Top 2023 resources on brands

Best brands resource in 2023.
Learn more about brands to improve your e-commerce strategy.

• 10 Innovative Product Experiences from Black-Owned Brands - Black History Month in the United States is a time to celebrate the contributions of Black individuals throughout history. Today, it has evolved to not only celebrate historical contributions, but to honor the achievements and cultural impact of the Black community in the present day. An American Express report found that Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S. This growth trajectory is taking the commerce industry by storm.  At Elastic Path, we wanted to celebrate by featuring 10 innovative product experiences from Black-owned brands. 1. Albany Park Albany Park is a furniture brand specializing in luxury sofas, sectionals, and ottomans. Their PDP features customizable product configurations so customers are able to see what the sofa would look like in different variations. In addition, their website features lifestyle videos for consumers to have a better understanding of what the couch could look like in their home. The PDP also includes tutorial videos demonstrating how to assemble the sofas. 2. Clare  Clare is an online paint store that sells paint and paint supplies for the interior and exterior of homes and buildings. The brand focuses on creating a customized experience for their customers. Their website features a chatbox facilitated quiz called Clare Color Genius ™ to help you find the perfect paint shade for your home. 3. Oui The People Oui The People is a bodycare brand that sells products for various skincare needs from hyperpigmentation (dark spots) to keratosis pilaris (strawberry skin). They aim to curate personalized product recommendations for your specific skin care conditions. Their website features a Body Skin Care quiz, to help recommend products from their collections that will alleviate your personal skincare concerns. 4. Black Girl Sunscreen Black Girl Sunscreen is a brand that gained popularity in the Black community for its ability to provide a high SPF sunscreen that did not leave a white cast on darker skin tones. The brand has since branched off into cosmetics and apparel in addition to the SPF products. The website’s navigation features product bundles. Some of the noteworthy components of the bundles is the ability to pick and choose products in the bundle, also known as “dynamic bundles.”  For example, in their holiday bundle, customers can choose between a pine scent or vanilla scented candle. This merchandising strategy helps increase customer satisfaction and boost AOV. 5. The Honey Pot The Honey Pot is a feminine care product brand that focuses on natural, plant-based products for feminine needs. The products on their website are grouped both individually and bundled for specific concerns. For example, there is a “Nighttime Ritual” bundle and a “Soothe Ritual” bundle with products catered to those specific “rituals”. The Honey Pot is also following suit with other brands we’ve mentioned, offering a Quiz that aligns with your needs.   Read the Gartner® Predicts 2023: Digital Selling Excellence Protects the Bottom Line During Economic Uncertainty Get the report to see how your brand can speed up digital innovation. Read Gartner® Predicts 2023 6. NaturAll Club NaturAll Club is a brand focusing on natural products for curly hair textures. One of the unique aspects of their PDP page is that each product shows both written directions for how to use the product and video tutorials showing you how to style your hair with the products. The PDP page also includes the specific curl patterns the products are catered to. In addition, you can curate your personal product list from a quiz that you take explaining your hair type.   7. BLK + Green BLK + Green is a marketplace for natural products created by Black artisans. Customers not only get a commerce marketplace, but their “Our Story” tab leads to a podcast with interviews from some of Black-owned brands they feature. The “Our Story” tab also details their Toxic Twenty pledge, which is a pledge to ensure that none of the products are made with  20 harmful chemicals they’ve listed out.   8. Bolé Road Textiles Bolé Road Textiles is a home decor brand, specializing in items made from handwoven Ethiopian fabrics. Their website features a social commerce strategy, where customers can shop by lookbooks from the Bolé’s Instagram page.   9. lemlem Lemlem is an artisan-based collection of women’s, men’s and children’s home goods made entirely in Africa. The brand is multi-geo spanning across the US and Europe. On their website, you can seamlessly toggle between their US site to their European site. You can also filter products from bestselling, feature and the date added “New to Old” and “Old to New”. 10. Beauty Bakarie Beauty Bakarie is a cosmetics brand that focuses on natural cruelty-free products with clean ingredients. The brand has implemented a social commerce strategy with products you can buy “As Seen On TikTok”, which are the products they share on their TikTok page. They’ve also incorporated a Foundation Finder tool where you answer questions about your skin tone to help you find your correct color match for their foundation. Moreover, the brand merchandises by price categories such as “$40 and under” to “$20 and under”.    At Elastic Path, we empower merchandisers to create differentiated product experiences like these. You can learn more about how we power these experiences through Elastic Path Product Experience Manager (EP PXM).  
  Topics: skin, brands, website, specific, quiz, blackowned, paint, brand, products, black, innovative, features, product, experiences.
• 100 Add to Cart Buttons from Top eCommerce Retailers - Add to Cart buttons – they may be small, but no online retail store can do without them. Since these little, colorful clickables connect the product to the shopping cart, they are essential to the checkout process and ultimately, to your brand’s bottom line. It’s important for any ecommerce merchandiser to put some thought into their store’s Add to Cart button design.  We’ve collected and analyzed 100 Add to Cart buttons from the top online retailers of 2022, as well as from a few niche online stores to give you some design inspiration. If any button sticks out to you, be sure to click on it to visit its native page.  Before we get into the the full breakdown of Add to Cart buttons, some of the major takeaways from searching top eCommerce sites were: All-Caps buttons are going strong amongst online retailers with over half of eCommerce sites (58%) using All-Caps button text The overwhelming majority of sites (70%) use sharp buttons Only 6% of the retailers use a custom Add to Cart button icon like a shopping cart or basket Only 5% of the retailers include the checkout total of the selected item in their Add to Cart button The most popular colors for Add to Cart buttons are black (23%), followed by blue (18%) and ghost buttons (18%) More than a quarter (27%) of sites use a CSS (Custom Styling Sheets) animation upon hovering over the Add to Cart button Here is the Full Breakdown: 100 Add to Cart Buttons       How the Add To Cart Button Can Reinforce Your Branding At first the Add to Cart button may seem like a minor detail, but it has the potential to create an emotional connection with your brand. Your choice of shape, color, font and button text all affect that connection. It’s common for brands to use this kind of intentional design to create personability with the shopping experience, which is why we took note of a few things we noticed from some of our favorite brands that you might want to keep in mind. While best practice indicates not to use all-caps, Promptly Journals' modern, easily consumable all-caps lettering echoes the brand's clean, simple and elegant designs of its journals. With a custom CSS animation that appears upon hovering over the button, it’s almost like Promptly is sliding one of its journals over to you as you add it to your eCommerce shopping cart. Double Under Wonder’s button has a 3D animation that appears to push in upon hovering over it, showcasing the playfulness of their jump rope designs. Old Salt Merchant’s deep navy blue button connects to the brand’s nautical theme origins. Mac Daddy Music Store’s simple, highly functional button emphasizes the functional dependability and product design of its various guitar pedals, pickups and accessories.      Need Further Guidance on Differentiating Your Brand's Customer Experience? Get in Contact with One of Our Experts Contact Elastic Path Add to Cart Button Design and Usability Button Text Web copywriting emphasizes scannability -- perhaps the golden rule of web copywriting is don’t use 5 words when three will do. "Buy Now" may be a stronger call to action than "Add to Cart", but may subtly suggest the user is finished shopping or is making a commitment to purchase without time to review the order.  The beauty of "Add to Cart" is that it is non-committal and assumes the user is still looking around. And if you’re a good ecommerce merchandiser, you’re showing suggested products and a "continue shopping" link from the view cart page. Text Formatting General web usability guidelines recommend sans-serif fonts with high-contrast color selection (high-contrast white on black or dark blue rather than low-contrast blue-on-blue for example). Your add to cart button color should make it easy to consume.  Despite all-caps being generally discouraged in web copywriting, we found 58% of "Add to Cart'' buttons using the text style. Mixed case tends to be the easiest to read, although all lower case is also easy. For example, Ikea slaps small text on a disproportionately wide button forcing some users to squint. Stacking Text Stacking text is not a good idea for links or navigation buttons, and the same goes for "Add to Cart" buttons. Users have come to expect some form of rectangular shape, and when quickly scanning a page, it may take longer to distinguish buttons from decoration, and may even become frustrating. No need to reinvent the wheel, stick to the convention. Button Placement If you offer helpful features on your product pages like wishlists, enlarged photos, color switching, alternate product views, email to friend, size chart, view cart or check out buttons, make sure the "Add to Cart" button is obvious, bright and prominent in comparison. Less important functions can be lighter colored buttons or simple text links. Use Movement and Customization  Using responsive buttons that move or change color helps engage the shopper as they browse and hover over the Add to Cart  button. If you are in a niche market, consider adding definitive icons to represent your brand; such as a dog bone or collar image within your add to cart button, or if you sell baby clothes and accessories using a rattle with animation. These simple touches add connection and an emotional touch to reflect the endearment of new babies and pets.  Track, Analyze, Repeat As I mentioned before, always be testing this critical function. Using any number of analytics functions such as Google, you can track and analyze how your Add to Cart button is performing. You’ll be able to drill down to clicks and conversion rates, and make improvements as necessary to increase those numbers.   What if You Use A Button From a Template? Even if you don't use a custom designed "Add to Cart" button for your shopping cart, choose a button that compliments your site's theme (compliments does not infer it must be the exact same color). And make sure you pick one design and stick with it. Ecommerce thrives on trust, and random buttons erode customer confidence.
  Topics: button, sites, retailers, cart, shopping, color, brands, ecommerce, text, add, buttons.
• 11 Companies on Pinterest That Are Crushing It - If you think Pinterest is just a place to find recipes and fine-tune wedding planning details, think again. With over 431 million users coming to Pinterest every month to look for inspiration, Pinterest is an effective platform for building your audience and getting your product in front of potential customers who are ready to buy.
  Topics: products, product, search, account, companies, crushing, pinterest, users, brand, brands, content, pins.
• 15 Brands That Demonstrate Social Responsibility in 2022 - Consumers want brands to make a difference.
  Topics: used, businesses, products, demonstrate, pair, brands, help, social, responsibility, issues, business, responsible.
• 19 Omnichannel Experience Examples from Top Brands - This post was originally published in July 2022 and has been updated for relevancy on Nov 29, 2022.  Front and center in any conversation about commerce are the words personalization, omnichannel, customer-centric, and experience-driven. Today’s brands (if they are paying attention) are taking note of how customers interact with their brand, and how the brand makes them feel to optimize the customer journey. Shoppers crave experience, and the way to get to an optimal experience (and the conversion), is to collect and act on the data.  The numbers (from the mouths of actual shoppers) help tell the story:  Purchase frequency is 250% higher on omnichannel vs. single channel, and the average order value is 13% higher for omnichannel vs. single channel  Customer retention rates are 90% higher on omnichannel vs. single channel  Ninety-eight percent of Amercans switch between devices on a daily basis  Source: Clout Brands  The experience plays out in any number of ways, dependent on customer preference; do they want to shop entirely online and pick up in-store? Do they prefer the in-store experience but engage with an app during the buying journey? Do they want suggestions of other products of interest based on their purchases? Maybe they enjoy building up points towards offers and promos? Brands have more power than ever to meet the shopper where they are.  I don’t know about you, but I love a good app. The food kind, yes, but for these purposes, the digital kind just as much. I’m not attached so much to the in-store experience, but when I do shop in the physical realm, I like an app to play well and merge the two worlds with the end game being my convenience and confidence in the brand.  When I enter a store, I like to know where I stand in my loyalty program, any possible offers directly loaded to my account, and similar deals in-store to online – no surprises. Nothing like the frustration of finding out a deal on my favorite shampoo is only available online when I sign up for delivery.  Today’s brands are embracing the omnichannel experience and reaping the rewards: more conversions, lower bounce rates, and maintaining a healthy Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), to name a few. And how do they do that? By investing in the omnichannel experience. Here is a selection of brands raising the bar on creating differentiated experiences… 1. Best Buy The leading electronics retailer does a few things well in the app space to refine the omnichannel experience.  It’s easy to navigate and uncluttered, but packs relevant information in a well-balanced flow, with the shopping cart always within sight at the top. I can set my store by allowing the app to pin my location, or easily change stores with a tap.  Shoppers have options for checkout with curbside pickup, or of course add to cart. A particularly helpful feature is the ability to locate a product at a different store and have it shipped to the designated My Store, or have the option to pick it up where it’s available right now for pickup today.  Other convenient features include deep deals of the week on frequently purchased items like smart TVs and laptops, and seasonal sales for Back-to-School events or the high volume sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  2. Disney Experience App For those Disney lovers out there (I’m a big fan of Moana, anyone else?), downloading the Disney Experience app makes the most of any family vacation to the Magic Kingdom or any one of their attractions and parks.  Through the dedicated app visitors are able to create a plan before entering their park of choice  and use the app during their visit to engage with more of the attractions. There are many conveniences accessible through the app such as the Disney Genie to track your itinerary and make reservations. A built-in guide to make the most of your experience pre-visit, and discover more of what’s available based on your interests or the age groups within your family. Showtimes and hours are listed daily by park on the app so you won’t miss a minute, and for some select attractions access the virtual queue prior to the park opening to get a jump on the day. With the sheer size of the parks and attractions and the high volume of visitors each day, Disney helps true fans navigate the experience with customizable features based on preference - a sure way to encourage repeat visitors and loyal fans.  Disney tracks and acts on multi-generational preferences with the ultimate goal of winning lifetime omnichannel customers:  The most critical outcomes of Disney’s pivot to providing STEM toys will be an increase in customer lifetime value (CLV) for Gen Z customers, which will be seen through the lengthening of connection between on-screen content and in-person purchases.   Source: Ivey Business Review  3. Crate & Barrel Home goods retailer Crate & Barrel is responding to the call for streamlined omnichannel experiences regardless of channel in ways involving payment and pickup. The retailer is expanding payment options with digital wallet and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) adoption. From an omnichannel perspective, Buy Online Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) was widely adopted during pandemic restrictions and has not waned since in-person restrictions were lifted. Customers clearly like the convenience, speed, and peace-of-mind of picking up their items curbside.  4.  CVS A pharmacy favorite for many, CVS expanded their app to include many shopper conveniences. I’m able to see what prescriptions are on auto renewal and ready for pickup, or schedule delivery. I get a clean look at my loyalty rewards status, including what deals are available that week. With a tap the deal is added to my loyalty account and will appear at both in-store (both live and self-checkout kiosk) and online checkout. For those preferring the in-store experience, any CVS location allows customers to print out loyalty program coupons at a kiosk, and  select locations offer self-checkout.  5. Walgreens Another worthy pharmacy omnichannel example is the digital offering Walgreens built for their customers. To deliver a more convenient pharmacy experience, they launched a mobile app enabling customers to refill their prescriptions by scanning a barcode on their medication with a smartphone.  Customers can also access their prescription history, easily change pick-up locations, and set a pick-up time. While not groundbreaking, it’s a prime example of how pharmacies can and should be thinking about how to improve their customer omnichannel experiences. 6. DSW Shoes! Handbags! Accessories! DSW has it all, including the deals. The dedicated app in my experience has been just as well-organized and friendly as the in-store experience. Again, well thought out flow of information, and plenty of personalized offers. I’m reminded of how far I have to go to reach the next membership threshold (for even deeper discounts), and my coupons are front and center with a gentle reminder to BUY THE SHOES. I can easily change my store, and when in-store I have the option for self-checkout. Simple and satisfying, like all shopping experiences should be. 7. Dunkin' Donuts Go ahead, treat yourself to some Dunkin’. The app reflects the branding and feel you’ll see in-store, plus the meaningful extras like joining the loyalty program for freebies, and the ability to order ahead and skip long lines. They also do a great job with imagery tantalizing their fans with what’s on the menu. They offer equally satisfying experiences in-store for those who want to kick back or work, but for those on-the-go the omnichannel customer conveniences are there for those who want them.    8. JCPenney JCPenney gets high points when it comes to omnichannel examples by offering Buy Online Pick Up in Store (BOPIS), and also offering returns on online purchases in-store (cross-channel returns). They’ve also brought their online experience in-store by having their website accessible at POS. JCPenney team members use it to check inventory at other locations and place orders. These investments add up to a better, faster, more convenient experience wherever their customers are.  9. Macy's A well-known retailer headquartered in Ohio, Macy’s is a standout among the more traditional department store formats who successfully weathered the retail storm by incorporating more digital assets into the customer experience. They’ve made significant investment in their app for easier product discovery and checkout, and they’ve also invested in smart fitting rooms in-store complete with wall-mounted tablets for customers or associates to scan items for availability across locations. Another feature of the in-room tech allows a shopper to “complete the look” with access to reviews and product recommendations. The investment to scale their omnichannel experience shows in the numbers: their digital sales were up 12% in 2021 and were up 36% over 2019. 