When it comes to MACH architecture, a common narrative is that it’s highly “complex.” But is it really? Or is that label the result of selection bias and misconceptions in the market? Kelly Goetsch, Chief Strategy Officer at commercetools, and Dirk Hoerig, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at commercetools, discuss how commercetools, a pioneer in the MACH space (and by extension, composable commerce), has taken strides to debunk the myth while also working to simplify how enterprises adopt this architecture. They both break down why MACH is often misunderstood and how commercetools is revolutionizing its adoption in a recent CommerceTomorrow podcast.
Why is MACH architecture often labeled as "complex"?
MACH architecture's reputation for complexity can largely be attributed to selection bias. Historically, enterprises transitioning from monolithic platforms to MACH were often large, resource-rich businesses with highly custom needs. These enterprises needed the ability to mold a system that could scale and integrate into their legacy technologies, thus painting MACH as a bespoke, sophisticated beast. Smaller businesses, upon hearing about MACH from these giant enterprises, likely perceived it as too complex for their needs.
But here's where the narrative can shift. The complexity of MACH often depends on how you approach it and the tooling at your disposal. commercetools has been working to streamline that approach, making the composable architecture more accessible, without sacrificing the benefits of modularity and flexibility.
What were the founding principles and architecture goals of commercetools?
Founded in 2006, commercetools set out to build a product with a future-forward mindset. The goal was not to create just another eCommerce platform, but to lay the groundwork for a more agile, scalable and flexible architecture. The very core of commercetools is rooted in the belief that eCommerce shouldn’t be tied to rigid, one-size-fits-all solutions.
Dirk Hoerig, co-founder of commercetools, explained that his vision was to be product-first, focusing on giving developers freedom through flexibility and unopinionated design. This meant allowing businesses to compose their eCommerce solution the way they saw fit.
Evolution of commercetools: How we're making MACH more accessible
As MACH gained popularity, commercetools evolved its platform, focusing on reducing the perceived complexity through integration and pre-built components. One of the significant moves was the introduction of Connect, an integration marketplace. This marketplace allows users to easily plug in third-party solutions without needing to build every connector from scratch.
In Dirk’s words, commercetools wants "customers to gain value as quickly as possible and then innovate on top." By pre-integrating solutions into enterprise-ready offerings, commercetools has reduced the time-to-value for businesses, allowing them to hit the ground running while still maintaining flexibility.
For instance, the introduction of our commercetools Foundry for B2C Retail and B2B Manufacturing solutions allows customers to tap into a pre-configured system that includes best-in-breed solutions, cutting down implementation time. Now, composable commerce is no longer reserved for tech giants. Businesses can leverage MACH architecture and commercetools' pre-built templates to accelerate deployment.
How is commercetools positioned in the market?
While competitors in the eCommerce space tout their own strengths, commercetools stands as a sole leader in MACH architecture. Plus, its focus on the enterprise sector and composable commerce puts it in a category of its own.
As Dirk put it, commercetools is the "largest ever privately held commerce platform by revenue." This leadership position isn’t by chance. commercetools' ability to stay ahead of market trends, innovate and launch multi-product solutions has placed it miles ahead of legacy competitors who are bogged down by outdated, monolithic systems.
What benefits does a composable, unopinionated system offer to businesses?
The key benefit of an unopinionated system like commercetools is flexibility. Businesses get to choose their tech stack, selecting the tools and services that best fit their unique needs. This contrasts sharply with opinionated systems, where vendors dictate the workflow, tech stack and architecture choices. While opinionated systems may offer simplicity in the short term, they often lock businesses into a narrow scope of customization and limit scalability.
With commercetools, businesses enjoy full control over their architecture without being forced into a rigid framework. They can opt for best-of-breed tools and easily integrate them using commercetools' marketplace, building a system that grows with their needs.
How does commercetools balance developer autonomy and pre-defined solutions?
While commercetools provides a highly flexible and unopinionated system, we also understand that not every business wants to spend months building from scratch. That's where commercetools strikes a balance. By offering both pre-configured solutions like commercetools Foundry and developer autonomy, we provide a solid foundation with room to customize.
For businesses that want faster time-to-market, commercetools offers pre-built templates and enterprise-ready components. Developers can deploy these out-of-the-box while still having the ability to tweak, integrate and innovate when necessary. As Kelly notes, commercetools caters to both ends of the spectrum: The pragmatists who need immediate solutions and the tech-savvy teams who want the freedom to build their ideal platform from the ground up.
How does commercetools address the learning curve associated with composable architecture?
Adopting composable architecture can involve a learning curve, but commercetools has invested heavily in making that curve more manageable. One of the standout initiatives is the AI-enabled documentation and code generation, where developers can ask questions and receive ready-to-go code that can be implemented right away.
This significantly lowers the barrier to entry for teams that may be less familiar with MACH but still want to leverage its advantages. commercetools has also built a robust customer success ecosystem, offering support from thousands of developers across hundreds of partners. This landscape ensures that businesses not only adopt MACH architecture but thrive with it.
How are headless, MACH and composable commerce all connected? Read our blog post about it: How do composable, headless and MACH® compare? The key differences explained.
Conclusion
commercetools is rewriting the story of MACH architecture, making it accessible, flexible and powerful for businesses of all sizes. By balancing unopinionated design with practical solutions, it empowers businesses to compose their ideal eCommerce platforms while reducing time-to-market and simplifying integrations. As one of the leaders in the MACH eCommerce space, commercetools is not only navigating the complexities of modern commerce but actively making them easier to overcome.
Want to learn more about Dirk and Kelly's insight about MACH, composable commerce and commercetools? Then listen to their CommerceTomorrow podcast: Making Composable Even Easier.