Retail on cloud nine: A full guide to cloud modernization of eCommerce

The digital world is expanding at an astonishing speed, and yet, eCommerce, which is supposed to lead this change, often lags. The 2025 Digital Commerce Landscape Report defined that 93% of businesses find that their technology limits their business growth. Also, 52% of decision makers complain about the manual processes and lack of involvement in making important steps to success. This proves that legacy systems stop retailers from true growth — but cloud modernization makes a difference.

So, how to use the power of the cloud? This article will outline the key concepts and break down the architectures and types, together with the main steps and platforms to rely on.

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What is cloud eCommerce?

First of all, how have the internet and the cloud changed commerce? They enable worldwide reach, give you real-time access and collaboration, and facilitate faster scaling. Besides, cloud lets you tap into trends and connect with shoppers — for instance, Walmart has evolved from a straightforward checkout counter to a mind-reading shopping partner with its "triplet model" cloud infrastructure. It uses AI to remember voice commands and suggests party supplies when you mention hosting friends. From shopping to a dialogue — and this is just one example.

Daryl Plummer from Gartner shares: "Line-of-business leaders everywhere are bypassing IT departments to get applications from the cloud and paying for them like they would for a magazine subscription,” — and it’s the best way to describe the process.

Cloud eCommerce is the process of taking an online store from physical servers to the remote infrastructure of the internet. This is done by third-party providers that supply the technical foundation of the online store. As a result, you no longer need a physical server — basically, you just pay rent for scalable computing power that manages all processes. Let’s describe this workflow in detail now.

How does cloud-based eCommerce work?

Cloud computing in retail utilizes systems that are built on a distributed network of servers that scale resources automatically, based on actual demand. When you shop online, your clicks are sent to remote servers that connect many systems in real-time (such as inventory checkers, payment processors, shipping coordinators, and more). Modern systems like Shopify Plus accomplish this by using APIs and microservices that can act without limitations. 

The choice of platform determines how much work a business does for itself. In this relation, let’s compare Magento vs Shopify. 

Shopify is like a pre-made store, where business owners only need to add products and customize colors, while everything else is managed by the company behind the scenes. Magento allows for more decisions and customization by the store owner, but it ultimately requires the store owner to hire developers for the initial setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting. 

The key element is that small businesses can launch advanced online stores without having to buy expensive hardware and hiring an IT staff, and established retailers can handle major spikes in traffic without worrying about their website failing.

Comparing the models: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS

The concept of cloud-based eCommerce is rather complex due to the varied options of the models in which it can be executed. Let’s break down the major ones that you can pick from.

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is the model that gives access to virtualized computing resources (virtual machines, storage, and networking). Users control operating systems, while providers take care of the physical infrastructure via hypervisors that create isolated virtual machine instances. This is a more complex model that requires training to manage systems and security. The pro is that you can change resource capacity on the fly and completely customize the execution environment.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) hides complexity around infrastructure by offering a dev platform with middleware, databases, and runtime environments. In this case, developers manage application logic, and the platform handles system management and scale infrastructure on its own. These cloud platforms provide API support for multiple languages to speed up development and make it easier to integrate web services. The main concern with PaaS is vendor lock-in with proprietary API's and requirements.
• With Software as a Service (SaaS), fully developed applications can be delivered directly through a web browser, cutting the need for any local installations or maintenance work. Both software and security management (as well as all infrastructure resources) are managed by the provider. The software is accessible on any device with web access, so you gain low cost of entry, a pay-as-you-go pricing model, and no upfront hardware investment needed. However, in this model, user customization is limited to modifying behaviors and interfaces — not capabilities themselves.

The choice between these delivery methods of adopting cloud commerce comes down to the investment resources you have, the team proficiency you can provide, and the level of control you want. 

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Why cloud modernization matters for eCommerce

If you are hesitating about whether you need to modernize your applications, there are two great connected risks that you face otherwise: outdated infrastructure and the related cost of inaction (COI) that accumulates over time. Businesses that only pay attention to observable ROI metrics frequently ignore the growing opportunity costs associated with technological stagnation.