10. Meijer Meijer is a leading grocer in the Midwest. They offer food, clothing, electronics, home goods, toys, and a broad selection of craft beer, wine, and liquor. Talk about one-stop shopping. As a loyal Meijer customer, I have their app and I am an mPerks loyalty member. Their in-app functionality directly affects the omnichannel customer experience.  Each week I  “clip” digital coupons based on my purchases (personalization),  with the option of curbside pickup or delivery. One of my favorite features on the app is all my receipts are stored by date, and I have a clear picture of how much I’ve saved over a time to the cent. If for some reason I need to return an item I don’t need to find a paper receipt, the app recalls it for me. Notice how clean and personalized the interface is; their physical stores mirror this aesthetic down to the color palette and coupon layout.  Omnichannel eCommerce Made Simple Boost brand loyalty and scale your business with unified commerce experiences across every consumer touchpoint. Go to Omnichannel Solutions 11. REI As an avid outdoors fan, REI is the place to go for everything I need to enjoy myself with the best equipment, developed by people who’ve been there. By joining the co-op for a nominal fee, I’m a lifetime member with exclusive access to discounts and promotions.  With this membership, I feel as if I’m a part of something special. REI takes a clear stance on sustainability and stewardship; for example, they’ve consistently run a social proof campaign at the holidays to encourage people to #get outdoors,  instead of shopping on Black Friday. Their stores are closed on the sought-after, controlled chaos of the shopping holiday, to give their employees back the time to enjoy outside. Clearly walking the walk, REI.   Their app offers in-store pickup or cart checkout for ease, and I get a sneak peek at their Garage Sale events for co-op members only. Their blog is worth the time; so many testaments to loving the outdoors, and a full schedule of in-store events and trips designed for all season sports and an active lifestyle. They have a customer for life. The level of omnichannel customer service is well balanced from in-store experts to chat, to a dedicated customer service number, depending on customer preference.  12. Target Retailing behemoth Target continues to go all in on the omnichannel experience with exceptional results. Their Buy Online Pickup In-Store (BOPIS) usage increased exponentially during the height of pandemic restrictions (nearly 500%)  and has remained a top priority for the retailer.  Customers enjoy the convenience of ordering basics online and having the order fulfilled and loaded into their car by Target team members in under 2 hours from time of order placement. BOPIS is seen as a safer option for customers who have limited physical capabilities and may not be able to lift heavier items into a vehicle without injury. A win for accessibility for all.  13. Teilor A global luxury jeweler since 1998, Romania-based Teilor needed more of an omnichannel experience to connect with customers given pandemic restrictions. The traditional in-store experience had to be rethought. Elastic Path was eager to help them transition the experience with the expertise of systems integration partner Orium, formerly Myplanet.  Managing three child brands across numerous catalogs, and expansion into multiple locations required a simplification of sorts onto a single platform using Elastic Path Pre-Composed Solutions (™) for a quick launch.  Read their case study for more of the Teilor omnichannel story.  14. Ulta You may have heard of this beauty giant in the retail space, offering live demos from hair and makeup stylists. What I love about the app experience is how I can get the same treatment from wherever. They have a virtual beauty assistant of sorts, where I snap a pic with my phone and see how a bronzer or lip gloss shade will look on me prior to purchase. It’s like being in-store without messy testers. I can schedule an appointment at my nearest location, and as you can see from the screen grab, they keep me informed of my purchase history across channels.  15. Verizon I know many have mixed feelings on phone carriers, but I do enjoy the Verizon in-app and in-store omnichannel experiences in equal parts. The few times I’ve been in a store, I’ve had great service and not felt pushed to buy add-ons I don’t need. That might be luck, but for the in-app experience it’s been consistently helpful and easy. From the app I can manage and order existing and new devices, chat with the help desk, get deals and offers, and make changes to my account like Auto Pay.  A particular feature has also strangely pleased me. In my settings I can set a name of what I like to be called. It’s touching (and a prime example of personalization), to open the app and see first thing, “Hi, Em.” Well done, Verizon. You got me.  16. Dick's Sporting Goods With about 600 stores in the eastern U.S., Dick’s also owns Golf Galaxy, and operates specialty stores True Runner and Field & Stream. Where Dick’s gets their omnichannel wins are through the in-store experience in how they equip their team members. Referred to as an “endless aisle” experience, associates have handheld devices to assist shoppers with real time inventory and product information.  17. Sierra Trading Post If you know this company, much like another name in their retail family, TJ Maxx, you probably know that its shoppers are price-conscious. It’s a key driver in their value proposition. To deliver on this proposition just as items are tagged in store with a comparison price, the same information is available for online shoppers. Additionally they offer Buy Online Pickup In-Store (BOPIS),  consistent pricing across channels, a shared cart across devices, and three ways to contact customer service: phone, email, or chat.  18. Apple They’ve essentially written the book on omnichannel experience and making the path to purchase as seamless as possible across channels, and while they were at it, revolutionized the way we access and purchase music. From talking to an expert live in-store, to chatting online and purchasing for contactless delivery, they’ve reimagined the commerce experience. They were industry leaders in launching Apple physical locations that allow customers to interact with their products live before purchase - Apple stores set the bar for in-store discovery. After initially browsing and asking questions, shoppers are free to either purchase in-store or complete the purchase from any device.  19. Amazon  As long as we’re talking about behemoths, I’d be remiss not to include Amazon. They’ve set the bar for eCommerce best practices, but have not let the in-store experience fall by the wayside given there is appetite for it. With their Amazon Go stores they’ve expanded the physical store to connect with the online experience by enabling zero contact checkout. For those Whole Foods shoppers, in-store checkout is connected to your Amazon account to access discounts and create more opportunities for personalization with product discovery. You may have also seen Amazon pop-up stores in airports and shopping centers using the Amazon Go model, for those busy travelers on the go. As omnichannel experiences become more relevant due to customer demand, look to Amazon as a thought leader in the space.   This is by no means a complete list, but it does give you an idea of how much the best omnichannel retailers (big and small) are investing in omnichannel. It’s no longer a nice to have, but a must to stay competitive. Looking for more insights? Check out our guide to Implementing an Omnichannel Strategy.
  Topics: customer, app, stores, experience, instore, pickup, omnichannel, customers, store, examples, online, brands.
• 21 Examples of Successful Co-Branding Partnerships (And Why They're So Effective) - Everyone has loyalties to their favorite brands, but there's a good chance your favorite products result from two separate brands working together.
  Topics: effective, partnership, brands, target, spotify, cobranding, campaign, successful, users, examples, partnerships, sourcewhy, apple, brand, theyre.
• 3 Challenges Brands Face with Podcast Marketing & How to Navigate Them - According to our 2022 Marketing Trends Survey report, 34% of marketers plan to stop leveraging podcasts or other audio content in 2022.
  Topics: face, shows, theyre, marketers, challenges, brands, podcasts, navigate, joseph, media, podcast, marketing, audience, network.
• 3 Sure-Fire Ways to Drive More Online Demand for Your Products - Use these three levers to drive the best online traffic to your product pages.
  Topics: products, conversion, surefire, quality, need, product, consumers, digital, demand, brands, content, traffic, online, ways, destiny, drive.
• 30 Fashion Brands That Marketers Can Learn From on Instagram - Between carefully curated photos, expertly targeted ads, and decisive adoption of Instagram stories, no other B2C industry has thrived on Instagram, much like the beauty and apparel industry.
  Topics: marketers, fashion, products, features, learn, inspiration, product, instagram, photos, brand, clothing, brands, feed, followers.
• 4 AI Controversies Marketers and Brands Should Avoid - Artificial intelligence is a hot topic, and a recent study shows over 61% of marketers have used AI in their marketing activities. By now, you've probably heard all the ways AI can assist you in crafting and executing your marketing strategy, but are there any drawbacks?
  Topics: ai, customers, content, used, controversies, data, human, brands, process, avoid, marketers, marketing, customer.
• 4 Data-Driven Reasons to Work with Micro-Influencers [HubSpot Research] - Influencer marketing has become more integral to marketing campaigns as brands try to reach audiences on platforms geared toward community building and creating content than companies. When you think of influencer marketing, you probably think of influencers with large followings collaborating with brands; however, smaller influencers (also called micro-influencers) are gaining traction among marketers.
  Topics: microinfluencers, reasons, influencers, followers, engagement, brands, research, datadriven, marketers, marketing, microinfluencer, hubspot, influencer, work, instagram.
• 40+ Sustainable Clothing Brands Making Garments for Good - If you’re a consumer looking to support brands doing good, or you’re a clothing brand owner aspiring to be more sustainable in your business practices, this list is for you. We’ve pulled some best-in-class examples of sustainable clothing brands selling eco-friendly menswear, vegan footwear, vintage fashion, recycled swimwear, and everything in between.More
  Topics: pieces, making, brand, company, organic, brands, sustainable, good, vintage, garments, impact, fashion, clothing.
• 5 Reasons Why Brands Lose Followers on Instagram [HubSpot Blog Data] - According to HubSpot Blog Research, 14% of Instagram marketers report losing followers from 2020 to 2021.
  Topics: dont, lose, brand, content, audience, blog, data, post, youre, posting, followers, brands, instagram, reasons, hubspot, marketers.
• 5 Steps to Level Up Your Social-Commerce Strategy - A dynamic synergy of ecommerce and social media platforms, social commerce is proving to be a dependable sales driver: How to make it pay for you.
  Topics: socialcommerce, marketing, media, steps, ecommerce, customer, level, commerce, sales, million, shopping, strategy, brands, social.
• 5 Underrated Tips for Brands to Boost Holiday Sales - Don't let holiday shoppers scare you. Instead, follow these five strategies for optimal online holiday sales.
  Topics: loyal, customers, ways, offer, boost, products, sales, brands, sneaky, gift, holiday, order, subscription, way.
• 57 TikTok Stats to Know in 2023 - Since launching in 2018, TikTok has racked up millions of downloads globally. It can also be a bit of a mystery since TikTok doesn't always disclose of key app metrics.
  Topics: say, videos, tiktok, stats, brands, know, users, app, million, blog, tiktoks, platform.
• Advertising Trends from Top DTC Brands in 2022 - Learn from leading direct-to-consumer brands how to engage shoppers at various stages of the buyer's journey in 2022.
  Topics: dtc, trends, example, company, turkey, brands, video, ads, advertising, greenfield.
• Are Apparel Brands Achieving Sustainability? - Apparel companies are among the most environmentally damaging worldwide. But many are making efforts to improve. We cite examples in this piece.
  Topics: environmental, apparel, rates, chain, brands, good, reduce, sustainable, sustainability, manufacturing, achieving, supply.
• Are Brands Investing in Social Media Communities in 2023? We Asked 1,200+ Marketers - The ultimate goal of social media marketing is to generate revenue, and a crucial step to generating revenue via social media is creating engagement. If your followers don't engage with your posts, they won’t engage with your business. And a sure way to boost engagement is by fostering a tight-knit social media community.
  Topics: members, community, content, engagement, investing, brand, asked, marketers, media, communities, brands, social, facebook.
• B2B & B2C Instagram Marketing Trends of 2022 [Data from 500 Marketers] - When it comes to social media, there are a lot of differences in which channels B2C and B2B brands prioritize.
  Topics: marketing, data, trends, strategy, instagram, marketers, say, b2b, roi, content, plan, b2c, compared, brands.
• Brand Refresh vs Rebrand: Which is Best for You? [+Checklist] - Brands that aren’t constantly evolving run the risk of becoming outdated or irrelevant. Some of the most popular brands of today would not have made waves unless they had undergone rebrands or refreshes.
  Topics: identity, checklist, changes, vs, company, rebrand, brands, change, refresh, client, successful, best, brand.
• Brand Strategy 101: 7 Important Elements of a Company Branding Plan - Just as an architect draws out a building plan before they start building, you need to develop a brand strategy for your business.
  Topics: elements, business, plan, strategy, branding, important, brands, customer, purpose, brand, product, old, customers, company.
• ChannelEngine raises $50M for an operating system that helps retailers sell through marketplaces - Marketplaces are the order of the day when it comes to selling online, providing a one-stop shop for shoppers, and for retailers looking to target as many would-be buyers as possible, while also creating more economies of scale in areas fulfillment and delivery. Amazon has become the name synonymous with marketplace selling, but it’s far […]
  Topics: ecommerce, channelengine, sell, system, raises, operating, helps, global, marketplaces, techcrunch, help, brands, marketplace, retailers, selling, 50m.
• CommerceIQ gets its horn as capital continues to flow into e-commerce infrastructure startups - CEO Guru Hariharan sees the $4.5 trillion retail industry at a massive inflection point.
  Topics: continues, startups, infrastructure, commerceiq, billion, retail, company, brands, capital, horn, gets, million, hariharan, techcrunch, funding, companies, flow, ecommerce.
• Composable Commerce in a Nutshell - The world of online shopping is constantly evolving. In the past few years poor customer experience and sluggish page loads caused by monolithic platforms have accelerated the need for better flexibility and the ability to create a more personalized customer experience. For many, embracing Composable Commerce has filled this need. In this blog I’ll break down the fundamentals of a Composable Commerce approach, the benefits it brings to modern eCommerce businesses, and what businesses it’s most suitable for. Composable Commerce Explained Composable Commerce enables digital teams to launch and continuously optimize digital commerce experiences by leveraging best-of-breed solutions composed together into a complete, business-ready solution. With a Composable Commerce architecture, teams are enabled to build their tech stack with best-of-breed vendors based on the present needs of the business, and gives them the ability to scale in the future with additional integrations. This approach empowers marketing teams to work at the speed the business demands without heavy reliance on their IT department.  How Does Composable Commerce Work?  Composable Commerce requires a MACH architecture. MACH stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless. If you've been researching the concept of Composable Commerce, you've probably come across the term "headless commerce." So what's the difference?  Headless commerce is a software architecture that separates the UI (frontend) from the business logic (backend).  This approach provides control and design freedom over the frontend not found with traditional monolithic commerce platforms. Composable Commerce is a more comprehensive approach that encompasses headless commerce. It uses the flexibility of headless solutions to benefit your business.  Composable Commerce is an API-first architecture. All the parts of the system work independently, which allows merchants to plug in or unplug separate solutions as needed. This gives them the freedom to build a tech stack tailored to their unique business needs.  Is Composable Commerce Suitable for All Businesses? Gartner forecasts that organizations that embrace a Composable Commerce approach will outperform their competitors by 80% by 2023. But is Composable Commerce suitable for all businesses? With a composable approach you can start with small progressive steps, leveraging existing elements of your ecosystem, and slowly build out your tech stack to include new best-of-breed vendors based on your current needs. The beauty of this approach is the flexibility it brings. It gives brands the freedom to pivot and experiment with new functionality quickly and without risk. That makes Composable Commerce a great option for complex use cases by allowing brands to pick and choose the capabilities they require. As a business grows, the system can easily support multi-channel, multi geography and multi-brand. This means that Composable Commerce is suitable for any online business, be it B2B, B2C or D2C. Business Benefits of Composable Commerce Today brands still believe that migrating to a composable approach is difficult. However, the value of this approach is breaking down these barriers daily through: Lower TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Investing in Composable Commerce is usually a larger investment at the start, the significant cost benefits are seen in the long run by reducing development time and cost, and increasing the efficiency across teams. That being said, there are business-ready options for brands looking to adopt a Composable Commerce approach like Pre-Composed Solutions™, which combine core commerce capabilities, partner integrations, and key customizations so you can launch fast and customize on demand ​​Ownership of frontend optimization. Composable solutions grant marketers flexibility and independence from the IT team to make changes on the frontend. They can add unlimited content on a highly customizable frontend layout and change it to match customer expectations, often in a no-code environment so merchandising teams have complete control to make quick and easy optimizations to provide a standout experience for their customers. Flexibility and agility. Today, the sales process happens across multiple channels, and companies that sell across the web, mobile devices, and different social media platforms, need a scalable and flexible commerce solution. Composable Commerce gives brands the flexibility to implement new experiences across multiple touchpoints fast and at scale. How Composable Commerce Boosts Revenue  The adoption of Composable Commerce gives brands the opportunity to focus on providing their customers with the best customer experience (CX). This approach lets brands create a unique CX that fits their customers' needs and directly translates into customer loyalty, increased conversion, and higher revenue. According to a Gartner’s survey of CIOs and top managers, companies with high composability expect revenue growth of 7.7% in 2022. Businesses with low composability, by contrast, expect revenue growth of just 3.4%. Composability is essential to any profitable digital commerce strategy, especially into the future. It gives businesses the freedom to innovate and add high-end services quickly. The Bottom Line Composable Commerce is all about giving brands the flexibility and means to rapidly transform their tech stack, operations, and growth based on their current business needs and digital commerce strategy. This frees your merchandisers from the headaches of waiting on IT teams, instead allowing them to focus on creating and optimizing revenue generating experiences for your customers.  One of the most significant blocks to moving from monolithic systems to modern Composable Commerce is the belief that your only choice is to create a frontend stack from scratch. Luckily, this is no longer the case.  Vue Storefront Frontend as a Service provides eCommerce businesses with a one-stop solution to build efficient build-to-launch storefronts in one place with one tool. Switch from a monolith legacy solution to a Pre-Composed Solution™ for Multi-Touchpoint Experiences made up of Vue Storefront, Bloomreach and Elastic Path to supercharge your customer experience, regain your flexibility, and boost the revenue.  How to start? Watch the on-demand demo (no slides, no pitch) to see the solution for yourself:
  Topics: customer, frontend, composable, nutshell, approach, flexibility, brands, teams, business, commerce, gives.
