Modern Retail: Guide to Ecommerce Technology March 2023

YOUR GUIDE TO ECOMMERCE TECHNOLOGY

The importance of customer journey testing in delivering an omnichannel experience.

How to grow more business on marketplaces

Data, partnerships, and flexibility – the keys to selling direct to consumers globally.

If at first you don’t succeed: How to revive an abandoned basket

Leveraging insight to build the online shopping journeys that will win loyalty

Why business intelligence is gold for 2023 retail

Content Editor

Holly Worthington

Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing. As Modern Retail’s Content Editor, Holly is passionate about helping independent retailers to thrive in today’s ever-changing market.

Credits

Managing Editor Rob Gamage - rob@modernretail.co.uk

Content Editor Holly Worthington - holly@modernretail.co.uk

Business Development Manager Emma Mjekiqi - emma@modernretail.co.uk

Thanks

Many thanks to all those who provided editorial content or images, helping us to compile what we hope is a useful and informative read! Please send any comments or suggestions to rob@modernretail.co.uk.

Modern Retail is published by Considered Digital Ltd (Registered Company Number 12684643). Registered office address: 39 The Metro Centre, Tolpits Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, WD18 9SB.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER JOURNEY TESTING IN DELIVERING AN OMNICHANNEL EXPERIENCE

Technology allows brands and their customers to interact in more ways than ever. Satisfactory omnichannel experiences – in-store, on social media, email, phone, app, website and more – can pay dividends in customer retention and loyalty. But, because these experiences increasingly require transcending the boundaries between physical and digital, it’s essential to rigorously test every aspect of the customer journey across all channels to ensure the quality of the experience.

Cohesive and consistent experience

Where a multichannel campaign has the potential to reach many people interacting with a brand, an omnichannel approach is designed to reach everyone that interacts with a brand during a campaign. Omnichannel can be seen as a holistic portfolio of all the ways a brand goes to market and interacts with its customers, extending across all platforms, devices, and channels to create a cohesive, consistent brand experience. By focusing on an omnichannel experience, a brand can interact with its customers where they are, fitting seamlessly into their lives, and increasing stickiness.

According to a recent global survey, shoppers are embracing omnichannel. In the UK, seven in 10 (69%) stated that, since the pandemic, they were more inclined to use omnichannel shopping options such as curbside pickup or BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store). Indeed, more than half (56%) of UK respondents said they would leave a brand that didn’t provide a safe omnichannel experience.

But with almost a third of shoppers worldwide (29%) saying they would be likely to abandon the shopping process if they encountered a bug at any point, it’s important that each touchpoint offers the same quality experience. However, retailers often believe that innovation has to involve

high tech, creating token digital experiences that add little customer value and actually introduce friction rather than alleviate it. Instead, digital experiences should be seamlessly integrated into the omnichannel journey, connecting smoothly with any physical interactions that occur. Consistency and parity are key - customers should be able to accomplish the same task whether on a company’s website, app, over the phone, or in person.

Real-world conditions

To truly understand the customer experience, brands must evaluate how easyor difficult - it is for customers to complete a task via a particular channel. It’s very difficult to replicate the same devices, operating systems and networks your customers are using in a traditional testing environment, especially given the variation across all these factors. So, it’s critical to gain access to as many different devices, operating systems, and network combinations as possible to minimize any gaps or blind spots for test coverage. The tests need to be performed by real people that reflect the customer demographic, in real-world conditions, and in the same situations as those customers. As we know, real people do not always attempt to complete tasks in the exact way the app or process was designed or intended to be used.

By testing the omnichannel experience in this way, a brand can capture valuable data about what works well, and where improvements could be made. And, while it’s important to test functional elements of an app or website, such as whether buttons work or that item quantities and payment methods can be adjusted, UX research is also essential. Unlike the pass/fail methods used in functional testing, assessing the UX of an omnichannel journey requires brands to explore more subjective territory and capture data which focuses on user

“...more than half (56%) of UK respondents said they would leave a brand that didn’t provide a safe omnichannel experience.“

“Consistency and parity are key - customers should be able to accomplish the same task whether on a company’s website, app, over the phone, or in person. “

expectations, preferences, and sentiment. The aim here is to collect unbiased feedback with clear recommendations on how a brand can make customer-first decisions, and build experiences its target audience will enjoy. It’s necessary, for example, to understand how different customers experience the same journey, and to identify friction points that could lead to customer abandonment.

Only by testing in the real world, across all touchpoints and locations, and a broad spectrum of devices, operating systems, and network combinations, can a brand effectively gather feedback about the various aspects of its omnichannel experience.

