HCL Commerce v9.1 release saw a major change in features, functionality, and technology. This blog series will focus on each of these components separately. Some examples of these changes include HCL Commerce Search, which is powered by Elasticsearch, a modern storefront that uses Next.js, containerized cloud native architecture, modern business user tooling, and provides support for new integrations and companion software.
Part 2 of this blog series will focus on the coexistence of the Next.js Ruby & Aurora Storefronts.
Background
A client had multiple e-sites running on the HCL Commerce v9 using the Aurora JSP-based storefront. The client wanted to migrate to the Next.js Ruby storefront and take advantage of the modern headless store, including server-side rendering (SSR) for page optimization. The client wanted a cost-effective solution to drive ROI through built-in SEO capabilities, improved page site performance (increase Google Core Web Vitals), and improved end-user experience.
A migration of multiple e-sites to the Next.js Ruby storefront with HCL Commerce Search using Elasticsearch and the client-specific customizations can be a large rewrite. Perficient worked with the client to find a cost-effective solution and identified the home page and the product details page (PDP) to migrate to the Next.js Ruby storefront. This also allowed the client the ability to evaluate the storefront and capabilities before migrating the remaining pages to the Next.js Ruby storefront.
Pros & Cons of the Hybrid Approach
The hybrid approach has several pros and cons and can vary based on each client and the business requirements. This client used many e-marketing spots throughout the site, and it was challenging to maintain duplicate content to support both storefronts. Since the content syntax is different between storefronts, any changes to the common header and footer navigation will need to be maintained for both storefronts. Another consideration is implementing third-party integrations and ensuring compatibility with both storefronts. For example, Segment was used for Analytics tracking, and our team had to ensure that events were triggering successfully with the correct data on both storefront pages. One of the most critical components of a hybrid approach is correctly identifying and routing requests so that pages are rendered correctly between the Aurora and the Next.js Ruby storefronts. The client had PDP URLs with a unique SEO pattern allowing the Perficient team to create rules to route requests so they can be rendered by the correct storefront container. Post migration, the client immediately started seeing the advantages of the Next.js Ruby storefront’s features and capabilities. The client saw improvements in page load times and on Core Web Vitals for the migrated pages.
Conclusion
The hybrid approach allowed the client to take advantage of the newer technology and realize the ROI on the migrated pages. The site benefited from the Core Web Vitals score increase, enhanced SEO capabilities, and improved page performance. The hybrid approach allowed the technical and marketing teams to familiarize themselves with the features and capabilities of the Next.js Ruby storefront and deploy it to the most impactful areas of the site. As a next step, the client is migrating the remaining pages to the Next.js Ruby storefront to fully take advantage of HCL’s continued enhancements.
To obtain further information from our award-winning team, please visit https://www.perficient.com/who-we-are/partners/hcl.
Other Blogs in the Series
HCL Commerce V9.1 – The Power of the Next.js Ruby Storefront
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