• Composable Commerce: Commerce’s Great Unbundling - The “great unbundling” is coming for commerce. If you’ve cut the cord on cable and subscribed to a handful of streaming services (as Ben Thompson predicted in 2017), you know how pervasive unbundling has become. Entire value chains controlled by a single vendor in the name of distribution are no longer the norm. Now, the capabilities of an entire, best-in-class company can be made available through an application programming interface, or an API, turning software into customizable building blocks. Technology is breaking apart these monoliths one industry at a time, and commerce is next in line. In many ways, commerce’s great unbundling has already begun. According to Benedict Evans in his The Great Unbundling presentation, brands like Nike are breaking up with Amazon and going direct-to-consumer (D2C) with great success. As of 2021, 40% of Nike’s revenue is D2C, and 22% is generated via Nike.com. Beyond the website alone, larger brands and branded manufacturers are waking up to the fact that merchandisable moments are everywhere: from influencers, to live shopping, to emerging channels like the metaverse. Capitalizing on these moments lies in unbundling the commerce software stack itself – making it composable and adaptable to rapid-cycle change. Let’s take a look at why this is the case. Unbundling the commerce software stack The majority of brands still run on old-world, monolithic commerce platforms. The entire value chain (in this case, the software stack) is controlled by a single vendor. Working with these monoliths requires a team of developers that understands the proprietary codebase, an ever- increasingly scarce resource. Often these legacy technologies impose complexity and add frustration for development teams – to the point where they can even deter talent who wants to move fast and innovate. When changes or integrations can take weeks or months, forget about quickly standing up a brand store in a new geography or selling into a new channel. To contrast, an unbundled, Composable Commerce model embraces LEGO-like building blocks of software connected by APIs. Instead of choosing a single vendor, brands can choose “best-for-me” components based on the requirements of the business. Developers have the ultimate flexibility to meet their business objectives, with the control to work in their preferred programming language. That means they can add to or change the components in their self-designed platform as they wish. This unbundled software model can change quickly with consumer preferences by yielding faster development and capability-driven application designs. The composable pattern: not just commerce The unbundling of the software stack isn’t happening in commerce alone. We’ve seen this movie before in the financial services industry. Fintechs like CashApp and SoFi started small, earned consumer trust, and have since stitched together composable finance ecosystems that make them function similarly to traditional banks. The key difference is that they use APIs to connect to various services (often from other vendors) and build platforms instead. APIs unlock new combinatorial opportunities that enable these companies to build trust with consumers and create a better overall experience in one domain first. These fintech companies can build upon that trust and offer additional platform capabilities to become stickier and generate greater value for their users. The companies that build components, such as Wise (formerly Transferwise) and Stripe, solve the composability problem and then present those components as rentable APIs. That way, others can connect easily to money transferring or payments services without taking on all the friction themselves. Many of these companies started at the consumer or SMB end of the market, and have since moved upstream to the enterprise. Rather than build these capabilities from scratch, financial institutions and other organizations can simply integrate them into their own platforms. Unsurprisingly, traditional financial institutions are doing just that. They’re becoming software companies by building API-first architectures made up of third-party components to replace legacy monoliths. The same can be true for larger brands and branded manufacturers in commerce. Best-for-me architectures might have started small at the SMB end of the market, but are now available to the enterprise. It couldn’t come a moment too soon. Unbundling commerce starts with the catalog One of the ways commerce companies can start to unbundle is by rethinking the commerce catalog. One of the most common challenges we hear from branded manufacturers is the “Multi” problem – or the need to sell their products in multiple geographies, across multiple channels, across multiple brands, and/or across multiple business models. The challenge, as my colleague Julie Mall writes in her blog, The eCommerce Catalog is Dead, is that monolithic ERP systems treat the commerce catalog as a tightly coupled, rigid and structured way to display information based on internal business processes. This prevents brands from adapting to customer demands or merchandising needs. She gives an example of visiting a furniture site to “shop the room,” and instead being forced to sift through every color/fabric option to find what was promoted on the original page. That’s a result of an ineffective product catalog under the covers. Another example is when a brand with an established D2C channel looks to add a B2B channel. One of the primary challenges with B2B commerce applications is each customer has their own, negotiated pricing contract with the branded manufacturer. In today’s world of commerce platform options, it’s challenging to find a solution that can serve both D2C and B2B channels and, as is the case with Salesforce, requires purchase of a second commerce platform. Then, the commerce platform’s catalog, along with its integrated ERP, fail to support the negotiated contract pricing in the B2B use case. As a result, developers must build complex custom solutions to support their B2B needs, or implement a punch-out system that directly connects into their ERP system, where they maintain separate catalogs for each customer. All the while, they’re fearing the day they need to make pricing changes across 1,000 unique catalogs in their ERP system. With Product Content Management in Elastic Path Commerce Cloud, we’ve addressed these issues by applying API- first principles and separating Products, Price Books, and Catalogs into distinct microservices, giving brands unparalleled flexibility to address the “Multi” problem. Using our Product Content Management microservices, brands can quickly create a Price Book for their existing products to begin selling in a new geography. Or, they can create specific Product selections for each of their B2B customers, with unique Price Books that reflect negotiated contract pricing – all out of the box with zero custom development work. This API-first approach to the eCommerce Catalog enables multi-channel branded manufacturers to move infinitely faster. Now, their catalog supports the way they do business across brands, geographies and channels - rather than dictating how they conduct business. Those are just a few examples of how to approach unbundling in commerce, but of course, there are hundreds or even thousands of different ways to approach breaking up a monolith. As Chris Sperandio wrote in a blog post while at Segment, an API-first approach resulted in the “Request / Response” model of the firm that is eating the traditional, monolithic value chain. If you are a branded manufacturer struggling with your own “Multi” problem, my recommendation is to start with the product catalog. This approach can help you discover what’s holding you back from creating more merchandisable moments and accelerating your business. Ready to dive into Composable Commerce? In the coming months, we’ll explore more about composable application development. How do our products provide you with the right foundation to build capability-driven commerce applications to support many brands, geographies, and channels? How can you assemble your own platform faster than you ever thought possible? How can you be ready for any future their customers demand? Follow along as we cover emerging commerce trends, and get you ready to take on your own “great unbundling.”
  Topics: commerces, great, software, catalog, b2b, unbundling, brands, build, branded, composable, companies, commerce.
• Composable Frontend Q&A with David Stover - Embracing Composable Commerce gives brands the control to customize, accelerate change and reduce TCO. But designing, integrating, and launching the frontend experience can be a daunting and overwhelming task that can take months to complete. Should you build your own frontend experience, outsource the build to an SI, or choose an all-in-one platform that comes complete with an integrated frontend experience? Unfortunately, choosing the latter with a legacy platform leads to mediocre functionality, slow site speed, a bloated frontend, and decreased customer engagement. That is why at Elastic Path we are excited to launch our Composable Frontend.  Composable Frontend eliminates these problems and de-risks the frontend build of a Composable Commerce approach.  I sat down with our Senior Director of Product Management David Stover to learn more about Composable Frontend.   Q: What is Composable Frontend?  A: Simply put, Composable Frontend is a frontend that can be composed using a simple build tool. Brands simply answer a few simple configuration questions and Composable Frontend automatically and quickly builds a reusable modular, Next.js frontend, pre-integrated with Elastic Path and best-of-breed backend vendors. Our previously announced D2C Starter Kit is one output of the Composable Frontend framework.  The frontend includes elegantly designed, ready to use (and re-use) components for the Homepage, PLP, PDP, Cart and Checkout. It currently supports EP Product Experience Manager (PXM) functionality including bundles, variations and standard product types.  Composable Frontend includes pre-built integrations to Algolia Search, EP Payments and Braintree Payments with more integrations coming soon. Brands can also rest assured that business-model specific requirements (like account management and multi-cart) for B2B are included in Composable Frontend. Q: Why did we launch this?      Q: How is Composable Frontend unique in the market?       Q: How does Composable Frontend help brands?       Q: What’s coming next for Composable Frontend?  A: We are planning on building out the customer management area which will allow customers to login and maintain their own accounts, see their order history, maintain wishlists and reorder products which had been previously ordered.  We also have additional integrations planned such as Coveo, Advanced Commerce, Shippo and more as well as giving our customers the ability to launch new commerce experiences directly from within our Commerce Manager UI.  You can learn more about Composable Frontend here.   
  Topics: qa, experience, stover, integrations, frontend, david, launch, management, commerce, composable, brands, build, product.
• Consumer Behavior Statistics You Should Know in 2022 [New Data] - How consumers make purchasing decisions has changed greatly in just a few months. For instance, the pandemic has shifted some buyers more online.
  Topics: statistics, consumers, content, brands, know, report, social, gwi, data, z, gen, behavior, consumer, strategy.
• Creating Your Brand Voice: A Complete Guide - Your personality makes you unique — a differentiation that doesn’t just apply to people. Brand voices will make each company recognizable in a world full of different streams of information. So how can you set your brand up for success?
  Topics: content, voice, complete, creating, look, youll, brand, instance, audience, guide, brands, company, social.
• Ecommerce Acceleration Is the Future. Don't Get Left Behind. - The global ecommerce market is exploding, and 2022 is shaping up as the year of the accelerator.
  Topics: achieve, left, future, technology, traffic, dont, brands, right, accelerators, scale, acceleration, ecommerce, data.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: August 15, 2022 - This installment of our twice-monthly rundown of new services for merchants includes updates on same-day deliveries, fraud prevention, SMS purchasing, and more.
  Topics: platform, amazon, releases, app, products, ecommerce, commerce, brands, product, announced, shopify.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: September 18, 2022 - This installment of our twice-monthly rundown of new services that could help merchants includes updates on live shopping, warehousing and distribution, cryptocurrency, and more.
  Topics: capabilities, sellers, prime, releases, product, brands, amazon, insights, launches, ecommerce, marketing.
• Ecommerce solution Kuai raises €2.2 million - London-based startup Kuai Commerce has raised 2.4 million dollars (2.22 million euros) in a funding round. The capital injection will be used to launch an ecommerce solution that helps European merchants to sell their wares in the East. Cross-border ecommerce is a way for merchants to reach an even bigger…
  Topics: sell, chinese, million, social, ecommerce, raises, commerce, brands, kuai, startup, solution.
