Start, restart or upgrade. As an online or omnichannel retailer, you are never ready and never sit still. After all, national and international markets are becoming more complex and competitive. Moreover, online consumers are becoming increasingly critical. Those who are unable to meet the highest customer experience expectations are seen. Your platform is leading in this. And relevant Ecommerce platform innovations are a permanent challenge. Ecommerce Solutions shows you the way.
How do you keep a grip on that? Which platform choice offers the best guarantees for flexibility, scalability and innovative entrepreneurship, aimed at the ultimate Customer Experience? You can go two ways. You can choose an integrated Ecommerce solution or a best of breed approach. Both have advantages and disadvantages. And both choices require knowledge and insight. That starts here.
Ecommerce platform innovation is the way to stay ahead of the pack as an e-retailer. Anyone who manages to set up a completely new business model, based on smart platform choices, is assured of attention. This applies to both B2C and B2B and in particular to two business forms that are and will remain very popular: C2B (consumer to business) and C2C (consumer to consumer), in which intermediaries are kept to a minimum. You will find plenty for all models examples of success stories due to timely Ecommerce platform innovation.
'Online business to a higher level thanks to Ecommerce platform innovations
Technoological innovations that take Ecommerce to an ever higher level cannot be slowed down. Looking back, we saw the rapid rise of chatbots, Voice Assistance and Augmented & Virtual Reality. No one doubts the value and necessity of using customer data. After all, personalized product recommendations are a permanent factor in the Customer Journey and customer loyalty stands or falls with optimal data management. Yet many entrepreneurs are still actively looking for ways to effectively integrate data science into the business.
Just as many entrepreneurs wonder what the blockchain technology can add to existing business models. We still mainly associate blockchain with the bitcoin world, but there is much more at stake. Anyway, keep going. Privacy legislation and internationalization call for innovative applications, smart, innovative payment techniques compete for attention. Think of one-click checkouts and E-wallets. Last but not least: drones and droids – advanced delivery robots – will revolutionize existing distribution processes. In short, as far as Ecommerce is concerned: the best is yet to come.
'Know what's going on'
And you better be prepared for that. By embracing Ecommerce platform innovation at every stage of your life cycle as a Ecommerce or omnichannel entrepreneur. On the one hand, by being continuously aware of what is going on and what is coming up and what the ultimate customer journey demands from your applications today and tomorrow. On the other hand, by making the right platform choices in good time and taking into account all factors that are important for your E-business.
Three processes are fundamental: Product Information Management as part of your total Content Management system, Customer Data Management and Marketing Automation. Whether you are starting or growing and need to scale up or make a drastic change replatforming operation Considering, success begins with a question of principle. Do I choose one platform from one supplier in which all features relevant to me are integrated? Or do I opt for a best of breed Ecommerce solution?
'All-in-one or best of breed – get advice about Ecommerce platform innovations that make a difference for your business'
Both options have their pros and cons. The main advantage of an all-in-one solution is the convenience of the one-shop-stop principle. You choose one supplier within one architecture. You don't have to connect different software systems together using interfaces, although this is less complicated in practice than it seems at first. Especially for smaller webshops or wholesale platforms, the all-in-one approach is usually the most effective solution. A disadvantage is that you are completely dependent on one supplier, even if you choose an open source solution.
If this is a disadvantage of the all-in-one solution, it is automatically the main advantage of the best of breed solution. Indeed, opting for an architecture in which you combine the best specialist software into your own platform in which all elementary Ecommerce functions are integrated, gives less dependence. In addition, you can assume that software solutions that are specifically developed for processes such as Product Information Management, Customer Data Management and Marketing Automation will deliver top performance. The condition is that you know what is for sale and how you can combine the best of more worlds. We have a solution for that too. Shaped like a expert and independent advice.
