When you choose business software you spend time learning it, entering data, and making it part of your daily workflows. Once you’ve invested time and energy, you want it to keep up with your business needs—so you aren’t starting from scratch with new software.
This is why software extensibility is essential. An extensible software system can adapt because the vendor sends updates with new features or because you can expand its functionality with third-party plugins, extensions, and application programming interfaces (APIs). Here’s an explanation of extensible software and tips for choosing the right tool for your ecommerce business.
What is extensible software?
Extensible software is designed to expand beyond its core product code and initial set of functions, to allow new functionality and capabilities to be added. By providing well-defined application programming interfaces (APIs) or plug-in systems, extensible software allows you to add new code without making large changes to the core codebase. This means components can be developed independently and plugged into the core software, adding improvements without disrupting its central functionality.
Imagine after you start using your customer relationship management (CRM) software your provider releases a new feature that lets you track customer orders via FedEx and UPS. This feature can be added because the software is built on an extensible system, where software engineers can build on the existing code and develop components to improve the product. The software gets new features but otherwise functions as it always has.
Extensibility vs. scalability
In software engineering, extensibility is different from scalability.
- Extensibility: Extensibility is achieved through modular design principles, like component-based architecture or the use of plugins. An extensible design can expand beyond the program’s core purpose—for instance, shipment tracking software can be customized to send automated emails to customers.
- Scalability: Scalability describes software’s capacity to be changed in size or scale. A scalable software design is one that lets you build up in volume—for example, going from tracking 50 to 5,000 orders at a time.
Extensible and scalable software systems let you plan for future growth, but only an extensible design allows you to add new functionality.
Benefits of extensible software
Extensible software can greatly benefit small businesses. Here are key benefits of software built with an extensibility framework:
Expanding functionality
Extensible software uses a combination of iterative development (updates), program extensions (plugins), and integrations with other software to increase the software’s features and functions. This means you can add new functionality over the product’s lifetime.
Cost-effectiveness
With extensible software, you can accomplish more tasks using fewer applications. The program’s extension framework lets developers build on its source code, adding new functions that might otherwise require a separate piece of software. This means you’ll buy less software and save money as a result.
Customize for your specific business
You can often tailor extensible software to meet your business’s specific needs. Many programs allow you to incorporate custom code, allowing changes to their function and appearance. You might use this to alter the software’s front-end design to represent your business’s colors and logo or build custom storefronts. You could also create custom modules, like videos that appear when customers scroll through your ecommerce product pages.
Easier implementation
In many cases, you can change extensible software on your own without a background in software development. Rather than learning domain-specific language, a software developer can create an easy-to-use configuration UI (user interface) that lets you change how the software works..
Maintenance and upgrades
An extensible architecture makes it easier to maintain, update, or fix issues in the software because changes are localized to specific modules or extensions.
Three ways your ecommerce platform should be extensible
Even if you’re new to the concept of extensible software, chances are you’re using some right now. Web browsers often feature extensible code to facilitate their continued development. Many leading ecommerce applications are also extensible, offering an expanding suite of functions.
Whether you’re actively using an extensible ecommerce platform or have just begun evaluating your options, here are a few ways that extensible commerce software should be, well, extensible.
1. A robust library of applications and integrations
It’s one thing to say that software is extensible, but you can only extend a template or website as far as the platform allows you to do so. Without the right library of third-party applications and integrations, extensibility is more of a hypothetical than a business-changing product.
By contrast, Shopify empowers you to customize or extend the platform with robust REST and GraphQL APIs, custom apps, Shopify Functions, metafields, and Shopify Flow that all integrate into Shopify’s admin. You can also extend Shopify’s data model with custom metafields and metaobjects to store additional content and custom data. Want to swap out Shopify-native capabilities for a third-party back-end system or software you prefer? Go right ahead.
2. A powerful, yet customizable checkout experience
Checkout experiences are more difficult to build than most people want to acknowledge. Get it right and you’ll increase the likelihood that a user will actually complete a purchase. But if your checkout is slow, difficult to use, and doesn’t match your brand, you increase the likelihood that a potential customer remains a potential customer.