• Elastic Path Launches The Only Complete Package For D2C Brands Migrating Off Salesforce Commerce Cloud to a Composable Commerce Approach - Built in Partnership with Salesforce Customers, This Package Empowers Brands With Everything They Need to Deliver Lightning-Fast, Innovative Experiences After years of witnessing brands struggle to meet customer expectations and competitive pressures with their legacy Demandware (now Salesforce), “all-in-one" platform, we’re thrilled to share that today we launched the only complete package for D2C brands migrating off Salesforce Commerce Cloud to a Composable Commerce approach. Through close partnership with Salesforce customers, we have designed a package that provides everything brands need to power super-fast, differentiated experiences that meet the needs of today’s digital-first customers. The offering includes: A Pre-Composed Solution™ for D2C brands migrating from Salesforce that eliminates the manual task of stitching together third party solutions   A collection of migration services & tools, built based on our experience with Salesforce migrations, that reduces the time and effort spent migrating   Multi-vendor solution assurance, Composable Commerce XA™, that de-risks the investment in multi-vendor, Composable Commerce for first-time adopters Check out this blog post to learn why now is the time for this package, what it includes, and how to learn more.   Why Now? When it comes to the commerce space, the impact of advanced digital technology is more prevalent than ever. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Flashback to 2006 through 2011 when many D2C brands were first launching their websites. Most of these brands were selling rather simple products (t-shirts, sneakers) via desktop website only and didn’t have complex requirements for search, merchandising, payments, content-heavy experiences, and beyond. Plus, brands weren’t launching expansion strategies across geographies, business models, or touchpoints to drive revenue. For these basic commerce needs, the “all-in-one" platforms like Demandware (now Salesforce Commerce Cloud) gave brands everything they needed to get up and running and facilitate checkout. Flash forward 10+ years, digital has drastically changed the world for both customers and brands. Now having a website is table stakes. Over the past two years we have seen customer expectations soar, only accelerated by the pandemic. At Elastic Path, a few changes we have seen include: Investment in B2B digital transformation Necessity of social shopping Interest in marketplaces & subscriptions as new channels Re-Invigoration in omnichannel amid the Pandemic Focus on experiential commerce like shop-the-room/look, product configurators, and fit tools Now, in order to differentiate in crowded markets, brands have to ensure they are powering consistent experiences across all off these new and emerging touchpoints PLUS drive revenue growth through expansion across geographies, touchpoints, brands, and beyond.   Why Does This All Matter? A recent McKinsey report found that brands who improve customer experiences increase revenue by 15% and lower cost by 20%. With these added pressures, more and more brands are re-assessing their dated, “all-in-one" Salesforce Commerce Cloud platform. They are left feeling like the commerce technology of 10+ years ago, when digital was just a channel, simply can’t keep up with the requirements of today’s digital-first world. By the time a new feature or experiences is built and pushed live, the update is no longer relevant. Plus, the dated codebase used to develop frontend experiences in Salesforce Commerce Cloud results is slow site speeds and therefore high bounce rates. Some brands bring on more external SI resources or hire additional expensive Salesforce developers to build workarounds or messy customizations. But this often leads to maxed out budgets and missed revenue growth targets.   An Alternative Approach to Commerce Other brands feel the pain of rigid, Salesforce technology too strongly to stand by and customize their way out. Instead, they look at alternative platforms that leverage a Composable Commerce approach and are built with using cutting-edge microservices and headless architecture. Platforms like Commercetools, BigCommerce, and Elastic Path promise flexibility and innovation but, come with the manual task of integrating multiple vendors together and the perceived notion of technical complexity. And, the reality is, for brands used to Salesforce’s “all-in-one" platform, this transition can be overwhelming and feel risky.   The Complete Package for Migrating from Salesforce Commerce Cloud At Elastic Path, we deeply understand this hesitancy. Any re-platforming project is stressful, but embracing a new approach to commerce adds to the risk-factor. CMOs and CIOs wonder “will my team be able to handle this?” “Will I get fired if this goes wrong?” For this reason, we partnered with Salesforce Commerce Cloud customers looking to make the change to Composable Commerce to build a package that provides everything for successful migration, implementation, and launch on Elastic Path. This complete package empowers eCommerce teams with the control to design and launch unique product-centric experiences, the flexibility to use their chosen best-of-breed partners, and the modern architecture to power lightning-fast experiences- all at a lower cost. The package includes: A Pre-Composed Solution™ for D2C brands migrating from Salesforce that eliminates the manual task of stitching together third party solutions   A collection of migration services & tools, built based on our experience with Salesforce migrations, that reduces the time and effort spent migrating   Multi-vendor solution assurance, Composable Commerce XA™, that de-risks the investment in multi-vendor, Composable Commerce for first-time adopters Let’s learn a bit more about each component of this package.   Pre-Composed Solution™ for D2C Brands Migrating from Salesforce This new addition to our library of Pre-Composed Solutions™ reduces the risk of migrating to Composable Commerce by pre-integrating everything brands need to power engaging D2C shopping experiences. Our product managers and solution architects worked directly with Salesforce customers to understand what core commerce capabilities, best-of-breed technologies (search, content management, etc.), and framework for frontend experiences were necessary to exceed the power of Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Based on those learnings, this business-ready solution was built. It integrates a NextJS D2C reference architecture, Elastic Path Commerce Cloud for core commerce, and a selection of best-of-breed third-party technology. By reducing the time spent custom building integrations and D2C-specific frontend experiences, this solution enables brands to get-to-market and start driving revenue faster. Plus, since it was built leveraging microservices-based Elastic Path Commerce Cloud, eCommerce teams have the ultimate control to bring their complex commerce visions to life without the expensive customizations and messy workaround that Salesforce would require.   Migration Tools & Services A second component of the package is our migration tools and services. After working with brands migrating off of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, our product management and professional services teams were able to create these assets to help increase the velocity of and confidence in the migration and implementation process. Data Export Tool: Built to streamline the data export specifically from Salesforce to Elastic Path, this tool reduces the manual time and effort commonly required for data migration so that brands can get live faster.   Migration Services: At Elastic Path our professional services team has developed a tried-and-true selection of services for migrating customers from Salesforce to Elastic Path. These services are specifically tuned for successful migrations and implementations and include a project discovery and requirement-validation workshop, an architecture overview, project scope & metrics alignment, comprehensive implementation plan & support, go-live support, and post-go-live support.   Composable Commerce XA™ The final component of this migration package is Composable Commerce XA™, our multi-vendor solution assurance. For brands migrating from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Elastic Path, the concept of a best-of-breed, composable approach may be brand new. Whereas they are used to having a single point of contact for commerce (Salesforce), they now have many (Elastic Path, search, content management, payments, personalization, etc. vendors). We find that this new approach to commerce often leaves CIOs and Directors of Solutions with many questions. Most often we hear: “Who do I call when something goes wrong?” and “How will I pinpoint the source of the issue with numerous vendors involved?” That is exactly why we built Composable Commerce XA™. Instead of struggling with those common questions, brands can simply call Elastic Path when an issue arises. Then, using our proprietary data monitoring, the Elastic Path team can pinpoint the source of the issue, work directly with relevant partners to resolve the issue, and bring a brand’s site back to full performance as soon as possible. This extra level of support gives brands the confidence they need to migrate and enthusiastically embrace a Composable Commerce approach. Re-Imagine How You Do Commerce If you are currently struggling to keep up with business requirements, competitive pressures, and customer expectations because you are stuck with dated, rigid Salesforce Commerce Cloud technology, there is another way. The time is now to embrace Composable Commerce to reimagine how you do commerce. With this new migration package, you can confidently power lightning-fast experiences, reduce TCO, and innovate without risk.
  Topics: salesforce, elastic, brands, migrating, commerce, cloud, experiences, composable, package, path, migration.
• Elastic Path Payments Q&A with Harry Chemko - We are excited to announce Elastic Path Payments, powered by Stripe, a new addition to the Elastic Path product offering. As more and more digitally-driven brands embrace a Composable Commerce approach, we are thrilled to share that this announcement reduces the complexity of multi-vendor solutioning by pre-integrating payments. In addition, Elastic Path Payments empowers brands with best-in-class, feature-rich payments functionality to support complex checkout processes, across touchpoints. We sat down with Elastic Path co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer Harry Chemko to learn more about Elastic Path Payments. See what he had to say below. Q: What is Elastic Path Payments?  Q: Why Does This Matter for Digitally-Driven Brands? A: I think there are two key areas of impact that Elastic Path Payments will have on the how brands manage digital commerce. First, Elastic Path Payments gives brands access to the cutting-edge, API-first payments technology that they need to power seamless online checkout experiences. Features like fraud management, network-wide acceptance, support for global brands and best-in-class security ensure that brands meet customer expectations and hit growth targets. And, second, simplifying Composable Commerce. At Elastic Path we are seeing more and more interest for a Composable Commerce approach. While we are thrilled to see this momentum, we still hear that managing multiple vendors can feel complicated. To that end, we know that two-thirds of companies prefer a single payments solution over multiple best-of-breed vendors. By pre-integrating payments technology into Elastic Path, this offering eliminates the need to manage yet another vendor. Q: What Are the Benefits of Choosing Elastic Path Payments instead of Managing Payments Technology Separately from a Commerce Platform? A:  Beyond the integrated commerce and payments technology, and simplification of solution management that we just talked about, Elastic Path Payments puts customer success above all else. Unlike other Composable Commerce vendors that leave brands to manage a multi-vendor solution on their own, we focus on becoming a trusted partner in their Composable Commerce journey. One of the ways we emphasize this is with a dedicated customer success manager from Elastic Path who shares a deep knowledge of all facets of a business and can offer guidance, support, and advocate for a customer to technology partners.      From a functionality standpoint, Elastic Path Payments includes key features that enable brands to hit revenue goals. For example, automated retry logic and credential updates increase payment acceptance rates and, seamless online checkouts increase conversion rates. Q: How Does This Make it Easier for Brands to Embrace Composable Commerce?  Q: What Are the Current Trends in the Market on Payments Offerings? How Are These Addressed?  A: Two key trends that come to mind are: 1. Brands expanding into new multiple business models, geographies, and Alternate Payment Methods. In today’s world, it's crucial to give customers the payment options they would like to use, which can significantly increase conversion rates and average order values.  Interested in Learning More About Elastic Path Payments? Simplify Composable solutions with integrated, feature-rich payments technology that powers revenue-generating experiences across customer touchpoints & business models (B2C, B2B, B2B2C), all from a single commerce platform. Go to Elastic Path Payments 2. B2B2C brands, those that operate franchise or distribution models, looking to digitally transform.  With the addition of Elastic Path Payments, Elastic Path customers can manage all business models, geographies, and payments methods with built-in payments technology. In contrast, other commerce platforms often require multiple instances or different products with numerous integrations of payments solutions to operate each model and accommodate the complexity and specific needs of each one.   Q: You Mentioned a Few Features but Can You Tell us More About the Included Feature Set in Elastic Path Payments?  A:  Absolutely, I like to bucket the feature set into three groups that mirror the three significant stages of the checkout funnel. At the first stage of the funnel, you have features that support a seamless online checkout. This includes support for over 25 languages, 135 currencies, and the ability to dynamically show the payment methods most likely to improve conversion. Together these features can provide up to a 46% increase in sales after enabling local payment methods. To address the second stage of the checkout funnel, you have features related to fraud detection. Fraud detection is important to organizations as missed fraud can be very costly to brands. But, on the other hand, brands also don’t want to accidentally decline good transactions as we know this also leads to lost profits. In fact, every year businesses lose an estimated 3% of their revenue due to false declines. Since Stripe, the underlying technology of Elastic Path Payments,, has seen 90% of all the credit cards that are in use in the United States, if there is an issue with a particular credit card, there is a very good chance the network has seen it before and will accurately flag or not flag a transaction. This results in decreased false positives, increased checkout conversions, and a better customer experience overall. At the third stage of the checkout funnel you have features like network acceptance, which improves authorization rates, reliability and processing performance through a direct integration with card networks.  In addition, to features related to the three stages of the checkout funnel, Elastic Path Payments also provides best-in-class security and a centralized dashboard for real time reporting. Chat with us today to learn how your brand can benefit from Elastic Path Payments or learn more here.
  Topics: features, elastic, qa, technology, customer, chemko, harry, composable, checkout, path, commerce, brands, payments.
• Facebook Engagement: Everything You Need to Know [+ Research] - Facebook engagement is something marketers shouldn't overlook when crafting a social media strategy. Facebook engagement can expand organic reach and place your brand higher in Facebook's News Feed. Your brand can also reach your audience's extended network through likes, comments, and shares.
  Topics: brands, live, content, followers, users, engagement, facebook, post, research, page, need, audience, know.
• Fly By Jing’s Jing Gao on Putting Community Ahead of Competition with Fellow AAPI Entrepreneurs - Chatting with this bold sauce business about identity, community, and support for Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs.More
  Topics: love, fellow, entrepreneurs, theres, jing, competition, aapi, heritage, jings, brands, asian, putting, community, fly, gao, ahead.
• Gartner 2023 Predicts: Brands Must Focus On Composability, AI, and Building Consumer Trust - The eCommerce industry is constantly evolving to meet market demands and economic conditions. Each year Gartner makes market predictions and recommendations based on research and trends.  Here’s what Gartner predicts: “By 2026, the speed of digital innovation will improve by 60%, relative to 2022, for organizations that have established mechanisms to reuse composable digital commerce modules.”  “By 2026, 30% of sales organizations will use virtual assistants for improving seller’s efficiency and effectiveness, compared to less than 1% currently.” “By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” Read on for a deeper dive into these predictions. Improve Cost-Effectiveness with Modular and Composable Technologies      By 2026, the speed of digital innovation will improve by 60%, relative to 2022, for organizations that have established mechanisms to reuse composable digital commerce modules." .otro-blockquote{ font-size: 1.2em; width:100%; margin:50px auto; font-family:gilroy; font-style:italic; color: #555555; padding:1.2em 30px 1.2em 75px; border-left:8px solid #08415c ; line-height:1.6; position: relative; background:#EDEDED; } .otro-blockquote::before{ font-family:gilroy; content: "\201C"; color:#08415c; font-size:6.5em; font-weight: 600; position: absolute; left: 2px; top:-20px; } .otro-blockquote::after{ content: ''; } .otro-blockquote span{ display:block; color:#08415c; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin-top:1em; } The current global economic tensions are leading to margin compression in which the cost to make a product or deliver a service rises faster than the sales of the product or service. Inevitably, this leads to lower profit margins. The brands that seek to  survive and overcome it must increase revenue or create cost efficiencies.  Composable technologies increase the pace of innovation and the cost efficiency of investing in it because the components are reusable. This means that brands do not have to develop similar functionality across different applications or duplication development work across multiple business teams. Core commerce modules can be reused across applications, which increases speed-to-market and saves time and money on development work. Modular commerce applications are also deployed and updated independently, improving agility and again increasing speed-to market Gartner predicts that organizations that centrally develop and maintain composable modules will see great improvements in innovation. Innovation is something that brands cannot afford to slow down in today’s economy with higher competition and fewer buyer purchases. Elastic Path powers Composable Commerce for brands with the multi-factor, multi-brand, multi-business model, multi-geo. Start Free Trial Brands Should Consider Leveraging AI for Seller-Efficiency      By 2026, 30% of sales organizations will use virtual assistants for improving seller’s efficiency and effectiveness, compared to less than 1% currently.”      By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” With concerns of an economic slowdown,  Gartner suggests implementing AI and ML-powered virtual assistants (VA) to save seller time and effort. These VAs can be used to automate simple common sales tasks such as managing CRM data, sales lead nurturing and answering buyer’s FAQs. While more complex tasks, like speaking  with customers on a personal level  and contract negotiations  would be left to the sellers. Sellers can also leverage VAs and AI-capabilities for scheduling the next meeting, demoing the product or following up with stakeholders. Virtual assistants are also becoming popular for B2C brands for tasks such as capturing leads, product recommendations and product demos. Virtual chatboxes are also gaining traction for retailers to help reduce cart abandonment and create a more streamlined and interactive experience as shown in the example below. Brands Must Rebuild Consumer Trust      By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” .otro-blockquote{ font-size: 1.2em; width:100%; margin:50px auto; font-family:gilroy; font-style:italic; color: #555555; padding:1.2em 30px 1.2em 75px; border-left:8px solid #08415c ; line-height:1.6; position: relative; background:#EDEDED; } .otro-blockquote::before{ font-family:gilroy; content: "\201C"; color:#08415c; font-size:6.5em; font-weight: 600; position: absolute; left: 2px; top:-20px; } .otro-blockquote::after{ content: ''; } .otro-blockquote span{ display:block; color:#08415c; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin-top:1em; } With poor customer experiences on marketplaces, consumers will begin to distrust marketplaces for future purchases.  A poor experience with one seller can create a domino effect and damage consumer confidence in other sellers.  A study from Qualtrics found that 50% of consumers decreased or entirely cut spending with a brand after a bad customer experience. That same report found that globally, organizations risk 6.7% of their revenue or $3.1, when they lose customers due to poor experiences. Marketplace operators will need to offer features that reestablish trust and monitor seller behavior such as tracking seller reviews, authenticating reviews, and validating the authenticity of products. They also need to establish processes to authenticate seller and product information and monitor suspicious behavior. The more protocols that are put in place to prevent negative and fraudulent customer experiences, the more trust consumers will have in purchasing from those brands. You can read the full report on Gartner's 2023 predictions here.  
  Topics: organizations, marketplaces, gartner, innovation, composable, sales, predicts, product, brands, customers, commerce, seller.
• How 5 Brands Are Using Emerging Technology for Marketing in 2022 - Within the past two years, emerging technologies like NFTs and the metaverse have gotten a lot of hype. But how exactly are brands leveraging it? We’ll cover that and more in this article.
  Topics: trek, shows, emerging, small, users, brands, technology, using, virtual, brand, metaverse, nft, writing, marketing.
• How Consumers Responded to Black Friday in 2022 [+ Holiday Marketing Tips] - According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation went up 8.2% between September 2021 and September 2022. As a result, experts theorized that this would take a toll on both retailers and shoppers.
  Topics: brands, product, responded, marketing, black, ad, ads, deals, tips, holiday, video, content, consumers, online.
• How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work In 2022? - As a platform with high engagement and growth potential, TikTok is a favorable app for businesses that want to get their solutions in front of more people.
  Topics: platform, algorithm, tiktok, content, brands, does, users, videos, app, likely, unique, work.
• How Marketers are Navigating Q4: Traffic, Lead & Email Data from 150K+ Brands - If you're a marketer, it's likely been a very – odd – Q4!
  Topics: data, brands, mom, saw, q4, marketing, marketers, lead, industries, traffic, hospitality, yoy, construction, 150k, leisure, email, navigating.
• How SKIMMS, Liquid Death, and Other Brands Made Age-Old Products Feel New, Exciting, and Different - Let’s face it — there’s always another brand out there that makes a product similar to yours. Chances are that there are quite a few brands that make products or services similar to yours.
  Topics: products, water, exciting, dollar, different, unique, brands, death, shave, ageold, skims, skimms, club, feel, liquid.
• How This Company Is Helping Ecommerce Brands Scale and Grow - The co-founder of 8fig shares how his platform is helping online sellers plan and execute their growth around their supply-chain needs.
  Topics: scale, need, businesses, fast, help, grow, company, ecommerce, small, extremely, brands, 8fig, helping, pay.
• How Website Accessibility Affects Your Brand's Reputation and Success - If your business site isn't broadly accessible by users with disabilities, you aren't just missing out on revenue, but also exposing yourself to potential legal trouble.
