Ecommerce has changed considerably since Aero Commerce was founded. Retailers have become more digitally sophisticated, customer expectations have risen, and the distinction between online and offline retail has become increasingly blurred.
Aero was created in response to a simple challenge: how can retailers and agencies build better ecommerce experiences without being constrained by the limitations of traditional platforms?
From the beginning, our focus has been on building a powerful, reliable and flexible ecommerce platform that gives ambitious retailers the foundations they need to grow.
As Aero has evolved, so has that mission. Today, we're expanding beyond the online storefront to help retailers manage more of the wider commerce journey, from inventory and payments to physical retail.
Here's how we got here.
Building a better foundation for ecommerce
Aero was born from experience across retail, ecommerce development and agency environments.
That experience shaped an approach centred on solving the problems that retailers and developers encounter in the real world. Rather than building an increasingly complex platform around every possible requirement, Aero was designed around a lean, high-performance core that agencies can extend and customise around individual businesses.
The aim was never simply to create another ecommerce platform.
It was to give agencies the freedom to build bespoke stores for their clients while giving retailers a platform that could adapt as their businesses changed.
That principle remains at the heart of Aero today.
Growing an ecosystem around the platform
A platform is only as strong as the ecosystem supporting it.
Agencies have always been central to the Aero model. Our growing network of agency partners brings together developers, ecommerce specialists, designers and digital marketers who use Aero to deliver solutions for retailers across different sectors.
These partnerships have also shaped the development of the platform itself.
Working closely with agencies gives us direct insight into the challenges they encounter when building and supporting ecommerce stores, from development and integrations to performance and ongoing optimisation.
Alongside our agency ecosystem, we've continued to develop relationships with technology partners across the ecommerce landscape.
Connecting retailers with the technology they need
Payments are a particularly important part of that ecosystem.
Retailers need payment solutions that fit naturally into the customer journey while supporting the operational and commercial requirements of their business.
Aero has therefore developed partnerships and integrations with established payment providers and checkout finance platforms, giving agencies greater choice when building solutions for their retailers.
These partnerships include payment gateways and solutions such as integrated checkout finance, helping retailers offer customers more ways to pay without compromising the wider shopping experience.
For agencies, this means they can build payment functionality into a wider ecommerce solution rather than treating payments as an isolated part of the project.
Bringing online and physical retail together
Our POS solution extends the Aero platform into the physical retail environment, allowing retailers to connect their in-store and online operations.
The goal is simple: rather than treating ecommerce and physical retail as two separate businesses, retailers can manage them as part of a more connected commerce operation.
Customers can move between channels, while retailers gain greater visibility and control over the experience behind them.
This represents an important evolution for Aero. We're no longer focused solely on helping retailers sell online; we're building technology that supports how modern retailers sell more broadly.
Continuing to evolve with retailers
The ecommerce industry isn't standing still, and neither are we.
The challenges facing retailers today are different from those they faced when Aero was first launched.
Customers expect faster, more convenient and more connected experiences. Retailers need greater control over their technology and operations, while agencies need platforms that give them the flexibility to build around increasingly complex requirements.
Our approach is to keep evolving without losing sight of the principles Aero was built on: performance, flexibility, reliability and a focus on what retailers actually need.
Our partnerships, expanding platform capabilities and move into unified commerce are all part of that journey.
What's next for Aero?
Looking back at Aero's development, the biggest milestone isn't a particular number of retailers, agencies or integrations.
It's the evolution from an ecommerce platform into a broader commerce solution, while retaining the flexibility and developer-first approach that brought us here.
We're continuing to invest in the platform, our agency ecosystem and the technology that connects retailers with their customers, wherever that interaction takes place.
Want to see where Aero could fit into your ecommerce or unified commerce strategy?
Book a demo with the Aero team to explore the platform and see what you can build.