In addition to being a technical debt, outdated infrastructure is a strategic disadvantage that gets worse every day. Businesses that put off modernization risk losing their competitive edge, which is ultimately threatened by the Cost of Inaction. Inaction in data-driven environments has both concrete and intangible effects that build up over time, according to Qizilbash's analysis. The COI functions as a slow deterioration of your market value, in contrast to obvious project failures that require quick attention.

To fully understand the risks associated with COI, let’s look at this graph.

From lifecycle challenges with existing products to value creation barriers in the Questions-Answers-Actions sequence, the Four 4s Formula shows how inaction progresses through predictable stages. Ultimately, it impacts the Story's path from stakeholders to context to COI, and finally, it affects measurable business impact. This translates to increased operational costs because of inefficient processes and lost revenue because of missed customer insights.

Apart from the mechanisms and outcomes of COI, there are other disadvantages connected to cloud application modernization:

• Vulnerabilities in performance and security are among the greatest challenges. Modern traffic demands are too much for legacy systems to handle; 53% of mobile users leave websites that load slowly. Also, security patches are lacking in aging infrastructure, and 60% of companies that use out-of-date software report breaches within two years, which can occasionally result in significant drops in sales and customer trust.
• Financial restraints and scalability come together with outdated infrastructure. Older platforms are resistant to expansion and omnichannel or AI and analytics improvements. Maintenance costs take up 90% of the total software costs, and with full ownership of an outdated solution, it gets even higher with costly fix-and-patch cycles.
• Customer experience inevitably worsens with aging software. According to Gartner, 68% of leaders report higher retention after platform modernization of legacy systems, which means it’s harder to provide the personalized experiences that modern shoppers expect, ending up in customer defection.
• The gap in acceleration is another result. As Gartner also estimated, cloud-based, AI-powered platforms will account for 80% of eCommerce revenue by 2027. Companies that continue to use outdated systems must adapt to a growing technological divide that turns modernization into a necessity for survival. Headless commerce, real-time analytics, and immersive shopping experiences are now a must — and with outdated infrastructure, they become close to impossible to implement.

With such great risks, it’s clear that cloud eCommerce truly is the future. It’s time to outline the major advantages that you get by moving to the cloud.

Benefits of cloud modernization

"Cloud computing is often far more secure than traditional computing, because companies like Google and Amazon can attract and retain cybersecurity personnel of a higher quality than many governmental agencies", says Vivek Kundra. And if having a security team that exceeds the quality of the state establishments isn’t enough for you to choose the cloud, let’s review some other benefits of retail cloud technologies.

• Better scalability. Cloud computing gives businesses an adaptable infrastructure that can meet rapid growth and jumps in demand. According to Akrami and Bhathal, this helps retailers manage their costs associated with hosting and maintaining their platforms and load times during peak periods. Now that 94% of businesses use cloud computing, you can quickly ramp up or down on needed resources without having to spend on costly infrastructure to handle activity during Black Friday or Christmas sales.
• Reliability of your data. Cloud service provider infrastructures include globally dispersed data centers with advanced load balancing and auto-scaling to ensure uptime and performance. Research indicates that companies with multi-cloud delivery networks see a 51% reduction in application response times across geographic regions and a 45% decrease in recovery time objectives.
• Happier customers. Cloud computing makes it possible for AI and machine learning to provide individualized shopping experiences that increase customer loyalty by centrally storing customer data. According to studies, businesses that use cloud-based analytics solutions see improvements in inventory forecasting accuracy of 50%, avoiding stockouts, missed sales, and complaints. Cloud solutions for eCommerce allow companies to use real-time customer interaction data to provide the precise goods and experiences that customers want.
• Higher-grade security. With specialized expert teams and infrastructure protection that outperforms in-house capabilities, cloud providers employ strong security measures. According to Akrami and Bhathal, the data centers for cloud computing exist in a variety of geographical areas, with the data being stored in multiple locations, ensuring a lower risk of data loss. Finally, it brings you peace of mind regarding sensitive customer payment information.
• An ability to cut costs. Cloud computing offers alternatives to expensive hardware and software purchases through pay-as-you-use models that reflect actual business IT spending. This drives cost effectiveness as cloud vendors manage several computing resources and can offer a lower cost fee. With approximately 70% of companies having more than half of their workflows in the cloud, a significant reduction in infrastructure costs and much lower internal IT staffing requirements is what you ultimately get.
• Preparedness for whatever comes next. Cloud platforms give companies access to the latest technologies — AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics, which help them stay competitive in quickly changing markets. According to research, companies that use AI-driven cloud management solutions see a 54% improvement in resource optimization. As a result, you have more free resources to allocate for future improvements (and they are more precise with the directions you get from analytics).

