McKenna Consultants specialise in the development of large-scale, complex, B2B composable architecture. A composable eCommerce solution integrates best-of-breed components into a cohesive, whole solution which presents a great user experience for purchasers.
Our clients typically have an extensive product catalogue, often including complex configurable products. We produce solutions that cover multiple languages and geographical regions along with the complexities that differing business practices in different regions bring.
Benefits of a Composable eCommerce Web Store
There are numerous benefits to using composable commerce architecture for your web store, including increased speed, stability, security and scalability. This means your web store is not only optimised in the short term, but it will be able to grow as your business does. This approach ensures better performance by optimizing operational efficiencies and enhancing user experience.
Introduction to Digital Commerce
Digital commerce, also known as e-commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. It has become an essential part of modern business, allowing companies to reach a wider audience and increase their online sales. The composable commerce approach is a key aspect of digital commerce, enabling businesses to create personalized and seamless digital experiences for their customers. By adopting a composable commerce architecture, companies can stay ahead of the competition and respond quickly to changing market conditions in a way that traditional commerce platforms cannot compete with. This approach not only enhances the customer experience but also provides businesses with the flexibility to adapt to new market trends and technologies, ensuring long-term success in the digital marketplace.
What Is Composable Commerce Architecture?
Composable commerce architecture is the practice of building a cohesive, business focussed whole eCommerce web store based on the best fit-for-purpose components. An API-first approach is essential for ensuring integration and communication between these technology components. Components are typically purchased from third parties and may also include bespoke components.
The key challenge for building a composable commerce architecture solution is being able to competently integrate the various components into a working, cohesive whole for your business. The types of components involved typically include:
- eCommerce Core (like Elastic Path)
- Product Information Management
- Business ERP Systems
- Search and Navigation
- User Identity And Authentication
- Configure, Price, Quote
- Pricing And Availability Systems
- Security Tooling
- Payment Systems
- Analytics
- Geo-Location
- And many more!
Our preferred core composable commerce platform is Elastic Path (which brings excellent account management and catalogue management features), but that is only the beginning of the journey. You can learn more about the architecture of a composable eCommerce store using Elastic Path over on our blog.
Headless Commerce and eCommerce Platforms
Headless commerce is a type of e-commerce architecture that separates the front-end and back-end systems, allowing for greater flexibility and customization. This approach enables businesses to create unique and personalized digital experiences for their customers, while also providing a unified view of their product offerings and inventory. E-commerce platforms, such as Shopify and BigCommerce, provide the necessary tools and services for businesses to create and manage their online stores. By leveraging these platforms, companies can focus on creating engaging digital experiences and building strong relationships with their customers. This separation of concerns allows for more innovative and responsive design, ensuring that the customer journey is smooth and enjoyable from start to finish which maximises the returns for your business.
Key Features of Composable Commerce
Composable commerce is a modular approach to e-commerce, allowing your business to create and manage their online stores using a variety of software components. The key features of composable commerce include seamless integration, packaged business capabilities, and a cloud-native architecture. This approach enables businesses to create personalized and scalable digital experiences, while also providing full price transparency and mutually beneficial relationships with their suppliers and partners. By adopting a composable commerce approach, companies can improve their customer loyalty, increase their revenue, and stay ahead of the competition. The flexibility of this approach means that businesses can quickly adapt to market changes and customer demands, ensuring they remain relevant and competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Existing Systems and Integration
Composable solutions build on your existing systems, no matter how old or complex they may be. A composable architecture leverages these systems by placing facades over them making them into faster, more secure and more stable components than the underlying systems. Even legacy ERP systems being run by large companies can be integrated in this manner.
Many businesses are stuck with current systems or outdated systems that limit their ability to create personalized and seamless digital experiences. However, by adopting composable commerce, companies can integrate their existing systems with new technologies and create a unified view of their customers and product offerings. This approach enables businesses to leverage their existing investments, while also creating new and innovative digital experiences. By integrating their existing systems with composable commerce solutions, companies can improve their supply chain management, reduce their costs, and increase their revenue. This integration not only enhances operational efficiency but also provides a more cohesive and satisfying experience for customers, ultimately driving growth and success in the digital marketplace.
Some of your system components will be more modern if your business has been going through a digital transformation. You may have a more modern Content Management System such as Contentful or Strapi. You may have a modern Product Information Management system such as InRiver or Pimberley. A headless architecture can integrate all of these systems along with the more outdated systems to provide a great online retail web store.
How McKenna Consultants Can Help
We have the technical expertise to do the complex computer programming required to deliver your business a composable commerce web store.
We tailor our solutions to meet your specific business needs, ensuring a customized and efficient composable commerce platform. We are able to integrate your existing IT systems (ERP, PIM, Pricing, Stock etc) with dynamic systems that will build and manage a composable eCommerce store that will be fast, stable and secure. We are able to achieve over 90% Google Lighthouse scores, uptime close to 100% and very clean penetration test results.
If you would like to discuss how composable commerce could benefit your eCommerce website, please do not hesitate to get in touch with McKenna Consultants today.
"Working with McKenna Consultants has been a game-changer for Astrak. From day one, their team understood our vision for a high-performance eCommerce platform and delivered beyond our expectations. Their deep technical expertise and flexible composable architecture approach allowed us to build a site that is fast, stable, and secure—exactly what our customers need."
"What really set McKenna apart was how closely they worked with our customers during the build. The result is a user experience that genuinely reflects how our clients want to search and order. Since going live, the platform has already added over £300,000 in new monthly revenue, and we see even more potential as we scale. We’re excited to continue working with McKenna as our digital journey evolves.", Stephen Cope, Astrak CIO