The strategic advantage of composable architecture in digital commerce

Advances in artificial intelligence and generative AI open up numerous opportunities for data-driven companies. Meanwhile, the rise of social commerce and marketplaces urges businesses to adopt new sales channels. And of course, maintaining a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints is crucial. 

“Traditional, large-scale digital commerce platforms often struggle to keep pace with these changes, as their inherent complexity and rigidity make them slow to adapt. For online retailers, this means that the once-successful monolithic approaches are becoming less effective,” Antti Everi, Principal Architect at Nitor, explains.  

To succeed in this new landscape, it’s crucial for companies to embrace more modular and agile mindset, that allows them to quickly respond to market shifts, integrate new technologies, and continuously optimise their customer experiences.  

While massive ships turn slowly, competitors ride the wave of innovation

New technologies can bring significant business benefits and are crucial for creating the best possible customer experience that drives sales, loyalty, and provides a competitive edge.

Take AI, for instance – it not only optimises back-office operations but also enhances logistics, inventory management, and supply chain efficiency. On the customer side, AI-driven recommendations and personalised service significantly improve the customer experience. 

It’s no surprise that businesses are keen to utilise cutting-edge technologies, yet many lack the opportunity to fully integrate these capabilities and maximise their potential benefits. 

“Monolithic systems are unified entities in which all functions and components are tightly integrated and heavily dependent on each other, meaning that any change or integration requires extensive modifications across the entire system. This rigidity makes it difficult to quickly adopt and integrate new technologies such as AI-powered customer service,” Everi says. 

So, introducing the new AI solution within a monolithic architecture would usually require extensive code modifications and significant integration work, resulting in lengthy development periods and increased expenses.

“Since all parts are connected, even minor adjustments can cause instability, which discourages businesses from innovating or developing new features. With composable architecture, adopting new technologies and features becomes more agile due to its modular nature,” Everi points out. 

Composable commerce equips companies with agility and resilience

Composable architecture allows businesses to stay agile by building their digital commerce platform from independent, interchangeable components or "modules.” Each module, whether it’s for payments, product management, or customer interactions, functions independently yet seamlessly integrate with others. 

“By combining pre-built products with custom solutions, companies can tailor their digital commerce ecosystem to their specific needs. This gives flexibility to adapt to emerging trends. If you choose the wrong approach, you can quickly pivot without major expenses or business disruption,” Everi explains.

In contrast to monolithic architectures, where changes in one part can impact the whole system, composable architecture lets you add new channels and features without lengthy and costly IT projects. 

"By seamlessly integrating APIs and microservices, businesses can add advanced features like AI-driven recommendations and real-time inventory updates. Composable architecture offers flexibility for developers to build responsive, fast, and scalable interfaces, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience,” Everi summarises the benefits. 

Composable architecture offers remarkable flexibility, but it also requires careful planning and a strong understanding of module interactions. When thoughtfully integrated, each component operates independently while enhancing a unified, high-performing system, paving the way for sustained success. Businesses that master the composable approach won’t just adapt – they’ll lead the future of digital commerce.