  Topics: reputation, brands, affects, success, business, websites, ada, disabilities, compliance, standards, accessible, website, access, accessibility.
• How the D2C Starter Kit can Kickstart Your Digital Commerce Success - Elastic Path adds a D2C Starter Kit for brands to kickstart their Composable Commerce journey with a customizable storefront. What is the D2C Starter Kit? The D2C Starter Kit is an open-sourced toolbox aimed at accelerating the development of a digital commerce storefront that can be easily customized for specific use cases. D2C brands can set up a commerce storefront in a matter of days rather than months, saving up to 15% of implementation costs while preserving the speed and flexibility a Composable Commerce approach affords.  With a Composable Commerce approach, brands can add best-of-breed solutions for functionality like search, CMS (content management system), personalization, etc. With the extensibility of the D2C Starter Kit, brands can include new integrations over time as their needs evolve to keep up with and outpace customer expectations. See the D2C Starter Kit in action in our demo below.   The D2C Starter Kit is built with the modern developer-friendly framework, Next. JS. It is also hosting agnostic to allow brands to pick the platform of their choice, including Netlify(current), AWS, & Vercel. The current iteration also includes Algolia for search and Chakra UI to get started with a range of out-of-the-box components that are easy to customize.  Reduced Time to Value Brands often hesitate to upgrade to a Composable Commerce approach for two key reasons, implementation time and costs. With the Starter Kit, your team can quickly spin up a digital commerce storefront built on EP PXM. APIs that provide functionality such as Cart & Checkout capabilities, promotions, product variation, bundles, and more. With select integrations for site search & a payments solution rounding out a package that can drastically reduce the implementation time and reduce implementation costs by up to 15%!  Learn more about The D2C Starter Kit on GitHub.   Kickstart Your Composable Commerce Journey Discover how the D2C starter kit will help you save time and reduce costs. Contact Elastic Path
  Topics: costs, kickstart, success, brands, starter, composable, d2c, kit, digital, commerce, storefront, search, implementation.
• How the Nike and Tiffany & Co. Collaboration Was Overshadowed by AI - Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.
  Topics: marketing, strategy, overshadowed, blue, collaboration, tiffany, product, shoe, brands, ai, nike.
• How to Be an Effective Instagram Manager [Expert Tips] - Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide and is among the top five most-used social media platforms. So, it's safe to say your organization's audience is among Instagram's many users.
  Topics: content, tips, help, consistent, brand, brands, media, audience, manager, effective, instagram, expert, social.
• How to Build an Ecommerce Brand in a Crowded and Competitive Industry - Following these strategies will help your ecommerce brand succeed amidst the competition.
  Topics: customer, youre, successful, brands, spend, competitive, pricing, good, industry, brand, product, ecommerce, succeed.
• How to Know If You Have Outgrown Your Commerce Platform - Your commerce platform is a critical piece of your strategy that can enable your brand to deliver unique customer experiences and drive revenue growth for your brand. But not all platforms are created equal and some actually hinder a brand’s ability to bring their vision to life. Whether it’s a dated reference architecture, clunky functionality, or antiquated pricing, brands find themselves held back instead of propelled forward by their technology. After speaking with many brands who are in the process of evaluating new commerce platforms, we have noticed a trend: those struggling tend to still be using dated, legacy commerce platforms.This simple fact can often go overlooked as brands stick with what they know and don't recognize how much of a hindrance their current commerce platform may be. Read on to see some of the common signs that your brand has outgrown your commerce platform and how transitioning to a more modern microservices-based platform can alleviate some of those ailments. Some of the common complaints we hear include spending too many resources on workarounds, waiting on IT teams to implement costly projects to add functionality, and increasing cost without continuous innovation. This results in a half-baked execution of your vision and underwhelming performance. If this sounds familiar, you are likely running a legacy all-in-one (monolithic) platform. When they first emerged in the early 2000s, legacy commerce platforms like Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Shopify were designed to address a wide plethora of basic commerce needs with a single offering. Indeed, they were successful in meeting the needs of the time. But, with the demands of customers evolving, the rigid nature of these platforms leaves brands being outpaced by competitors who have invested in new technology. Several point-providers for specific functionality have stepped in to provide a better solution than the relatively simplistic offerings from legacy all-in-one commerce platforms. With a Composable Commerce approach, you can leverage these best-of-breed third-party solutions and a headless commerce platform to develop a solution that delivers the customer experiences and performance your eCommerce teams envision. Struggles With Speed Limiting Your Brand's Growth The first sign that you have outgrown your commerce platform is inability to move fast. When evaluating the performance of your current commerce solution, speed is essential. We can talk about speed in two key facets—first, the speed of your platform, i.e., what your customers experience. Slow page load times or poor mobile experiences can lead to lost revenue. To learn more, check out our post here. Many brands will have ongoing projects to improve their stores' performance and see minor improvements on specific key metrics with changes to their CDNs, marketing tags, personalization engines, etc. However, these improvements are often incremental at best and generally lead to hitting a wall with what is possible with legacy architecture. Achieving the ideal 'under 4s' load time mark can be out of reach with a legacy commerce platforms' tightly coupled capabilities and reference architecture code base. With an API-first architecture, typical in Headless Commerce platforms like Elastic Path, achieving lightning-fast load times is simple because these solutions were designed around the speed and scalability delivered of cloud infrastructure. The second facet of 'speed' is how quickly (and easily) you can add on functionality like a mobile checkout touchpoint, best-in-class search capabilities, or a payment gateway to deliver experiences that your customers expect. With legacy platforms, brands often embark on costly extension projects requiring specific developer expertise. For example, those using Salesforce Commerce Cloud are only able to hire Salesforce developers and architects who cost $12,000 more per hire. Not only is it more expensive to undertake these projects, but they will also take significantly longer due to the architecture of the legacy commerce platforms necessitating extensive testing to ensure all connected pieces are working after making any additions.   Ready to Consider Replatforming? If your business has outgrown your current ecommerce platform, check out our webinar, "Replatforming Tips to Embrace Composable Commerce," for advice on how to move to a more modern solution. Watch the Webinar Business Teams Frustrated by Bottlenecks The second sign you have outgrown your commerce platform is rigid functionality that requires customization to meet your requirements. These bottlenecks to improvements can break down into two route causes. We often hear that marketing and merchandising teams struggle to keep pace with customers' demands since they need to wait on the IT team to implement seemingly simple changes. A prime example of this is when merchandising teams want to launch unique strategies like dynamic bundles, complex pricing, or child-variant level merchandising, but their commerce platform does not support it without custom developer work. And, this challenge isn’t just with legacy platforms, we see the same issues arise with some of the MACH-vendors in today’s landscape. Your merchandising team will end up with delayed time to market and missed opportunities all thanks for the lack of flexibility of catalog and merchandising capabilities. With Catalog Composer from Elastic Path, merchandisers can rapidly create complete catalogs that tailor to specific needs of your customers across channels, touchpoints, and geographies with ease. A similar challenge occurs for making frontend updates. With a legacy commerce platform, the ability for merchandisers to make quick changes to the storefront can simply be impossible. Instead, they have to submit a ticket to IT and wait until it is tackled. On the other hand, with a composable architecture, brands can choose a frontend technology and CMS (Content Management System) that allows business users to make these changes. This approach saves resource hours while also providing significantly more flexibility when delivering the vision of a unique front end that caters to the complexities of your specific business. Planned Expansions Hindered by Your Current Commerce Platform The third sign you have outgrown your commerce platform is inability to expand your digital business to meet revenue goals. At Elastic Path we see brands looking to increase their digital revenue by expanding to new business models (like B2B or B2B2C), geographies, brands, or touchpoints. Unfortunately, many legacy platforms were built in the early 2000s when this type of expansion was irrelevant. Therefore, their technology struggles to keep up with these new business needs without customization. In the case of business model extension where each model comes with its complexities, legacy platforms like Salesforce offer a wholly different product to cater to these needs. For example, brands who want to power both B2C and B2B need to run two entirely separate platforms. Running two platforms can double up the headaches caused by the problems discussed above but will also mean that you are paying license fees and staffing for both products individually. It is important to note that with other modern Headless Commerce vendors, you will need to use and pay for multiple platform instances rather than separate products to cater to use cases like multi-geo, multi-account, B2B, etc. The complexity introduced in these cases with the need for several differentiated catalogs with distinct hierarchies and pricebooks can be impossible to manage with a single instance. Additional instances are needed since other Headless Commerce vendors lack the flexibility a de-coupled catalog architecture provides. Catalog Composer delivers this flexibility with unlimited catalogs that allow you to create bespoke catalogs 5x faster for every route-to-market from a single instance of the platform. Even without channel expansion plans, brands looking to add functionality are forced into complicated implementations with a legacy commerce platform. A good example is payment gateways. Some legacy platforms might have the ability to add a specific third-party vendor to add Buy Now Pay Later capabilities. Managing multiple vendors for each payments capability is something two-thirds of brands are looking to avoid. Check out Elastic Path Payments to learn how you can easily accept payments across channels, touchpoints, and geographies from a single payment offering. Omnichannel commerce platforms like Elastic Path Commerce Cloud allow you to run all the channels and touchpoints your brand needs from a single instance of the platform. This way, you are cutting down on the Total Cost of Ownership while providing a better customer experience. Struggling to Increase Margins with an Expensive Commerce Platform As you will have noticed, a common challenge across many of the issues that brands face when outgrowing a legacy commerce platform is a high Total Cost of Ownership. By moving away from a legacy platform to a Headless Commerce platform, you can increase your top and bottom-line revenues as these benefits add up across lower platform fees, less expensive implementation projects, or simply lowering the cost associated with your team needing to manage the complexity of a legacy solution. For a more comprehensive look at how you can lower your Total Cost of Ownership, check out our guide here. Chat with us today if any of the common signs above hit close to home. We would be happy to help determine how to successfully circumvent the issues holding back your brand's growth and establish a commerce solution that fits your needs today and into the future.
  Topics: commerce, platforms, know, functionality, needs, platform, legacy, architecture, speed, brands, specific, outgrown.
• How to Maximize Social Commerce in your eCommerce Strategy - How to Maximize Social Commerce in Your eCommerce Strategy Social media is heavily ingrained in our daily lives. As much as we glance at our phones for emails, texts, or a push notification about an order status - engaging with social media is at the front of the line of all the things we keep tabs on in the course of a day. It makes sense when we think about social commerce and how much of what we buy or consume is influenced by platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or TikTok. More brands are seeing the benefits of social commerce, and finding creative ways to integrate it with their eCommerce digital strategy. Social commerce increases brand equity and from what shopping behaviors show a clear driver in revenue. Shoppers increasingly look to social media as a barometer of style; seeking out experiences from fellow users within their trusted circle or popular influencers to “get the look”. Trending more within social commerce is its role in product discovery. Social commerce is also big business. Global social commerce is predicted to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025. Brands need not ignore such a powerful platform to sell products, but also, and perhaps more importantly to shoppers, create a memorable experience. In this post I’ll explore top social commerce tactics for brands to make the most of the social media engine that fuels our culture. Live Shopping Live shopping is the new social commerce darling. With origins in China, it’s permeated throughout North America and Europe with a fair amount of traction. The hook of live shopping is the mixing of three components: commerce, social media, and entertainment. With Facebook’s “Live Shopping Fridays,” shoppers learn about what’s new in the market and have the chance to engage in real time with questions about what they’re seeing. What’s more, if they’re ready to buy they don’t have to leave the app - simply add to cart and checkout with payment information stored to their profile. Live shopping brings to mind another key fulfillment of consumers - the need for connection and personalized experiences. One of the irresistible draws of social media is the idea of curating your own experience. And what’s more, connecting with other people, whether within your circle or strangers to you, on products that mean something. Social media is largely about community, and with live shopping there is a personal element of engagement with the host and others on the stream that people crave. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch are often referenced top social commerce platforms currently supporting the live experience; however Amazon, NTWK, TalkShop, PopShop, and TaoBao are fast becoming live shopping platforms with a global following. Not to be outdone by other social media platforms is the new kid on the block, TikTok. The platform has announced they are testing live shopping experiences in the U.S, after testing in UK and Asian regions. Live shopping has not had as much immediate success in North America as seen across Europe and Asia, but time will tell if that shifts. Social Proof Campaigns Social proof can be successful across brands of all sizes; from major clothing retailers to local makers. By creating a customized hashtag for instance, you allow shoppers to engage with your brand through user-generated content, and share their experiences with a broader audience. Bigger brands often use social proof as a bridge between the physical and digital storefront by using customer social proof as a testimonial of sorts. There are few things as powerful as word of mouth reviews, and seeing real life customers engaging with your product. As much as 94% of online shoppers rely on reviews as social proof for retailers or brands they don’t know about, with Generation Z leading the way at 52% using social media to discover new brands. In-App Purchases Create Ease and Confidence  Shopper convenience and trust are two major draws of social commerce when it comes to checkout. The entire buyer journey is completed without leaving a single site or app. As security becomes a bigger issue with shoppers concerned about the sharing of personal information across multiple sites, checkout is a simple click from a stored payment method on a platform that is vetted and trusted. From discovery, to checkout and delivery, shoppers have a single source of trust and confidence. Social apps allow for more opportunity for experience. With Story, Feed, Reels, and Live Streaming options there is more content in digestible formats. And with in-app links, the purchase can be made from whatever piece of content the shopper is engaging with or viewing without navigating away. Pinterest has long been the place for influencers and tastemakers to build brand awareness especially at the discovery phase. Of the 444 million Pinterest users, 60% start their product search on the platform, and 87% have purchased something they discovered there. When it comes to social commerce heavyweights like Facebook and Instagram, the low cost for initial entry sweetens the deal with standard selling fees, but as first-time sellers will see as they dive deeper into the process, it’s relatively easy to set up and go live. Aside from setting up a business account for each platform, you’ll need to make sure your market is supported and agree to best practices and selling guidelines.  The graphic below shows how the numbers shake out when it comes to social commerce and product discovery. We see a frontrunner in targeted ads, (which tracks with the heightened spend brands are making in social commerce), but tailing close behind are organic posts, product search, and the power of word-of-mouth advertising and reviews. Source: Sprout Social Leveraging Social Media Influencers Brands don’t need a Hollywood dynasty to create confidence or buzz around their products. A social media influencer can be a regional artist well-known in the community. As influencers go, there is significant interest in those that fall into each category of Macro, Micro, Mega, and Nano tiers. Research shows from a survey of how marketers leverage social media, a distinct interest towards working with Macroinfluencers (100K-500K followers) for maximized exposure; however a larger number of survey respondents (90%) tells us that most brands and marketers prefer the Microinfluencer (5K-100K followers). And why is that? It could point to a number of reasons, but perhaps the most telling is the need for brands to fully align with an influencer. Quality wins over quantity. Authenticity is preferred in an influencer over what feels like a scripted sales pitch. While the larger follower numbers may not be there for a Microinfluencer, their message is meticulously aligned to those the brand is trying to reach. It may be the difference between a casual browser and a lifetime customer. Equal Opportunity, Low Cost of Entry An inspired way of looking at social commerce is again, the low cost of entry. Any would-be influencer, local crafter, or major retailer with millions in marketing budget can enter. With so much potential revenue in upwards of a trillion globally the entry investment can be as little as a WiFI connection and a smartphone. Social commerce is not showing signs of waning; with such stiff competition brands are continuously looking for ways to optimize the platform. How will you use social commerce to your advantage? For more resources on what’s trending and what the future holds, check out The Right Now of Mobile Commerce and the Future of Commerce Starts Now ebooks.      
  Topics: social, ecommerce, media, maximize, product, shopping, live, brands, shoppers, proof, platform, commerce.
• How to Tell a Compelling Brand Story [Guide + Examples] - Your audience is programmed to crave and seek out great stories. They want to know your brand’s origin, missions, goals — your entire brand story.
  Topics: brands, skin, brand, product, red, does, guide, examples, relate, riding, compelling, products, quo, tell.
