1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,470 Welcome to the deep dive your essential shortcut to gaining real knowledge quickly. 2 00:00:04,470 --> 00:00:06,880 Hey everyone. So today we're 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:11,450 We're really diving into the engine room of modern enterprise retail. We actually 4 00:00:11,450 --> 00:00:13,560 had a request from a listener. Oh, yeah 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:15,560 Yeah, someone looking to understand how these 6 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,840 Massive companies, you know the ones handling complex B2B sales are running huge 7 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:22,240 multi-venture marketplaces 8 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:26,600 Uh-huh how they manage their commerce ops without just using simple off-the-shelf 9 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:27,480 software, right? 10 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:31,870 We're definitely moving way beyond the basic online shopping cart here. Our mission 11 00:00:31,870 --> 00:00:32,280 today is 12 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:37,420 Well, it's to demystify one of the biggest shifts in digital commerce this whole 13 00:00:37,420 --> 00:00:38,940 idea of headless architecture 14 00:00:38,940 --> 00:00:42,000 And we're gonna use a framework called vendor as our guide 15 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,880 We'll explain why this kind of customizable open source solution is becoming well 16 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,220 pretty essential for businesses with really complex 17 00:00:50,220 --> 00:00:55,570 Unique needs especially trying to make it clear for beginners. Exactly. We've been 18 00:00:55,570 --> 00:00:56,700 digging through the key info 19 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,040 pulling insights straight from 20 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:04,240 The vendor github repository their docs in there kind of core marketing philosophy 21 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,300 It really spells out why they're built for scale and flexibility 22 00:01:07,300 --> 00:01:12,010 Okay, but before we unlock the power of headless commerce, let's quickly thank the 23 00:01:12,010 --> 00:01:13,440 supporter of this deep dive 24 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,280 This segment is brought to you by safe server great partner 25 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:17,600 Yeah 26 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,940 Safe server takes care of the specialized hosting you need for advanced software 27 00:01:20,940 --> 00:01:25,200 like vendor and they support you on your whole digital transformation journey 28 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,480 You can find out more and get started at 29 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,040 www.safeserver.de 30 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,720 Awesome. Thanks safe server 31 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:38,290 Right, then let's focus on vendor. It calls itself a customizable commerce platform 32 00:01:38,290 --> 00:01:39,320 built for scale 33 00:01:39,320 --> 00:01:42,120 Okay, so let's start at ground zero for our learner 34 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,880 Like you said when most folks think about selling online 35 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,630 They probably picture one single platform doing everything right the storefront 36 00:01:48,630 --> 00:01:51,520 inventory payments. Yeah all in one 37 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:56,320 So what exactly is headless commerce and maybe more importantly? 38 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:01,630 Why would a major company pick a specialized open source thing like vendor over say 39 00:02:01,630 --> 00:02:03,600 a big standard sauce platform? 40 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:04,840 Yeah, that's the key question 41 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,870 See the core problem with those traditional all-in-one systems is they can be 42 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:08,480 really rigid 43 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:13,090 Everything's tightly coupled tightly coupled meaning the front end the website the 44 00:02:13,090 --> 00:02:16,160 customer sees is stuck together with the back end the inventory the pricing 45 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,810 Logic all that stuff. Yeah, if you want a new mobile app or maybe some fancy voice 46 00:02:19,810 --> 00:02:20,440 interface 47 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:25,920 Yeah, you just have to hope your big platform supports it easily often. It doesn't 48 00:02:25,920 --> 00:02:30,960 headless commerce completely decouples those parts think of it like 49 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,600 Like a body and a head they're separated but they're connected by let's say a 50 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:38,820 central nervous system and that nervous system 51 00:02:38,820 --> 00:02:43,830 That's the API the application programming interface precisely vendor is the body 52 00:02:43,830 --> 00:02:44,860 in this analogy 53 00:02:44,860 --> 00:02:50,160 It's that robust back end built with TypeScript and no JS. This is the brain the 54 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:50,980 logic center 55 00:02:50,980 --> 00:02:54,480 Inventory pricing rules order security everything 56 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,590 Okay, the head is the front end the part that customer