 "Shopify Commerce Components For Enterprise Retailers")
Introducing Commerce Components...
In the ever-evolving eCommerce industry, Shopify is known for leading the pack with constant innovation and new features to cater to gaps in the market. For example, Shopify Plus was launched in 2014 as the solution for ambitious enterprise brands seeking a reliable yet powerful eCommerce platform.
But with the development of headless commerce, Shopify has again stepped in the fill a new niche. By releasing Commerce Components for Shopify, the company has enabled large-scale enterprise brands to have complete control over their tech stack and a headless approach while utilising the benefits of Shopify’s reliability and authority.
Below, we look at Commerce Components by Shopify and how it can benefit enterprise retailers.
What is Commerce Components by Shopify?
Commerce Components by Shopify is a feature that enterprise businesses can use to customise an eCommerce store completely. It’s described as a ‘tech stack’ and modular, meaning businesses can choose which elements to use. You can use all of the components or just some, depending on your business type and the eCommerce experience you are striving for. Though Shopify has created Commerce Components, it can be used by third-party providers. The code has been prewritten and tested, meaning each component can be added and utilised simply.
Commerce Components vs Shopify Plus: how are the two products different?
A recent article in Modern Retail indicates that Shopify is pitching Commerce Components as “a new, separate offering for enterprise retailers that complements its core offerings, like Shopify Plus.” So, Shopify Plus and Commerce Components are not interchangeable; retailers choose one or the other depending on their needs.
All-in-one vs headless. Essentially, Shopify Plus is an all-in-one platform for enterprise retailers. Its core appeal lies in the platform’s powerful, brilliantly thought-through functionality and ease of use, but retailers must build with the platform’s capabilities in mind. Commerce Components differs in that it's a headless tech stack, meaning Shopify can give brands “access to only the components of Shopify that they need, with the ability to leave behind what they don’t,” according to a spokesperson for the platform. Everything can be customised with Commerce Components, and various hosting platforms can be used.
Costs. Given they are completely different products, pricing also varies between the two. Shopify Plus has a standardised pricing model of 0.4%, with an additional 0.15% discount for businesses that use Shopify Payments and process a minimum of $2,000 monthly. By contrast, Commerce Components has a more bespoke pricing model. The cost is tailored depending on business requirements and size.
Support. Support also differs to suit the more complex nature of Commerce Components as it requires more support, with brands getting access to SLAs, Shopify Professional Services and a dedicated account team. With Shopify Plus, retailers are allocated a Success Manager and launch support.
Features & functionality. Shopify Plus is set to expand even further in 2023, taking its features and functionality to the next level, but Commerce Components is already there in many ways. There are no API limits with Commerce Components, and it can manage 40,000 checkouts per minute per store. There are also increased product variant limits with Commerce Components and third-party partnerships. Of course, it’s important to remember that Shopify Plus has very few limits also.
How can I switch from Shopify Plus to Commerce Components?
As mentioned above, the two products are not interchangeable, so you can't switch or upgrade from Shopify Plus to Commerce Components.
What individual components are available with Commerce Components?
With Commerce Components, there are several core components, around 30 in total, and these can be split into six categories.
Storefront Components - These components cover everything needed to create a custom storefront, including Headless API, Headless SDK and Content. Shopify Commerce Components also include Headless Hostings, Low Code Storefronts and Storefront Search.
Cart and Checkout Components - These components allow you to build a cart that utilises Shopify’s checkout features. Cart, Checkout Platform, Payments Platform, Tax Platform and Fraud Protection are all available.
Core Commerce Components - This category includes the fundamentals of building a functioning eCommerce store, including Product catalogues, Custom Data Models, Subscriptions, Customer Data, Discounts and Functions Extensibility.
Data and Compliance Components - Accurate data is a vital part of eCommerce, and these components are designed to help. Data Analysis, Marketing Insights, Card Data and Vaulting, Security and Compliance are all available.
Shipping and Logistics Components - Logistics is a vital part of ensuring customers receive their goods, and Fulfilment, Order Management, Returns, Shipping Labels API and Inventory all help.
Omnichannel Components - Shopify prides itself on offering an omnichannel experience, and these components allow that. These components include Point of Sale, Social Commerce, Chat and Support elements.
Commerce Components covers everything an enterprise business needs to provide customers with a flawless eCommerce experience. Commerce Components has been designed to help businesses manage their eCommerce store whilst supporting consumers throughout their buying journey. All the components are not required; additional ones are used as needed.
Who can benefit from Commerce Components?
Commerce Components by Shopify was created with large-scale enterprise retailers in mind. As a general indication, these retailers are likely to be generating more than USD 500m in revenue per year, perhaps with multiple brands, big teams, complex eCommerce requirements, and/or large offline and online businesses.
Shopify is utilising Commerce Components to compete against other customisable eCommerce platforms for headless stores. As headless stores can be complex and costly, it’s unlikely that small businesses will benefit from Commerce Components in the same way as established brands.
“For large retailers, Commerce Components provides access to Shopify’s best-in-breed checkout, internationalisation or omnichannel offerings, says Richard Ayles, Head of Development at blubolt. “This is a really attractive proposition for them as they can essentially cherry-pick their favourite components to meet the specific demands of their business with no constraints on throughput!”
When is Commerce Components available?
Commerce Components is available now, though brands must liaise with Shopify directly to get the ball rolling.
What is the cost of Shopify Commerce Components?
As mentioned above, there is no set price for Commerce Components. It's a completely bespoke pricing model tailored to how many components the business requires and usage. We'd recommend getting your project thoroughly scoped to ensure you understand your requirements and the total costs.
Which brands are using Commerce Components?
Although it was only launched in January, a number of high-profile brands have already switched to Commerce Components, including Coty, Glossier, JB Hifi, Mattel, Spanx, Staples, and Steve Madden.
In Summary: getting started with Commerce Components.
As you can see, Commerce Components is an excellent addition to the large-scale enterprise end of Shopify’s suite of products. A tech stack offering enterprise retailers such flexibility and customisation creates space for ambitious retailers to grow with Shopify. Commerce Components only strengthens Shopify’s position as a stable, powerful, industry-leading platform that will continue developing new features and functionality for Shopify Plus retailers.
As an accredited Shopify Plus Partner agency with over fifteen years of eCommerce experience, blubolt is perfectly placed to help you find the right Shopify solution for your brand. So whether you're considering Commerce Components or Shopify Plus for your eCommerce solution, get in touch to discuss your requirements. We would love to help!
