Onport (part of the FARFETCH Group), is a UK-based Ecommerce Marketplace and Dropshipping Platform for back office operations. On 11th of July they featured at Retail Without Borders, presenting a Workshop looking into the key business impacts of different technology architectures for Marketplaces and Retailers.
With Gartner finding that global Enterprise IT software spend has reached around $4 Trillion annually, it is now more critical than ever that companies ensure their backend IT infrastructure is adequate for achieving business objectives. The last few years have shown that systems must be agile enough to respond to global disruptions and with major retailers having lost hundreds of millions of dollars and countless hours in productivity due to rigid monolithic systems, the cost of incorrect implementation can be significant.
Onport’s COO, Francisco Campos, clarified the decision-making process for whether to build infrastructures in-house to manage backend marketplace operations or to buy externally. Offering powerful insights, Francisco discussed the challenges that arise during strategic planning for Enterprise e-commerce.
Companies often believe there are only two choices: build their own system or buy a SaaS solution. Buying offers a competitive advantage because it allows companies to acquire ready-made software and immediately start using it.
On the other hand, building requires investing time and resources to develop custom software, which impacts time to market and may put companies at a disadvantage to their competitors.
Under this new perspective brought by Onport during their “To Build vs. Buy – Decoding The Marketplace Revolution” Workshop, the debate can be expanded to include a blended approach that combines the advantages of both building and buying.
By utilizing platforms like Onport, companies can start with a solid, proven foundation and gradually customize and replace components to support their growth through building on top of their bought solution. This approach rethinks old models and leverages composable technologies driving growth through innovation.
“85% of IT decision makers are increasing the elements of MACH in their architecture in the next 6 months” (MACH Alliance, Annual Research Report, 2023)
According to Maavee CEO Frank A. Ricciardi, the LA-based Wellness platform – “Since we knew we needed MACH Architecture and didn’t have the resources in-house to build what we needed, we decided to look for paid solutions. With Onport, we were able to launch in less than three months, which we just couldn’t have done, had we built the system ourselves.”
Onport’s continued innovation in the area of MACH-oriented development of composable software allows companies to power marketplaces that are agile in responding to fluid market conditions, fundamentally changing the future landscape of e-commerce backend operations.
About Onport
The Onport Platform empowers the Marketplace & Dropshipping ecosystem to thrive through connectivity with future-proof automation software. Retailers and Brands can create, set up, launch, and scale their online businesses. Designed to be flexible, it can accommodate both those seeking an out-of-the-box solution and those requiring a more flexible implementation through an API with +3.000 endpoints. From growing SMBs to well-established Enterprise level companies, its composable and adaptive infrastructure was designed to be a reliable partner for the growth of any ecommerce company. 200+ companies in the ecommerce space are future-proofing their business with a solution trusted by brands such as Seat/Cupra, Stadium Goods, Naduvi, Maavee, Air Stream, Ivalo, &Open, and Cariuma.