With cloud modernization, you get measurable results that give you a better edge. However, to implement them correctly, you need to understand the different types of architectures. 

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Cloud eCommerce architecture 

Before we move to the actual implementation steps, it’s important to define the options of cloud architecture that exist. The key ones are traditional, headless, and composable.

• Traditional eCommerce architecture.

The shopping cart, product catalog, payments, and user interface are all integrated into a single, cohesive system by the monolithic architecture of traditional cloud-based eCommerce platforms. Through coupled infrastructure, the front-end presentation layer and the back-end business layer communicate directly. Although this method has benefits (ease of installation, upkeep, security, and stability), it has drawbacks — the lack of adaptability, few customization choices, inadequate scalability, and reliance on a single technology supplier. It’s also difficult to integrate new technologies or adjust to market demands.

• Headless eCommerce architecture.

A headless eCommerce architecture separates the front-end presentation from all of the back-end eCommerce functions so you can manage a user interface independently. A front-end application and the back-end of the eCommerce function communicate with each other via APIs, meaning the front-end developer can use any technology stack or framework for the storefront to give compelling, personalized experiences across multiple touchpoints — a website, mobile application, voice assistant, social media, or IoT device. It brings backend scalability without relying on the front-end application, which is useful during high-demand events. However, be aware that managing two systems further requires technical expertise.

• Composable eCommerce architecture. 

By dividing the entire eCommerce platform into smaller, separate, and specialized microservices that can be combined to create customized solutions, Composable eCommerce fully utilizes modular architecture. This API-first strategy enables companies to choose best-of-breed components from various vendors for particular tasks like order processing, inventory management, catalog management, and payments. Because of the cloud-native foundation, businesses can use cloud resources for better scalability, elasticity, availability, and security. They can also replace individual services without affecting the system as a whole. And surely, this elaborate type requires a great deal of specialized expertise.

Unlike the traditional cloud eCommerce architecture, the other two types have some benefits due to the extensive use APIs.

Modular, API-First systems are made possible by the cloud

Cloud environments improve the deployment of modular, API-first systems in a number of important ways:

• Microservices architecture. Microservices are small, autonomous services that interact with one another through APIs, and cloud eCommerce platforms are perfect for their deployment and management.  Because of its modularity, each service can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently of the application as a whole.
• Scalability and elasticity. Individual API-driven services can grow on their own thanks to the ability of cloud resources to be dynamically provisioned and scaled in response to demand. Each module will operate at its best thanks to this elasticity, which guarantees effective resource use.
• Managed services and APIs. Cloud providers provide managed services that are accessible via clear APIs (databases, message queues, and serverless functions). This lowers development effort and speeds time-to-market by making it simple for developers to incorporate these services into their modular applications.
• Cloud environments support Infrastructure as Code (IaC), which defines and manages infrastructure using code. For API-first systems, this makes it possible to automatically provision and configure resources, guaranteeing uniformity.
• Cloud platforms frequently offer reliable API management and gateway solutions. These tools aid in maintaining a consistent interface, setting communication between external consumers and modular services, and monitoring and managing APIs.
• Decoupling and independent evolution. The distributed architecture and API-first strategy of the cloud promote loose coupling between system elements. This facilitates quicker development cycles and makes maintenance and upgrades simpler.

