into unique applications that will meet their specific needs. Later on, they can recombine such apps by adding new components, removing unnecessary ones, or replacing the existing features with more advanced options. 

This way, merchants get a new type of digital commerce platform where they tailor its functionality to fit their business needs, rather than adjust their established processes to align with the limitations of a single, integrated system. 

For example, when your business achieves a certain level, you can take it up a notch by replacing a traditional search functionality with an AI-based solution. This way, you can create highly personalized commerce experiences for your customers.

How Does MACH Relate to Composable Commerce? 

The acronym MACH refers to a tech architecture that forms the basis of composable commerce. This approach emphasizes building and deploying software that is highly adaptable, scalable, and efficient in operation. MACH incorporates four terms:

1. Microservices

The MACH architecture utilizes microservices as building blocks. Microservices are small components that work together to create a comprehensive application, yet remain autonomous in nature. Due to this, companies are empowered to develop and deploy software systems faster, and their maintenance is simplified.

Packaged Business Capabilities (PBCs) are a part of the MACH architecture. A PBC consists of several pre-built and pre-integrated microservices, operates as a single entity, and provides a specific set of functionalities. A shopping cart can be an example of PBC as it includes microservices for the catalog, payment processing, and checkout functions.

SAAS MICROSERVICES

Desktop Enterprise Software into Microservices Modular SaaS for 40% Support Costs Reduction

2. API-first

MACH architecture is API-first, meaning that all services and functions are accessed through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). This allows for seamless integration with other systems and makes it possible to build custom solutions by combining different components.

3. Cloud-Native

MACH architecture is designed to run natively in the cloud, which provides many benefits such as scalability, cost-effectiveness, and high availability.

4. Headless

MACH architecture is headless, meaning that the frontend and backend are decoupled, allowing for more flexibility and control over the customer experience.

Composable Commerce vs. Headless

Composable commerce and headless commerce are two approaches to building and managing digital experiences. Although there is some overlap between the two, there are also some key differences.

• Architecture. The headless approach represents a platform with decoupled architecture, where the frontend layer and the backend functionality are separated and interact through APIs. Composable commerce, based on modular architecture, utilizes MACH technology and an open ecosystem to create custom solutions for businesses rather than rely on a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Complexity. Headless commerce can be more complex to implement and maintain, as it requires a deeper understanding of APIs, decoupled architecture, and the interactions between frontend and backend components. Composable commerce, being more integrated and streamlined, is easier to implement and maintain.
• Reusability. Headless commerce offers the ability to reuse the same frontend components on various platforms. Composable commerce allows companies to reuse any components from different software providers to develop unique applications. 
• Speed. Composable commerce ensures faster implementation and launch of new digital experiences thanks to its modular architecture.

Thus, headless commerce is just one aspect of a holistic composable commerce approach.

Key Benefits of Composable Commerce

As a breakthrough approach to assembling and managing digital experiences, composable commerce provides three major benefits to merchants. 

No Vendor Lock-in

At the core of composable commerce is the open ecosystem, which means that companies are no longer dependent on a single provider. They are free to choose whatever they need without compromising price or functionality. Such a digital platform has a large and growing ecosystem of partners and technology vendors, providing businesses with a wide range of tools and services to select from. 

Flexible Solutions

Open APIs, plug-and-play components, and customization options enable businesses to create, modify, and update commerce experiences on the fly, without the need for extensive IT resources. Due to this flexibility, companies can quickly respond to new business opportunities or market changes and not be bogged down by complicated processes and systems.

Faster Time to Market 

Integrating existing components and microservices on the go reduces time to market for fresh ideas and concepts. Businesses can also rapidly test and iterate on new commerce experiences after rolling them out, which helps to base all changes on real, customer-generated data.

Challenges

• Integration. Integrating multiple systems and tools can be complicated and time-consuming. This can also lead to compatibility and data synchronization issues.
• Data management. Handling large amounts of data from various sources and ensuring data security can be a challenge. 
• Customization. While the new approach allows for a high degree of customization, this can also be a challenge. Customizing different systems and tools to work together seamlessly requires an advanced level of technical expertise.
• Maintenance. Maintaining and updating multiple tools within a system can be problematic.  
• Cost. Implementing and maintaining a composable solution can be expensive due to the need for specialized tools and expertise.

Despite these challenges, many organizations still strive to adopt composable commerce due to the benefits it offers.

Composable Commerce with SaM Solutions

SaM Solutions is a reputable software provider with a proven track record of delivering high-quality, scalable, and secure commerce solutions. We have over ten years of Sitecore development expertise and a team of certified professionals (including a three-time Sitecore MVP) with a deep understanding of the platform’s capabilities.

Sitecore is at the forefront of composable commerce, and SaM Solutions’ developers also stay up-to-date with the latest technology advancements. Get in touch and try the composable commerce approach with SaM Solutions.