actually interacts with and 57 00:02:58,590 --> 00:03:00,140 that could be anything a website sure 58 00:03:00,140 --> 00:03:03,920 But also a mobile app of VR experience, maybe even a smart kiosk in a store 59 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:07,830 So the vendor core doesn't really care how you're shopping whether it's your phone 60 00:03:07,830 --> 00:03:09,120 or some smart fridge screen 61 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,420 It just does the commerce part exactly that and that separation is absolutely key 62 00:03:13,420 --> 00:03:14,600 to doing real 63 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,230 Multi-channel commerce effectively you use the same single back end that vendor 64 00:03:19,230 --> 00:03:22,280 core to power every single customer touch point 65 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,400 You can dream up and for big companies that consistency and scale is 66 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:31,260 Critical got it. So the source is defined vendor as an open source headless 67 00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:34,760 commerce platform an enterprise ready framework 68 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:40,420 Let's talk tech for a second. Why type script and no JS. What's the benefit there? 69 00:03:40,420 --> 00:03:45,520 Well, it's really a choice geared towards stability and speed type script. It adds 70 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,520 static typing to JavaScript for non-devs 71 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,140 That just means the code is more robust less prone to certain kinds of errors 72 00:03:52,140 --> 00:03:56,310 Developers can build faster and with more confidence fewer bugs basic your bugs. 73 00:03:56,310 --> 00:03:57,280 Yeah, and no GS 74 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,770 It's built for handling lots of connections at once high concurrency means the 75 00:04:00,770 --> 00:04:04,080 platform is designed for speed and can handle massive traffic spikes without 76 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,880 You know falling over which is important for enterprise scale 77 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,630 And what is the core platform actually give you right out of the box? It provides 78 00:04:10,630 --> 00:04:12,680 two main pillars really first 79 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:17,080 There's the commerce framework. They describe it as lean unopinionated foundational 80 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:17,640 blocks 81 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:23,230 It's built on another powerful framework called nest.js nest.js. Yeah, I think of 82 00:04:23,230 --> 00:04:24,240 nest.js is like a 83 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:28,790 Really solid well understood architectural blueprint for building complex 84 00:04:28,790 --> 00:04:29,640 applications 85 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:34,060 It helps ensure the whole system is structured logically like a big organized Lego 86 00:04:34,060 --> 00:04:34,340 kit 87 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:39,540 Scalable defendable. Okay Lego kit. I like that and the second pillar that sounds 88 00:04:39,540 --> 00:04:41,300 like it's more for the business users 89 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:44,920 The ones not writing code exactly. That's the operational side a highly 90 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,520 customizable admin dashboard 91 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,390 This is the interface for the day-to-day stuff managing orders products customers 92 00:04:51,390 --> 00:04:52,000 pricing 93 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,340 Yeah, it's built with modern tools like react and tailwind. So it feels 94 00:04:55,340 --> 00:04:59,960 Well modern. Yeah, not like some clunky system from 10 years ago, right and 95 00:04:59,960 --> 00:05:01,160 something that really jumped out 96 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,770 Especially thinking about developers is the speed they claim you can get started 97 00:05:04,770 --> 00:05:07,480 the sources boast vendor can be up and running locally in 98 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:11,760 Less than two minutes. Just one command. Yeah, that seems fast that immediate 99 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:13,440 feedback must be a huge draw 100 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:18,320 Oh, it absolutely is that rapid setup just lowers the barrier to entry massively 101 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,560 teams can kick the tires test it out 102 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,650 Almost immediately see if it fits. Okay, but let's pivot to the really critical 103 00:05:24,650 --> 00:05:25,620 question the trade-off 104 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:30,780 Why would a huge company choose to build their commerce system on an open source 105 00:05:30,780 --> 00:05:31,420 framework? 106 00:05:31,420 --> 00:05:35,040 I mean that means taking on more the engineering load themselves, right? 