According to findings from the CIRANO platform, cloud IDEs that support Model Driven Development provide the required higher levels of abstraction for cloud applications to be scalable and agile. The platform automatically connects databases and has an internal model repository that minimizes the complexity of development and code reuse for distributed teams. Evaluation results reveal that implementing cloud-based modular platforms reduces the time-to-market by providing services hosted on maintained programming tools.

How to choose the right model

To understand which model will fit your needs best, you can start by asking yourself and your team a few questions.

• Do you require stability and speedy deployment? Select traditional e-commerce. Monolithic architecture offers minimal technical complexity along with dependable, unconventional functionality. While unified system management and integrated security minimize operational overhead, single codebase deployment speeds up development.
• Do you require a custom front-end experience along with an omnichannel presence? Go with headless eCommerce for your cloud modernization strategy. While preserving centralized business logic and inventory management, independent scaling effectively manages traffic spikes.
• Need very specific integrations and the most flexibility? Opt for composable eCommerce.  For each function, a different vendor can be chosen. Zero-downtime updates and autonomous scaling are also supported by cloud-native deployment.
• Have limited tech resources but want to enter the market fast? Opt for the traditional one. Platforms with integrated hosting, SSL certificates, and payment processing offer instant deployment. And you get fast launch with low coding requirements.
• Do you require sophisticated business logic and enterprise-level performance? Select Composable eCommerce. While API gateways take care of authentication and rate limitation, Kubernetes orchestration controls microservice dependencies. For high-volume operations, query performance is maximized by independent database optimization for each service.

Now that we’ve figured out the architectures and the best options for your case, there’s another thing to consider — cloud modernization comes in several types. Let’s outline them as well.

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Types of cloud modernization in eCommerce

The 7 Rs framework (Rehost, Relocate, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, Retire, Retain) presents a complete plan for cloud migration planning that weighs both the technical needs and the business goals.

Replatforming

Replatforming is the process of preserving the core application architecture while making specific optimizations during cloud modernization and migration. Retailers can use managed cloud services with this method without having to make significant code changes. 

Typical replatforming tactics include updating authentication systems, switching from traditional load balancers to cloud-native alternatives, and moving databases to managed services. The procedure usually minimizes business disruption while delivering cost and performance reductions. For stable eCommerce apps that require incremental cloud benefits without the hassle and expense of complete modernization, replatforming works well.

Refactor

Refactoring for cloud e-commerce means changing an application's code/architecture to take advantage of cloud-native services and principles, allowing for better scalability, performance, and efficiency.  There are several main strategies to refactor an eCommerce application:

• Splitting an established, monolithic e-commerce platform into smaller services that can be developed, deployed, and maintained independently.
• Applying a serverless model, or redesigning parts of the application as functions that can be invoked as services, allows for greater flexibility in scaling certain features.
• Consolidating confusing logic, eliminating duplicated code, and optimizing databases to increase overall efficiency and reduce technical debt.
• Containerization — bundling an application along with its dependencies into a container that can consistently execute the application. The application can be deployed anywhere, especially to cloud-native solutions.

Refactoring can require a high level of complexity and resource use, but the ROI is high. It supports innovation, changing the paradigm of customer experiences and the ability for e-commerce companies to long-term save costs in the cloud.

Rearchitecting

Rearchitecting is the most sweeping option for cloud modernization, where the architectural design of the application is completely re-designed according to cloud-native principles. As Rajaram J notes, it may require “a complete redesign of applications to take full advantage of cloud-native features,” but with the highest long-term value. 

For cloud computing in the retail industry, this usually means working with distributed architectures using microservices instead of monoliths, event-driven patterns, and cloud-native databases and messaging systems. The components of this architecture include API-first design, container-based deployment, and serverless functions for workflows.

Although it requires more resources and takes longer to implement, rearchitecting helps businesses achieve the best possible scalability, resilience, and cost efficiency while setting them up for future innovation and market flexibility.

Containerization

For cloud-based eCommerce systems, containerization has become a game-changing technology that allows companies to implement microservices-based architectures that improve system resilience, scalability, and flexibility. Mengkorn Pum's study claims that containerization solves issues like managing heavy traffic, protecting data, and facilitating smooth updates.  

