SAP Commerce Cloud has been treated to a fully integrated frontend with composable storefront. It replaces the previous Spartacus storefront. The composable storefront is going to be an integral part of the Commerce Cloud solution; there are no plans for a free business version. However, storefront is available immediately at no extra cost and comes with enterprise support included. Let’s take a look at it.
SAP composable storefront is based on the Spartacus open-source code and is available under the SAP Commerce Cloud license at no extra cost. Enterprise Support is also included from now on and available exclusively to SAP Commerce Cloud customers.
Also good to know: In terms of the framework, from version 5.0, composable storefront relies on Angular 14. It is likely that SAP will soon upgrade to the latest version, Angular 15, which has been available since December 2022. According to the documentation, the most important new features in Angular 14 are:
TypeScript 4.7
Strict typing of Angular Reactive Forms
Streamlined best practices
Extended developer diagnostics
'Banana-in-a-box' detection
Tree-shakeable error messages
CLI enhancements
It is recommended that companies switch to the latest version of Node.js as well; this is provided by the respective cloud providers. Since support for the node14 version is set to end in 2023, SAP recommends node16.
Composable Storefront Features
The previous, existing features from Spartacus 4.3 are part of the new composable storefront. These are marked as 'must know' and 'changed' in the documentation. We checked out a few features from the 5.0 and 5.1 updates. Here is a brief overview.
Existing Composable Storefront Features (Must Know / Changed)
Cart library
Commands and queries have been implemented in the checkout library
Order History Page Columns (Changed)
Expert Mode for Configurable Products
Bug Fixes
New Composable Storefront Features (Version 5.0)
Accessibility
SAP has improved the accessibility of individual pages. Screen readers work more smoothly and do a better job of making screens audible. The latest version of SAP composable storefront supports the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG 2.0 requirements – including media accessibility, animation, video controls and minimum contrast. The storefront also fulfils some of the WCAG 2.1 requirements.
Configurable Products Integration: Retract User Selections
The integration of 'configurable products' in general offers a user interface for the configuration and sale of these product types. Users can now retract individual user selections via 'single select attribute' during the order process.
Source: SAP Dokumentation 5.0
New Composable Storefront Features (Version 5.1 – a Selection)
Multi-Site Data Isolation Support
Composable storefront supports a feature to isolate user data that was introduced in parallel in SAP Commerce Cloud release 2211. When a site has data isolation enabled, users cannot log in to other sites. This feature requires the base site to be on the same server.
B2B Unit-Level Orders
Authorized B2B users can view the history and details of orders submitted by peers within the same organisation branch.
Account Summaries
The B2B payments summary runs in the same vein. B2B customers can now review general information about balances and invoices and their due dates as well as related financial documents.
B2B User Registration
Every individual shop frontend supports B2B customers’ registration and login. The provider offers a registration form via composable storefront. Customers can request this via a registration form.
S/4HANA-based Order Management
A close link between S/4HANA and SAP Commerce Cloud means that users can now view the estimated delivery schedules for items in the cart. There is additional transparency on the order details page for products coming from S/4HANA.
Source: SAP Documentation 5.1
Composable Storefront and the Updates
SAP composable storefront shows how different disciplines can be merged into one system in the cloud. The frontend also shows how an open-source project can be migrated successfully into the SPA enterprise world. And don't worry, SAP will not leave you in the lurch if you have previously relied on Spartacus storefront. Older on-premises solutions will retain access to the open-source solutions – their support, however, will remain up to the open-source community.
In terms of versions, the main question is how long an ageing e-commerce system will remain competitive. The way we see it, it is only a question of time until the cloud becomes the standard solution across all systems. It is also about staying relevant: Composable storefront is currently at version 5.1 with brand new documentation. Spartacus is at release 4.3.0 and has not seen any major updates since January 2022.
Do you have any questions about the new SAP composable storefront? Feel free to contact us. We can provide expert advice and pave your way to the modern world of SAP Commerce Cloud.
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