• HubSpot's Social Media Team Gives 5 Tips for Bringing Your Brand on TikTok - Taking the risk with any new platform is daunting. After all, no one wants to dedicate their time, energy, or budget into something with little return.
  Topics: platform, bringing, brands, tiktok, gives, audience, content, tips, team, videos, hubspots, brand, youll, social, media, youre, nyst.
• Inflation Could Harm DTC and Premium Brands - Inflation typically helps brands with lower-priced and essential goods and hurts premium items. Amid a heightened inflation outlook, merchants should scrutinize their product mix and adjust as necessary.
  Topics: premium, shoppers, brands, harm, egg, products, buying, substitute, essential, inflation, price, dtc, prices.
• Is Live Shopping Right for Your Business? - As technology drives shopper experiences, brands must look for new and innovative ways to reach the customer and make a connection. What is live shopping? Live shopping has its origins in Asian markets, and is fast becoming a staple in North America. You may also hear it called live stream shopping, social shopping, streamable shopping, and live commerce. The popularity of live shopping experiences comes from in part the entertainment value. Most feeds are hosted by an influencer or internet celebrity, and sometimes include movie or TV industry celebrities of a select country who are endorsing the product or brand. As the host introduces the product, attendees have the ability to ask questions in real time and engage with other people watching the feed. Links are available to purchase the item or items without leaving the streaming service or app. In short, any product becomes a shoppable ad. Who are the Leaders in the Live Shopping Platforms Space? Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch are often mentioned platforms currently supporting the live experience; however Amazon, NTWK, TalkShop, the Bambuser app, PopShop, and TaoBao are fast becoming live shopping platforms with a following. Here are a few key livestream shopping statistics regarding live shopping and its growing buzzworthiness: Live video will be used for more than half of all shopping by this year People are spending an average of $500 per purchase on live-streamed items The most popular categories to shop include clothing, beauty products, and home Would a Live Stream Experience Augment Your Business? It depends. Consider the following:  If you’re trying to reach a particular generation such as Gen Z or Millennials, you may want to consider offering a live shopping experience. It’s an excellent way to reach new customers who are craving both the social engagement or community of a live feed, and who consider influencers a form of social proof, instilling confidence in a brand or product.  Do you have an existing presence on social media today with an influencer marketing budget and a plan? Investing in social commerce is a segue into live shopping experiences. Customers who follow you across social networks may be expecting or excited to see live stream shopping available and eager to buy with one click. Maximize Social Commerce in Your eCommerce Strategy How will you use social eCommerce to your advantage? For more resources on what’s trending and what the future holds, check out our resources on the Future of eCommerce. Look into the Future Mastering Live Shopping With Multiple Geos, Brands, or Catalogs  If you have certain complexities with your business, live shopping feeds can work in your favor. If you have multiple brands under one umbrella, you sell your products in different locations or perhaps multiple countries, you have an opportunity to create customized, even personalized content.  By Geo or Region  A livestreaming commerce feed helps target particular markets with tailored content for the region, such as content for North American versus European markets, or broken down by regions within a country. It’s also possible to offer personalized content based on your customer data, such as by invitation only sales or new product launches for loyal or rewards program customers.  By Brand Let’s say you’re an apparel retailer with multiple brands. A live feed shopping experience helps you refine the message to your audiences. You may distinguish the event by any number of customer segments or products such as outdoor apparel and accessories by season, footwear, or children’s clothing. Each feed can additionally have its own influencer closely aligned with the brand who resonates with those customers and builds consumer confidence.   By Catalog  Consider the possibilities of creating net new catalogs with the information you’ve gleaned from a live feed. You may discover from engagement during the feed that your customers have an interest in overstock items or a post-holiday refurbished items event. You can then take that information and build a specific catalog based on real customer demand.  Post Show Offers Benefits of the live feed extend out to the post-show experience. Consider an offer to attendees only such as a percentage discount or free shipping after a certain spend. For those who missed the event, consider a follow-up email describing what they missed. As I’ve mentioned before in blogs, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), is a powerful marketing tool when creating customer engagement and driving conversion.  Knowing that your audience has interest in the product offering already is a leg up in conversion - you already know they intend to buy, it’s a matter of how much they will spend, and what you can do to increase AOV.  Use Live Shopping to Differentiate  As brands compete for market share, you’ll need every tool to set yourself apart from the competition. Another advantage of live shopping feeds is the low barrier to entry. Anyone interested in selling a product or service with an internet connection can in some way create a feed or shoppable opportunity.  Even if your brand is not backed by an influencer shopping app at present, you still have the tools readily available to experiment with live shopping and scale according to your business plan. 
  Topics: experience, brands, consider, feed, live, business, customer, right, shopping, multiple, product, social.
• Join Elastic Path at Shoptalk 2022 - What’s already been coined “Retail’s Big Reunion” Shoptalk’s 2022 U.S. event takes place March 27-30 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. With travel bans officially lifted, the venue is set to welcome 10,000+ event goers representing 3,000 established brands, startups, tech companies, and more. Currently over 270 speakers, 600 sponsors, and 80 speaker-led sessions are on the show schedule. Attendees will experience the current state and the future of retail from industry frontrunners through networking, breakout sessions, and plenty of time for meet and greet. No longer a buzzword, the Composable Commerce approach is transforming retail experiences for brands of all sizes and business models worldwide. We plan to show you its benefits with live demos and customer testimonials from the people who’ve been there. Composable Commerce Pop-Ups & Events We’ll hit the showroom floor ready to bring digital retail to life featuring home retailer Serena and Lily. Engage in a mobile commerce experience by browsing the lounge with QR-code ready items to learn more about their luxury furnishings and accessories. And there’s more: Fireside Chats – Stop by and chat with Deckers Brands, Pella, and Serena and Lily. You’ll hear firsthand how these leading retailers are embracing a Composable Commerce approach. If you can’t attend live, follow us on LinkedIn to catch the livestream.   Elastic Path Shoptalk Shop – Join us for a mobile self-checkout experience and be entered to win a selection of our customers products. Items will be raffled throughout the event. The more you shop, the more chances you have to win! Pick up a COVID test available from our customer eMed.   Composable Commerce Scavenger Hunt – Get to know our partners in a scavenger hunt by visiting their booths. Complete the hunt and get a prize! Participating vendors include Acquia, Myplanet, Algolia, Amplience, Bloomreach, and more. If you’re looking for less talk and more demo, stop by our booth on Monday and Tuesday for product demos and hear firsthand how we manage partner integrations. We’ll walk you through our product content management capabilities and you’ll see Composable Commerce in action with our partners Contentful and Algolia. Happy Hour On your first night in town, join us for an NCAA elite eight tournament viewing party at the Topgolf venue minutes from Mandalay Bay. Kick back with appetizers, drinks, and big screen TVs or show off your swing at a golf bay. You don’t need to be a pro to participate! Event Sessions You Won’t Want to Miss Each day of the show offers a full schedule of speakers and topics most relevant for today’s retailer. Choose from content tracks around merchandising, marketing, supply chain, packaging, and sustainability. Here are a few highlights to consider: Track 1: Groundbreaking Digital Experiences: Seizing the Livestreaming & Shoppable Video Opportunity – led by Coresight Research, YouTube, and Hot Topic. Livestreaming and shoppable video are two crucial and attainable opportunities to influence today’s shopper. Learn how to leverage both in this session to engage customers and drive conversions.   Track 2: The Regenerative Retailer – led by Whole Foods & RILA. It’s simply not enough for brands to say they are doing less to harm the environment. Today’s consumers want to know what you’re doing to elevate and protect natural resources and be a better steward to the planet.   Track 3: The Sophisticated Supply Chain: Operating a Global Business in Complex Times – led by Colgate-Palmolive, Chalhoub Group, Vera Bradley, and the Sourcing Journal. No surprise that supply chain felt the brunt of a global pandemic. In this session you’ll get a front row view of how top brands navigated these challenges and weathered the storm. And don’t forget to relax! After 10+ hours on your feet take the time to kick back on Tuesday and dress your best for the Whiteout Beach Concert, featuring Flo Rida. A Big Thanks to our Partners Where would we be without our partners? As advocates and practitioners of the Composable Commerce Movement, we’d like to thank all our partners for helping us spread the word. Without you we couldn’t develop and bring to life unique retail experiences for our customers. Together we are changing the face of eCommerce. The Composable Commerce approach provides flexibility, speed, and control as you launch eCommerce capabilities now and as you scale. But don’t take our word for it. Stop by our booth and hear the success stories from leading retailers who’ve embraced the concept. Let’s Talk Composable Commerce We’d love to meet you (or catch up) at this year’s event. Reach out if you’d like to meet up to find out more about Elastic Path and the Composable Commerce Movement.
  Topics: youll, win, join, event, stop, hear, shoptalk, elastic, commerce, composable, brands, retail, partners, path.
• Kenya-based Powered by People gets $5 million seed to scale operations of its wholesale e-commerce platform - A wholesale e-commerce platform based in Kenya, with hubs in the Americas, Asia and Europe, Powered by People, has secured $5 million in seed funding to increase its transaction volume by growing the number of small brands using its B2B online marketplace to reach international buyers. The equity funding was led by Susa Ventures and […]
  Topics: orders, startup, brands, scale, kenyabased, million, gets, traders, small, markets, techcrunch, platform, ventures, seed, powered, wholesale, operations.
• Key Ecommerce Trends That Can Take Your Business to the Next Level - Ecommerce brands need to be prepared for the coming disruptions to succeed in their chosen industry. The trends described below are those I believe will have the most influence in the coming year.
  Topics: customers, customer, product, important, social, brands, marketing, key, media, business, trends, ecommerce, level.
• LinkedIn Launches Live Audio Events: How They'll Differ from Clubhouse & Twitter Spaces - Twitter has Spaces. Facebook has Live Audio Rooms. Clubhouse has…Clubhouse. Now, LinkedIn is grabbing a seat at the table with its own audio feature.
  Topics: platforms, clubhouse, twitter, brands, launches, spaces, events, audio, event, differ, users, live, theyll, linkedin.
• Locad Raises $11Million In Series A Funding - The fund raised will be used towards building the region's largest fulfilment network
  Topics: 11million, locad, chain, raises, warehouses, supply, round, funding, logistics, orders, engine, entrepreneur, brands, series.
• Lucky is bringing brands, retailers together with its take on product merchandising - Lucky's plug-and-play API gives e-commerce brands visibility of its products on retailer store shelves to offer local fulfillment options.
  Topics: inventory, techcrunch, online, retailers, company, target, bringing, brands, nordstrom, product, merchandising, lucky, store.
• Moonshot Brands funding, acquisitions highlight change in e-commerce aggregator space - Company co-founder CJ Isakow said this was just the beginning of what he thought would be further consolidation in the crowded sector.
  Topics: aggregator, aggregators, space, million, acquisitions, highlight, company, techcrunch, isakow, assets, brands, months, funding, moonshot, change, sellers, thrasio, ecommerce.
• Moot channels $18M for a platform and toolkit to power e-commerce strategies for brands - E-commerce today is played out wherever a consumer sees something and wants it — be it on a company’s site or app, a social media feed, a marketplace, a search or an advert. Today a startup called Moot that’s helping businesses and brands sell through all those channels in a unified way is announcing $18 […]
  Topics: platform, companies, company, ecommerce, 18m, today, brands, power, growth, strategies, techcrunch, channels, moot, solutions, toolkit.
• Onport "Instant On" Integration Supercharges Marketplace and Dropship Models Through the Integrations Hub - At Elastic Path, we are committed to empowering all brands to achieve their commerce goals through our innovative approach to commerce technology. Our focus on making Composable Commerce accessible to all brands is made possible through the Instant On integrations available in our Integrations Hub. These integrations provide a seamless connection to best-of-breed commerce solutions, allowing merchandisers to drive revenue and easily create unique commerce experiences. With this approach, Elastic Path is leading the way in revolutionizing the commerce industry. These "instant on" integrations are pre-configured with common data mapping and event triggers. With just a few clicks, merchandisers can customize their integration and leverage Onport’s Marketplace, Dropshipping solution to deliver on modern customer expectations,  How To Leverage Onport in the Integrations Hub? Check out our quick demo to learn how to set up this "instant on" integration without a single line of code from within Commerce Manager, our business user tooling.  {"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG.jpg?itok=biAta__E","video_url":"https://share.vidyard.com/watch/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG?","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":1},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive, autoplaying)."]} For more information, check out our documentation page to see how your brand can benefit from leveraging the "instant on" Onport integration.  Who is Onport? Onport provides best-of-breed shipping and marketplace solutions by connecting your product catalog and order information in a central dashboard integrated with leading couriers. Enabling automation of your order fulfillment anywhere in the world across a multi-vendor ecosystem to be efficiently managed in a matter of clicks. Simplifying the workflow and saving time allows you to focus on your eCommerce success.  Check Out Our Integrations Hub See how you can supercharge your store with other "instant on" integrations. Go to Composable Commerce Hub What is part of the Onport Instant On Integration? The Onport integration allows for seamless communication between Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud. With this integration, product, inventory, and order changes in Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud are automatically reflected in the other platform via webhook events. Brands can use this integration to efficiently manage their marketplace and dropship operations, with features such as product sync, order sync, inventory sync, and split order. This no-code integration enables brands to streamline their operations and improve customer experiences.  
  Topics: onport, instant, sync, elastic, path, brands, integrations, shipping, integration, flexibility, commerce, order, control, split, marketplace, dropship.
• Peeba raises $4.2M to digitize Asia’s B2B wholesale market - Over the past two years, Asia’s retailers were forced to do virtual meetings instead of visiting in-person trade shows or conferences to source new brands and products due to the pandemic lockdowns. A startup called Peeba has built a B2B wholesale online platform that connects independent retailers across Asia with unique brands around the world. Peeba […]
  Topics: wholesale, asias, retail, raises, lai, products, market, peeba, retailers, 42m, platform, asia, digitize, brands, unique, b2b, techcrunch.
• Personalization Is an Overused Buzzword. This Is the Real Future of Ecommerce. - Retail media is embracing a model that lets sellers and brands use first-party data to build authentic relationships — and it will change ecommerce forever.
  Topics: amazon, isnt, data, companies, media, consumer, personalization, sellers, future, retail, firstparty, retailers, ecommerce, brands.
• Podcast Advertising Basics for Ecommerce Brands - Contextual podcast ads read by the host are a form of influencer marketing. They can drive demand for ecommerce products and even the brand itself.
  Topics: urls, brand, surveys, ads, podcasts, podcast, basics, ad, ecommerce, brands, rate, advertising, sponsor.
• Razor Group raises 70 million dollars - German ecommerce aggregator Razor Group has raised 70 million dollars (65.7 million euros). The company currently has over 200 brands in its portfolio, but wants to add more soon. The funding will also be used to expand geographically. Ecommerce aggregator are growing quickly in European ecommerce. In November, Dutch company…
  Topics: razor, brands, raises, ecommerce, round, million, wants, funding, group, company, dollars, euros.
• Refresh Your OOH Advertising with These 5 Custom Strategies - Recent growth in the out-of-home ad market has been remarkable, and for good reason: It's effective, versatile, cost-effective and even automated.
  Topics: refresh, consumers, brand, brands, reach, ooh, strategies, way, advertising, markets, custom, dooh, youll.
• Salsify secures $200M as the boom in e-commerce catapults its valuation to $2B - E-commerce is booming, but it’s become increasingly apparent over the years that the businesses that are able to capitalize on that trend — and contribute to that growth — are those able to grasp the right technology to navigate the space. Today, Salsify, one of the startups building e-commerce solutions to that end, is announcing […]
  Topics: 2b, companies, company, ecommerce, million, salsify, round, brands, purcell, catapults, tech, techcrunch, work, valuation, secures, boom, 200m.