Enter the metaverse

Retailers are making significant investments in meeting the current and future needs of their customers. Increasingly popular digitalfirst strategies, in which the customer is front and centre, will become more valuable as the burgeoning metaverse becomes more widely adopted.

Promising an environment where our physical and digital personas merge into a seamless virtual experience, the metaverse represents exciting new shopping opportunities for retailers and their customers. But, as they invest in

metaverse experiences, retailers have to understand that consumers will engage with their digital world in an entirely new way –seeking new sensations and interactions. These experiences must therefore engage customers to an even higher degree than those already offered by retailers. Guaranteeing a high-quality customer experience is crucial.

Retailers today need to cater to the different ways that shoppers move across different channels. A customer might research a product on a tablet using the retailer’s mobile website over public wi-fi, check local availability, use their laptop to order for in-store collection, and then pick up the order using the retailer’s mobile app. At every touchpoint – whether online, on mobile, or in-store – the experience must flow smoothly. The metaverse is only set to expand the number of touchpoints and device options. So, however they interact, now and in the future, real-world testing, using real people, in real situations, is therefore key to ensuring an enjoyable, frictionless omnichannel journey for every customer.

Contributor:

Carlton Retland, Principal Solutions Engineer Applause

HOW TO GROW MORE BUSINESS ON MARKETPLACES

With brands and retailers paying up to 30% margin for selling on marketplaces, they cannot afford any mistakes in how they present, promote and fulfil their products, says James

Barlow, Regional Director UK&I at Akeneo.

Contributor:

James Barlow, Regional Director, UK&I Akeneo

95% of customer journeys occur across multiple channels, and the sheer number of channels has only increased since then with the use of social channels for both search and ordering.

For many brands, marketplaces are an important channel and becoming even more so as they look for growth opportunities, that are constrained at home, and abroad. According to Forrester, globally, 47% of ecommerce sales were made through online marketplaces (dominated by Amazon) in 2020 and this is predicted to rise to 66% in 2022. In 2020, this business was worth $2 trillion and there were 53 marketplaces that could boast more than one million visits a month. Be STF reckons marketplaces be worth as much as $8.745 trillion by 2025. Marketplaces are also important to brands during the all-important peak periods. According to Sensormatic’s Peak trading 2022 B2C Shopper Sentiment Survey, of those shoppers buying online over Christmas 2022, more plan to use

marketplaces than those who will buy direct from retail brands; 65% said they planned to shop on online marketplaces, such as Amazon, over Christmas vs 54% who said they would buy direct from retailers’ websites.

It is common to see inconsistencies in the way products are displayed between marketplaces and other channels, including product descriptions, images, availability and fulfilment. Marketplaces are part of an ecosystem of search and purchase channels. MyCustomer reported four years ago that 95% of customer journeys occur across multiple channels, and the sheer number of channels has only increased since then with the use of social channels for both search and ordering. There are many reasons for these inconsistencies. One is that the

marketplace business is run by a dedicated team that is rightly concerned only about the performance of their particular channel. Another is that the interfaces, catalogues and general functionality are all built at different times, and not necessarily using the same tools, so integration is often partial or missing altogether. Integration is key to meeting the needs of the customer who thinks not in channels but in purchase outcomes.

Right now, this is costing retailers sales conversions, traffic and the chance of building loyalty, as customers have rightly come to expect to see the same details and offer whatever combination of channels they may be using as part of a single purchase.

Key to fixing the problem is a single product information and experience management system able to manage products across multiple marketplaces, and indeed any other channel and customer touchpoint to ensure not only consistency but ease of use, so that new products and deeper product data can be added quickly to take immediate advantage of market opportunities.

The process must start with an understanding of what shoppers want. Their experience of products will

heavily affect the journey they take and the likelihood of them purchasing, remembering that ecommerce conversion rates run between 1% and 4%. Akeneo’s own research in its 2022 B2C Global Survey found that 2 out of 3 shoppers will abandon a purchase due to a bad product experience.

A good experience demands that the product Is accurate, complete, images are matched to description and description matched to product, and this is not just about rescuing a sale but growing sales. This is even more important for categories such as food where consumers’ health, safety, and well-being are all concerned. Product information may well be mandated in law so, aside from customer experience, cross-channel inconsistencies may be cause for action against the brand.

Product experience is about growing as well as holding onto sales. The Akeneo research shows that 45% of shoppers would pay more for products if the product experiences were good and product information was complete and of good quality, while 61% would pay up to 10% more for products that had better product data.

