#09 Multi-site management with a Unified Architecture and Homogenous Frontend

B2B, B2C, marketplace, multi-national, multi-brand … your e-commerce architecture and website management system can quickly become complicated, and let’s face it, in some cases, messy. Whether you are looking to improve the management of your existing multiple-sites, or expand your business to reach new markets, an efficient strategy should be put into place.

The implementation of a unified platform architecture with a homogeneous front-end is a strategy that will help you create consistent branding and efficiently manage each of your multiple websites.

Coupling that (yes ??), with a headless commerce approach will then make it easier to implement this kind of strategy. Today, being able to use a headless CMS that can be connected to multiple front-ends has increased the efficiency of multi-site management tenfold.

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What is a Unified architecture??

The goal of a unified architecture is to simplify and streamline complex systems, reduce redundancy, and improve performance and usability.

When an architecture is “unified”, it is typically a system or framework that combines multiple components or functionalities into a single, cohesive whole. In this approach, different devices, applications, or services are designed to exchange information and work together seamlessly, sharing common data and common user interfaces.

When creating a unified architecture the different business views and uses of your e-commerce are taken into consideration and your architecture is created around those different stakeholder views.?

Where does the front-end fit in?

In a unified architecture, the front-end is typically the part of the system that interacts with users or other systems. It serves as the entry point for data and commands to be processed by the system.

Compatible front-ends are designed to be flexible and adaptable, so that they can communicate with different back-end components and services in a unified and seamless way. This is usually achieved through the use of standardized protocols and interfaces that allow front-end components to exchange information with the back-end.

In many cases, front-ends for unified architectures are web-based applications that can be accessed through a web browser, such as a desktop or mobile device. These front-ends typically use APIs to communicate with the back-end, which may consist of a variety of different components, such as databases, message queues, or other microservices.

The benefits of a unified strategy for multi-site management

There are a number of benefits for both the users and the business & product teams involved. Here we’ve put each benefit into one of three categories:?

Improved user experience

• A consistent user experience across all websites, which in turn will improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Distributing traffic across different servers can help to avoid site crashes, and ensure smooth customer experience, especially during traffic peaks.
• Giving your multiple websites a consistent structure will result in better SEO and improved search engines indexing.
• Better tracked customer data across all websites will enhance data-driven decisions and actions.
• It becomes easier to run marketing campaigns across all websites and ensure consistent message and branding for the customer.

Greater efficiency & lower costs

• A single architecture reduces the need for multiple technologies and provides a unified interface for site management.
• Omitting the effort needed to create the content of each site separately lessens the pressure of recruiting a large team and reduces development costs and time.
• Different components and services working together improve performance, efficiency, and scalability unlike disparate data systems.
• A centralized and modular approach to website development makes it easier to scale and quicker to launch new websites and operations in new markets.
• It’s easier to maintain and update all websites at once, reducing the need for multiple teams.

Increased security

• The same protocols and policies are applied across all sites, improving security and helping to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable systems
• Applications and services code is stored in a central repository making it easier to manage security patches, updates, and configurations for all the components of the system.
• There are fewer entry points for attackers to exploit.
• User access is managed in a centralized manner and access permissions can be enforced consistently across all applications and services.
• Since all the system components are built using the same technology stack and follow the same security protocols it is easier to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

A comparison between unified architecture and disparate data systems

An example of good multi-site management

A multi-site management strategy can be useful for companies that have a different site per country, different brands under one umbrella, both a B2B and a B2C audience, microsites, landing pages … and so the list goes on. Using a headless architecture increases the efficiency of multiple site management and provides an unbeatable advantage for business growth

Deliveroo, is an online food delivery company that operates in over 200 locations & countries. Keeping up with separate site management and user experiences was a challenge. They centralized their global experience and improved site management by adopting a multi-site management system and a headless approach to facilitate the user onboarding and allow for personalized content for targeted segments. Learn more about their tech strategy?here.

Implementing a multi-site management strategy with a unified architecture and front-end

To implement a successful multi-site management strategy, you need a detailed, thought out plan:

1. Define the objectives of your strategy and establish goals to be achieved.
2. Involve key stakeholders in the development and implementation of the strategy.
3. Research the technology that will be able to handle the unique requirements for each website, while maintaining a smooth user experience.
4. Develop an architecture that can power all sites, ensuring that the same security protocols and policies are applied across all sites.
5. Implement a front-end that provides a consistent experience across all sites and design your UX accordingly.
6. Progressively migrate?to the different technology needed for your ideal stack, such as your headless CMS
7. Test and deploy the architecture with all of its components and services to ensure it meets the established objectives.

Considerations for choosing the right technology stack

A variety of factors, including the specific system requirements, the expertise and resources of the development team, and the scalability and maintenance needs of the system over time.

It is equally important to choose the right headless CMS and the?right front-end provider.

Your headless CMS serves as a ‘command center’ for multi-site management, and must allow for the decoupling of the content creation from formatting and display, enabling the creation of high-value content once and reusing and republishing it.

Your headless front-end solution enables the display of that content to any channel or site anytime. Your front-end provider must allow your development and design teams to create a new front-end interface by pulling existing & duplicated content into all the right places. It must also be able to guarantee a certain level of performance in terms of display speed and UX freedom.