There are quite a few options when choosing an eCommerce platform. The choice might seem overwhelming, so we’re here to help clear things up. You may be familiar with commerce suites like Oracle and IBM which were at one point considered to be the gold standard. These monolithic commerce suites offered a single software system that could perform a wide variety of eCommerce related functions and integrate with other digital commerce components such as content management systems, customer relationship management, or warehouse management systems to provide a platform that could truly do it all.
These massive and complex legacy suites have been challenged by the composable commerce approach, as eCommerce retailers began looking for an alternative that provided more flexibility and control over the eCommerce development experience.
These legacy suites presented a variety of challenges that many retailers were looking for solutions for, and in recent years, many different options have started to hit the market. Regardless of your needs, there is an eCommerce approach that’s right for you. Let’s break down some of the main types to help you choose the solution to suit your unique goals.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
If your business is smaller, with low-order volume or limited SKU’s, a SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform can be a cost-effective option to build your eCommerce site and get off the ground quickly. This model involves a monthly subscription which provides limited access to proprietary software and services. This means that all of the resources you may need must be accessed through the provider and can involve additional monthly costs if you’re looking for more complex functionality. Though SaaS models can be a great option for retailers who don’t have the experience required to build a custom site from scratch, as your business grows, your needs will become more complex, and you may outgrow this solution. For smaller businesses this could be the most appropriate option, but SaaS platforms aren’t always designed with scalability in mind. Your SaaS platform could even be the thing that’s holding your business back from reaching your goals.
Composable commerce is a modular approach to eCommerce, where every element of your site is customizable, creating a unique, versatile, and flexible environment perfect for those looking for complete control over their tech stack. With composable commerce, retailers can select and integrate components of their choice to create a custom solution to fit their needs, allowing them to choose vendors for each individual component of the platform. This option is great for retailers who have a large, experienced team of web developers and are looking for complete flexibility when it comes to creating a tailored eCommerce solution, but that does entail a longer timeframe to launch, and individual vendors will each come with their own costs, which can increase your total cost of ownership.
Single-Source Commerce
In a single-source commerce model like what Virid offers, the website is built on the marketAgility platform, and our team handles all advanced customizations and integrations. Retailers can still select best-of-breed solutions to add on to the platform like they would with a composable commerce platform, but the Virid team handles building out all the complex integrations.
With this model, you get the best of both worlds, the flexibility and customization of composable commerce, but the support and technical expertise of a dedicated team.
In addition, you have far greater control over your total cost of ownership. Rather than piecing together multiple services and vendor fees, you will have one set price for the platform as well as the dedicated support services. This predictability could be a significant benefit for your development team and your bottom line, plus you won’t have to deal with a “frankenstack” of complex tech components making your eCommerce site confusing and hard to manage.
Below is a helpful guide to compare these solutions, based on your business’s needs.
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Composable Commerce |
SaaS |
Single-Source Commerce with marketAgility 7.0 |
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Architecture |
Modular, multi-vendor stack |
Monolithic, multiple vendors through integrations |
Unified, purpose-built for high-SKU, high-volume retail |
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Scalability |
Flexible, but relies on internal team to scale and maintain integrations |
Scalable to a point, cannot handle significant complexity |
Built for high-SKU, high-transaction environments— optimized for mass merchants |
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Customization |
Fully customizable, but development-heavy |
Customizable to a point, requires additional integrations and potentially an outside developer |
Composable, Enterprise-grade customization with hands-on delivery from Virid |
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Operational Efficiency |
Needs custom middleware for omnichannel, fulfillment, and pricing rules with constant updates. |
Team dependent on SaaS support – can cause delays. |
Natively supports complex pricing, fulfillment, and channel logic. Lower technology risks. Seamless updates and connection with eCommerce stack. |
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Ongoing Maintenance and Support |
Fragmented support with high ongoing maintenance requiring developer or multiple vendor SLAs |
Baseline support and maintenance provided with subscription; more complex needs require outside vendor |
Virid manages backend updates, security, and scaling with white-glove support from single partner with 24/7 maintenance and dedicated client manager |
Many SaaS platforms cannot support more complex functionality without a custom integration. Composable commerce may be a viable option, but it depends on how many integrations you will need to build on top of the platform, and if your team has the technical expertise to do so.
Virid’s single-source platform marketAgility offers all the flexibility of a composable commerce approach without the extra effort from your developers. Our team handles all additional customizations and integrations, leaving the complexity of juggling third-party vendors and services to us so your team can focus on the things that matter most. With our single-source solution, retailers can select best-of-breed vendors just like with a composable solution, but without the extra challenges and lack of support.
We can do both. You don’t have to sacrifice flexibility or control; our platform provides a totally customizable environment, tailored to your needs. You can choose a solution that’s right for you at your current state, but feel confident that as your business evolves, we will adapt and grow with you.