Navigating the Future: How Composable Architectures Are Powering the Next Generation of Retail

In today's rapidly evolving retail landscape, adaptability is key. Retailers must stay ahead of changing market dynamics and shifting consumer behaviors to remain competitive. To achieve this, they require robust and flexible retail systems that can seamlessly adapt and scale. This is where composable architectures come into play, offering a transformative solution that empowers the next generation of retail.

Composable architectures, with their emphasis on modularity and scalability, have revolutionized the way retailers approach their technology infrastructure. Gone are the days of rigid all-in-one solutions or custom homegrown systems that hinder agility and innovation. Instead, businesses are embracing a more flexible and strategic approach. And the great news is that going composable isn't an all-or-nothing proposition.

Composable’s Cornerstone

The beauty of composable architectures lies in the ability to start with a cornerstone piece of the tech stack and build from there. Retailers can choose a specialized/composable solution as the centerpiece, such as a product information management (PIM) solution or customer data platform (CDP), and then integrate additional components around it. This modular approach allows businesses to leverage the specific functionality they need while leaving room for future expansion and integration.

Let's explore a couple of approaches that you can take to ease away from an all-in-one approach or a custom homegrown system into a composable architecture, starting with a cornerstone piece.

Fashion brands that have been around a while are starting to realize the limitations of their monolithic legacy systems, which make it challenging to keep up with rapidly changing fashion trends as well as meet the demands of their discerning customers. Similarly, many B2B manufacturers face the challenge of a long history of investment in custom homegrown systems, which limit the ability to scale or adapt to their growing business needs.

A great way for companies like this to start their composable journey is by implementing a robust PIM solution as their centerpiece. By centralizing and enriching their product information, they can gain greater control and visibility over their complex product catalog. This will allow them to streamline their omnichannel operations, improve product data accuracy, and deliver consistent and compelling product experiences across all touchpoints. With this new solid foundation in place, they're then able to integrate additional specialized solutions, such as a personalization engine and inventory management system, to further enhance their customer experiences and operational efficiency. Their composable journey begins with PIM.

By starting with a cornerstone piece, retailers can strategically build a composable architecture that aligns with their unique business goals and challenges. Whether it's a PIM solution, CDP or another specialized component, this modular approach provides the flexibility to scale and integrate additional services as needed.

It's important to note that going composable isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Retailers should carefully evaluate their existing infrastructure, assess their priorities, and choose the most suitable cornerstone piece for their tech stack. This allows them to build a solid foundation that addresses their immediate needs while still supporting the ability to adapt their architecture as the business evolves.

Future-Proofing at Scale

The benefits of a composable tech stack means that businesses can adapt to constantly evolving customer expectations, changing market dynamics and technology trends.

Interested in incorporating an artificial intelligence solution to your customer support platform, or providing 3D product images through augmented reality? What about selling on a new digital marketplace or activating an Instagram shop? All of these require the input and output of critical product information that would be inaccessible in a monolithic architecture. It’s long been proven that an old school MDM or the back end of an e-commerce solution will not provide businesses with the right level of product information to power their growth objectives. That’s where a purpose-built PIM comes in and why it’s a great choice for your cornerstone composable rollout. By choosing a composable tech stack, retailers have the ability to navigate the future of the industry with agility and innovation and are positioned for modular expansion and easier integration of specialized services.

The future of retail is composable. Are you ready to harness its transformative power?

Kristin Naragon is the chief strategy and marketing officer at Akeneo, the product experience company.