Marketplaces are not only growing but their shape is changing – they are acquiring more and more brands, and new hybrids are emerging from social media and tech. This is potentially a threat to brands with the risk that they lose control. Product experience is core to ensuring they maintain control and manage their own destiny in this changing environment, even to the extent of launching their own marketplaces, which we are starting to see more and more.

DATA, PARTNERSHIPS, AND FLEXIBILITY :

THE KEYS TO SELLING DIRECT TO CONSUMERS GLOBALLY.

Picking the right option for engagement is an important element in your global expansion strategy, and that depends a great deal on understanding the market in each territory, says Martim Avillez Oliveira, Chief Executive Officer of ESW – Europe and UK, and tailoring your response according to your strengths.

Planning starts with deep data analysis to reveal the opportunities. As a result, brands may well have to re-evaluate their regional growth priorities and then tailor their strategies to both the geographies in which they operate as well as those they plan to go after.

Contributor:

Martim Avillez Oliveira, Chief Commercial OfficerEMEA, ESW

The global economy is in a volatile state as a result of a unique set of factors - the highest inflation in a generation, rising geopolitical tensions, climate crises and sinking consumer confidence in anticipation of an economic downturn. Brands will therefore have to plan carefully if they are to navigate the many uncertainties and recessionary risks that lie ahead in 2023.

Planning starts with deep data analysis to reveal the opportunities. As a result, brands may well have to re-evaluate their regional growth priorities and then tailor their strategies to both the geographies in which they operate as well as those they plan to go after.

Data analysis will also help brands meet the needs of consumers whose spending behaviours have changed with increasing demand for resale, rental and off-price goods. Brand executives will need to adapt their current business models in ways that protect customer loyalty and avoid diluting their brands.

In the face of these challenges, retailers will need to consider the best form of engagement in each territory, ranging from a hands-off approach afforded by licensing to greater control provided by the owner/operator model.

The experience of US brand, and ESW partner, American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) provides useful lessons on which direction is right for you, as Valerie de Charette, American Eagle’s vice

president of international digital set out at NRF in New York in January.

AEO recognised the value of selling direct to consumer (DTC) across geographical borders and made the decision to be present wherever the customer is, whether through physical or online channels by creating a model of expansion appropriate to each territory. During this session, AEO shared its keys to a successful global expansion strategy - first, ensure a synchronised and unified brand voice through playbooks and global processes that serve each business function. Second, have a solid team structure in place so that all partners globally have functional points of contact and single points of contact for each region; and most importantly, build flexibility in general strategy, product design, pricing, assortment, and channel strategy.

That flexibility sees AEO leverage its US platform in some markets and in others, end-to-end partners that are composable and flexible. Working with ESW, AEO built a hyper-localised commerce experience to deliver an online experience that met the brand promise to their shoppers. The solution included full-site builds for multiple countries featuring localised pricing and promotions, market-specific content and languages, optimised payments and local acquiring, country targeted online marketing, logistics management and advanced returns and exchanges.

This approach allows AEO to give the customer in each country exactly what they want. It takes care to show up where the customer expects them to be and that includes, more recently, social shopping channels.

In terms of the human resources on the ground in each territory, AEO looks for people that understand that the company’s brand values are rooted

in being authentic, being real and ensuring customers feel comfortable to be themselves in their clothes. This demands quality training to carry out the brand’s values no matter where the expansion takes place.

Ultimately, it is critical to avoid copying and pasting a plan, playbook or strategy from one market to another. It’s better to enter each new market with

the inbuilt flexibility to respond to a constant stream of new and different ideas – giving customers an opportunity to immerse themselves into the brand world, wherever they may be, while enjoying a fully localised commerce experience.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED: HOW TO REVIVE AN ABANDONED BASKET

There’s no doubt basket abandonment is a common gripe for retailers. According to the Baymard Institute, almost seven out of every 10 (68.8%) digital baskets are abandoned. Even after going through the (sometimes) lengthy process of seeking out a product they like the look of, the vast majority of shoppers ultimately decide — for whatever reason — against making a purchase.

For all retailers, abandonment is a constant source of frustration, but for brands in the luxury sector, the figures are even starker, with Statista suggesting a staggering 87.93% of high-end baskets are abandoned. Fashion, which sees 87.79% of baskets abandoned, isn’t far behind.

a staggering 87.93% of high-end baskets are abandoned. Fashion, which sees 87.79% of baskets abandoned, isn’t far behind.

