Get ready for a future where online shopping might not need a traditional website. This conversation dives into how composable architecture and AI are changing the retail landscape, exploring what businesses need to do to stay ahead.
Embracing Composable Commerce
Composable commerce is a shift from buying one big software package to building your own solution by picking and choosing the best tools for each part of your business. Think of it like this: you know how to sell sports shoes better than anyone, so you build that part yourself, while using specialized tools for other functions like search or content management. This approach gives you more control over the customer experience.
Instead of being stuck with a vendor's roadmap, you can select best-in-class solutions for specific needs. For example, a company might use Bloomreach for search, Prismic for their CMS, and Stripe for payments. This way, you're leveraging the work of many expert teams, and you can more easily swap out components if better options emerge later.
Transforming a Retail Website
One company embarked on an aggressive seven-month website transformation. The initial monolithic system was holding them back, especially when they wanted to introduce a mobile app to drive their membership program. Marketing teams were frustrated by the inability to make quick changes to product pages or the checkout process. Engineers spent too much time on manual content updates, leading to a painful weekly release cycle.
To address this, they started by adding lightweight CMS capabilities to their existing site, proving that empowering marketing teams could work. This success led them to explore composable e-commerce engines. They chose BigCommerce as their core e-commerce platform, balancing its composability with user interface capabilities. Bloomreach was selected for search and merchandising, Stripe for payments, and Prismic for their CMS. This comprehensive overhaul, completed in about 12 months, resulted in a live site just seven months after starting the project.
The Power of Iteration and Scalability
Modern web development, especially with platforms like Vercel, allows for much faster iteration. Instead of weekly releases, changes can be deployed instantly, with preview URLs provided for feedback. This collaborative workflow, similar to design tools like Figma, significantly speeds up the development process and reduces the risk of miscommunication.
Scalability is another major advantage. Platforms can now handle massive traffic spikes, like those seen on Black Friday or during viral product launches, without manual intervention. This means businesses can scale from zero to thousands of compute instances instantly and only pay for what they use, avoiding the downtime that can cripple retailers during peak moments.
The Rise of Agentic AI in Commerce
Agentic AI is poised to change how customers interact with e-commerce. Developers can already use AI tools to build applications faster and potentially at a lower cost. This means that what might have been too expensive to build before could now be feasible, impacting make-or-buy decisions.
The key advantage of composable architecture becomes even more apparent with AI. When the future of AI in commerce is still unfolding, having an agile, API-first system allows businesses to adapt quickly. Those still relying on old, monolithic systems will struggle to integrate new AI capabilities.
For retailers, this means preparing for a future where customers might buy directly through AI prompts. The focus will shift to structuring product data effectively, as AI agents will need rich, detailed information to make recommendations. While the transaction might happen within an AI interface, the need for strong product data and branding will remain critical for discovery and conversion.
The Evolving Customer Experience
While websites won't disappear, how customers use them will change. AI chatbots could satisfy many information needs, but for purchases, especially for technical or considered items, customers will still need to make decisions. The opportunity lies in becoming a thought leader in your space, creating content that AI can ingest and use to guide customers.
Retailers can even build their own AI tools on their websites, feeding them proprietary knowledge. This allows for in-depth customer conversations and a more personalized experience. The transaction might eventually happen within an AI interface, but the retailer's role in providing valuable content and a trusted platform remains important.
Preparing for the Future
To prepare for this evolving landscape, businesses should focus on an API-first, composable approach. This means breaking down e-commerce platforms into manageable, interconnected components. Enriching product data is also crucial for AI-driven discovery and ensuring your brand stands out.
Experimentation is key. Start by testing AI capabilities with logged-in users on your own site, perhaps focusing on specific products or single-item purchases. This allows you to control the environment, gather feedback from loyal customers, and understand the costs involved before scaling.
While AI introduces new costs, using frontier models for initial validation and then switching to more cost-effective, smaller models for production can manage expenses. The core message is that an API-first architecture is non-negotiable for embracing agentic commerce. Investing in this foundation now will pay off as the industry continues to transform.
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