• Seven DTC eCommerce Trends in 2022 - The world of digital commerce is constantly changing, and with the rapid shift to online retailing as a result of the COVID pandemic, 2022 promises to be no different. With this trend in online shopping, the DTC eCommerce industry will only continue to grow. In 2021, U.S. direct-to-consumer (DTC) eCommerce sales reached 129 billion, and are projected to reach 151 this year. Now isn't that crazy!   As DTC businesses continue to prioritize digital commerce experiences, brands are facing more market competition than ever. With that being said, in this blog, I will give a general overview of seven major DTC eCommerce trends you should keep an eye on for your brand to succeed in 2022. What is DTC eCommerce? DTC eCommerce is an eCommerce business model in which brands sell directly to their end customers, as opposed to using third-parties such as wholesalers, distributors, or other retailers. There are many benefits of selling direct to consumers, including: Differentiation: Having full power on decisions, brands can better differentiate themselves as well as their products in the marketplace. Boosted Customer Loyalty: As a result of the direct relationship brands can facilitate with customers, they can build a more loyal customer base. Better Customer Experiences: By being able to have a close relationship with consumers, brands are able to collect direct feedback from them that can be used to create better customer experiences in the future. Direct Control: Without having to rely on parties to sell their products, DTC businesses are able to have direct and full control over their pricing, products, and branding. An example of a DTC eCommerce brand is Glossier, a company in the beauty industry, which uses the platform Contentful to facilitate their sales channels. Through Contentful and social media, Glossier has created a strong, loyal customer base and enhanced customer experiences. Their instagram page consists of 2.6 million followers with a content mix of customer reviews, product promotions, and influencer partnerships to draw in more customers. Today, Glossier is a billion dollar brand company that sells online beauty products, branching into millennial and Gen Z target audience through brick-and-mortar shops to provide the best brand experience possible. Top 7 DTC eCommerce Trends 1. Social and Live Commerce for Expanded Shopping Experiences Shopping on social media platforms and livestreams has become increasingly popular in recent years. According to Swirl, from 2015 to 2020, revenue from online video commerce went from $3.5 billion to $17.6 billion, and that number is expected to be $25 billion by 2023. Platforms such as Instagram offer tags on photos that direct consumers to a brand’s website, where they can quickly purchase the product they were viewing. This immersive shopping experience appeals to consumers as they are able to purchase products that are endorsed by their favorite celebrities or influencers. Livestream shopping is similar to QVC (a televised shopping service that showcases live retail programming 24/7), but consumers now have access to the products at their fingertips.   See How Elastic Path Delivers Unique Customer Experiences The Elastic Path Demo Library features multiple demos that showcase the power and scale of our products. Go to Demo Library 2. Consumers Becoming Increasingly Sustainability Conscious Sustainability is at the forefront of consumers’s minds nowadays and companies are following suit. According to a global survey, "66% of global consumers would pay more for sustainable businesses and products." With that being said, many brands are becoming environmentally conscious and shifting away from plastic in packaging and now include the origin of materials used, as well as information on how to recycle them. In addition, many companies now include data about their carbon footprint with their customers. Overall, these trends depict the shift in consumer and brand consciousness toward our natural environment, leading to a bright future for eCommerce businesses. 3. Omnichannel Shopping Leading to Better Customer Retention According to Omnisend, “customer retention rates are 90% higher for omnichannel versus single channel.” An omnichannel approach to eCommerce is being adopted by companies to make the customer experience more convenient. For example, allowing a customer to shop online but return in-store guarantees that the customer has a seamless shopping experience. Furthermore, integrating digital channels enables a company to maintain a consistent brand appearance across all devices. 4. Personalization Means Better Brand Experiences Personalizing the customer experience increases the likelihood that the customer makes a purchase and has a positive experience with the brand. According to Accenture, “74% of consumers would find ‘living profiles’ valuable if they could be used to curate the experiences, offers, and products they receive.” With direct access to customer data, such as browsing history, interests, and searches, brands are able to create unique experiences like hosting a live stream event or even creating a hologram. The ability to personalize also allows companies to more easily adapt to trends, by making changes such as new colorways for products. 5. Delivery and Return Policies Will Become a Key Service Differentiator Studies have shown that delivery fees and return policies are important factors when customers are choosing where to shop. According to Forrester, “about three out of five French, UK, and US online adults prefer retailers that offer free return shipping; about two out of five prefer retailers that provide refunds via the original form of payment.” Free delivery and free returns are services that customers strongly desire, and can cause customers to choose one brand over another. Brands who care about the customer experience should invest in streamlining their delivery and return processes. 6. AI Creates Innovative Ideas AI plays a significant role in omnichannel planning, which enables companies to capitalize on business opportunities in real time. Machine learning is especially useful in forming the demand plan for product attributes, marketing events, and style or color forecasts for the lifecycle of a product. AI automates these processes and drastically reduces the time needed for planners to create manual “SKUs”. 7. Subscriptions Build Up Customer Loyalty As DTC eCommerce continues to grow, many companies have adopted a subscription model that has shown great success with traditional retailers. A subscription eCommerce service offers consumers a lower-cost way to buy what they need. Around half of companies surveyed in 2019 stated that they would implement subscription services to boost customer retention. What’s Next for DTC eCommerce? DTC eCommerce offers tremendous opportunities for brands due to the growing trend in online shopping. Large retailers such as Nike have already begun to shift their focus to appealing to the needs of online shoppers. The cost savings achieved through DTC eCommerce is directly transferred to the consumer, which leads to people preferring DTC eCommerce brands over traditional retailers. Also, DTC eCommerce allows companies to be more adaptable and in control of their distribution. In a fast-paced world where trends are ephemeral, a digital presence is vital. Digital commerce enables DTC brands to keep up with consumer trends and gives them a significant advantage over traditional retailers. Above are just a few of the DTC eCommerce trends that represent how companies are adjusting to the post-pandemic digital world. As companies adopt these trends of sustainability, AI, and personalization, DTC eCommerce will continue to become an approach more companies will look to expand to. For more information on DTC eCommerce, check out our DTC eCommerce page here.
  Topics: companies, products, consumers, shopping, brand, seven, customer, ecommerce, direct, trends, brands, dtc.
• Shoptalk 2022 Recap: What We Heard and Saw in Vegas - Shoptalk was back in 2022, a four-day event that's has been dubbed the 'biggest retail conference of the year.' Considering the years we all spent in various states of separation, getting back to in-person events was a welcome change of pace. It was full of long-overdue meetings between old friends and colleagues in the industry, a chance to make new connections, and be inspired by the passion, dedication, and ingenuity of the players in the industry.  Elastic Path was in the thick of it, even taking over the Vegas strip. On the show floor, we enjoyed hosting some fireside chats with our fabulous customers Serena & Lily, Pella, and Deckers Brands at our booth. Our customer Serena & Lily shared some of what they are looking to accomplish in creating new customer experiences online. “Part of the fun of design and our brand is putting together a room that feels very you. We want our website to replicate the experience in our design shops, where design advisors help customers through the design process. We don’t currently have that online, so we want to create experiences that allow for that. That is a future goal for us.” Check out the full live stream here   or see how Pella is looking at establish a new direct to consumer model. “As the consumer expectation is shifting and digital is becoming more influential on how a customer learns about our products and ultimately configures and purchases, we want to be on the forefront of that by being one of the first national windows & doors distributors to have that presence and own that space online." Keep an eye out for a few others coming soon. Beyond sharing the stories of our customers, we met and heard from a variety of brands, partners, and thought leaders in the commerce space. This post will run through some key takeaways and predictions about the future of retail that were making waves at Shoptalk 2022.  What We Heard on The Show Floor The excitement on the show floor was palpable. Brands shared their challenges and latest wins, vendors demoed their latest technology, and industry experts predicted the future. Let's dive into a few common themes we heard: Composable Commerce is Here The first was that the Composable Commerce Movement is now firmly established and is here to stay. Brands have recognized the benefits of this approach by leveraging best-of-breed solutions to quickly launch and optimize brand-centric experiences. Learn more about the Composable Commerce Movement here. It is no longer a question of when it will take over as the de-facto commerce approach. Instead, some of the brands still on older monolithic architecture (all-in-one solutions) were trying to get to grips with how they could break free of the restrictions and innovate with new experiences that their customers have come to expect.  Partner-First For Commerce Success The second theme was best-of-breed partners critical to a successful Composable Commerce approach to deliver innovative experiences. These partnerships were heavily represented in two ways, first from the presence of some of our partners like Vue Storefront, Bloomreach, and Amplience championing a headless Composable Commerce approach by showcasing the experiences they were instrumental in delivering.  Along with Elastic Path, we work with our partners are crucial in powering a complete solution, like our new Pre-Composed Solution™ to deliver best-of-breed merchandising & commerce experience management.  And secondly, exciting development backing a Composable Commerce approach was seeing the litany of new technology providers that fill essential gaps in existing commerce technology stacks.  From AI vision powered solutions to create product data to live streaming partners that will be a crucial new channel in the coming years for retail brands to deliver their messages and products in a seamless and frictionless way. I would be remiss not to mention the buzz around the possibilities the Metaverse offers. Though exciting, the consensus was that it was one for the three to five-year vision. Some brands like Forever 21 & Pacsun are already experimenting with NFTs for the Metaverse. Watch this space to see how the strategies shake out and where retail is headed in the Metaverse.  Brands Are Outgrowing Monolithic Solutions A third theme was hearing from numerous brands that they struggle with their existing commerce platforms like Salesforce Commerce Cloud. To highlight three common complaints: 1. Brands are suffering from complicated catalog management due to the restrictive design of these traditional solutions. If this sounds familiar, learn how Catalog Composer  can help alleviate those ailments with a faster, easier, and infinitely more flexible solution to a core commerce capability. 2. Another common complaint from brands on traditional commerce platforms was the fear of re-platforming. We often heard, "we just re-platformed; we're not ready to do it all over again yet." Thankfully, the answer is it's easier than ever to get started on a Composable Commerce journey. You can replace the pieces causing the most headaches first and follow that up with others at your own pace. We like to call this approach "progressive re-platforming," a solution to start using highly extensible modern technology so your brand can be ready for the rapid and seismic changes the retail space will see soon.  3. The third common complaint we heard was around speed. This problem is twofold, first is the speed of adoption of new channels and experiences. Slow innovation and adoption on traditional monolithic platforms apply to both established cases (like venturing into the B2B space, new geographies, etc.) and innovation with new channels like live-streaming and eventually even into the Metaverse. With a Composable Approach, adopting these new channels is significantly more accessible since new integrations can be delivered in weeks rather than running a complicated months-long project on a monolith.    Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial The second aspect of the speed complaints is overall site speed. In traditional monolithic architecture, there are limits on the results from site speed optimizations that developers can hope to achieve. The limiting factor is often the monolithic architecture in itself. Fortunately, these performance limits do not exist with a Composable Commerce approach's decoupled architecture. To learn more about how site speed can impact your brand, check out our blog. Key Predictions About The Future Of Commerce Beyond the chatter on the floor, there were more general points of discussion on the future of retail.  1) Stores Are Back!  With much of the world emerging from the pandemic, brick-and-mortar stores are beginning to regain prominence. Some brands like Warby Parker, which started as an online-only glasses shop, now is seeing the positive impact of having physical stores. However, where these stores are delivering value is removed from traditional values like location and access to customers. An interesting theme emerged around the "influencer potential" that people in-store could have. By having store associates be a touchpoint to build the voice and identity of a brand, they can be an instrumental part of telling a brand’s story. Particularly as brand authenticity continues to gain momentum as a central pillar in positioning strategy as it resonates well with today's customers as gen Z becomes a more active part of the overall retail picture.    2) New Customers = New Expectations. Beyond the usual tropes of customers who "want it now," an exciting theme developed around delivering context-relevant solutions—for example, someone looking for a summer dress during the peaks of winter. A search like this signals the current mindset of that buyer. They are looking forward to the near future. Tomorrow's customers expect a buying journey that is relevant to that context and introduces complexity and nuance to strategies brands can adopt to provide such a buyer journey. Whether this spans multiple channels and touches, a Composable Commerce approach is well suited to solve for such complexity by empowering brands to incorporate best-of-breed personalization and content management system (CMS) vendors into their composed solution. 3) Customer Loyalty is Evolving. "Personalization is the new loyalty" was a phrase repeated in multiple sessions. What does that mean? Like the context-relevant buyer journey, providing a frictionless shopping experience relevant to an individual shopper is going to be a vital part of building customer loyalty. As customer expectations evolve, two points: personal relevance and brand authenticity, will be the key drivers of loyalty. As with most hot button issues in the commerce world, plenty of vendors offer personalization solutions that can be incorporated into your brand's Composable Commerce solution.  4) Investors are Focusing on Profits Again.  This new focus will be crucial to the success of any retail brand in the future. It is a significant shift away from recent years, where customer adoption was the main focus, and the high 'burn rates' fuel those adoption numbers being a side note. With profitability coming to the forefront, ensuring that your costs are manageable from an eCommerce perspective will be vital as brands endeavor to deliver customer-centric experiences into the future. Check out our Total Cost of Ownership guide to learn more about using a Composable Commerce approach can help reduce costs compared to traditional monolithic platforms.   Shoptalk was an exciting return to in-person events, packed with enthusiasm and innovative ideas. Is your brand ready for the future of retail?  Chat with us today to see how we can help your brand or see how our Pre-Composed Solutions™ can kick-start your Composable Commerce journey.
  Topics: retail, brands, commerce, recap, approach, experiences, future, customers, customer, brand, shoptalk, saw, composable, heard, vegas.
• Tailor Brands Review 2023: A Complete Guide to Tailor Brands - In this Tailor Brands review, we’re looking at an all-in-one platform for branding and marketing. This powerful ecosystem offers a full selection of brand design and advertising tools, so you can launch your presence online quickly and effectively. Business leaders… Continue reading Tailor Brands Review 2023: A Complete Guide to Tailor Brands
  Topics: website, online, tailor, help, brands, create, choose, access, guide, business, logo, review, complete.
• Tata to open up super app Neu to outside brands - Tata Group plans to expand the family of services it offers on its recently launched Tata Neu super app to include services from outside the Indian conglomerate group, the company’s top executive said, as the 154-year-old salt-to-software giant looks to make a dent in the consumer technology space. Tata Neu — which clubs together nearly […]
  Topics: group, super, open, brands, offerings, neu, outside, technology, firm, tata, services, launched, techcrunch, app.
• The Best Time to Post on Social Media in 2022 [Data from 300+ Marketers] - Social media is one of the best ways to amplify your brand and the great content you’re creating. But it isn’t enough to just post content to social whenever you feel like it – posting at some times performs better than others.
  Topics: best, times, marketers, social, brands, platform, media, posting, saturdays, data, post.
• The Business of Creators in 2022: What Marketers Need to Know - Content creators and the creator economy are becoming more integral to the success of marketing campaigns. Our 2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends Report found that 88% of brands have a dedicated budget for working with influencers and creators. We also found community will be a top priority for marketing strategy in 2023.
  Topics: z, content, partner, gen, brands, tiktok, need, marketers, influencers, nano, creators, know, business.
• The Creator Economy Market Size is Growing: How Brands Can Leverage It - The creator economy has seen exceptional growth over the last few years and will only grow more in the future. So, what does that mean for brands, and how can marketers leverage this booming economy? To answer this question, I spoke to a couple of HubSpot's marketing experts and researched the creator economy's size, growth, and the changes we can expect down the line.
  Topics: creators, hudson, size, platforms, market, growing, economy, creator, denhoff, million, content, brands, leverage, media.
• The Expert jumps into home goods e-commerce - The Expert, which provides video consultations with top designers, expands into e-commerce to become what co-founder Leo Seigal referred to as “Farfetch for home.”
  Topics: ecommerce, designers, seigal, jumps, brands, clients, vintage, company, goods, experts, ventures, techcrunch, expert, million.
• The Folklore Group secures $1.7 million, launches fashion B2B e-commerce platform - Fashion e-commerce startup The Folklore Group today announced a shift from direct-to-consumer to B2B wholesale against the backdrop of a $1.7 million pre-seed funding, which the startup plans to use to fuel the growth of its new business. The startup’s new wholesale business, dubbed The Folklore Connect, will link luxury fashion brands in emerging markets to […]
  Topics: group, africa, startup, launches, brands, south, sales, rasool, secures, continent, ecommerce, million, platform, retailers, folklore, fashion, b2b, techcrunch.
