Unleashing e-commerce potential with Umbraco Commerce

By Nicholas Durrant

In the changing world of e-commerce, businesses are constantly seeking versatile and robust solutions to enhance their online presence and streamline their operations. Umbraco Commerce stands out as a powerful and flexible platform that empowers businesses to create engaging and personalized online shopping experiences. Built on the renowned Umbraco Content Management System (CMS), Umbraco Commerce seamlessly integrates content and commerce, providing a comprehensive solution for businesses of all sizes. At Bluegrass, we are putting our full weight behind Umbraco Commerce and already putting into practice with 2 new e-commerce projects in full swing.

Umbraco Commerce is nothing new

Umbraco Commerce is not new software, it is essentially a rebranded version of the Vendr solution, originally developed by Matt Brailsford’s Outfield Digital. This small agency was acquired by Umbraco HQ in 2023. The strategic acquisition and rebranding addresses a noticeable gap in e-commerce functionality, enabling Umbraco to actively compete in the broader Digital Experience Platform (DXP) and composable DXP arena.

How does it fit together in the Umbraco eco-system?

Umbraco Commerce is an extension of the popular open-source Umbraco CMS, designed to meet the unique demands of e-commerce. With its user-friendly interface and scalable architecture, Umbraco Commerce enables businesses to effortlessly manage product catalogues, handle transactions, and deliver personalized content, all within a single, cohesive platform.

Key Features:

1. Content-Driven Commerce:
Umbraco Commerce emphasizes the importance of content in the e-commerce landscape. By combining a powerful CMS with robust e-commerce functionalities, businesses can create compelling product pages, blog posts, and landing pages to engage customers and enhance the overall user experience.

2. Flexible product management:
Managing products becomes intuitive with Umbraco Commerce. The platform allows businesses to easily organize and update product catalogues, set up variants and bundles, and provide rich product information, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers.

3. Easy-to-use store management
Powered by Umbraco’s familiar UI and leveraging the same underlying architecture, Umbraco Commerce uses the same principles and conventions as Umbraco CMS. This means your online store will be easy and intuitive to manage with neat features like colour-coded order status labels underpinned by a quick search for speedy management.

4. Scalability
Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, Umbraco Commerce scales to meet your needs. With scalability a crucial factor for the growth of any e-commerce business, the platform adapts as your business grows, ensuring that you can expand your product range, handle increased traffic, and integrate with other business systems seamlessly.

5. Integration and customisation
Umbraco Commerce recognizes the importance of a connected digital ecosystem. Businesses can tailor their online requirements to their specific needs and preferences, without being limited by the constraints of a typical e-commerce platform. It also offers flexible integration options that will allow for easy integration with third-party tools, payment gateways, and other essential systems.

6. Storefront API for Omnichannel experiences
The Storefront API is a headless API that brings a new dimension to cart management and checkout processing. This API will empower you to build omnichannel experiences that were previously beyond reach, making your e-commerce venture more versatile and engaging. It’s true headless commerce, enabling you to offer a seamless shopping experience to your customers.

7. Built-in dashboards and analytics
Thanks to the built-in summary dashboard with an instant performance view and the option to add your own custom metrics as well as an analytics section to track your performance over time, it is easy for you to stay on top of things and make data-driven decisions to keep improving your business and plan campaigns.

8. Security and compliance:
Security is paramount in e-commerce, and Umbraco Commerce prioritizes the protection of sensitive customer data. Built on Microsoft’s .NET framework, Umbraco Commerce inherits a level of enterprise security and reliability. The platform adheres to industry standards and regulations, providing a secure environment for online transactions.

So what do we think?

Umbraco Commerce stands at the forefront of flexible e-commerce solutions, offering a unique blend of content management and robust commerce capabilities. With its user-friendly interface, scalability, and emphasis on flexibility, Umbraco Commerce empowers businesses to create immersive online shopping experiences that captivate customers and drive business success.

Whether you’re a startup looking to establish your online presence or an established enterprise that require a high level of customisation to enhance your e-commerce operations, Umbraco Commerce is poised to elevate your digital journey.

Like any software product, having experience of the Umbraco eco-system is equally important as is choosing the right partner. As a fully-fledged Umbraco Gold Partner with over 16 years’ experience delivering Umbraco solutions, let Bluegrass help guide you on your next e-commerce project. Get in touch today.