Contributor: Cian Agnew, Executive Director, Client Partnerships, Wunderkind International

Some estimates suggest that around $4.6 trillion worth of items are left unpurchased in online shopping baskets every year. To put that colossal number into some context, only three countries in the world — the United States, China and Japan — have an annual GDP that exceeds that figure.

For retailers, an abandoned basket perfectly epitomises the phrase ‘so near, yet so far’. Getting so close to making a sale and missing out at the last minute can be both disheartening and perplexing. Why would someone go so far down the funnel and then refrain from hitting the buy button? What went wrong? What could we (the brand) have done differently?

Certain tactics might encourage more people to buy at the first time of asking — one-click purchasing, for example — but they won’t eradicate abandonment entirely. The real key is giving the basket a second lease of life.

To buy or not to buy?

It’s a question commonly asked by exasperated outlets: why do so many people

get cold feet just before they enter their card details?

As it turns out, there are numerous reasons. The most common is a shopper simply not being ready to commit to a purchase. Around 60% of people admit that, in the last three months, they’ve abandoned a cart for this very reason. It’s a prevalent behaviour.

Other frequently cited reasons for abandonment include additional costs (shipping, for example) being too high (46% of respondents), estimated delivery time being too slow (22%), not trusting the site with their card information (18%), and the process taking too long (17%).

Constantly seeking to enhance the overall shopping experience and being transparent about costs/delivery estimates can go a long way to alleviating some of these problems, but what about those who don’t have obvious issues that can be solved? How can businesses get the 60% of people who abandon baskets because they’re not ready to buy to go through with the purchase?

It starts, as is so often the case in retail, with harnessing data.

Bring the shopper back

Once you’ve got a site visitor to hand over their email address or phone number — generally as part of a value exchange — you can better understand what they like — in terms of products and marketing — and how they like to be communicated with. However, to really benefit from this data, you’ll need to utilise the right technology to monitor the products/categories a customer is looking for and looking at; by doing this, you’ll be able to remarket to them via your owned channels — email and text — which will keep them engaged, and get them to convert further down the line.

There’s also the matter of personalising the approach. You have to consider what will convert a hesitant shopper into one that’s ready to buy, what messaging will resonate, and how you can reach out in a way that’s tailored and — crucially — appreciated.

So, how exactly do you get those people who’ve given you their data to come back to your website? Here are a few of the ways we find to be most effective.

Abandonment

Abandonment emails are the highestconverting emails a brand can send. They’re highly personalised — they showcase products or pages the recipient has already shown an interest in — and they can, if you’ve got the right data, be timed to perfection. If used at the right time, and they’re designed to give both the shortest path to conversion and a superior customer experience, abandonment emails can easily account for 6-8% of a brand’s total digital revenue.

Emails triggered by a category, product or basket abandonment can also give brands a chance to showcase other, specially-selected pages or items, thereby encouraging the customer to continue discovering what you’ve got to offer.

With regard to timings, it’s generally effective to deliver a first reminder email to the shopper’s inbox 30 minutes after they’ve popped an item into a basket and subsequently abandoned it, then another one 24 hours later if they’ve yet to convert. These timings are, however, far from set in stone: what works well for one brand won’t necessarily be as impactful for another, so there’s certainly room to change it up.

Stock change

We tend to focus on two types of stock change emails – back in stock, and low in stock. If someone has shown interest in a sold-out item and they’ve now got another opportunity to grab it, or it’s on the verge of selling out, an email or text letting them know is going to be valued. Not only will they appreciate the reminder, but they’ll likely be pleased to receive a message that’s so directly tailored to them and has their particular interests at heart.

Price drop

Price drop emails and texts are sent — you’ve guessed it! — when products a user has previously expressed interest in a drop in price or become part of, for example, a buy-one-get-one-free deal. This obviously benefits the customer, but it will also help you clear your warehouse of excess stock;

this approach can help you capture early sale conversions before the cost of remaining items drops further.

It doesn’t end with abandonment

Understanding the behaviour of customers, knowing how they like to be communicated with, recognising what, beyond the product itself, compels them to buy (discounts, free shipping, loyalty points), and discerning when they’re likely to be receptive to messaging, is central to transforming deserted baskets into active ones.

Being able to do this effectively requires the gathering of first-party data, and it necessitates having customer buy-in. This is crucial when it comes to recognising website visitors, understanding their actions, and ultimately reminding them of products they’ve either come close to buying or have shown interest in.

Hit them at the right time, with the right messaging, and via the right channels, and you’ll be able to sell more, all while building a robust, personal relationship with your customers. What’s not to like?