While cloud computing for retail gains from increased resource efficiency and quicker deployment cycles through platforms like Docker and Kubernetes orchestration, the technology facilitates API-based digital commerce by offering separate environments for various services.

Serverless computing

Serverless architecture provides eCommerce platforms with scalable and economical options by automating resource management instead of having to manage infrastructure. In her guide, Joerlyn Morfe shows that there is an improved approach through the modernization of cloud applications by eliminating overhead associated with managing infrastructure. The typical serverless architecture contains:

• Lambda functions to handle business logic.
• API Gateway to manage request routing.
• Event-driven communication, with EventBridge.
• Automated scaling based on demand and service.
• Pay-per-execution billing.

Serverless computing allows eCommerce cloud solution owners to focus on building the applications and getting the ideal use out of resources without maintaining infrastructure.

Multi-cloud

Multi-cloud strategies use services from several cloud providers to run applications simultaneously, as explained by Ana Juan Ferrer and her Atos S.A. colleagues. This approach allows eCommerce platforms to avoid vendor lock-in and optimize different requirements across the needed services. The cloud modernization benefits here include:

• Reducing risks by using more than one cloud provider.
• Reducing costs by choosing the services that are the best value.
• Improving performance by using locations in multiple geographies.
• Flexibility in compliance on having a jurisdiction across multiple clouds.

Multicloud Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) models are particularly well-suited to eCommerce applications due to interoperability, automated deployment, and seamless portability across multiple cloud environments.

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Steps of successful cloud adoption in eCommerce

“Navigating a complex system of cloud computing with an enterprise cybersecurity strategy is not an easy feat. A complex technological system works when designed correctly”, says Ludmila Morozova-Buss. This complexity affects every step of your journey to adopting cloud-based eCommerce solutions, so pay close attention to this guide.

Start by mapping your problems

If you are losing money on server costs and maintenance, then cloud cost optimization will be your number one priority. If your checkout fails during flash sales, then scalability is your number one priority. If you are losing your team to compliance audits, managed security services are your number one priority. Do not choose to focus on your cloud plans because someone else is doing it; make them based on the solutions to true problems that affect your operations.

Through infrastructure assessments, COAX's technology consulting services help you see the key pain points as clear as day. Through our cloud modernization consulting, our experts create action plans just for your case —  by comparing your current architecture to business objectives. To make sure your cloud strategy addresses actual cost, performance, and security issues, we examine your operational challenges and consider all aspects in the roadmap.

Set your cloud goals and strategy

You should be very specific and clear with your goals. For example, if you experience 400% traffic spikes around the holidays, your goal is not "improved performance," but rather "handle peak load without degradation of service." Next, create success metrics for these goals, such as "reduce cloud infrastructure costs by 30%," or "release new features to our customers within 2 days, instead of 2 weeks." Then, you must connect these goals to what that means for your revenue and outline the milestones to achieve your strategic objectives.

COAX establishes measurable objectives by assessing your existing performance baselines and business impact. Our cloud application modernization services convert legacy systems so that they target specific scalability and performance goals. We develop explicit KPIs and milestone tracking to ensure your cloud transformation is meaningfully tied to revenue growth.

Define your architecture and cloud model

Your business model and customer expectations will drive typical cloud architecture options. Particularly, high-growth startup companies benefit from:

• Software as a Service models for non-competitive contracts (like email or analytics).
• Platform as a Service models for rapid application development.
• Infrastructure as a Service models (non-compliant against high transaction volume) are used to build custom components for performance.

The architectures created by COAX’s eCommerce development services are always tailored to your transaction volumes and expansion goals. When we provide cloud modernization services for you, we identify the best combination of SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS for your unique requirements. Our team creates affordable hybrid solutions that grow with your company.