Recently, a Big Three global management firm found that Shopify Checkout is the best converting in commerce. In addition to being the highest converting, Shopify Checkout is also incredibly customizable. Brands can tailor functionality to their customers’ unique needs with Checkout UI extensions, post-purchase extensions, and discount extensions. You can also customize typography, colors, and layout on the front end with GraphQL Branding API. On the back end, businesses can use Shopify Functions to extend or replace the checkout back end with custom logic, while also adding custom pixels to track checkout performance.
3. Complete optionality in how you build
Building a commerce solution from scratch isn’t the right choice for every brand. If it becomes the right choice for your company, your extensible commerce platform should give you the option to pursue a custom build.
Shopify is as flexible as you want it to be. Our platform delivers lightning-fast site speed and the best TCO in commerce by default, while also giving brands the ability to build the way they want to with the tools they prefer. Shopify’s headless solutions give you the freedom to build storefronts with your preferred tools and extend your store’s capabilities with a composable stack of technologies. Brands that want to experiment more and ship a new storefront quickly without building a custom solution can do so with Liquid, our powerful low-code templating language.
How to choose the right extensible software for your ecommerce business
You can select from many extensible software programs to help your growing business. Here’s how to select the right program:
- Align software with your business strategy
- Evaluate the integration ecosystem
- Prioritize innovation and agility
- Understand the total cost of ownership
- Make sure the platform can scale
- Consider support and implementation
1. Align software with your business strategy
Take a step back and examine your strategic objectives. Where do you see your company in two to five years? What kind of growth are you projecting? Your software choice should meet your current needs and support your future aspirations.
Consider:
- Your growth and how it might impact software requirements
- Specific features or integrations critical to your business model
- Potential new markets or product lines you might explore
Let's consider the case of Arhaus, a furniture retailer that found themselves held back by their homegrown custom solution. Arhaus needed to rapidly scale to meet customer demand, but their existing platform couldn't keep up. Every upgrade they wanted to implement seemed to take forever, hindering their ability to release new features, functions, or designs as quickly as they needed to.
Recognizing that their current solution didn't align with their growth strategy, Arhaus made the decision to switch to a more extensible platform—in this case, Shopify. This strategic move allowed them to:
- Simplify their technical overhead
- Gain immediate access to features and functionality tailored for rapidly growing retailers
- Quickly implement core functionality improvements
- Progressively add new features and integrations to drive business objectives, including warranties, internationalization, and a new loyalty program
By choosing a platform that aligned with their long-term strategy, Arhaus was able to overcome their technical limitations and position themselves for sustained growth and innovation.
2. Evaluate the integration ecosystem
No modern software exists in isolation. A robust integration ecosystem lets you incorporate the best-in-class solutions into your business as it evolves. As you research ecommerce software options, consider:
- A rich third-party ecosystem with a wide range of integrations
- Ease of extending the platform's existing capabilities
- The vendor's commitment to expanding their ecosystem in the future
Take Shopify as an example. Our vast integration ecosystem allows businesses to easily incorporate preferred third-party providers, creating a tailored solution that grows with the company.
3. Prioritize innovation and agility
As technology and consumer expectations change at a rapid pace, your software should not only keep up with these changes, but help you stay ahead too. Make sure to assess each vendor’s:
- Track record of innovation and feature releases
- Product roadmap and commitment to continuous improvement
- Speed of implementing new features or capabilities
Choose a platform that innovates rapidly. This agility will ensure your business remains competitive and can quickly adapt to market changes. Consider the case of Bombas, a sock and apparel company.
After their first appearance on national television, they quickly realized their existing storefront couldn't handle the sudden influx of traffic. When their episode ran a second time, they accrued $15,000 of lost revenue in just a few minutes due to broken product images and failed checkout attempts.
