The term eCommerce has become so ingrained in our everyday vocabulary that it’s hard to imagine anyone unfamiliar with it. To avoid any confusion from the outset, it’s important to clarify that Composable Commerce is not a new type of eCommerce platform, but rather an approach, philosophy, or guiding principle for how an eCommerce system should function—to the satisfaction of both sellers and buyers.
Elastic Path is one of the companies that has embraced this concept, choosing to develop eCommerce platforms for its clients based on the principles of Composable Commerce.
What is Composable Commerce?
The core principle behind Composable Commerce is the belief that every business is unique, and therefore, its eCommerce platform should reflect that uniqueness. While different companies may use the same foundational platform—such as the one provided by Elastic Path—the ability to customize every component down to the smallest detail allows each business to tailor the platform to its specific needs, goals, and customer expectations.
This high degree of flexibility is what sets Composable Commerce apart and forms the foundation of its philosophy: rather than relying on rigid, one-size-fits-all systems, businesses can compose their own commerce stack using modular, best-of-breed solutions.
Composable Commerce is more than just a technical approach—it’s a strategic mindset. It empowers both business and technology teams to innovate with speed and agility by leveraging API-first, microservices-based, cloud-native, and headless technologies. This modern architecture enables companies to deliver differentiated customer experiences while adapting quickly to changing market demands and evolving business requirements.
Allows businesses to adapt, scale, and innovate beyond imaginable
Composable Commerce is a modern approach to building and managing digital commerce experiences. It allows businesses to adapt, scale, and innovate quickly by using a variety of specialized technologies—each chosen for its specific strengths. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all platform, composable commerce empowers companies to create custom solutions tailored to their unique needs.
What’s the Primary Function?
The primary goal of composable commerce is to provide businesses with flexibility and control. It helps teams:
- Launch new digital experiences faster.
- Adapt to shifting customer expectations and market demands.
- Build scalable, future-ready solutions that support long-term growth.
With composable commerce, you’re not locked into a rigid system. You have the freedom to choose and integrate the best tools for your business—whether it’s payment processing, search functionality, or content management.
How Does It Work?
Composable commerce is built on a MACH architecture, which stands for:
Microservices – Small, independent services that handle specific tasks (like checkout or inventory).
- API-first
Everything is connected through APIs, making it easy to plug in or swap technologies. - Cloud-native
The system is hosted in the cloud, ensuring scalability and high performance. - Headless
The front-end (what users see) is separate from the back-end, allowing for full design flexibility.
This modular structure allows your tech team to add or replace components—like integrating a new payment system or updating your product catalog—without disrupting the entire commerce system.
Why It Matters
- Speed to Market
Quickly launch or update experiences without long development cycles. - Cost Efficiency
Use general developer talent, not just specialists tied to a specific platform. - Better Performance
Choose technologies that are best-in-class for each function, rather than settling for generic, bundled solutions. - Future-Ready
Easily scale and evolve as your business and customer expectations grow.
Benefits: Why Composable Commerce Is a Game-Changer for Modern Businesses
In a fast-moving digital world, staying ahead means being able to pivot quickly, scale effortlessly, and make the most of every resource. That’s exactly where composable commerce comes in—offering a smarter, more flexible way to build and manage your e-commerce operations.
Here’s how it makes a real difference for your business:
Adaptability: Ready for Anything
Business priorities can shift overnight. Whether you’re seizing a new growth opportunity or navigating unexpected changes, composable commerce empowers your team to respond fast. You can launch new services, adapt your online store, or roll out new features—all without being held back by rigid systems. It’s e-commerce that moves at the speed of your business.
Scalability: Built for Now—and What’s Next
Need to handle a spike in traffic during a sale? Or want to scale back certain functions during slower seasons? Composable commerce gives you the power to scale individual components up or down as needed. No more overpaying for unused services or getting stuck with tech that can’t grow with you. It’s technology that scales with your vision.
Efficiency: Smarter Use of Resources
By enabling better adaptability and scalability, composable commerce helps you use your time, budget, and talent more efficiently. Free up your tech team to focus on innovation, not just maintenance. Reallocate resources to where they’ll have the most impact—whether that’s customer experience, product development, or marketing.
The Bottom Line
Composable commerce isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a smarter way of working. It helps your business stay agile, grow faster, and operate more efficiently in a constantly changing market. When your e-commerce can change as fast as your business needs it to, you’re not just keeping up—you’re leading.
Who Is Composable Commerce Designed For?
Composable Commerce is built for businesses that need speed, flexibility, and scalability—regardless of complexity or structure. Whether you’re selling B2B, D2C, across geographies, or through multiple brands or distribution networks, this solution adapts to your business model and helps you deliver powerful, personalized digital commerce experiences.
B2B eCommerce
Designed for businesses that sell to other businesses, composable commerce enables you to rapidly create, launch, and optimize B2B experiences. With unlimited account-specific catalogs and features like B2B-focused cart and checkout, you can easily tailor experiences to different clients and streamline complex sales processes.
D2C Businesses
For direct-to-consumer brands, this solution offers the flexibility to launch unique, engaging customer experiences fast—without needing heavy custom development. Get to market quicker, test new ideas, and stay ahead of consumer expectations with ease.
Distributor & Supplier Networks
Managing multiple stores across franchises, suppliers, or distributor networks? Composable commerce makes it easy to centrally manage all your stores and business models in one place. Launch new stores, manage operations, and scale your network with efficiency and speed.
Multi-Geography Businesses
Operate in multiple countries? With a centralized system, you can create geo-specific catalogs and pricing from a single instance. Cater to different currencies, languages, and regulations—all while maintaining brand consistency and control.
Multi-Brand Businesses
Running multiple brands under one roof? This solution lets you manage all your brands from a single platform. Customize catalogs, consolidate cart and checkout experiences, and oversee operations for each brand without duplicating effort or infrastructure.
Tailored for Complex Businesses. Built for Growth. Whether you’re managing diverse customers, locations, or brands, composable commerce gives you the tools to move faster, serve better, and scale smarter.
Flexible Pricing Plans Designed for Growth
At Elastic Path, our pricing is built to support your growth—whether you’re just getting started or scaling enterprise-wide. Choose from four tailored plans designed to match your goals, timeline, and business needs.
Free Trial
- Start with a 14-Day Free Trial
- Explore Elastic Path with no commitment. Test out the core features, experience the platform, and see how it fits your business needs—risk-free.
Product Experience Manager
- Total freedom to merchandise any product experience
- Ideal for brands that need to deliver dynamic product experiences. Pricing is based on the number of SKUs, with multi-year contracts. Composer is included at no extra cost.
Commerce Essentials
- Rapid implementation, fast time to value
- Perfect for businesses that want to get to market quickly with the essentials needed to launch high-performing commerce experiences.
Elastic Path Composable Commerce
- Scale your business with a full suite of composable products
- Designed for brands undergoing a full digital transformation. This plan includes all Elastic Path products and capabilities (excluding Payments) bundled together.
- Pricing is based on a percentage of Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) or order volume, with multi-year contracts.
How Is Pricing Structured?
Elastic Path’s pricing is flexible and tailored based on your specific requirements:
Elastic Path Composable Commerce: Bundled pricing based on GMV or order volume. Best for brands replacing legacy systems and scaling fast.
Product Experience Manager
Priced by SKU count. Ideal for initiative-based projects needing customized product merchandising.
Studio
Priced based on monthly page views. Great for teams focused on content-rich commerce experiences.
Payments
Priced separately based on a percentage of GMV.
Composer
Included for free with any product. If purchased standalone as a commerce-intelligent iPaaS, pricing is based on the number of integrations.