Tools and technologies

Assess your team's quality and expertise. For instance, if your developers are not a strong technical team, do not pick out Kubernetes due to its complexity. Success or failure is determined by the choice of tool. Start with your limitations rather than your features. Also, it’s useful to consider specific use cases like these:

• Product catalogs with high traffic: CDN + caching (CloudFlare/AWS CloudFront).
• Event streaming (Apache Kafka/AWS Kinesis) for real-time inventory.
• Processing payments: PCI-compliant programs (Stripe/Square APIs).
• Elasticsearch or managed alternatives (Algolia) for search functionality.

Although managed cloud eCommerce fulfillment services save engineering time, they are more expensive up front. 

By managing intricate implementations, our cloud migration services fill in skill gaps you might have in your in-house team. COAX experts choose tools that achieve performance goals while matching the expertise of your team. By selecting the ideal ratio of managed services to custom solutions depending on your technical capabilities, our migration approach lowers upfront costs.

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Top solutions

We already mentioned the importance of choosing the right platforms to implement cloud modernization. Let’s now define the key options you have for managed cloud services.

• Due to its user-friendly interface and smooth omnichannel Point-of-Sale connection, combined with a strong developer ecosystem around the Hydrogen headless offering, Shopify is a leader in B2C cloud eCommerce. These features make it strong for businesses looking to start quickly and connect physical and digital efforts, while sacrificing a little IT sophistication. However, if your DTC brand or retail operation has more volume or complex pre-sale or post-sale processes, Shopify will limit your overall operational ability because of its transaction fees and reliance on third-party apps.

• BigCommerce is a powerful eCommerce cloud platform oriented to B2B. It has more mature data models capable of managing complex product catalogs, variant logic, and product pricing structures built with pre-established ERP/POS integrations, advanced grouping hierarchies, and pricing logic. For industrial distributors transitioning into full B2B digital commerce, this ability to scale without having to lock in heavy IT investment upfront is just perfect. However, the third-party plug-ins inevitably add additional integrations and costs for features lost in native experimentation.

• Supporting millions of daily visitors, intricate pricing regulations, and sophisticated promotional workflows for both B2B and B2C channels, Adobe Commerce offers enterprise-grade scalability. It is perfect for mid-to-large businesses that need content-rich, adaptable commerce solutions because of its rich data model and integration with Adobe's digital experience suite. However, the inflexible data model may make customization difficult, and its technical complexity may be too much.

• Salesforce eCommerce Cloud enables complex B2B and B2C workflows with advanced merchandising tools, as well as AI-based recommendations and solid headless commerce support for enterprises already invested in Salesforce CRM. Its full-stack offering and active developer community make it the best cloud hosting for eCommerce businesses needing an integrated digital stack. However, the premium price point across multiple products can be a barrier, and the headless design may not feel native.

• With demonstrated performance in multi-brand, high-traffic deployments, Commercetools supports the MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Composable, Headless), which excels in the automotive and other B2C industries. Its adaptable architecture is ideal for businesses that want to create ideal tech stacks and demand highly customized digital experiences. The platform is not appropriate for businesses looking for turnkey solutions because it lacks bundled enterprise features and necessitates extensive custom development for complex B2B needs.

• Episerver (now Optimizedly) provides an integration of content management and commerce functionality, and includes embedded A/B testing and digital experimentation capabilities engineered for mid-to-large B2B companies. The integrated nature of its cloud commerce solutions handles complex product catalogs, partner relationships, and rule-based promotions without pricey third-party plugins. However, the ecosystem is less robust than Shopify or BigCommerce, resulting in higher implementation costs and slow implementation.

• For compliance-heavy industries looking for single-vendor solutions, SAP Hybris Commerce offers integration within the SAP ecosystem along with deployment flexibility, robust CI/CD capabilities, and governance features. Its strong audit readiness and process control underpinnings make it a strategic fit for businesses with SAP integration. In contrast to new headless-native platforms, it falls short in terms of usability, partner ecosystem scope, and contemporary features like integrated digital asset management.

• HCL Commerce is the modernization of the former IBM Commerce platform, offering a smooth distribution of eCommerce in the cloud with a full API access to commerce layers, React-based composable storefronts, and solid omnichannel capabilities. The enterprise-grade performance resonates with businesses needing headless experiences without excess customization. Legacy Java/Spring architecture provides a steep learning curve for new developers looking to work in modern environments, while many of the B2B features and personalization features also require substantial work.

