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Heddwyn Coombs, Creative and Digital Director at iWeb

Heddwyn Coombs

Creative and Digital Director
29 years at iWeb

Heddwyn co-founded iWeb and leads creative and digital direction across the agency. Adobe Commerce architect since the Magento 1 era, he writes the strategy notes on platform choice, headless, agentic checkout, AI for commerce and the trade-offs leadership teams hit when modern tooling meets operational reality. Opinionated about data structure, design systems and catalogue size, cautious about unnecessary frontend complexity, and focused on work that stays commercially manageable over time.

Notes published
13
First note
6 Sept 2024
Latest note
4 Jun 2026
Contributing since
2024
Areas of specialism
  • UX
  • Frontend
  • Accessibility
  • Design systems
  • AI for commerce
  • Automation
  • Product data & PIM
  • Commercial strategy
Authored notes

Everything Heddwyn has filed.

All notes in The Record →
Issue 048Field Note · B2B Commerce

Builders merchants on mobile: what site search has to do that nobody talks about

On-site search for a builders' merchant needs to act as a precision tool, not a discovery engine. It must parse complex trade vernacular to succeed, a challenge most platforms are not built for.

Heddwyn··5 min read
Issue 047Field Note · AI for Commerce

AI for B2B ecommerce: where to start safely

Integrating AI into B2B ecommerce requires a structured approach to data, security, and measurable outcomes. Identify low-risk, high-value applications first.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 047Position · AI for Commerce

Why agentic checkout pilots fail in B2B and what the second attempt should fix

Agentic checkout in B2B is failing at the pilot stage for predictable reasons. The second attempt has to start from a different premise about the buyer.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 046Position · B2B Commerce

Adobe Commerce vs Shopify Plus when the deciding factor is trade-account credit

For trade-led businesses, the platform decision is a credit and reconciliation decision. We look at where Adobe Commerce and Shopify Plus actually break under that load.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 043Position · Product Data

The hidden cost of letting product data stay messy

Poor product data introduces inefficiencies across commerce operations, eroding profitability. We examine the true costs and pathways to resolution.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 043Briefing · Product Data

Why most B2B ecommerce projects are actually data projects

Most B2B ecommerce projects are data challenges in disguise. Success hinges on robust data integration, not just frontend features. Prioritise data strategy.

Heddwyn··5 min read
Issue 040Position · AI for Commerce

The role of AI in commerce delivery without the nonsense

A practical guide to integrating AI in commerce delivery, focusing on tangible benefits and avoiding speculative applications. Prioritising real-world problem-solving.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 039Teardown · Product Data

The danger of designing around perfect product data

Designing commerce platforms around the assumption of perfect product data creates technical debt and operational issues. Build for reality, not an ideal state.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 036Position · AI for Commerce

Why AI will expose weak ecommerce data faster than ever

AI will accelerate the exposure of poor ecommerce data. Organisations must address data quality to prevent AI projects from failing and to remain competitive.

Heddwyn··5 min read
Issue 035Teardown · AI for Commerce

Evaluation harnesses for commerce LLM features: the bit nobody ships

Evaluating LLM features in commerce requires dedicated infrastructure, not just ad-hoc testing. This piece outlines methods for robust, continuous evaluation as key to real-world reliability.

Heddwyn··5 min read
Issue 034Benchmark · Performance

In conversation with a frontend lead: the design system decisions that paid back for three years

A frontend lead discusses design system decisions that maintained efficiency and reduced tech debt over a three-year period, focusing on componentisation and testing strategies.

Heddwyn··4 min read
Issue 030Benchmark · Performance

Accessible faceted search on Adobe Commerce: keyboard, screen reader and the patterns that pass audit

Accessible faceted search on Adobe Commerce is critical. We examine ARIA patterns, keyboard navigation, and WCAG compliance to ensure audit success.

Heddwyn··5 min read
Issue 027Teardown · Product Data

The case for fixing product data before redesigning the website

Poor product data undermines website redesigns. We examine how pre-emptive data remediation improves project efficiency and overall commerce success.

Heddwyn··4 min read
The briefing · regular

A regular round-up of new notes.
No content marketing.

Sent on the last Thursday of the month. The most useful five notes from the previous four weeks, written by the operators, architects, engineers and commercial leads running the work.
Next step

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