Recognizing the need for a more innovative and agile solution, Bombas switched to Shopify. This move allowed them to:
- Handle high-traffic events without crashes, including several more re-airings of their television appearance
- Seamlessly scale from 500 to 5,000 orders a day without additional effort
- Save $108,000 in platform costs in the first year
- Generate $17.2 million in sales
By choosing a platform known for its rapid innovation and ability to handle sudden scaling, Bombas was able to turn a potential disaster into a massive success story.
4. Understand the total cost of ownership (TCO)
While it's tempting to focus on the upfront price tag, the true cost of your ecommerce software extends far beyond the initial purchase. To make an informed decision, you want to consider the total cost of ownership.
Factor in:
- Implementation and setup costs
- Ongoing operational and support expenses
- Potential opportunity costs, such as lost conversions due to poor performance
- Costs of necessary integrations or additional applications
Remember, a platform with low upfront fees might require costly external applications, driving up your total monthly costs. Take the time to create a comprehensive TCO analysis for each option you're considering.
Let's look at the experience of All4cycling, a growing cycling equipment retailer. When evaluating ecommerce platforms, they looked beyond just the initial pricing and considered the total cost of ownership, including the potential for increased conversions and operational efficiencies.
By choosing Shopify POS, All4cycling was able to:
- Increase conversions by 40% thanks to the platform's buy in store, ship to customer technology
- Seamlessly integrate their online and offline operations, reducing operational costs
- Avoid the need for multiple costly integrations, as many features were included out-of-the-box
- Scale their business without incurring significant additional costs
As All4cycling's founder and CEO Luca Nardello put it: "Shopify Plus offers scalability and the capabilities to serve customers in the best way. Before, everything was difficult—now everything has become simple."
Want to learn more about how Shopify’s TCO can accelerate your business? Check out our calculator.
5. Make sure the platform can scale
As your business grows, your ecommerce platform should be able to grow with you seamlessly. The last thing you want is to outgrow your software and face a costly, time-consuming migration just as your business is taking off.
When evaluating scalability, consider:
- The platform's ability to handle increased traffic and transactions
- Performance during high-volume events like Black Friday
- Ease of accommodating expanding product lines or new markets
Look for a platform that offers robust scalability features like composable commerce and multi-region deployment. This foresight can save you significant headaches down the road and ensure your technology stack supports your business growth rather than hinders it.
6. Consider support and implementation
Even the most powerful software is only as good as its implementation. As you narrow down your choices, pay close attention to the support and implementation resources each vendor offers.
Key factors to consider include:
- The vendor's implementation support and timeline estimates
- Availability of comprehensive training programs for your team
- Quality of documentation and community resources
Remember, a well-supported implementation can impact your success with the new platform. Don't hesitate to speak with current customers, especially those in your industry, about their experiences with support and implementation.
Drive your business forward with Shopify’s analytics
Shopify’s user-friendly reports and analytics capabilities help you make better decisions, faster. Choose from pre-built dashboards and reports, or build your own to spot trends, capitalize on opportunities, and supercharge your decision-making.
Extensible software FAQ
What are the disadvantages of using extensible software?
By its nature, extensible software can change over time, and not all changes are for the better. Iterative updates can sometimes make the software less functional, and third-party plug-ins and extensions can be buggy or vulnerable to hacks. For this reason, some businesses approach extensible software with caution.
How can I ensure my extensible software is secure?
Many of today’s extensible software applications function in the cloud, meaning your computer constantly sends data over the internet to use the program. Protect your data by ensuring your software vendor uses encrypted connections and robust sign-in security like passkeys or two-factor authentication.
How can I customize my extensible software to meet my business needs?
Look for software that has a feature suite relevant to your work and supports API integrations with other programs you use. Avoid software that requires you to change your operational model to use it.
What is an example of extensibility?
Shopify is a great example of extensibility for several reasons. First, businesses can customize or extend the platform with robust REST and GraphQL APIs, custom apps, Shopify Functions, metafields, and Shopify Flow, all of which integrate seamlessly into the admin. Additionally, Shopify Checkout is the best converting in the world—and incredibly customizable thanks to Checkout Extensibility.
