Migrate Your Magento Marketplace to Composable Commerce: 2026 Playbook

Jan 23, 2026

Contents

A Magento marketplace migration could save your company $45,000 with just 10,000 post-migration transactions.

Better conversion rates, minimal downtime, and optimized operations drive these savings. The statistics paint a clear picture - Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce support edover 131,000 online stores by 2025. These stores processed a combined $155 billion in annual GMV.

The retail world is changing faster than ever. Modern shoppers use three or more channels before buying, with 83% following this pattern. The traditional monolithic approach struggles to meet these demands. This trend explains why about 80% of digital retailers plan to move toward composable commerce migration.

Moving to a modular architecture brings significant advantages. Modern retailers deploy new sales channels 40% faster than those using legacy systems. They also cut development costs by 30-40% compared to monolithic rebuilds. On top of that, Adobe Commerce stores achieve a 3.7% mobile conversion rate. This rate surpasses the industry standard of 2.9%.

This piece will direct you through each step of your Magento marketplace migration to a composable commerce architecture. We've created a roadmap from the original evaluation to post-migration optimization to help you through this valuable experience.

Key Takeaways

Migrating from Magento to composable commerce requires strategic planning but delivers significant business value through improved flexibility, performance, and scalability.

Audit thoroughly before migrating: Evaluate existing features, extensions, and performance bottlenecks to avoid inheriting problems in your new architecture.
Choose the right architecture: Select between headless, MACH, or hybrid approaches based on your technical capabilities and business goals.
Prioritize data integrity: Use Adobe's migration tools or custom scripts to preserve SEO value, customer data, and business continuity during transition.
Test comprehensively before launch: Set up staging environments and run performance, mobile, and integration tests to prevent costly post-launch issues.
Leverage composable benefits post-migration: Enable AI-powered personalization, integrate with enterprise systems, and monitor KPIs to maximize ROI.

Evaluate Your Current Magento Marketplace

A successful Magento marketplace migration starts with a full picture of your current setup. This step helps you avoid getting pricey mistakes, and your new composable architecture will deal with existing problems instead of carrying them forward.

Audit existing features, extensions, and customizations

Your first task is to make a complete inventory of your Magento ecosystem. Stores tend to pile up extensions they don't need. Retailers often find that 40% of their extensions become redundant after they switch to API-first architecture. The best way to start is to list all installed modules and figure out which ones you really need versus those that add minimal value.

Take a look at these aspects while checking extensions:

Performance impact: Extensions can slow down load times, clash with each other, or put too much strain on servers.
Maintenance requirements: Look at how often updates happen and if they work with newer Magento versions.
Customization level: Too many customized modules make migration harder.
Security implications: Old extensions often create security holes.

Custom code needs a close look at documentation and quality. Magento lets you make changes through plugins, observers, and dependency injection. Bad implementation creates technical debt. Custom attributes change over time, and integrations might drop values if schemas aren't checked regularly.

Identify performance bottlenecks and integration issues

Six common sources create performance bottlenecks: bad hosting setups, unoptimized code, problematic extensions, large databases without proper indexing, disabled caching, and missing content delivery networks.

These key metrics need monitoring to get a full picture of performance:

Page load time and server response time directly change bounce rates and conversions. Your Magento performance check should also look at database efficiency. Poor query optimization makes response times slow because the database doesn't deal very well with fetching, writing, or updating data.

Integration issues need special attention. Magento's connection with ERP systems like NetSuite often faces these problems:

Systems show different data.
Inventory numbers don't match warehouse data.
Orders show up in Magento but don't move to connected systems.

These problems come from unclear data ownership rules and poor visibility into system information flow. What works in testing often fails when you scale up.

Set clear business goals for the migration

Your migration's success depends on setting measurable goals that match your business strategy. Start by listing current problems like poor conversion rates, unhappy customers, or high costs.

The core team should focus on what affects revenue first. Teams that do this see faster ROI, and checkout flows bring better returns than CMS upgrades. List your migration goals by importance - like cutting down the total cost of ownership, making more money with modern tech, or helping IT work better.

Keep good records of everything you find. These records will help you plan your migration and get rid of features nobody uses. Your final assessment should separate must-have features from nice-to-have ones. This creates a clear roadmap to start your composable commerce experience.

Plan Your Composable Commerce Migration

After you review your Magento setup, you'll need to plan your architectural approach. You need to figure out which composable commerce structure works best for your business needs.

Choose between headless, MACH, or hybrid architecture

You need to know the key differences between these architectures to replatform successfully:

Headless Architecture separates the frontend presentation layer from the backend commerce functionality. This setup lets you control how the user interface works and changes. You can update the frontend without touching backend systems. Many companies use this as their first step toward full composability. It helps improve customer experiences right away while keeping existing backend systems intact.

