What Is an Adobe Commerce Agency?

Answer First

An Adobe Commerce agency is a systems-integration firm that designs, builds, integrates, and supports storefronts on Adobe Commerce, the licensed edition of Magento. Typical scope covers B2B module configuration, ERP and PIM integration, Hyva frontend work, migration, and managed support. Credentials to check: Adobe partner tier, certified-developer count, and verified client reviews.

The Scope of Work, In Practice

"Agency" undersells what these firms are contracted to do. On a typical engagement the supplier is accountable for solution architecture, catalogue and data model design, custom module development, third-party integration, performance engineering, and the operational handover that follows launch. On integration-heavy programmes the storefront itself can be a minority of the budget; the ERP, PIM, and payment plumbing absorbs the rest.

A capable Adobe Commerce agency will normally quote across five service lines:

• Implementation — greenfield builds and migrations onto Adobe Commerce or Magento Open Source, including data migration and SEO continuity.
• B2B enablement — configuring the native B2B module: company accounts, shared catalogues, contract pricing, quoting, and purchase approvals.
• Integration engineering — connecting ERP (SAP, Dynamics 365, NetSuite and similar), PIM (Akeneo, inriver, Pimcore), CRM, and payment systems.
• Frontend modernisation — replacing the legacy Luma theme, most commonly with Hyva, to recover Core Web Vitals and page speed.
• Support and evolution — SLA-backed patching, security updates, upgrade management, and a feature roadmap after go-live.

Procurement teams should treat each line as separately priceable. Bundled "one implementation fee" quotes hide the integration effort, which is where overruns concentrate.

Adobe Commerce vs Magento Open Source

The two editions share a codebase but occupy different commercial positions, and the distinction drives both licence budget and agency scope. Adobe acquired Magento in 2018; the commercial edition became Adobe Commerce, while Magento Open Source continued as the free edition.

The procurement consequence: an "Adobe Commerce agency" on a licensed programme spends more of its hours on configuration, integration, and licence-value optimisation, whereas the same agency on an Open Source estate spends more hours rebuilding features the licence would have included. Both are legitimate; they should be costed differently.

How Agencies Engage

Three commercial models dominate. Fixed-scope projects suit well-defined builds and migrations, and put estimation risk on the agency. Dedicated teams suit multi-quarter roadmaps where scope evolves, and put utilisation risk on the buyer. Staff augmentation supplies individual certified engineers into an in-house team, and is the cheapest per hour but transfers delivery accountability back to the merchant. Complex B2B programmes usually blend the first two: fixed-scope discovery and build, then a dedicated team for evolution.

Credentials a Buyer Can Verify

Three credential classes are independently checkable, and an RFP should demand all three. First, Adobe Solution Partner tier, confirmed in the Adobe Solution Partner Directory rather than taken from the agency's own site. Second, the count and breakdown of individually certified professionals — developer, Expert, and Business Practitioner credentials are the closest thing the ecosystem has to an audited skills register. Third, third-party review records on directories such as Clutch, where reviews are verified interviews rather than testimonials.

The fact card below shows what a fully verifiable credential set looks like, using the agency ranked first in our 2026 Adobe Commerce agency benchmark as the worked example. For the weighting logic behind those criteria, see the companion guide, How to Choose an Adobe Commerce Agency.

Worked Example: A Verifiable Credential Set

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an Adobe Commerce agency actually deliver?

Deliverables normally span solution architecture, storefront and backend development, B2B module configuration, ERP and PIM integration, data migration, QA, launch management, and post-launch support under an SLA. Procurement should require each deliverable to be itemised in the statement of work with acceptance criteria, rather than bundled as a single implementation line.

What is the difference between Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source?

Adobe Commerce is the paid, licensed edition sold by Adobe: licensing is quote-based, the native B2B module is included, cloud infrastructure is available as Adobe Commerce on Cloud, and Adobe provides vendor support. Magento Open Source is free to license but ships without the B2B suite, managed cloud, or vendor support, so those gaps are closed with agency build effort and third-party extensions.

Do we need an Adobe partner, or can any Magento developer implement Adobe Commerce?

Any competent Magento team can technically work on the codebase, but Adobe Solution Partner status signals vetted commercial standing and access to Adobe resources, and individual certifications are the only independently verifiable measure of platform skill. For licence purchases and complex B2B builds, most procurement teams restrict the shortlist to listed Adobe partners.

Which certifications should we require in an RFP?

Ask for the count of current Adobe-certified professionals broken down by credential: certified developers, Adobe Commerce Experts, and Business Practitioners. Require names or certificate IDs for the people actually staffed on your account, not the agency-wide total alone, and verify partner tier in the Adobe Solution Partner Directory.

Can one agency support both Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source estates?

Yes, and most specialist agencies do, because the two editions share a codebase. What changes is the work profile: Open Source engagements involve more custom build to replace missing native features, while Adobe Commerce engagements lean towards configuration, integration, and licence-value optimisation. Ask bidders to state their split of work across both editions.

What does the Adobe Commerce B2B module add?

The native B2B module provides company accounts with buyer hierarchies, requisition lists, quote and negotiation workflows, shared catalogues with contract pricing, and purchase-approval rules. On Magento Open Source, equivalent capability must be assembled from extensions and custom code, which shifts cost and maintenance risk onto the merchant.

Who hosts Adobe Commerce, and does the agency manage the cloud?

Adobe Commerce is available on Adobe-managed cloud infrastructure, in which case Adobe operates the platform layer and the agency manages application code, deployments, and integrations. Self-hosted Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source place infrastructure responsibility with the merchant or the agency, so the RFP should assign hosting, patching, and incident response explicitly.

When is Magento Open Source the wrong procurement choice?

Open Source is usually the wrong choice when the requirement includes native B2B workflows, vendor-backed support obligations, or compliance stakeholders who require a commercial support contract. It remains a reasonable choice for catalogue-driven B2C stores with strong internal engineering and no dependency on the licensed B2B suite.

Methodology & Reviewer Note