Launching a D2C Channel from Your Existing Magento Platform: Three Strategic Paths for Manufacturers

Many manufacturers running Magento or Adobe Commerce for their B2B operations are now exploring direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels. Whether driven by market demand, growth strategy, or the desire to build brand awareness, D2C initiatives bring a new set of challenges—and require careful consideration of how best to extend or complement the existing eCommerce infrastructure.

There’s often a push for quick wins. Launch a new storefront. Get something live. Use a SaaS platform. But choosing the right approach for D2C isn’t just about speed or simplicity—it’s about balancing short-term goals with long-term sustainability. The decision has implications for operations, technology, customer experience, and cost of ownership.

This article outlines three common paths manufacturers take when launching a D2C channel from an existing Magento or Adobe Commerce platform. It also explores the factors that drive complexity—technical debt, architecture, data models—and why the easiest option on the surface isn’t always the best fit down the road.

Three Strategic Paths for Launching a D2C Channel

For manufacturers already on Magento or Adobe Commerce, there are three primary ways to launch a D2C initiative:

1. Add a new storefront within the existing instance
2. Build a new, separate Magento instance
3. Use a SaaS platform to run the D2C site independently

Each option offers trade-offs in terms of speed, complexity, and long-term flexibility. The best choice depends on your technical foundation, internal resources, and how integrated you expect D2C to be with your existing operations.

Extend Your Current Magento / Adobe Commerce Instance

Magento and Adobe Commerce support multiple websites, stores, and store views—all managed from a single backend. For some businesses, this makes it possible to spin up a new consumer-facing storefront using the same infrastructure that supports B2B operations.

This approach is attractive for its efficiency. Product data, inventory, customer records, and core integrations can be shared or segmented as needed. A unified system also simplifies training, support, and ongoing maintenance.

However, shared infrastructure introduces complexity. If the existing instance is already carrying technical debt or performance issues, adding a D2C channel may strain it further. Additionally, the D2C experience may require features—design flexibility, content management, simplified checkout—that don’t align well with how the B2B site is currently structured.

Magento offers several ways to configure a D2C experience:

• New website: Full separation from the B2B storefront, with its own base URL, design, and customer groups.
• New store or store view: Shares the same backend and catalog, but with separate pricing, content, or localization.
• Customer group-based experience: Different UX and pricing rules based on who is logged in.

To choose between these, you’ll need to answer questions like:

• Will D2C share the same product catalog?
• Is a different checkout or payment method needed?
• Can current product data structures support tiered pricing or consumer-facing content?
• Will this require a major redesign, or can it be implemented with shared templates?

Build a Separate Magento Open Source or Adobe Commerce Instance

For manufacturers that want to launch a D2C channel without touching their existing Magento environment, a separate instance can offer a clean path forward. This might be appropriate when the current platform is heavily customized, already strained, or simply not designed with D2C needs in mind.

A standalone instance allows for total separation—different design, content strategy, checkout flow, and customer experience—without affecting B2B operations. It also avoids dependencies between business units, which can simplify testing and allow the D2C team to move more quickly.

This approach works well when:

• The D2C team operates independently from B2B
• The existing instance is hard to modify or scale
• The company wants to pilot new technology or workflows
• Long-term integration between the systems is planned but not critical at launch
• Product and customer data already live in a centralized platform and can be synchronized with both instances

Custom development and Magento hosting considerations will be key to ensuring performance and support are well planned from day one.

Use a SaaS Platform to Launch the D2C Channel

For some manufacturers, the fastest way to enter the D2C market is to build the new storefront on a SaaS platform like Shopify or BigCommerce. These platforms offer built-in hosting, automatic updates, and lower development overhead—making them appealing for lean teams or time-sensitive initiatives.

This route often makes sense when the D2C initiative is framed as a test or proof of concept. The business wants to validate demand, build a consumer experience from scratch, and do so without adding to the complexity of the existing Magento or Adobe Commerce environment.

This approach works best when:

• The D2C initiative is intentionally isolated from existing operations
• The internal team has limited capacity to manage another Magento build
• There’s no need to tightly integrate customer or product data at launch
• The primary goal is speed, learning, and iteration

Some businesses choose SaaS as a short-term option with the intention of migrating to a more integrated solution later. Others find that a separate SaaS storefront fits their needs long term—especially when the D2C channel is narrow in scope or targets a different segment altogether.

But if the D2C site succeeds and the business wants to scale, integrate, or consolidate, that early decision will need to hold up under new demands. The team should have a clear view of what migration or expansion would require—and be confident that the short-term win won’t create long-term rework.

💡 What About Just Spinning Up a Quick Shopify Site?

For many manufacturers exploring D2C, the instinct is to get something live fast. Shopify seems like a simple way to test the concept without disrupting your current Magento stack. And in some cases, that instinct is right.

If the goal is purely validation—Will this product line resonate with consumers? Can we handle fulfillment?—a lightweight Shopify setup might make sense. It’s quick, inexpensive, and self-contained.

But if there’s even a short-term vision to expand the D2C channel—adding SKUs, connecting to backend systems, or unifying customer data—this approach can create more work than it saves. You’ll end up managing two platforms, reconciling data manually, and eventually needing to rebuild the D2C site to live in a more sustainable architecture.

It’s not that Shopify is the wrong choice. It’s that “fast and separate” should be a conscious strategic decision, not just the path of least resistance. The costs come later—when short-term convenience starts to collide with long-term growth.

The Role of Technical Debt in Platform Strategy

If your existing Magento instance is burdened by legacy customizations or deferred upgrades, building directly on top of it can slow development and increase risk. Technical debt may not stop a D2C launch, but it will shape how much effort it takes—and how reliable the outcome is.

eCommerce audits and consulting services can help identify whether your existing stack is a solid foundation or a liability.

Planning for Long-Term Operational Integration

Even if the D2C site starts separately, it will likely need to connect with shared systems and processes over time. Orders, fulfillment, and customer data must eventually sync with the rest of the business.

Anticipating Channel Conflict

For manufacturers, launching a D2C channel can create tension with distributors or retail partners. Choosing a platform that supports differentiated experiences—and a clear strategy for managing pricing and availability across channels—can help reduce friction.

Are You Solving for Speed, Scale, or Stability?

The best D2C platform approach isn’t always the fastest or cheapest. It’s the one that fits your business goals, technical landscape, and capacity to manage change. With that clarity, platform decisions become strategic—not reactive.

Further Reading

• What is Technical Debt and How Can I Avoid It in Magento eCommerce Development and Maintenance?
• Horizontal & Vertical Channel Conflict: Examples & Tips to Resolve