Alokai Integration for BigCommerce Has Been Upgraded! What Should You Expect From the 2.0 Version?

• Alokai has extended its integration with BigCommerce to make it easier for developers to design and deploy highly-scalable storefronts for composable commerce.

• Alokai provided broader functionality for BigCommerce enterprise users by adding a multi-store feature, simplifying configuration steps, reducing code complexity, and extending the knowledge base.

• The updated Alokai setup for BigCommerce helps focus on scaling (multi-storefronts) and business logic instead of development from scratch.

The sky is the limit. With this affirmation in mind, Alokai updated the existing Frontend as a Service for BigCommerce to the 2.0 version 6 months after  the first release . We're proud to announce that the boosted integration is already available for enterprise users! 

Alokai  Frontend as a Service  and BigCommerce eCommerce platform have decided to turn the creation and optimization of composable commerce stack into a genuinely attainable goal. The existing integration was empowered by several crucial features & updates and enriched by even more details supporting the adoption process. 

Alokai Frontend as a Service: user-friendly framework simplifying the development process

In a standard approach, the core blocker for developers striving to design a  composable commerce  site was the need to spend manual effort building a frontend layer from scratch. As if that was not enough, they had to compose various multi-vendor solutions together and bring them to life in cohesive experiences. All on their own.

A tech team had to marry Frontend, eCommerce platform, CMS, search & analytic tools, and payment methods from different suppliers to make them work as a single unit. But it was just half of the success since the hosting and maintenance worries are also on the enterprise's shoulders. Consequently, the development cycle was usually time-consuming and required significant investment. 

But those times are gone. With a Frontend as a Service (FEaaS), all-in-one solution allowing merchants to cover all development stages from Build to Launch, the development cycle becomes 5 times faster and more cost-effective. 

Alokai FEaaS offers BigCommerce enterprise users the chane to design fast, mobile-first frontends based on  MACH architecture  principles and roll out microservice-based, API-first, cloud-based storefronts for headless commerce. Developers can focus on business logic using the ready architecture, over 50+ customizable templates, and a broad range of out-of-the-box integrations with leading:

• Content Management Systems (such as Bloomreach, Amplience, Contentstack, Contentful, etc.)

• Payment methods (like Adyen, PayPal, checkout.com)

• Search tools (including Algolia,Constructor.io and Bloomreach)

Alokai takes care of hosting, provides 24/7 monitoring, and guarantees 99,9% uptime SLA. This way, there's no need to build from scratch and spend time setting up needed integrations. Enterprises can find everything they need to make composable web stores in one place.

Alokai integration 1.3.0 for BigCommerce: how it was 

In spring 2022, Alokai introduced the first version of its  frontend for BigCommerce  enterprise users. The integration building process took four months, which allowed developers enough time to cover the entire functionality vital for web shop performance, including: 

• Cart
• Wishlist
• Search
• Internationalization
• User profile
• Category page
• Product page
• Checkout
• Shipping
• Billing
• Payment
• Thank you page
• Order history

Consequently, the setup was trusted by leading brands that wanted to start their composable commerce journey using the broad capabilities of both market-proven solutions.

However, each digital product requires regular updates to meet dynamic customer demand. Alokai boosted the previous version making it more user-friendly for developers. 

Alokai setup 2.0 for BigCommerce: how it is

The updated integration is rich in pleasant updates for tech specialists and business leaders. It's not a totally new version of a setup, but Alokai and BigCommerce developers used the room for improvement to let enterprises roll out web stores faster than before.

So, what should you expect from the upgraded solution?

The multi-store feature is available

One Alokai application can handle multiple storefronts to provide you with unlimited opportunities for scaling. Users can build multiple websites across several domains using BigCommerce backend as a centralized management point.

All the frontend components, such as product pages, catalogs, etc., can be tailored effortlessly to the demand of a particular audience. The updated version of the integration supports various multi-storefront features, including:

• Displaying categories for specific storefronts
• Displaying products for specific storefronts
• Login and register user for specific storefronts
• Support for global logins
• Using carts for specific storefronts
• Creating and displaying orders for specific storefronts
• Storefronts on different domains

See the  Multi-storefront overview  to discover more

The way of using and deploying Alokai middleware was changed 

Now, BigCommerce users can create and apply separate API Middleware along with the Alokai architecture to ensure seamless data traffic and integration between ecosystem components. For this purpose, Alokai provides availability of its express.js instance, leaving the option to pass a user's server connection as well.

Discover how to connect with Alokai internal instance  here

Configuration steps of BigCommerce instance were simplified 

The Alokai team did its best to let you change the BigCommerce instance easily. Developers have reduced the stages in this process, providing enterprise users with an opportunity to speed up the development process and accelerate Time-to-Market. 

Code complexity was reduced

More great news for developers: Alokai setup's codebase became clearer. It means the availability of a user-friendly environment supporting development performance.

Engineers will have a shallow learning curve and can design performant storefronts for composable web stores five times faster than development from scratch.

The detailed documentation is at your disposal

The upgraded integration combines less complex code with comprehensive documentation and extensive scope of handy guides and overviews.

The full explanation of all procedures you should perform to continue your composable commerce journey with Alokai and BigCommerce will help you migrate to the setup effortlessly and with lightning speed. 

Want to know more about crucial breaking changes? 

Go to the documentation  here .

What's Next?

The new version of Alokai frontend for BigCommerce promises to be even better than the previous one. It’s capable of eliminating the need to build the frontend from scratch and skipping manual work.

Core values are also hidden behind the opportunity to set up web stores easily across the globe and use a clear code & knowledge base to develop lightning-fast storefronts faster.

Now, the starting point of your composable commerce transformation way looks more robust and convenient than ever. 

Do you want to try it now?

Discover more about  Alokai BigCommerce integration to move from idea to action!