In the ever-shifting landscape of eCommerce, businesses are always searching for tools that can keep up with their needs. SmartEdit has been a popular choice for SAP-based businesses looking for a user-friendly content management system (CMS). However, as eCommerce continues to evolve, SmartEdit's limitations have become apparent.
In this article, you will find out how composable commerce brings alternatives to SmartEdit, discover the pain points of SmartEdit, and identify the advantages of headless CMSs . We will also discuss how businesses can make the transition to achieve better flexibility, scalability, and agility in their eCommerce operations.
A quick glance into composable commerce
Composable commerce has gained significant attention and momentum lately, and it has proven that it will be the future of eCommerce. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize the way commerce systems are created and managed, and its impact is expected to be long-lasting.
Composable commerce refers to a modern software architecture that separates the user interface (frontend) from the business logic (backend) in order to create a flexible and agile eCommerce stack. By leveraging APIs, businesses can easily swap in and out specific solutions without disrupting other parts of the system. This allows companies to mix and match the best-of-breed technologies for their eCommerce operations, resulting in a more personalized and streamlined customer experience.
But that’s enough about composable commerce. If you’d like to dive deeper, read What is Composable Commerce ?
Understanding SmartEdit and its limitations
SAP Commerce SmartEdit is a content management system (CMS) that is widely used in the eCommerce industry. It is a powerful tool that provides a lot of flexibility and functionality, but it can be challenging to use. One of the biggest limitations of SmartEdit is its complex data model, which can be challenging for both business users and developers to understand.
Another limitation of SmartEdit is the lack of proper support for A/B testing. While it is possible to do A/B testing using personalization/user groups, there is no way to report on the results or do much with the data. Many businesses end up relying on third-party solutions or building something bespoke and rudimentary to meet their A/B testing needs.
SmartEdit is also known for being difficult to configure for some of its more advanced features, such as personalization and page versions/variants. The work environment can be intimidating due to an inconsistent user interface, and anything beyond basic component placement can be challenging.
The advantages of headless CMSs
Headless CMSs offer numerous advantages over traditional CMSs, such as SmartEdit. One of the biggest benefits is that it allows you to use best-of-breed solutions for each component of your eCommerce stack. For example, you might use a third-party solution for A/B testing, a different solution for personalization, and so on. This means that you can choose the best solution for each component, rather than relying on a single one that may not meet all of your needs.
Here are some of the key benefits of using a headless CMS for your eCommerce operations:
Flexibility: Allows you to mix and match different modules and third-party services to create a custom eCommerce solution that meets your specific business needs. This gives you greater flexibility and agility in adapting to changing market conditions and customer preferences.
Scalability: Easily scale to accommodate growing eCommerce operations without requiring a complete overhaul of the system. New modules and functionalities can be added as needed, allowing businesses to expand their capabilities at their own pace.
Cost-effectiveness: Helps businesses reduce their eCommerce costs by allowing them to select and pay only for the modules they need. This eliminates the need for expensive license fees and hardware investments.
Better user experience: Offers a more personalized and streamlined user experience by allowing businesses to integrate the best-of-breed tools and services. This can result in faster page load times, smoother checkout processes, and other improvements that enhance the overall user experience.
Future-proofing: Headless CMSs are designed to be future-proof, meaning that they can easily adapt to new technologies and emerging t rends in eCommerc e. This ensures that your operations remain competitive and relevant in the long term.
Making the transition to headless CMSs
Transitioning from a traditional CMS like SmartEdit to a composable CMS can seem like a difficult task, but it is a necessary step for businesses that want to stay competitive in the fast-paced world of eCommerce. The good news is that with the right approach, the transition can be smooth and seamless.
The first step in making the transition to a composable CMS is to start with your frontend technology and choose a CMS that best suits your needs. With Frontend as a Service, you can choose from numerous top-class vendors. FEaaS provides you with ready integrations and *Packaged Business Capabilities, highly performant and customizable UI capabilities, middleware, and hosting. This allows your dev team to build the whole composable commerce tech stack in a fraction of the time and orchestrate it in one place.
*Packaged Business Capabilities, also known as PBCs, refer to a collection of pre-integrated microservices that are designed to provide distinct business functionalities within your composable eCommerce technology stack.
Then, once you have a clear understanding of your needs, it's time to select a solution that best suits your business. Look for a platform that offers the flexibility and modularity you need to customize your eCommerce stack and meet your specific business requirements. Make sure the platform has a strong API layer and can easily integrate with your existing systems, including third-party tools and services.
As you begin the implementation process , it's important to take a modular approach, starting with one capability at a time. This will help you minimize the risks and complexity of the transition and allow you to test and optimize each one before moving on.
In addition, it's crucial to have a skilled and experienced team to manage the transition process. Make sure you have the right talent in place to ensure a smooth and successful implementation.
Examples of composable CMSs to consider
Finally, here are some examples of composable CMSs to consider:
Learn more which headless CMSs integrate with Alokai .
To wrap up
By providing an alternative to SmartEdit, composable commerce enables businesses to stay agile, adapt to changing market conditions quickly, and take a best-of-breed approach to eCommerce technology. If you want to explore how it can help your businesses achieve greater flexibility, control, and success in the online marketplace, feel free to reach out to us , as we’d be happy to assist you in this journey.