MACH Architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) takes composability to the next level by breaking down the entire commerce stack into modules. Your ecommerce solution runs on smaller, independent services that work on their own. The API-first approach makes sure all components talk to each other well, even when different vendors build them.

Hybrid Architecture mixes traditional and composable approaches for step-by-step migration. This "strangler pattern" lets businesses adopt composable commerce at their own pace. Teams can test prototypes and minimum viable products (MVPs) with new components while keeping their current infrastructure running smoothly.

Decide on cloud vs on-premise hosting

Your choice between cloud and on-premise hosting affects how well your Magento migration scales and performs:

Cloud-Native Solutions give you flexible infrastructure that grows with your traffic automatically. This flexibility helps a lot during big sales events. Your system can handle Black Friday-level traffic without slowing down or crashing. Cloud providers also invest heavily in security - from encryption to access controls and disaster recovery. This is a big deal as it means that traditional on-premise solutions can't match these security levels.

On-Premise Deployment keeps your data on your own servers, and your IT team manages everything. You get complete control over data and customization, but you'll need serious upfront money for server hardware. Your team also needs to update everything manually to fix bugs and security issues.

Select the right composable commerce platform

Your platform should line up with what your business needs:

Start by checking your team's technical skills. You might need experts in API development, microservices architecture, and cloud-native tech. So, figure out if your team knows these things or if you can get outside help.

Look at how well each platform scales. Think about how the architecture handles growing traffic and sales while staying fast.

Get into the total cost of ownership (TCO). Look at pricing, setup costs, five-year projections, and how long it takes to launch. Note that 72% of businesses now use composable approaches for ecommerce. This suggests the market really believes in this architecture.

For top platforms, you might want to check out commercetools (rated 4.9/5), Elastic Path (4.7/5), Commerce Layer (4.6/5), or Fabric (4.5/5). Pick based on how complex your business is, where you want to grow, and what technical features you need. Focus on components that will help you hit your immediate business goals.

Prepare for Data and Extension Migration

Data migration is one of the most technically challenging parts of your Magento marketplace experience. This vital phase needs careful preparation to give a smooth business transition and protect valuable information when moving to a composable commerce architecture.

Use Adobe Data Migration Tool or custom scripts

Adobe Data Migration Tool helps transfer your Magento database to your new environment systematically. This command-line interface tool has verification, logging, and progress tracking functions that make migration easier. The tool works in three different modes:

Settings mode - migrates store configurations, websites, and system settings.
Data mode - transfers your core database content.
Delta mode - captures incremental changes made during migration.

Some merchants choose custom migration scripts. This approach lets you control the migration process better, especially with complex data structures or custom tables. Teams using this architecture reduce migration risks by 62% compared to full-system overhauls.

You should get a full picture of your data quality, relevance, and completeness before starting migration. The next step is to create detailed data mapping between your current platform and the new one. This helps address data format differences and set up standard naming conventions.

Handle third-party and custom module compatibility

Extension compatibility creates big challenges during migration. One retailer found that there was 40% of their extensions became redundant after adopting API-first architecture. Each module's functionality needs a careful review in your new composable environment.

Custom modules and tables give you several options:

Map custom tables in the migration configuration.
Create specialized handlers for data transformation.
Develop custom migration steps for complex structures.

The available tools are helpful, but you should avoid copying quick fixes from your previous solution. Migration is a chance to "clean house". You can spot components that cause business pain and identify ones that offer the greatest value.

Preserve SEO, metadata, and customer data

Search engines help almost one-third of internet users globally find what they're looking for. Your SEO value needs protection during migration to maintain visibility and revenue.

Your SEO protection plan should include:

Creating detailed URL mapping for proper 301 redirects.
Keeping meta titles, descriptions, and structured data markup.
Submitting your new XML sitemap through Google Search Console.

Customer profiles need the most attention during migration. Password transfer to new systems isn't usually direct. Privacy regulations must guide the transfer of sensitive customer information.

Testing throughout the migration process is non-negotiable. A complete testing process helps spot compatibility issues and protects data integrity. This systematic approach reduces disruptions and helps your transition to composable commerce run smoothly.

Test, Optimize, and Go Live

The testing phase plays a vital role in your Magento marketplace migration trip. Your customer's trust and revenue depend on proper testing that prevents disruptions.

Set up a staging environment for testing

You need a staging environment that mirrors your production site before launching your newly migrated composable commerce platform. This controlled space lets you build your store without affecting the live website. The staging process helps you find and fix problems early, rather than after launch, when they can get pricey.

Most e-commerce platforms let you build on a temporary domain. You can confirm everything works in a realistic setting before going live. The environment also serves as your testing ground for new apps and third-party integrations.

