Customers want websites that recognize and cater to their reason for visiting — shopping — and meet high expectations for a seamless and engaging digital experience. To accomplish this, ecommerce brands need nimble tools that enable their digital builders, such as developers and writers, to make quick changes and adapt to market forces. Low-cost experimentation and tech debt are also crucial.

Limitations of legacy ecommerce tools

Brands often have excellent sites, but they use technologies established over twenty years ago — monoliths of the early ecommerce that don’t allow for contemporary agile work practices.

To maintain the competitive edge, brands now need more. They need the ability to adapt to how customers want to shop constantly. API-first tools foster extensibility, which allows agile brands the ability to choose what works best and when. 

Rebuilding with API-first tools and a content platform

We’ve participated in the rise of headless ecommerce, which decouples the UX layer from the commerce platform to increase the freedom of agile teams. We now see the emergence of microservices-based, API-first, cloud-native SaaS and headless (MACH) tech stacks, also called composable architecture. 

Using a MACH approach allows teams to work in parallel to turn out features, products, fixes or updates quickly. But you’ll need to make sure you have the right tools to match your teams and resources. 

Progressive re-platforming 

At AND Digital, we often suggest a progressive re-platforming approach to decoupling the UX layer from the legacy monolith. This approach reduces the risks associated with a significant change. 

We identify the essential capabilities, gradually build those and migrate from the incumbent solution. These capabilities might be custom-built or assembled from API-first tools. While gradually replacing a monolithic tool, you’ll benefit by enhancing the user experience. As individual new services arrive, they are exposed to the UX layer and an experience designed to maximize benefits.

Getting ready for the future with API-first tools

Recently, we held an event where five brands talked about how they tackled unprecedented challenges despite uncertain times. The brands shared how they pivoted their business operations quickly and effectively, using API-first tools, composable architecture and agile practices.

If you’d like to hear more about how to approach re-platforming to ensure your organization is ready for the future, send an email to latigid.dna@olleh. 

Read more about how Contentful can help you increase sales with agile ecommerce software solutions.

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