Composable commerce and omnichannel have become two of the most important paradigms for modern businesses. Both are concerned with creating a frictionless shopping experience for customers, regardless of whether they engage with the brand online, in-store, or via other platforms. However, there often needs to be more clarity about how exactly composable commerce and omnichannel relate. Are they separate concepts, complementary solutions, or something else entirely? To answer this question, consider what composable commerce and omnichannel mean independently.
At its core, composable commerce is based on the idea that businesses should be able to organize their data into components, or “microservices,” that can then be easily rearranged and combined. This idea is often called “building blocks” because these components fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. In practice, this allows businesses to build custom applications that leverage their existing data sources in novel ways without sacrificing the consistency of their customer experience.
Meanwhile, omnichannel creates a seamless and integrated shopping experience across multiple channels, including physical stores, online storefronts, apps, social media platforms, or virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Home. The goal is for customers to have a similar experience regardless of how they interact with a business, providing consistent pricing information, product selection availability, loyalty rewards, and more.
In short, the two concepts are complementary. Composable commerce enables businesses to easily create custom solutions that can be integrated across multiple channels. At the same time, omnichannel ensures customers have a unified experience regardless of their chosen channel. Together, composable commerce and omnichannel offer an ideal solution for modern businesses seeking to take advantage of new technologies without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
The concept of composable commerce is still relatively new, but its potential is apparent given the changes in consumer behavior over the past few years or so. Online shopping has become increasingly popular as people seek convenience and instant gratification. As such, companies need to evolve their traditional models to remain competitive. Composable commerce offers an ideal solution for this challenge. It allows businesses to quickly create customized solutions that integrate with existing platforms and services without a significant development effort.
Meanwhile, omnichannel has become the norm in retail over the past few years. Customers expect access to their information, products, and services across multiple channels. For example, if they shop online, they may need assistance from a store associate to complete the purchase. Meanwhile, customers who shop in-store will likely be able to access more detailed product information on their phones or tablets than from in-store displays. As such, companies must ensure their systems can provide consistent experiences regardless of the platform customers choose.
The future of composable commerce?
Composable commerce has the potential to revolutionize modern businesses by offering unprecedented flexibility and scalability. Companies can quickly assemble and deploy custom solutions that meet their unique needs by breaking down applications into smaller, reusable components, leading to a more agile approach to software development, where businesses can quickly roll out new features and address customer needs as they arise.
The trend toward microservices is already gaining momentum in the technology industry. In addition to composable commerce, companies increasingly leverage containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes for more efficient resource management and deployment. Furthermore, cloud-native technologies such as serverless computing provide further cost savings and agility by allowing businesses to scale up or down rapidly according to demand.
In the future, composable commerce will become even more potent as businesses take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). AI-powered technologies such as natural language processing, computer vision, and automated decision-making can create more personalized customer shopping experiences. For example, a retailer could use AI-driven recommendations to curate a selection of items explicitly tailored to each customer’s tastes.
Composable commerce is an exciting new concept that has the potential to revolutionize how businesses build applications in the modern era. By breaking down existing software systems into smaller components, companies can quickly assemble custom solutions without sacrificing consistency or quality of experience across different channels. Combined with technologies such as AI/ML and cloud-native computing, composable commerce will continue to offer immense value in terms of cost savings, scalability, and agility for modern businesses in the future.
The bottom line
Composable commerce and omnichannel are perfect partners for companies looking to create an optimal shopping experience for their customers. By leveraging composable commerce, businesses can quickly develop custom applications that integrate with existing channels to provide consistency throughout the customer journey. At the same time, omnichannel ensures customers receive a unified experience regardless of their shop platform. These concepts offer an ideal solution for modern businesses seeking to use new technologies without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
