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Tom Williams, Head of Development at iWeb

Tom Williams

Head of Development
10 years at iWeb

Tom heads the development team at iWeb and leads the data practice across PIM, search relevance, product data and operational commerce systems. He writes about migration economics, punchout, catalogue structure, order-management complexity, and the product-data decisions that quietly shape platform performance long before launch. Particularly focused on B2B operational reality and AI-ready commerce data.

Notes published
18
First note
12 Sept 2024
Latest note
8 Jul 2026
Contributing since
2024
Areas of specialism
  • Platform architecture
  • Magento
  • Adobe Commerce
  • ERP integrations
  • Performance
  • Delivery
  • Managed support
  • Platform quality
Authored notes

Everything Tom has filed.

All notes in The Record →
Issue 049Briefing · Integrations

Order management for trade buyers: the OMS questions that decide platform selection

For trade and B2B buyers, the order is a complex, long-running process. Choosing a commerce platform hinges on first answering the hard questions about your order management system strategy.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 047Benchmark · Replatforming

How to budget a Magento to Adobe Commerce migration in 2026

Budgeting an Adobe Commerce migration on the old Magento spreadsheet is the single most reliable way to underprice it. Here is the model that actually survives contact with the build.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 047Teardown · B2B Commerce

Punchout in 2026: what cXML still gets right and where OCI breaks

A practitioner view of cXML and OCI in 2026: where the verbosity of cXML earns its keep, where OCI breaks in production, and how to plan a punchout integration that survives audit.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 045Briefing · Adobe Commerce

Magento 2 end-of-life: the migration paths that survive contact with reality

Magento 2 EOL is not a single deadline. It is a sequence of architectural decisions that have to survive ERP, trade accounts and a finance team that is no longer interested in heroics.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 045Field Note · Adobe Commerce

How to make Adobe Commerce easier to maintain

Maintaining an Adobe Commerce platform effectively requires strategic development and operational practices. We cover technical debt, performance, and stability.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 044Field Note · Governance

The risk of rebuilding around edge cases

Rebuilding around edge cases in commerce development often diverts resources from core functionality, creating technical debt and project delays. Prioritise based on actual business value and user impact.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 039Position · Governance

How to plan an ecommerce MVP properly

A well-planned ecommerce MVP focuses on core functionality, technical feasibility, and measurable objectives, enabling strategic iteration and validated growth.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 038Briefing · Replatforming

How to keep a replatform commercially grounded

Replatforming commerce requires close alignment with commercial objectives. This guide covers how to keep your project commercially grounded and deliver measurable value.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 035Field Note · Governance

Why launch is not the finish line for commerce projects

Launching a commerce site is just the beginning. Ongoing maintenance, security, and optimisation are critical for sustained performance and growth.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 035Teardown · Governance

The platform is rarely the first problem

When commerce operations falter, the platform is often blamed. We find the real problems are usually process, people, or data related, not the tech.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 035Briefing · B2B Commerce

Quote-to-cash in B2B commerce: where the storefront ends and the ERP begins

Understanding the division of labour between your B2B storefront and ERP for quote-to-cash is critical for operational efficiency and revenue recognition.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 034Teardown · Governance

Why project ownership matters more than platform choice

Platform choice is secondary to dedicated project ownership. Effective internal teams, clear roadmaps, and strategic alignment drive commerce success.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 034Position · Governance

Why the best ecommerce agencies say no earlier

Senior ecommerce agencies often decline prospective projects early. This practice ensures alignment, protects specialised teams, and prioritises long-term success over short-term gains.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 033Field Note · Governance

Why platform debates waste time when the operating model is broken

When the operating model fails, even the most advanced platforms will underperform. We examine why focusing on technology over process and governance wastes time and resources.

Tom··4 min read
Issue 029Teardown · Integrations

Idempotency keys across ERP boundaries: the small contract that prevents large outages

When integrating commerce platforms with ERPs, idempotency keys offer a simple, verifiable contract to prevent duplicate processing, crucial for data integrity and stability.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 029Benchmark · Governance

What a good commerce partner should challenge before taking the brief

A commercial partner's value isn't just in execution, but in pre-brief challenge. We highlight key areas where a partner should push back to ensure project success.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 028Teardown · Integrations

Stock truth in distributed commerce: when the ERP lies and the storefront has to know

Addressing stock discrepancies in distributed commerce systems where the ERP's data may not reflect reality requires careful integration and clear strategies for defining truth.

Tom··5 min read
Issue 027Benchmark · Governance

The honest version of ecommerce discovery

Effective ecommerce discovery provides clear direction, mitigates risks, and avoids expensive project failures. It's a structured investigation, not just a quote-gathering exercise.

Tom··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

Bring a brief Tom should read.

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