How the MACH Framework Can Fuel Media and Content Companies’ Growth

Why is MACH so relevant now, though? Predictions state that by 2040, 95% of all purchases will be made through e-commerce – meaning that competition to provide a frictionless, intuitive purchase experience will be fierce. Companies therefore need a technical strategy that gives them a distinct commerce advantage while still being cost-efficient.

MACH has proven to be successful in the retail space, but also has the potential to empower content and media companies by enabling a more composable, modular architecture in their e-commerce platforms. Plus, MACH can accelerate companies’ time to market by leveraging solutions from third-party vendors, saving the time and money required to build from scratch.

Already, companies like Paramount and Udemy use a MACH architecture, while here at intive we support one of the largest weather-related media companies to customize content for users based on their location with MACH.

Here’s why the framework is essential for the content and media organizations of tomorrow.

Flexibility, faster development, and furthering innovation

The modular architecture that MACH advocates is easy to integrate into media companies because most content companies have existing headless content management systems and cover an omnichannel experience. The headless nature of MACH also lends itself well to greater front-end personalization, where user journeys can be tailored to a more diverse selection of devices. Such capability is important as more users view content from devices that aren’t a traditional TV (for example, a tablet or phone).

At the same time, a MACH framework helps companies track users, make content recommendations, facilitate payments for digital services, and touch providers. The API-first approach heightens all these operations due to the multiple different SaaS solutions companies can incorporate to build their own custom product backed by easy, flexible, and reliable API architectures.

MACH also brings a ‘best of breed’ selection philosophy to content and media companies. Rather than develop each technical component by itself, companies can choose current cloud providers and cherry-pick solutions that fit their needs. And, because SaaS providers regularly update their products, companies can harness the latest version of solutions without having to manually update or configure them. In fact, companies can rely on more powerful cloud vendors for high-speed processing power to do so.

It’s not only companies’ processes that benefit from a MACH framework. Customers can improve their solutions configuring as they can opt for products that have components conveying the most value.

MACH architecture means smarter decisions with greater ROI

MACH architecture makes both innovation and financial sense. With lower dependency on vendors, content and media companies can work with a number of third-party vendors and solutions, placing them in a better position to negotiate ongoing partnerships, pricing, and contract requirements.

Likewise, the framework makes testing scenarios easier. Companies can look at one component of their technical architecture, test its efficiency, and if needed, replace it with little effort. Instead of making broad changes that increase the likelihood of breaks and increased costs, MACH allows for more zoomed-in focus and repair.

By the same token, the modularity of MACH means that content and media companies can spend money in a more transparent manner. Most MACH services are subscription based, so companies can cancel at any time and aren’t tied to a particular provider. They can equally A/B test with different providers, resulting in smarter partnership choices that have a more positive return on investment.

Preparing to make the MACH architecture

Before adopting a MACH architecture, content and media companies need to understand microservices and their benefits – as well as be ready to move away from a monolithic approach if that’s what they use. For example, many companies have customer-developed content management systems but aren’t necessarily API-focused when it comes to interfaces or exchanging data.

Companies should spend time with the individual tools that they’re considering using, and naturally, train the relevant teams on those tools in advance to ensure optimal MACH integration.

On top of having greater awareness around services, MACH requires companies to manage more partnerships with vendors, so organizations have to be able to streamline those and maintain good relations with vendor networks. To find partners, the MACH Alliance is an industry body that helps companies connect and collaborate with different domains and vendors, MACH experts, integrators, and enablers.

Last, but certainly not least, companies need to know the metrics they’re monitoring to measure the impact of MACH. Fortunately, there will be no shortage of data among MACH-driven businesses. Churn prediction is a common metric for media companies, looking at how many users subscribe on a monthly basis, and can be determined by combining the data of multiple vendor solutions via an API. Scalability is also worthwhile tracking, where companies follow customer requests and audience demographics to ensure that MACH facilitates their growth plans.

A MACH framework can be the backbone for agile, innovative companies. In the content and media space, MACH not only boosts UX and customization, but it also supplies companies with a more diverse toolkit, and a flashlight to detect issues and implement solutions more swiftly.

To learn more about how a MACH architecture can fuel your company’s structure and success, speak to one of intive’s design and development experts.

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