Read Before Ecommerce Re-platforming: A New Agile Option
The first-generation ecommerce storefront used by nearly all retailers is nearly ten years old and no longer meets the needs of online shoppers or retailers. Online shoppers are tired of the standard ecommerce storefront and are aggressively seeking new online shopping experiences that are more than just utilitarian. Retailers are struggling to address scalability concerns, improve the productivity of staff who manage products, pricing and promotions, implement multiple new retail storefronts, and implement a more agile IT infrastructure to meet continually evolving needs.
Nearly all retailers are in the process of replacing their existing first-generation ecommerce system. Those retailers that successfully implement a more agile system will have a significant competitive advantage. Unfortunately, too many retailers are unaware of a new option that assembles an ecommerce platform from software services to provide desired storefront flexibility and business agility. Most retailers already use this concept for some elements of their platform (e.g. PayPal or Scene 7 for image management). What’s new is that it’s now possible to assemble a complete platform using a services-based approach. A number of leading players (e.g. Amazon Enterprise Services) are betting heavily on this new approach and bringing enterprise-class ecommerce functionality to market in the form of Software as a Service (SaaS). Before making any decision on ecommerce re-platforming, all retailers should thoroughly examine this new option — the Assemble option.