107 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:40,160 Why not just pay a subscription to a big convenient sauce platform? That is the 108 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:41,380 core conflict, isn't it? 109 00:05:41,380 --> 00:05:45,800 It's control versus convenience saws definitely offer simplicity upfront 110 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,250 But you are fundamentally constrained by their platform their features their 111 00:05:50,250 --> 00:05:52,140 roadmap. You're locked in they're locked in 112 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:57,540 Vendor is explicitly built as they say for when standard saws platforms can't 113 00:05:57,540 --> 00:06:00,280 accommodate your unique business model 114 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:04,520 If your business needs something special and you have to create three clunky 115 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:05,840 painful workarounds 116 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:09,430 Just to launch your new product line on a saws platform. What's not convenient 117 00:06:09,430 --> 00:06:10,080 anymore. Is it? 118 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:14,270 It's actually holding you back costing you time and money. Okay, so if my business 119 00:06:14,270 --> 00:06:15,340 has really complex needs 120 00:06:15,340 --> 00:06:20,600 Maybe I offer a unique service alongside physical products or I have intricate 121 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:21,840 loyalty tiers or 122 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,510 Weird shipping rules. I need a system that bends to my needs not the other way 123 00:06:26,510 --> 00:06:28,520 around precisely and that deep 124 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:33,700 Customization is primarily handled through vendors extensible plug-in architecture. 125 00:06:33,700 --> 00:06:34,160 This is the key 126 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:38,980 This is where you build that say 10% of unique functionality that really differentiates 127 00:06:38,980 --> 00:06:39,800 your business, right? 128 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:43,580 You can tailor pretty much every single aspect of the commerce solution using these 129 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:47,360 dynamic plug-ins and they become reusable modules, too 130 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:51,490 So you're not hacking the core system. You're extending it properly in a structured 131 00:06:51,490 --> 00:06:53,560 maintainable way. That makes a lot of sense 132 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:58,220 What about those big enterprise level features? Does it handle things like global 133 00:06:58,220 --> 00:06:59,600 operations out of the box? 134 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,450 Yes, internationalization is built right in from the start. It's designed for 135 00:07:03,450 --> 00:07:05,400 seamless global operations 136 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:09,680 It supports multi currency transactions cross-border omni-channel commerce 137 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:15,070 Complex tax rules all without needing massive re-engineering later on okay and 138 00:07:15,070 --> 00:07:16,880 critically important for big companies 139 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:21,240 Mm-hmm security and ownership. We keep hearing vendor is 100% 140 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,400 Independent OSS open source software 141 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:29,080 What does that actually mean for a company putting its business on this platform? 142 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,490 It means they achieve full ownership of the platform. That's a really powerful 143 00:07:33,490 --> 00:07:35,000 argument, especially for large 144 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,240 Maybe more risk averse organizations 145 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:42,170 They avoid being tied to the whims the roadmap changes the sudden pricing hikes of 146 00:07:42,170 --> 00:07:44,040 a closed proprietary SaaS provider 147 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,400 They control their own destiny technologically speaking doesn't open source 148 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,440 sometimes come with worries about support maintenance 149 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,980 Guarantees if something breaks who fixes it 150 00:07:53,980 --> 00:07:56,780 That's a fair point and that's where the licensing model comes in 151 00:07:56,780 --> 00:08:01,080 The core platform is licensed under the GPL v3 now for the listener 152 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,850 This basically ensures the core code stays free and open the community can review 153 00:08:04,850 --> 00:08:06,320 it improve it use it 154 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:11,140 But for those large enterprises that need, you know legal assurances dedicated 155 00:08:11,140 --> 00:08:13,280 support channels guaranteed response times 156 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:18,420 They offer a commercial license to the VCO this list companies manage their risk 157 00:08:18,420 --> 00:08:18,920 effectively 158 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,090 While still getting all the flexibility and ownership benefits of the open source 159 00:08:23,090 --> 00:08:23,400 core 160 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,660 So you get the ownership and the flexibility but you can buy a safety net if you 161 00:08:26,660 --> 00:08:27,520 need it. Got it 162 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:32,900 Okay, let's shift gears now to the practical side. Where is all this power actually 163 00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:33,640 being used? 164 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:39,150 When we talk about complex commerce, what specific real-world business models are 165 00:08:39,150 --> 00:08:40,420 we seeing vendor enable? 