Commerce Connect
Why Commerce Connect exists
Section titled “Why Commerce Connect exists”Many organizations already run a commerce platform — Shopify, BigCommerce, SAP Commerce, or a custom solution — and want to add Optimizely’s content management, experimentation, and personalization capabilities without replacing their commerce backend. Rebuilding an entire commerce system to gain content and experimentation features is rarely practical.
Commerce Connect bridges this gap. It provides a connector framework that integrates external commerce platforms with Optimizely One, letting you use CMS for content-rich product experiences, run A/B tests on product pages, and personalize commerce journeys while keeping your existing commerce engine for catalog, pricing, cart, and checkout.
What Commerce Connect does
Section titled “What Commerce Connect does”Commerce Connect acts as a translation layer between Optimizely and your commerce backend. It:
- Syncs product data from your commerce platform into Optimizely so CMS pages and Graph queries can reference products, categories, and pricing
- Delegates transactional operations (add to cart, checkout, order management) back to your commerce platform’s APIs
- Exposes commerce data to personalization so you can create ODP segments based on purchase behavior and show personalized product recommendations
- Enables experimentation on commerce pages by routing product display variations through Optimizely’s experimentation engine
Commerce Connect vs Configured Commerce
Section titled “Commerce Connect vs Configured Commerce”Choose based on where your commerce logic lives and how much control you need.
| Factor | Commerce Connect | Configured Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce engine | External platform (Shopify, BigCommerce, custom) | Built into Optimizely |
| Best for | Organizations with an existing commerce platform | Organizations building commerce from scratch on Optimizely |
| Catalog management | Managed in the external platform, synced to Optimizely | Managed directly in Optimizely Commerce |
| Cart and checkout | Handled by the external platform | Built into Optimizely Commerce |
| Content integration | CMS enriches external product data | CMS and Commerce share the same platform |
| Migration path | Can migrate to Configured Commerce later | Already on Configured Commerce |
| Setup effort | Connector configuration and data mapping | Full commerce setup within Optimizely |
Decision guidance: If you have a mature commerce platform with complex integrations (ERP, PIM, OMS), Commerce Connect lets you add Optimizely capabilities incrementally. If you are starting fresh or want a unified platform, Configured Commerce eliminates the integration layer.
Integration architecture
Section titled “Integration architecture”Commerce Connect uses a connector-based architecture where each connector handles communication with a specific commerce platform.
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│ Optimizely One Platform ││ ││ ┌──────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌──────────┐ ││ │ CMS │ │ Experim. │ │ ODP │ │ Graph │ ││ └──┬───┘ └────┬─────┘ └──┬──┘ └────┬─────┘ ││ │ │ │ │ ││ ┌──┴───────────┴────────────┴───────────┴──┐ ││ │ Commerce Connect Layer │ ││ │ ┌────────────┐ ┌───────────────────┐ │ ││ │ │ Data Sync │ │ Transaction Proxy │ │ ││ │ └─────┬──────┘ └────────┬──────────┘ │ ││ └────────┼──────────────────┼──────────────┘ │└───────────┼──────────────────┼───────────────────┘ │ │ ┌───────┴──────┐ ┌──────┴───────┐ │ Product & │ │ Cart, Order │ │ Catalog API │ │ & Payment │ └───────┬──────┘ └──────┬───────┘ │ │ ┌───────┴──────────────────┴───────┐ │ External Commerce Platform │ │ (Shopify, BigCommerce, custom) │ └──────────────────────────────────┘Data sync flow
Section titled “Data sync flow”The connector periodically or event-driven syncs product data from the external platform into Optimizely:
- Products and categories sync into CMS as content that editors can enrich with descriptions, images, and cross-sell blocks
- Product metadata syncs into Graph for headless queries and search
- Purchase events flow into ODP for customer segmentation and analytics
Transaction proxy
Section titled “Transaction proxy”When a visitor adds an item to cart or proceeds to checkout, Commerce Connect routes those operations to the external platform’s APIs. The storefront renders through Optimizely CMS, but the commerce transaction executes on the external platform.
Connector types
Section titled “Connector types”Commerce Connect supports two connector approaches:
Pre-built connectors provide out-of-the-box integration with popular platforms. They handle data mapping, authentication, and sync scheduling with minimal configuration.
Custom connectors let you integrate with any commerce platform by implementing the connector interface. You control the data mapping, sync logic, and error handling.
When to use Commerce Connect
Section titled “When to use Commerce Connect”Commerce Connect is the right choice when:
- You have an existing commerce platform you cannot or do not want to replace
- You want Optimizely’s content, experimentation, and personalization for commerce pages
- You need a gradual migration path toward Configured Commerce
- Your commerce platform handles complex business logic (multi-currency, tax calculations, fulfillment rules) that would be expensive to rebuild
Commerce Connect is not the right choice when:
- You are building a new commerce site with no existing platform
- You want a fully unified content-and-commerce admin experience
- Your commerce needs are simple enough for Configured Commerce out of the box