Vtex, one of the five largest retail cloud software companies in the world, is launching two services: the Vtex Open API, which allows the customers' IT area to program and develop extensions on top of the Vtex platform, and the Vtex Master Data, a database service focused on retail operations that allows the modeling of numerous non-native solutions on the platform, such as, for example, loyalty system, B2B customizations, specificities of the grocery model (supermarkets), stores closed as clubs, recurring sales among others.
Since 2013, Vtex has opted for a business model that works with a network of partners to deploy, evolve, support and sell its platform. Thus, it created an ecosystem of developers and specialized companies. "Vtex is a software platform in the cloud that allows any developer or retail solutions company to create or integrate solutions to the platform and, more and more, customers demand local and specialized solutions", explains Mariano Gomide de Faria, a of the founders and coCEO.
The Vtex e-commerce platform is made up of 33 separate systems that have service contracts between them. The platform infrastructure is modularized and based on AWS. A high-scale system owned by Vtex adjusts the infrastructure according to the demand of each module. Most Vtex data is stored in a NoSQL base, where the scale is done horizontally, making the scale virtually infinite in practice.
"With the modularized system, Vtex allows large corporations to contract the platform and extend the services with their own technology and IP. Thus, they gain the best of both worlds: the speed and innovation capacity of the Cloud model and the guarantee of intellectual property about modules that they believe to be strategic", reinforces Mariano.
Controlled by two Brazilian mechanical engineers, Vtex has grown exponentially in recent years. Currently, it has more than 1600 stores on its platform in 16 countries. The network of integrated solutions to the platform already has more than 200 companies.
"Our goal is to allow customers around the world to hire solutions from specialized partner companies that many times, due to their size, would not be able to sell to these corporations. In practice, we are democratizing the sale of apps integrated with Vtex for our customers", he says. Mariano. "It is a great opportunity for all developers who want to build systems and applications for ecommerce. Our focus will be to increasingly evolve Vtex services (Vtex Open API) and Vtex Master Data and let the final solution be conceived and created by market developers", he concludes.
Reverse retail automation
Yami Consultoria, one of the pioneers in developing solutions based on the Vtex platform, launched a solution integrated with Vtex Master Data that automates the retail reverse, reducing the operational cost of storeowners.
According to Rafael Bertoli, managing partner of the company, Vtex Master Data allows the creation of solutions integrated to the platform in a fifth of the time. "We can focus on the business solution and every issue of data and infrastructure, Vtex Master Data takes care of us", comments Bertoli
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