• The HubSpot Blog’s 2022 Instagram Marketing Trends Report - If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you’ve probably noticed that the app looks a bit different every time you log on.
  Topics: say, brands, instagram, leverage, report, trends, blogs, content, marketers, shopping, marketing, followers, effective, hubspot.
• The Myth of Headless Commerce - Headless Commerce is the buzz word that just won’t go away. So much talk about being headless evokes the image of the headless horseman for me. And so, I finally looked him up, to satisfy my curiosity about what he represents. The headless horseman symbolizes a past that never dies and continues to haunt the living. That sounds a lot like what Headless Commerce has turned into lately. Over my last several years supporting organizations and brands looking to modernize their customer experience, the first qualifier seems to be “are you headless”? But what does that really mean? When a brand asks a commerce vendor if they are “headless”, the answer will always be YES! Every eCommerce Platform available today makes a claim that they can operate in a headless manner. Let’s pause for a moment. What are brands really looking for when they are asking for headless? A read through of the past several (dozen or so) RFPs that have come across my desk indicate that organizations, whether they realize it or not, want the headless horseman. The “head” separated from the body, but still haunted by the past. What do I mean by that? Organizations want headless, ostensibly to create a more flexible and extensible commerce architecture that will support long term growth. They want more engaging experiences that drive more conversion. They want blazing fast site speed. They want a commerce architecture that will support the rapidly changing nature of commerce. But simply removing the “head” (or frontend) will not accomplish any of that. When I read an RFP asking for Headless Commerce typically what follows is a ridiculously long checklist of the features from the monolithic platform the customer is currently on. If this approach sounds familiar, then you are inviting the headless horseman into your organization. You will be haunted by a commerce architecture that’s as inflexible and rigid as it has always been. Being “headless” just isn’t enough to help brands drive revenue growth. Ready to Get Started with Headless Commerce? Discover the steps for getting started, how to implement your front-end, considerations for choosing the right platform and more with our full guide. Read the Guide So, what is the alternative? How does an organization respond to the pace of change in the market? How do you prepare for the expansion of commerce to touchpoints we haven’t even imagined yet? To fully realize the promise of ‘Commerce Everywhere’ (more on that in an upcoming post), brands should consider each part of their customer experience independently. For example, how important is search to how your customers experience your brand? If search experience is important to you, consider it independently from your eCommerce platform, against the requirements and KPI’s relevant for your organization. Do you have a large content management team that has robust requirements around driving engaging content? You won’t be able to satisfy those requirements with a built-in CMS in a monolithic commerce platform. Instead, you should consider separating your content management and your commerce platform. This ‘composable’ approach to commerce allows organizations to fit solutions to their requirements, instead of having to fit their requirements to the technology. External composability is important however, this ‘composable’ approach should also be applied to your evaluation of a Commerce vendor’s solution. While every Commerce vendor can reasonably claim to be Headless, few are truly composable. And even fewer have designed their own architecture from that same composable viewpoint. At Elastic Path our APIs are built around packaged business capabilities, each of which is easily composable both with each other and external capabilities (like search, content management, etc.).
  Topics: content, commerce, architecture, horseman, brands, composable, headless, myth, platform, requirements, experience.
• The Top 5 B2C Marketing Trends of 2023 [New HubSpot Blog Data] - Nearly 80% of marketers say their industry has changed more in the last 3 years than in the last 50, according to our most recent survey. Therefore, it's important marketers keep up with the latest trends, especially with a looming recession that is expected to be an industry-changer.    
  Topics: content, b2c, trends, shortform, marketers, brands, blog, hubspot, data, social, video, plan, marketing.
• The Top Marketing Trends of 2023 & How They've Changed Since 2022 [Data from 1000+ Global Marketers] - The marketing world moves at the speed of light.
  Topics: content, video, data, brands, theyve, changed, global, marketers, trends, social, media, seo, marketing, search.
• Top 15 Brands on Instagram, for Inspiration - Learning from top brands on Instagram can help merchants generate content ideas for their next campaign. Here is a list of top brands, including NASA, Nike, ZARA, and more.
  Topics: followers, inspiration, include, feature, highlights, videos, content, million, brands, profile, instagram, images.
• Una Brands teams up with KlickBrands to enter South Korea’s e-commerce market - Una Brands, a Singapore-based e-commerce aggregator, has partnered with South Korean peer KlickBrands to expand its footprint in South Korea.  The strategic partnership will help South Korean e-commerce brands grow domestically and make inroads into more countries in Asia. Una, one of the largest e-commerce aggregators in Asia, has already established its presence there, including Singapore, Australia, […]
  Topics: asia, koreas, techcrunch, teams, market, brands, presence, south, enter, million, una, ecommerce, korea, klickbrands.
• Valued at $50M, Body404 wants to bring Chinese indie brands to the world - Over the past few years, Shein has taken over online fast fashion by exporting affordable wear from China to customers around the globe. Its success has attracted a wave of imitators, but a startup called Body404 believes China isn’t just about cheap runway knockoffs. The country is also seeing a budding generation of cosmopolitan designers […]
  Topics: 50m, bring, brands, wants, world, valued, body404, wear, zhang, million, indie, return, designers, fashion, chinese, startup, china.
• What Is Brand Essence? 5 Examples - If you had to describe yourself in less than five words, what would you say? For people, these words are the foundation of a personality. But for companies, they refer to the brand essence.
  Topics: companys, company, examples, statement, brands, brand, identity, build, customers, essence, trust.
• What My Kids' Roblox Addiction Taught Me About the Metaverse - While business leaders are speculating about the metaverse, our kids are already living in it.
  Topics: social, z, taught, addiction, roblox, metaverse, digital, universes, brands, brand, kids, technologies.
• What Video Marketers Should Know About Creating Diverse and Inclusive Content [New Research] - Inclusive content is no longer considered a bonus for video marketers; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) is an integral component of an effective video content strategy.
  Topics: video, diversity, marketing, content, media, searches, know, dei, creating, marketers, brands, diverse, inclusive, representation, research.
• What is Product Data Syndication? - In today’s market, consumers expect flexibility and consistency in the way they shop across multiple channels and touchpoints including website, store, mobile and social. With these expectations, brands must deliver accurate and consistent product information across different sales channels. Gartner’s research shows that poor data quality costs organizations $12.9 million per year. This is because consumer’s decisions are largely impacted by rich product content coupled with a successful multichannel strategy and accurate, timely product data syndication. Product data syndication is the distribution of product data feeds across multiple eCommerce sales channels, platforms, and marketplaces while complying with each of their different requirements. Essentially, it’s the process of sharing product data across sales channels in a usable way for the specific platform. Utilizing a product information management (PIM) system with product data syndication capabilities is crucial to meeting the ever growing merchandising needs to meet consumer expectations.  Manual Processes Limit Multichannel Strategy Traditional eCommerce strategies rely on managing complex spreadsheets and codings to distribute product information across multiple channels. While this process could be effective for smaller brands with limited product data, for larger brands with complexity, you don’t have to remain in the status quo. There are more efficient ways of handling product information. Manual processes also leave room for a high chance of error, which can cost brands money down the road. Product Data Syndication Simplifies Product Information Management At Elastic Path, we continuously strive to simplify the workflow of merchandising teams in every way possible. Our Commerce PIM streamlines product information management by providing one centralized location to import, enrich, and organize product data to meet specific product experiences requirements across routes-to-market. Merchandisers are empowered to launch products to market with speed with our de-coupled architecture where products, hierarchies, and price-books are separate services, allowing for ultimate flexibility to create 10,000+ variations and build dynamic bundles and configurators. Unlike other Commerce PIMs in the market, Elastic Path Product Experience Manager (PXM) goes beyond product data syndication to centralize Commerce PIM, product merchandising and Catalog Composer capabilities to empower merchandisers to deliver dynamic, differentiated product experiences with one centralized solution. Ultimately, utilizing a PIM solution with product data syndication capabilities ensures accurate product data, brand consistency, faster time-to-market, minimal mistakes from manual errors, and gives merchandising teams the time to focus on delivering unique product experiences instead of filling in spreadsheets. We understand how challenging it can be to make a simple merchandising update if you are using a monolith platform and/or a third-party PIM. EP PXM is a solution that streamlines PIM so you don’t have to juggle multiple systems to deliver unified merchandising updates.  EP Product Experience Manager (PXM) If your brand is interested in learning more about how EP PXM is re-imagining product data and catalog management, you can try it out here. Go to EP PXM
  Topics: multiple, information, channels, way, syndication, merchandising, pim, brands, data, product.
• What is the Metaverse: What Marketers Need to Know - Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet and social media helped us connect with others during times of isolation. However, these digital spaces didn't quell our desire to explore the world — that's where the metaverse came in.
  Topics: brands, users, worlds, meta, digital, virtual, need, horizon, metaverse, marketers, know, metaverses, world.
• Where Are These Viral Social Media Platforms Now? - From TikTok to Clubhouse to Lasso, it seems like new viral social media platforms are popping up every day. Furthermore, many of the ones that were once en vogue have suddenly waned in popularity. If you’re a marketer, keeping up with these trends can be difficult but necessary in building and maintaining a strong audience.
  Topics: media, social, brands, platforms, clubhouse, users, influencer, marketing, tiktok, app, viral, twitter.
• Which Instagram Story Formats Really Engage Viewers [New Research] - In 2021, Instagram reported over 500 million users viewed Stories. 
  Topics: consumers, instagram, brands, short, marketers, example, audience, viewers, topic, formats, really, content, quiz, research, engage.
• White.Inc Raises Over $1 Million Seed Fund - The company's goal is to reach a revenue of over INR 1000 crore in the next 4 years by creating 5 to 6 differentiated D2C brands
  Topics: fund, million, d2c, ventures, reach, whiteinc, digitally, seed, entrepreneur, space, native, company, brands, raises.
• Wholesum raises $50M Series A to roll up third-party sellers on e-commerce platforms - As the boom of the e-commerce aggregator trend continues in Asia, South Korea, the fifth-largest e-commerce market in the world, is rolling up. Wholesum, a Seoul-based e-commerce aggregator, is jumping on the trend of larger firms buying up third-party merchants that would usually sell on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay. The company said Tuesday […]
  Topics: brand, 50m, global, ecommerce, south, roll, joo, platforms, raises, million, growth, techcrunch, sellers, series, wholesum, brands, thirdparty.
• Why Brands Are Taking Charge of Their Own Resale Markets - Why the new era of recommerce is seeing brands take on their own resale markets instead of leaving it to third-party apps.More
  Topics: brand, recommerce, brands, items, markets, customers, secondhand, taking, preloved, charge, resale, way, tradlands.
• Why Your Agency Needs Composable Commerce Solutions in the Mix? - Composable Commerce may have reached buzzword status, but its driving force in today’s eCommerce success stories is unrefuted. Both major and up and coming brands are adopting its approach and architecture to transform the customer experience at speeds faster than ever expected. Today’s customer demands it. As an agency it’s critical to be at the forefront of technology, with every resource at your disposal to deliver on your client’s expectations. Composable Commerce is the right now of eCommerce. Here’s why your agency should join the movement. Composable Commerce Changes the Game With the flexibility of modular architecture and the open ecosystem of vendors, brands like never before have more control of user experiences and have the ability to scale at speeds faster than ever before. One of the Big-Five publishers had outgrown ShopifyPlus, but was worried it would take too long to move to a new eCommerce platform. They migrated in only 54 days using one of our Pre-Composed Solutions™. Composability supports brands and businesses who need to pivot quickly with growing demand. And if the last two years taught us anything it’s that change is constant. Composable Commerce Supports Complex Business Requirements In the early days of eCommerce, monolith systems were the gold standard; an out-of-the-box functionality with core features in a one-size-fits-all model. But for businesses (and your potential clients) with more complex needs, this platform can’t keep up with demand when it’s time to iterate. Think of businesses with instances of “multis” – multi brands, multi geographies, multi channels, or multi catalogs. This level of complexity requires modularity; the flexibility and speed that a microservices-based, API-first approach offers without the bloat of features not needed and the slow to market speed of a monolith. (If the wheels don’t fall off first). Composable Commerce Opens Up New Partnerships and Revenue With an open ecosystem of vendors great partners lead to even greater implementations. For functionality ranging from search, tax, chat, payments, CRM, OMS, and more, you’re opening the possibilities to develop even better solutions. Through our community of implementation, solutions and tech partners, we’ve developed unique solutions for brands ready to take the first steps into composability. Composable Commerce is future-proof. Referencing the modular building block analogy, the components are meant to be swapped for better functionality. There is no locked-in vendor solution, the approach is based on a best for the business need. For your agency this means growing partner relationships and opportunity to develop unique solutions – great for your reputation as an innovator and great for your revenue to always be building better. You want to stay ahead of the game with your clients, and composability by design is built for change. Want to See How Elastic Path Commerce Cloud is Future Proof? Launch and optimize innovative experiences fast, with a modern, headless, SaaS, API-first, & microservices-based commerce platform. See the Future of eCommerce No Other Approach Brings Business and Tech Users Together Speaking of a growth mindset and the power of partnerships, another key tenet of Composable Commerce is its benefits to both business and tech stakeholders. We’ve already touched on complex business requirements and the ability to iterate at speed, but let’s take another look at what that means for the stakeholders involved. In a recent Gartner study, 84% of respondents indicated there can be more than twelve primary leaders of a digital commerce initiative. The remaining respondents cited no primary lead for a digital commerce strategy. Similar questions posed in a 2019 survey produced the same results. A shift has occurred towards a digital commerce approach of total ownership distributed across the organization. So what does that mean? A siloed environment is death to the customer experience. A friction-free customer journey starts with open communication and a shared roadmap among all teams involved. And that opens the conversation to developers, marketing, customer service, and operations teams; wherever data and customer touchpoints can be identified and streamlined in the solution. A happy customer is confident and ready to purchase. For you as an agency, happy customers lead to conversions, and conversions lead to happy clients. The Composable Commerce Approach Can Be Gradual Let’s say you have a client on a monolith commerce platform who is reticent, rightfully so, of making the switch to a more composable solution. It can be daunting for a business new to a multi-vendor solution and microservices-based architecture; especially those without an in-house dev team. The good news is they can gradually transition over one functionality at a time. Let’s say they need more self-checkout options at point-of-sale – those integrations can be made with their existing legacy system and launched quickly without disruption to the business. You can now set the stage for future implementations with total client confidence because you’re meeting the client where they are, not forcing a canned sales pitch of services they don’t need. Incredible Opportunities in Growth, Technology, and Industry Reputation It’s official – eCommerce has gone composable. It will benefit your agency’s bottom line to advocate for its adoption, but also your reputation as a thought leader and innovator. Read more about our community of Solutions and Tech partners and find out more about joining the Composable Commerce movement as a partner.
  Topics: customer, commerce, solutions, tech, needs, mix, agency, business, brands, ecommerce, platform, approach, composable.
• Why Your Brand Needs A Strong Visual Identity [+ 5 Examples to Inspire You] - Take a second to think about one of your favorite brands. A logo, storefront, color, or memorable ad campaign will likely pop into your mind. That's because a brand's visual identity is a powerful tool for telling a company's story, building customer affinity, and increasing revenue.
  Topics: company, brand, needs, inspire, customers, brands, strong, create, examples, identity, visual, visuals, logo.
• Why the Sephora x TikTok Incubator Program Is A Smart Partnership - Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.
  Topics: program, social, media, x, smart, sales, incubator, marketing, partnership, tiktok, sephora, success, brands.
• YouTube teases livestream shopping expansion with co-streams, live redirects - In recent years, YouTube has been working to transform its platform into more of a shopping destination with product launches like shoppable ads or more recently, the ability to shop directly from livestreams hosted by creators. Now, it’s furthering that investment with new features for live shopping experiences. At yesterday’s YouTube Brandcast event, where the […]
  Topics: live, costreams, techcrunch, event, teases, viewers, feature, expansion, creators, brands, shopping, livestream, platform, youtube, redirects.