Run performance, mobile, and integration tests

A complete testing process is essential when moving to new ecommerce systems. Your testing should include:

Functional testing: Make sure navigation menus, product filters, buttons, and forms work correctly.
Mobile responsiveness: Test performance on all devices since mobile drives most traffic.
Checkout process: Run real transactions with different payment gateways to ensure smooth completion.

You should also test performance under normal and peak user loads. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix help spot unoptimized assets and measure Core Web Vitals. Integration testing makes sure all external tools—analytics, CRM, payment, and shipping systems—work together seamlessly.

Execute final delta migration and switch domains

Pick a quiet time to implement the final migration steps. Put your old site in maintenance mode to stop changes during the transition. Run a final delta migration that moves only new or changed files instead of all data.

After migration, set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones. This tells search engines to update their indexes. SEO value stays intact with this vital step. Then update DNS settings to point your domain to the new server.

Place some test orders to confirm payments work perfectly before the official launch. Payment problems found after launch can hurt customer confidence and sales badly.

Post-Migration Optimization and Scaling

The optimization phase begins right after completing your migration to the new composable commerce experience. Your new platform opens up growth opportunities that traditional Magento architecture simply couldn't provide.

Enable AI-powered personalization and search

AI-driven tools create customized shopping experiences that improve key metrics. Evidence-based personalization yields 5-8x ROI on marketing spend and boosts both conversion rates and customer loyalty. Modern AI capabilities include:

Predictive AI to forecast customer behavior and inventory needs.
Generative AI to create personalized content and recommendations.
Agentic AI that decides autonomously based on live customer data.

AI-powered search improves product discovery through natural language processing. Customers find exactly what they need, even with complex queries.

Integrate with ERP, CRM, and analytics tools

The connection between your commerce platform and enterprise systems is vital to operational excellence. Research shows 80% of B2B organizations want to connect their eCommerce with cloud-based ERP systems. This integration provides:

Live data sync across systems,
Automated order processing and inventory management,
Better customer experience through accurate product information.

Monitor performance and iterate based on KPIs

The right metrics help you make smart decisions about your new composable ecosystem. Unified commerce combines all customer, product, and pricing data into one source of truth. This creates a foundation for advanced analytics. You should track key ecommerce metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and cart abandonment rates. These work alongside composable-specific measures of speed, flexibility, extensibility, and reliability.

Conclusion

Moving from Magento to composable commerce is a unique experience that rewards digital retailers. In this piece, we explored essential steps from evaluating your marketplace to optimizing your new architecture after launch.

Your migration success depends on careful planning and execution. A full picture of existing features, identified performance bottlenecks, and clear business goals are the foundations of success. Your choice between headless, MACH, or hybrid approaches will shape your business's evolution over the last several years.

Data migration is maybe even the most technically challenging phase. Notwithstanding that, proper preparation with Adobe's migration tools or custom scripts helps preserve valuable SEO equity, customer data, and business continuity.

Testing is crucial before going live. A detailed staging environment helps you spot and fix issues before they impact your customers or revenue. Your composable architecture unlocks AI-powered personalization, continuous connection with enterprise systems, and analytical insights after launch.

Businesses that complete this transition see impressive results: 40% faster deployment of new sales channels, 30-40% reduced development costs, and better conversion rates. Your decision to migrate from Magento to composable commerce gives your business more agility, scalability, and competitive edge in today's multi-channel retail environment.

The retail scene changes faster each day. Your new composable commerce foundation provides flexibility to adapt, implement innovative features, and create tailored customer experiences across all touchpoints.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the main benefits of migrating from Magento to composable commerce?

Migrating to composable commerce offers several advantages, including up to 40% faster deployment of new sales channels, 30–40% reduced development costs, improved conversion rates, and greater flexibility to adapt quickly to changing market demands.

How should I prepare for data migration when moving from Magento to composable commerce?

Preparation should include conducting a thorough data audit, creating detailed data mapping, and deciding whether to use Adobe’s Data Migration Tool or custom migration scripts. It is essential to preserve SEO value, protect customer data, and maintain business continuity throughout the transition.

What architectural options are available when migrating to composable commerce?

Available architectural options include headless architecture, MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless), or a hybrid approach. The right choice depends on your business requirements, technical capabilities, and long-term digital commerce strategy.

How important is testing during the migration process?

Testing is critical during migration. You should set up a staging environment that mirrors production, perform comprehensive performance and mobile testing, and verify all integrations. This ensures issues are identified and resolved before impacting customers or revenue.

What should I focus on after completing the migration to composable commerce?

After migration, focus on enabling AI-powered personalization and search, integrating ERP and CRM systems, and continuously monitoring performance metrics. This helps maximize the value of your composable architecture and supports ongoing optimization.