So far in our decoding composable commerce series, we’ve uncovered the revolutionary approach to digital commerce technology known as “composability” and learned how to select the right solutions for your business. Now it’s time to confront the uglier side of composability, including the challenges that come with the promise of “unlimited technology freedom.”
Yes, composable commerce offers unparalleled flexibility, empowering businesses to customize every aspect of their online platforms with best-of-breed technologies; however, this freedom comes with a higher price tag and with risks.
In Part 3 of this series, we’ll uncover the potential pitfalls and how to embrace the true power of composable commerce while mitigating its challenges.
You know that feeling when you finally break free from something holding you back? That’s the calming vibe composable commerce gives technology leaders. The allure of freedom that sparked a movement.
At its core, the shift towards composable commerce represents a departure from the rigid structures of legacy systems towards a more fluid and dynamic approach. Using these modern development and architectural paradigms, businesses can tailor their online platforms to suit their unique needs and preferences.
Top three envisioned benefits:
- Flexibility: Composable commerce enables businesses to adapt and evolve in real time. Whether adding new features, integrating third-party services, or responding to shifting market trends, the flexibility afforded by a composable architecture ensures that businesses can stay agile and responsive in an increasingly competitive landscape.
- Customization: One of the most tempting promises of composable commerce is the ability to hand select the preferred technologies and customize every aspect of the online platform to align with the brand’s unique identity and objectives. Businesses can tailor their digital presence from the user interface to backend processes to deliver a seamless and personalized customer experience. This level of customization enhances brand differentiation and fosters deeper engagement and loyalty among consumers.
- Independence from Rigid Systems: Traditional monolithic digital commerce systems required businesses to rely on a single vendor for all their technology needs, limiting their autonomy and flexibility. In contrast, composable commerce liberates businesses from vendor lock-in, allowing them to mix and match best-of-breed solutions from a diverse ecosystem of providers. This independence promotes innovation and experimentation and mitigates the risk of being beholden to a single vendor’s roadmap or pricing strategy.
However, beneath the surface allure of unlimited freedom lie potential pitfalls and challenges that businesses must navigate as they embark on their composable commerce journey.
The Pitfalls of Maintenance and Scalability
While the promises of flexibility and customization in composable commerce are enticing, they also introduce significant challenges in terms of maintenance and scalability. As businesses assemble their tech stack from various components, they must address the following issues:
- Knowledge Transfer Challenges: With a modular architecture, different system components may be developed by different teams or even sourced from different vendors. This fragmentation can lead to siloed knowledge, making it challenging to onboard new team members or troubleshoot issues effectively. A McKinsey report highlights cultural and change-management challenges as significant barriers to agile transformations, emphasizing the need for change management practices for success (McKinsey & Company). Additionally, a review in Requirements Engineering discusses the complexities and challenges associated with scaling agile methodologies, including knowledge transfer issues.
- Code Refactoring Complexity: As the business evolves and requirements change, maintaining the overall system’s efficiency becomes increasingly complex. While composable systems are inherently modular, where each module or microservice shouldn’t have dependencies to others, it is impossible to foresee all possible changes. When an inevitable major change is implemented, the modification of one component may have unforeseen ripple effects across other modules, requiring extensive refactoring efforts. One study found that 45% of IT projects experience cost overrun due to code refactoring and system maintenance issues (BigTime).
These maintenance challenges have significant implications for scalability and future-proofing. As the business grows and the volume of transactions or users increases, bottlenecks may emerge within the system, limiting its ability to handle larger workloads efficiently. Without careful planning and foresight, businesses risk investing in components that become obsolete or incompatible with emerging standards and technologies. What’s more, the time commitments to implement these complex systems often leads to projects that take 2 – 3x longer than initially scoped.
How to mitigate the pitfalls:
- Implement robust knowledge management processes
- Foster cross-functional collaboration
- Prioritize modularization and abstraction in software development practices
The Risk of Customization Neglect
- Discuss the dangers of post-launch neglect, particularly for custom UIs, and the subsequent failures in implementation projects as predicted by Forrester.