166 00:08:40,420 --> 00:08:44,770 Yeah, vendor really seems to shine in I'd say three main areas where those 167 00:08:44,770 --> 00:08:45,040 traditional 168 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:49,460 Simpler commerce solutions tend to struggle or just break down completely. Okay 169 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:52,380 area one first up B2B e-commerce business to business 170 00:08:52,380 --> 00:08:57,850 Right. Give us a simple example of why a standard online store platform often fails 171 00:08:57,850 --> 00:08:58,320 here 172 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:02,640 Well, B2B is just fundamentally more complex than selling directly to consumers, 173 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:02,800 right? 174 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:07,830 Think about a distributor network. Maybe customer a gets a special 15% discount, 175 00:09:07,830 --> 00:09:10,100 but only on bulk orders over ten thousand dollars 176 00:09:10,420 --> 00:09:13,080 Meanwhile customer B needs all their orders over 177 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:18,110 $5,000 to be approved by two different managers in their company before the order 178 00:09:18,110 --> 00:09:19,180 is even processed a 179 00:09:19,180 --> 00:09:23,680 Typical D2C platform just can't handle that kind of granular logic. Yeah 180 00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:28,560 So vendor allows companies to take these really complex workflows things involving 181 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:30,440 custom pricing tiers per customer 182 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,560 multi-step approval chains 183 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:37,120 Deep account hierarchies where one person manages multiple sub accounts and turn 184 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,000 them into smooth reliable digital experiences 185 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:44,370 It adapts to those specific industry needs that level of custom roles. Yeah, 186 00:09:44,370 --> 00:09:46,800 definitely beyond the usual Shopify store 187 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,440 Okay, what about marketplaces? That sounds complex, too 188 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,920 That's the second major area multi-vendor or multi-tenant commerce think building 189 00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,940 your own Etsy or maybe a specialized b2b marketplace 190 00:09:56,940 --> 00:10:00,750 Or even an Amazon competitor if you're ambitious building that requires really 191 00:10:00,750 --> 00:10:01,840 sophisticated tools 192 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:06,550 You need to manage potentially hundreds or thousands of separate sellers each maybe 193 00:10:06,550 --> 00:10:08,600 with their own separate inventories 194 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:12,400 You need to give them customizable storefronts so they can maintain their brand 195 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:12,940 identity 196 00:10:12,940 --> 00:10:17,510 They need their own individual seller dashboards to manage their products and 197 00:10:17,510 --> 00:10:17,920 orders 198 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,520 Wow. Yeah, and all the while the central platform operator 199 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:26,500 You needs to handle the commissions the payout schedules the overall permissions 200 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:27,520 taxes 201 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,530 It's a huge architectural challenge and vendor provides the framework to manage 202 00:10:31,530 --> 00:10:34,480 that complexity without building everything from scratch 203 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:41,100 Okay, b2b marketplaces. What's the third area custom D2C exactly custom D2C models? 204 00:10:41,100 --> 00:10:44,100 This is really about breaking free from what they call cookie cutter commerce 205 00:10:44,100 --> 00:10:48,430 It's for brands whose business model is their unique selling proposition. Give me 206 00:10:48,430 --> 00:10:48,720 an example 207 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:53,220 Okay, think of a company selling highly personalized maybe made to order furniture 208 00:10:53,220 --> 00:10:57,580 They might have a dynamic 3d configurator on their website where you choose the 209 00:10:57,580 --> 00:10:59,760 wood the fabric the size and that 210 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,250 Configuration needs to link directly to complex supply chain logic, maybe even 211 00:11:04,250 --> 00:11:06,700 trigger specific manufacturing processes 212 00:11:06,700 --> 00:11:10,960 Or think about a subscription box service with five different tiers 213 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:15,760 Complex bundling rules variable shipping schedules and maybe add on purchases 214 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,760 things that require unique logic unique logic 215 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,760 Exactly, if your brand's vision relies on that kind of custom experience 216 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,500 Maybe blending digital and physical touch points in a novel way 217 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:31,060 Vendor use you the underlying toolkit to actually write and execute that unique 218 00:11:31,060 --> 00:11:31,880 business logic 219 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,840 Okay, so for those kinds of complex niche applications, the flexibility is 220 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,760 definitely worth the extra engineering effort compared to sauce 221 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,720 Let's talk about that engineering effort for a sec the developer experience or DX 222 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:48,400 What is the tech stack offer developers to make building and crucially maintaining 223 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:49,920 these complex systems easier? 