Inside Commerce: Ecommerce Strategy, CX and Technology Podcast

Salesforce Commerce has a long history in the ecommerce platform market, from the acquisition of Demandware to the birth and growth of SiteGenesis. SiteGenesis was built before mobile dominated online shopping, so there are newer architectural options for SFCC customers. Many Salesforce customers are facing a big decision: stick with an old SiteGenesis version, or twist to either SFRA for a mobile-first solution or the newer composable storefront.

In this episode we aim to dispel some of the concerns with remaining on SiteGenesis. Customers don’t have to migrate if they have the right SI partner to maintain SiteGenesis but there are pros and cons of staying on this path that need to be understood, for example limitations with the roadmap, maintenance of 3rd party connectors, effort doing releases and maintaining performance.

The market is evolving, with some Salesforce customers having already moved to SFRA or composable storefront, which is making other retailers review their platform choice.

We’re joined by leading SFCC agency partner Tryzens, who also have experience delivering solutions on ecommerce platforms like Magento and Shopify. Listen to Liam Downes, Director of Strategy and Success, and Shivko Rusev, SVP Salesforce Practice, share their views on how to approach Salesforce migrations and what type/size of business is best suited to the modern SFCC solution and why.

Tl;dr

Our industry has a habit of thrusting new buzzwords on the market that create more confusion than clarity! Elastic Path has refreshed its brand identity and is now talking about the 3rd wave of ecommerce platforms being the era of the "Unplatform".

We're playing devil’s advocate: this feels like marketing spin on what’s been a common theme in SME and enterprise for several years, reducing the role of the ecommerce platform and focusing on best in breed. We asked Elastic Path on to talk us through what they mean by Unplatform in relation to systems architecture & the overall technology stack, as well as operational implications for ecommerce teams.

Whilst we agree that the role of the ecommerce platform is narrowing, as businesses focus more on a connected technology stack simplifying the ability to isolate and retire specific components with much less effort and risk, we're not sure the industry needs a new buzzword to hang its hat on. Elastic Path has a lot of knowledge and experience guiding merchants through their technology evolution, so this episode provides a useful insight into their perspective on the market.

Tune in to hear directly from Elastic Path's Chief Experience Officer, Bryan House.

Tl;dr what we cover:

In our digital-first world, businesses are continuously adapting to satisfy ever changing customer expectations. Customers want seamless digital experiences across devices but equally the type of content people want to view can vary between mobile and non-mobile. Choosing the right CMS isn't always easy, as there are many vendors in the market and different technology models.

Online grocery is an interesting industry when looking through a technology lens. Retailers operate in a highly competitive market with perishable product that needs smart algorithms and merchandising strategies to maximise sell through. Omnichannel selling stepped us massively during COVID lockdown, and Click & Collect and Ship To Store customer journeys are more important than ever.

Add to this mix demands from CPG brands selling via online grocery websites, requiring intelligent digital shelf analytics and merchandising tools to improve product visibility and sales rate.

The lessons learned in online grocery are relevant and useful to other ecommerce teams. In this episode we sit down with industry veteran Scott Miller, an independent consultant in the grocery industry and ex COO of Rouses and Pyramid Foods. Scott is joined by Prem Kiran, CEO at technology partner Hypersonix, who provide generative AI solutions to many industries including online grocery.

Discover:

Tl;dr

Nibble is an award-winning chatbot for ecommerce that lets customers make an offer on the product page for instant results. Nibble's aim is to nudge undecided shoppers into action, to drive higher conversions and bigger baskets, with less margin sacrifice than traditional discounting.

To avoid giving away unnecessary discounts, you can program Nibble to appears only when you want it to and to specific customers. For example, you can make Nibble a subscriber-only benefit, product-specific, or trigger only on exit intent or dwell time. There are many use cases, including clearing excess stock through targeted offers and taking back control of discounting to protect margins and strike deals based on value, not just price.

Tune in to listen to founder and CEO Rosie Bailey explain the thinking behind the solution and how retailers are using the product.

What we cover:

Product development is an interesting part of the ecommerce vendor landscape, and SaaS world is a constant stream of feature updates. This week we’re focused on one of our favourite vendors and we’re joined by a leading voice in the BigCommerce strategy team

This is part two of our two part mini series with BigCommerce. In this episode we’re covering checkout, payments, omnichannel, promotions and inventory management with Jordan Sim, Senior Director of Product.

Product development is an interesting part of the ecommerce vendor landscape, and SaaS world is a constant stream of feature updates. This week we’re focused on one of our favourite vendors, BigCommerce, and we’re joined by leading voices in the strategy and product development team.

In the first of two episodes, we talk to Aaron Sheehan, Director of Competitive Strategy about:

We've been aware of Shopbox for a while but hadn't had the chance to look under the hood of this AI solution that powers product selection for recognised and anonymous visitors.

Cold start strategies are generally quite rare in ecommerce AI/ML tools, or hard to get working effectively. Shopbox is deliberately focused on kicking in from the very first click, aiming to show shoppers more of what they want. The end goal is increasing retail ecommerce profit.

It sounds simple but what's the reality? We sat down with Shopbox CEO Alan Gormley to understand how the platform is being used by retail ecommerce businesses.

More than 40% of online spending post-pandemic is taking place on ecommerce marketplaces, according to Wunderman Thompson's Commerce Future Shopper Report.

Marketplace platforms have been instrumental in the creation of new ways online buyers and sellers connect in a global marketplace, enabling seamless transactions for small businesses and large alike.

Selling on marketplaces brings its unique challenges, as each has its own processes and product data requirements. In this episode we talk to marketplace commerce specialist eCommeleon, sharing advice on how to approach marketplace selling and how their platform reduces manual effort and improve data quality.