Commercetools.

Composable E-commerce Platform

The king of composable e-commerce and co-founder of the MACH Alliance. Fully API-first designed for enterprise organizations that need complete control over their commerce stack.

What is Commercetools?

An API-first e-commerce platform provides all commerce logic (pricing, inventory, orders, payments) via REST/GraphQL APIs – no pre-built user interface, no restrictive data models. Commercetools is the most strictly pure implementation of this concept. You can build your own frontend in React, Vue, Svelte – whatever you want. And you integrate your own CMS, PIM, analytics, fulfillment.

What makes Commercetools different?

Pure API-first design. Commercetools is not a "traditional platform with API openings". It's literally built as a set of microservices that you control via APIs. This means: zero vendor lock-in on the commerce logic itself.

Microservices architecture. That flexibility comes at a price: implementation is by definition a major project. A typical enterprise implementation is 9-18 months.

Hyper-suitable for multi-brand / multi-country. If you need to run five brand websites with shared inventory, or want to serve B2B + B2C simultaneously, Commercetools is ideal.

Strengths

Unlimited flexibility – No "standard features getting in your way". Everything is API; you build exactly what you need.

Microservices excellence – Each service area (orders, inventory, pricing) is separately scalable and deployable.

Multi-tenant, multi-brand native – Architecture supports complex organizations out of the box.

Future-proof – No upgrade cycles where your scripts break. APIs evolve backward compatible.

Who uses Commercetools?

Commercetools serves enterprise-scale organizations worldwide with $75B+ annual GMV.

Ulta Beauty – Premium cosmetics chain, multi-brand

Frasers Group – British luxury retailer, multi-brand

BMW Group – Automotive, parts commerce and B2B

Cepheid – Diagnostic medical equipment, B2B

EPAM – Global integrator, enterprise clients

Incentro – Dutch consultancy, MACH implementations

Our perspective

Commercetools is, in our experience, the enterprise standard for large organizations with complex commerce requirements. It's not "out-of-the-box" – expect 12-18 months implementation and a dedicated technical team.

Suitable for

Large enterprise with complex commerce requirements (multi-brand, multi-tenant)

Retailers with in-house tech team – you need fullstack engineers

Companies wanting "composable" – best-of-breed tools per function

International environments – multi-currency, multi-language, multi-compliance

Consider carefully

Massive implementation effort – 12-18 months, not 2 months

Expensive – €300k-1M+ investment for complete implementation

Small companies find it too bare-bones

Is Commercetools suitable for enterprise?

Absolutely. Commercetools is the platform for enterprise. All limitations of Shopify Plus disappear: unlimited custom workflows, hyper-complex pricing logic, B2B complexity.

Summary: Commercetools is power and flexibility if you're willing to invest. It's a commerce engine that your team builds. For organizations with tech resources: unbeatable.

Need help with your commerce platform choice? We're happy to think along about MACH architecture, no strings attached.

Schedule a call

In practice

Integrations & ecosystem

Commercetools integrates with virtually everything via API: Frontends (React, Vue, Next.js), CMS (Contentful, Sanity, Storyblok), PIM (Akeneo, Salsify), Payments (Adyen, Stripe), Fulfillment (custom WMS). Marketplace contains 100+ pre-built connectors.

Implementation

12-18 months for enterprise. Your team must understand GraphQL, REST API design, cloud infrastructure. Month 1-3: Design. Month 3-9: Development. Month 9-12: Testing. Month 12+: Live.

Support & community

Enterprise support with SLAs and technical account managers. Slack community, stackexchange, blogs from implementation partners. API docs are world-class.

AI & product development

Commercetools AI Assistant helps developers. Commerce MCP enables agentic commerce. Focus on event-driven commerce – everything triggered by events, not polls.

Compare with alternatives

How does Commercetools compare to Shopify?

Commercetools is the opposite of Shopify. Shopify: fast implementation, lots of pre-built. Commercetools: long implementation, everything is custom. Shopify wins on speed-to-market, Commercetools wins on flexibility and long-term control.

Also check out our analyses of other platforms:

Shopify – SaaS all-in-one, fast to go live, less flexibility

BigCommerce – Middle position, SaaS with larger API surface

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Commercetools implementation take?
12-18 months for enterprise. Faster (6-9 months) for simpler scenarios.
What does Commercetools cost?
Custom pricing. €5k-50k+/month depending on volume. Plus implementation costs (€300k-1M+).
Can I use Commercetools headless?
Yes, that IS the point. You build your own frontend. Commercetools is the API; UI is totally yours.
Is Commercetools for B2B?
Excellent for B2B. Native support for company accounts, bulk ordering, quote-to-cash workflows.
Do I need a dedicated team?
Yes. Minimum fullstack engineers, DevOps, product manager.

Need help with your commerce choice?

Breakfast helps you make the right choice. Independent advice, no hidden agendas.

Schedule a call