• For businesses looking for omnichannel experiences without requiring extensive custom development, Kibo Commerce offers an API-first, microservices-based architecture with integrated OMS, eCommerce, and subscription commerce capabilities. Operations are streamlined by its unified foundation and modular deployment, especially for cross-channel fulfillment and subscription-based models. It is less competitive when compared to more affordable options for mid-market segments due to backend integration issues, a small consulting ecosystem, and increased expenses.

Choosing the right eCommerce data cloud integration platform is an important and responsible step — let’s break down what to look at to make the right decision.

How to choose the right platform

Since business needs, architecture, and modernization types are the aspects that we already described, let’s pay attention to how to consider them while choosing the right cloud computing retail solution.

• Examine your business structure and the complexity of operations. Understand if your operations are B2B, B2C, or a combination of the two, as that will influence which features you require on your platform. Complex pricing, account hierarchies, and purchase workflows are all embedded in the B2B features offered by BigCommerce and Salesforce. In comparison, solutions like Shopify are optimized for B2C consumer experiences. It is important to consider the complexity of the product catalog, as well as whether you use an existing ERP/CRM, as this can quickly lead to costly customizations.
• Assess your approach to cloud architecture. Choose between a composable architecture that supports microservices and headless implementations or a monolithic SaaS solution. For businesses constructing distinct frontend, backend, and middleware components, MACH-compliant platforms such as Commercetools and contemporary iterations of Adobe Commerce provide the most flexibility. Enterprises with existing infrastructure investments may benefit from legacy cloud eCommerce platforms moving to cloud-native architectures (such as SAP Hybris or HCL Commerce).
• Align technical features with scale requirements. Identify current and future transaction volumes, user counts, and expansion plans. Enterprise platforms such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud can sustain millions of customers with complex rules in the background. One of the advantages of a platform such as Shopify is that you can scale it cost effectively using apps to extend the installation.
• Think about resources for integration and development. Because platforms differ greatly in their technical requirements and learning curves, assess your preferred technology stack and internal development capabilities. During cloud modernization initiatives, legacy enterprise platforms frequently require specialized knowledge (such as SAP expertise for Hybris and Java for HCL Commerce).

In order to suggest the ideal platform for your particular requirements, COAX assesses your operational complexity and business model. We provide the knowledge required to manage intricate integrations between your selected solution and current systems.

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FAQ

How to move eCommerce stack to cloud safely?

Adopt a phased approach, beginning with an assessment of legacy dependencies and performance baselines. For instance, the ATG-to-GCP study by Valanarasu shows building a cloud migration strategy where applications were decomposed into microservices and containerized. This allowed it to achieve a 47% response time improvement by refactoring applications, establishing an automated testing strategy, and deploying real-time monitoring.

How do cloud migration and modernization differ?

As Nanda Kumar breaks down, migration refers to lift-and-shift of the existing applications to cloud infrastructure, enabling the application to perform the same functionality that it currently does. Modernization refers to the transformation of the existing application to integrate refactoring and rearchitecting for cloud-native features such as auto-scaling and microservices. Migration effort is typically short-term, while modernization represents a long-term strategy.

What are the challenges of cloud-based eCommerce?

Migration comes with unpredictability in costs due to usage-based billing. There is also a significant data migration challenge from existing hosting environments to cloud, which might end in fraudulent transactions and overdependence on provider uptime. Other challenges include integration with existing realities, and the cost of experienced cloud engineers.

How does COAX develop secure cloud solutions for eCommerce?

Our engineers address risks by implementing OAuth 2.0/JWT authentication for transaction authentication, end-to-end encryption for all commerce data, and multi-layered security control protocols throughout cloud eCommerce. COAX is also certified ISO/IEC 27001:2022 for security management processes and ISO 9001 certification for quality management processes, assuring transaction completion throughout cloud-based commerce applications.