Bravobike and SHOPMACHER debunk the myth of uncontrollable Composable Commerce

Four years after its founding, the old platform had started to show its age. Founder Axel Donath and his team therefore decided to replace Gebrauchtradstudio.de with a new, unified brand: jobrad-loop.com. It was meant to cover the sale of used bikes and serve as a flexible platform for future extensions of the business model.

With Shopmacher as its implementation partner, the team set itself an extremely tight deadline. In just eight weeks, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) was to be ready, covering the most important business processes and, as a Proof of Concept (POC), laying the foundation for replacing the main shop. The short timeframe was meant to force the team to stay focused and disciplined. "With this timing, one thing was clear: we had to prioritize cleanly, focus on the most important business processes and define the frontend features that deliver real added value," says Carsten Dütschke, Head of Development at Shopmacher. "In projects like this, the technology becomes a side note. What matters is who decides what, and when."

In the end, four points were on the to-do list:

• Building a base frontend that can be extended in a targeted way.

• Defining product types (e.g. base information, attribution)

• Connecting Nekom as a cloud ERP to cover the necessary data processes

• Integrating the payment service provider Mollie

For the technical implementation, Bravobike opted for a modern, cloud-based and API-driven approach. At its core are commercetools Composable Commerce and commercetools Frontend, which provide a flexible and scalable e-commerce platform built on MACH principles, allowing companies to run their commerce business with full control over their customer-facing layer. For handling the business processes, the choice fell on Nekom. "At its core, Nekom is actually a middleware," explains Dütschke. "But the solution also comes with several PIM and ERP functions that enable a fast start for an MVP. And that was exactly our goal." The tech stack is rounded off by Mollie as the payment service provider.

Another distinctive feature of the project was the unconventional distribution of roles: Bravobike handled project and requirements management on its own, while Shopmacher provided two developers who worked closely with the client. Complementing the operational implementation project, consultants from the Shopmacher Consulting Unit also contributed system architecture concepts, such as system visualizations, data flow models and decision templates. This approach gave Bravobike a high degree of flexibility and control over the development process, but it also required a high level of ownership and technical understanding on the client side.

An unexpected obstacle was the incomplete integration of the chosen payment provider. Because the payment provider did not offer all the required functions, Shopmacher promptly adapted and extended the solution.

After JobRad Loop initially ran in parallel with the previous shop Gebrauchtradstudio, the necessary next development steps could be identified and carried out. By now, the further-developed MVP has successfully replaced Gebrauchtradstudio.de. The new platform now has the opportunity to establish itself further as the central destination for buying professionally refurbished used bikes. "This project is a prime example that Composable Commerce does not have to come with confusing complexity and exploding project timelines," concludes Carsten Dütschke. "What matters is clear prioritization, a focus on the essential requirements, efficient communication and, of course, experienced specialists. With this approach, even ambitious timelines can be achieved."