224 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,520 Yeah, they seem to focus heavily on tools that boost developer productivity and 225 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:54,840 importantly maintain ability 226 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:59,220 We already mentioned TypeScript in nest.js which provide that structure and safety 227 00:11:59,220 --> 00:12:01,280 net and crucially a really big one 228 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:06,230 Is that they expose pretty much all their functions in data via graph QL. Okay 229 00:12:06,230 --> 00:12:08,320 graph QL for the beginner listening 230 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:12,520 What does graph QL actually do for the business? Why is that better than older ways? 231 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:13,880 Okay, think of it like a 232 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:20,920 Really efficient very specific waiter in older systems using something called rest 233 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:21,480 API's 234 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:26,600 often when your app asks for data the server might send back a whole bunch of 235 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,440 information maybe way more than you actually need for that specific 236 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,720 Screen like getting the entire menu when you just ask for the price of coffee 237 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:37,000 wasted data exactly wasted data wasted bandwidth 238 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:41,600 Graph QL lets the developer writing the front-end app request exactly the specific 239 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:42,640 pieces of data 240 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,840 They need for that particular view and absolutely no more 241 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:49,800 Just give me the product name price and inventory account for this specific ID 242 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,910 Okay, this dramatically reduces the amount of data flying back and forth which 243 00:12:53,910 --> 00:12:57,120 makes the website or app feel much faster much more responsive 244 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:01,660 Especially on mobile networks. It's way more efficient and those saved milliseconds 245 00:13:01,660 --> 00:13:05,440 as we know can translate into millions in revenue for big e-commerce sites 246 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:10,240 Absolutely performance is key. They also focus a lot on automation tools for 247 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,280 developers. They provide a CLI 248 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:16,570 That's a command line interface basically text commands and an automation SDK a 249 00:13:16,570 --> 00:13:18,120 software development kit 250 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:20,680 Okay, that sounds like pure tech jargon again 251 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:25,310 Can you translate the business benefit of a CLI and an automation SDK? Sure think 252 00:13:25,310 --> 00:13:26,400 of it like this 253 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:32,440 These are tools that automate the boring repetitive error prone parts of coding 254 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,720 testing and deploying the software 255 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:35,060 Okay 256 00:13:35,060 --> 00:13:39,150 So it helps streamline the workflow when a developer makes a change say they add a 257 00:13:39,150 --> 00:13:40,140 new discount rule 258 00:13:40,140 --> 00:13:44,630 These tools help ensure that change gets automatically tested in various ways and 259 00:13:44,630 --> 00:13:47,200 the deployed reliably across the entire system 260 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,240 Maybe to multiple servers it saves tons of developer time 261 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,780 Reduces the chance of human error during deployment and helps keep the whole 262 00:13:53,780 --> 00:13:56,560 complex infrastructure running smoothly and consistently 263 00:13:56,560 --> 00:14:01,200 It's about efficiency and reliability got it less manual work fewer mistakes 264 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:06,160 Okay, and finally the lifeblood of any open source project like this the community 265 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:10,040 What do the sources tell us about the health and activity of the vendor ecosystem? 