A topic often overshadowed in software development is the peril of post-launch neglect, especially regarding custom user interfaces (UIs). As predicted by Forrester, the aftermath of neglecting post-launch upkeep can spell disaster for implementation projects. Picture this: you’ve navigated through the phases of homegrown development, from building to optimization, but the IT organization fails to maintain the new system. This is where the risks lurk.
Forrester highlights the potential failures that stem from this negligence, including diminished user satisfaction, usability setbacks, security vulnerabilities, and compatibility glitches with emerging technologies. VTEX recommends readers to rethink the significance of ongoing support and evolution for custom code. After all, it’s about the launch and the journey beyond.
Striking a Balance
In the journey towards composable commerce, success is all about striking a balance while mitigating potential challenges.
- Ecosystem Management
- User Experience
- Selective Adoption of Best-of-Breed Solutions
In the journey toward composable commerce, three pivotal aspects come into play, each shaping the path to success: ecosystem management, user experience, and the selective adoption of best-of-breed solutions.
Ecosystem Management: A robust ecosystem is the bedrock of composable commerce. It entails orchestrating a diverse array of technologies, services, and integrations to create a seamless and
interconnected digital infrastructure. Effective ecosystem management involves careful curation, strategic partnerships, and continuous optimization to ensure every component harmonizes effectively within the overall architecture.
User Experience: At the heart of composable commerce lies the user experience. Business buyers and consumers expect personalized, intuitive, and frictionless interactions across digital channels. Delivering exceptional experiences is non-negotiable. Composable commerce empowers businesses to tailor every touchpoint to meet individual preferences and needs. Whether it’s through modular UI components, dynamic content delivery, or fluid omnichannel experiences, prioritizing user-centric design fosters loyalty, engagement, and, ultimately, conversion.
Selective Adoption of Best-of-Breed Solutions: In the landscape of composable commerce, one size certainly does not fit all. Instead of settling for monolithic solutions that offer a jack-of-all-trades approach, businesses are increasingly opting for a selective adoption strategy. This approach entails focused selection of best-of-breed solutions that excel in specific functionalities or domains, whether it’s a cutting-edge
Personalization tool, a robust content management system, or an AI-driven search engine. By assembling a bespoke tech stack composed of specialized components, organizations can leverage the most innovative and tailored solutions to drive competitive advantage and future-proof their commerce infrastructure.
Re-evaluating Composable Commerce
Given the complexities and pitfalls inherent in composable commerce, businesses must periodically reevaluate their strategies and approaches.
Here’s how companies can navigate this process effectively:
- Adopt a Future-Proof Mindset
- Invest in Training and Education
- Embrace Agile Governance Practices
- Engage with Industry Communities and Networks
- Balance Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Vision
Adopt a Future-Proof Mindset: This tip recognizes that technological advancements are ongoing, and businesses must prioritize solutions that can adapt to future changes. It’s a common strategy to ensure long-term viability and minimize the risk of obsolescence.
Invest in Training and Education: Businesses often recognize the importance of investing in their workforce to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge to leverage new technologies effectively. This tip aligns with broader principles of talent development and organizational capability building and can be as specific as selecting talent knowledgeable of the technology paradigms you wish to deploy in the future.
Embrace Agile Governance Practices: Agile governance practices are increasingly recognized as essential for managing the complexities of modern technology ecosystems. This tip reflects the need for responsive, collaborative, and adaptable governance models.
Engage with Industry Communities and Networks: Businesses often benefit from participating in industry communities and networks to stay informed about emerging trends, share best practices, and collaborate with peers. This tip emphasizes the value of networking and knowledge-sharing in navigating technological challenges.
Balance Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Vision: Striking a balance between short-term objectives and long-term goals is a fundamental principle of strategic planning. This tip highlights the importance of aligning immediate actions with overarching strategic direction.
Conclusion
Understanding the hidden pitfalls of unlimited freedom in composable commerce is crucial for businesses seeking to leverage its potential effectively. By balancing freedom and manageability, companies can navigate the complexities of composable commerce with confidence and clarity. As we continue our exploration, the next and final installment will empower businesses to evaluate digital commerce architectures critically, enabling them to chart a course toward sustainable growth and innovation.
Special thanks to contributing authors Todd Desantis, principal commerce solutions engineer, and Jordan Jewell, senior director, analyst in residence.
