What Does Kentico’s Partnership with Ucommerce Mean?
You may or may not have heard, but Kentico is joining forces with Ucommerce to provide you with stronger, enterprise-level e-commerce capabilities. But let’s not jump to conclusions just yet—what exactly does this partnership mean for you?
Who’s Ucommerce?
If you haven’t heard of these guys, it’s about time you do. With offices in the US, Europe, and Australia, Ucommerce is a global and experienced company with a seasoned product that has been used to implement over 3,000 e-commerce solutions worldwide. Around since 2009, they have created a leading .NET-based commerce-first platform that seamlessly integrates with your existing CMS. The team behind the product knew that no two e-commerce projects are alike, so they made a platform with immense customizability. This means Ucommerce has the ability to be flexible, depending on your needs, making it a great fit for Kentico and for your e-commerce projects, whatever you may need.
So What Exactly Is Gonna Happen? And Why?
Essentially, with the release of Kentico 11 in November, you will have the option to upgrade your e-commerce to Ucommerce at the beginning of your project. (Or not—but we’ll get to that.)
“Up to now,” says Kentico CEO Petr Palas, “all of Kentico’s software has been developed internally. However, there are times when you have to make bold moves to fast-track the business and delight your customers. And this is one of those times.”
We have decided to open our doors to the world of enhanced e-commerce opportunities for our partners and clients. The fit with Ucommerce is ideal. “While our native e-commerce capabilities are more than sufficient for small, medium-size, and even larger businesses, we recognized that larger corporations, particularly multinationals, have very specialized needs when it comes to e-commerce,” he continues. “So rather than re-invent the wheel, we have opted to work with Ucommerce, a company that is both well-known and highly regarded in this space.”
We wanted to be able to offer a larger, more specialized option to businesses that need more than Kentico can offer. E-commerce is a rapidly growing opportunity for Kentico and its network of users, and this growth requires more from Kentico than is possible at the moment. Hence this strategic partnership with Ucommerce, which will enable Kentico users to do more with their e-commerce than ever before. It’s an e-commerce engine that works inside of Kentico, with brand-new capabilities that will elevate your e-commerce projects in completely new ways.
What about Kentico’s E-commerce Solution?
It’s not going anywhere! “Just to be clear," says Palas, "this collaboration with Ucommerce gives Kentico users another option—it’s not a replacement for our native E-commerce solution."
The way this partnership with Ucommerce works is that you can choose to replace Kentico’s native E-commerce solution with the unique, Kentico-specific solution provided by Ucommerce at the start of your project. This alternative can be seamlessly integrated into our CMS and EMS as a kind of “extension”, and it adopts the look and feel of our UI. Store managers would never know where Kentico ends and Ucommerce begins.
As mentioned, if our E-commerce solution fits your needs, you’re all set. If, however, you find yourself needing more, simply tack on Ucommerce’s platform and go from there. It’s completely your choice.
Where Can I Learn More?
This is the first official communication of this partnership, and we are in continued collaboration to ensure Ucommerce provides Kentico’s users with the enterprise-level platform they expect. The integration will be released alongside Kentico 11’s unveiling in November. And, of course, during the next few months, we will be planning partner onboarding plans, training, and much more educational content so that you’re fully informed.
If you’re curious to find out more, send an email to TechnologyPartners@kentico.com and you will be sure to receive updates and further details.