266 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:10,840 Is it alive and well? 267 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,320 Yeah, the stats look pretty solid. Actually, it's a good sign of project health on 268 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:19,710 Github, which is where the code lives. It has six point six thousand stars and one 269 00:14:19,710 --> 00:14:20,980 point two thousand forks 270 00:14:20,980 --> 00:14:25,380 That indicates quite a bit of active interest in usage stars and forks 271 00:14:25,380 --> 00:14:29,720 Basically measures of popularity and people tinkering with it pretty much. Yeah 272 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:30,640 popularity and engagement 273 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,120 But maybe more importantly it has a large contributor base 274 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,960 239 contributors listed Wow 275 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:41,640 239 people have actually submitted code or improvements. That's significant 276 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:45,500 That means a huge amount of peer review and development happening outside of just 277 00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:46,640 the core founding team 278 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,700 Correct that diversity of contribution is really healthy for an open source project 279 00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:55,440 The source has also mentioned an active community of over 3,000 developers globally 280 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,910 interacting in places like slack or discord and there are testimonials highlighting 281 00:14:59,910 --> 00:15:00,480 the quote 282 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:04,900 Astonishing level of involvement from the core vendor team themselves in those 283 00:15:04,900 --> 00:15:06,040 community channels 284 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,440 providing apparently fast and helpful support 285 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,610 For an enterprise that's going to rely on this platform as a core piece of 286 00:15:12,610 --> 00:15:17,000 infrastructure for years having that active supportive ecosystem is 287 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,940 Basically a non-negotiable requirement. It provides confidence. Absolutely 288 00:15:20,940 --> 00:15:25,940 Okay, let's try to wrap this deep dive up thinking back to our learner the person 289 00:15:25,940 --> 00:15:27,840 just trying to get their head around this complex 290 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,000 commerce landscape 291 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,320 What's the key takeaway here? What does vendor really represent? 292 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:38,040 I think vendor represents the modern necessity for businesses whose models just don't 293 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:39,360 fit in the standard box 294 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:44,790 It's the flexible powerful back-end the body for commerce systems that have 295 00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:46,760 fundamentally outgrown the limitations of those 296 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:51,290 Easier but more rigid standardized sauce platforms, right? It provides that 297 00:15:51,290 --> 00:15:52,440 essential separation 298 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,800 the headless architecture we talked about 299 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:58,760 Allowing you to build any front-end you want and it gives you the enterprise grade 300 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,520 tools and the extensibility needed to manage truly complex 301 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:07,800 Business logic whether that's b2b marketplaces or unique DTC offerings 302 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,560 So it frees businesses from the constraints of someone else's pre-built roadmap 303 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,000 Exactly by offering true code ownership and massive extensibility 304 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,470 It's the ultimate customization toolkit really but specifically designed for 305 00:16:22,470 --> 00:16:23,520 commerce complexity 306 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,720 Makes sense the ultimate customization toolkit for commerce complexity 307 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,380 I like that and before we sign off just a final reminder that this deep dive was 308 00:16:30,380 --> 00:16:31,580 supported by safe server 309 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:34,760 They're your partner for the specialized hosting and digital transformation 310 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,860 solutions that help you actually leverage the power of platforms like vendor 311 00:16:38,860 --> 00:16:42,200 You can learn more at www.safeserver.de 312 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:44,560 Thanks again safe server 313 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:48,920 okay, finally as always a provocative thought for you the listener to consider as 314 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:54,280 The demand for these hyper customized online experiences keeps growing needing 315 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,120 complex b2b pricing unique subscription models 316 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,640 Multi vendor logic will this shift towards flexible developer centric headless 317 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,640 frameworks like vendor actually become the new default 318 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:09,460 Could they eventually leave the traditional monolithic ecommerce platforms behind 319 00:17:09,460 --> 00:17:13,000 kind of like relics gathering dust in the face of accelerating digital? 320 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,100 Complexity hmm definitely something worth mulling over where does the balance 321 00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:19,960 between convenience and control ultimately land? 322 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,920 Thanks for joining us on the deep dive. We'll catch you on the next one