Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce
Name	Adobe Commerce
Developer	Adobe Inc.
Released	July 2018
Programming language	PHP
Operating system	Cross-platform
Genre	E-commerce
License	Proprietary software

Adobe Commerce. It is a comprehensive, cloud-based e-commerce platform developed by Adobe Inc. for building and managing digital storefronts and business-to-business sales channels. The platform is built on the open-source Magento software, which Adobe acquired in 2018, and is a core component of the Adobe Experience Cloud. It is designed to provide merchants with a highly customizable and scalable solution for omnichannel commerce, integrating with other Adobe products for marketing, analytics, and content management.

Overview

As a leading enterprise e-commerce solution, it provides businesses with the tools to create unique digital shopping experiences across various touchpoints. It is deeply integrated with the Adobe Experience Cloud, allowing for seamless connections between commerce, marketing, and analytics functions. The platform is utilized by a wide range of global brands, from mid-sized businesses to large enterprises in industries like retail, manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods. Its flexibility supports complex business models, including business-to-consumer, business-to-business, and hybrid marketplaces.

Features and capabilities

The platform offers a robust suite of features for managing the entire commerce lifecycle. Key capabilities include advanced product information management, a powerful rules-based pricing engine, and sophisticated promotions and merchandising tools. It supports extensive shopping cart functionality, multiple payment gateways like PayPal and Braintree, and integrated tax calculation. For marketers, it provides tools for content staging and preview, customer segmentation, and personalized recommendations, often leveraging integrations with Adobe Target and Adobe Analytics.

Architecture and technology

Built primarily on the PHP programming language, it utilizes the Laminas Project framework and other modern web development technologies. Its architecture supports a model–view–controller pattern, ensuring separation of concerns for easier customization. The platform employs MySQL or MariaDB for its database management and supports caching with technologies like Varnish Cache and Redis. For front-end development, it uses a theming layer based on XML, PHP, and CSS, and can leverage JavaScript frameworks like RequireJS and Knockout.js for dynamic user interfaces.

Deployment models

Merchants can choose between two primary deployment options to suit their technical and business needs. The cloud-based, fully managed version, known as Adobe Commerce Cloud, is hosted on the AWS infrastructure and includes automated patch management, security, and scalability. Alternatively, the on-premises version allows companies to host the software on their own infrastructure, providing greater control over the server environment and custom code but requiring in-house management of updates, performance, and security.

Integration and ecosystem

A significant strength is its extensible architecture and vast partner ecosystem. It integrates natively with other Adobe Experience Cloud applications, such as Adobe Experience Manager for content and Adobe Campaign for marketing automation. The platform boasts a large marketplace of extensions and themes developed by partners like Mageplaza and Amasty. Furthermore, it supports integration with major third-party systems for enterprise resource planning like SAP, customer relationship management like Salesforce, and order management systems through APIs and pre-built connectors.

History and development

The platform's origins trace back to Magento, an open-source e-commerce platform created by Varien Inc., with its first public release in 2008. Magento was later acquired by Permira-owned holdings. In a major move to expand its digital experience offerings, Adobe Inc. announced the acquisition of Magento in May 2018 for $1.68 billion. Following the acquisition, the commercial offerings were rebranded, with the enterprise product becoming part of the Adobe Experience Cloud. Subsequent development has focused on deeper cloud-native integration, enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities via Adobe Sensei, and strengthened business-to-business tools.

Category:E-commerce software Category:Adobe Inc. software Category:Cloud computing platforms