LEVERAGING INSIGHT TO BUILD THE ONLINE SHOPPING JOURNEYS THAT WILL WIN LOYALTY

User path analysis (UPA) may not sound exciting, but it is critical to enabling brands and retailers to win and retain customers, says Jason

Smith, VP UK & Europe at MoEngage.

The journey that consumers now take with their favourite brands has become more unpredictable and more complex in the past two years. And the mix of channels they use has changed; for instance, consumers like email, email is back and email is important, but bottom line, they prefer mobile.

The move towards mobile has been on the cards for some time, even back in the early 2020s we were already sensing that mobile would eventually overtake email as consumers’ preferred communications channel in their buying journeys, but the global pandemic accelerated this mobile shift and we have seen adoption and preference for mobile boom.

Our data shows that pre-pandemic, a third (32%) of consumers ranked email as their preferred way to communicate with retailers and brands, but now as the pandemic is easing, only 20% said email communications were their preferred engagement method. This is compared to the 22% who said mobile was their top choice, rising +9 percentage points higher than compared to pre-covid levels.

Demand for brand engagement via social platforms from shoppers also increased by +5 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels, rising to 19% of consumers who said social media interaction was their preferred medium on which to communicate with brands. This also shows that consumers want to take more control over their shopping experiences and brand interactions, rather than having it served to them pre-baked, and have it personalised to them.

The growth in mobile phone use, the great enabler of a self-managed experience, supports these trends; Gartner estimates that smartphone sales grew 11% globally in 2021, and sales through mobile or m-commerce are expected to reach in excess of £92.17 bn next year. Add social commerce to this, as Accenture suggests it will grow three times as fast as traditional commerce by 2025, or $1.2 bn, and the opportunity for retailers is huge.

What this all means is that mobile sits at the heart of shoppers’ buying journeys and changes where and when consumers interact with brands. But email remains an integral part of brands’ omnichannel customer engagement strategies, especially as shopping journeys become even more blended, across a greater mix of multiplechannel touchpoints.

And that blending is important because it gives mobile a broader set of roles under the banner of communications – from initial

Demand for brand engagement via social platforms from shoppers also increased by +5 percentage points compared to pre-pandemic levels, rising to 19% of consumers who said social media interaction was their preferred medium on which to communicate with brands.

search all the way through the transaction and beyond to service, sharing and support. And it will be important for retailers and brands to understand just how important it is that there is consistency and connection across all these activities; put simply, retailers can’t afford not to join up the dots in a consumers’ omnichannel paths to purchase.

Yet, at the moment, retailers are not getting this right, as research shows that one in three (27%) European shoppers said their biggest frustration when it came to brand engagement was inconsistent messages across channels, while a further 28% said poorly personalised, irrelevant communications were their top bugbear.

Achieving consistency depends on the retailer having a single view of the shopper in a single database from which User Path Analysis can be built to determine the next best action to grow customer retention, lifetime value and loyalty. A unified, 360-degree view of the shopper also enables retailers to make communications relevant and personal, whatever channel is being deployed. But they must also be simple so that customers know how to engage across the journey.

Managing this depends on optimising customer communications through a single platform that centralises, optimises, and analyses customer interactions across different touchpoints, and can map the

user path for simpler analysis and, most importantly, action. Once the basics are being managed, it then becomes easier to move beyond acquisition to retention, growth and cross-sell/upsell.

Brands can also streamline their workflows and automate repetitive tasks, thus enabling the customer service teams to focus on long-term customer engagement and growth, as well as collaborate with other departments using shared goals and views of data.

Contributor:

Jason Smith, VP UK & Europe at MoEngage

“The move towards mobile has been on the cards for some time, even back in the early 2020s we were already sensing that mobile would eventually overtake email as consumers’ preferred communications channel in their buying journeys”

WHY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE IS GOLD FOR 2023 RETAIL

To maximise their online potential, retailers have focused on getting their data ‘in order’ and prioritising integration and omnichannel strategies to harness their data stored in different locations. But the greatest challenge for ecommerce leaders in 2023 and beyond is to generate remarkable outcomes for their businesses using this data.

The most progressive brands are already implementing data-first strategies with business intelligence as a central component, to gain more insights from their data which brings them closer to customers, boosts sales and that priceless customer loyalty.

Taking the guesswork out of ecommerce

In accessing the very best analysis for their business data, brands that have access to this layer of business intelligence to optimise operations and customer experience have more certainty in their ecommerce decisions that can only build success.

The advent of ecommerce was the first time in history that science could be applied to every step in the retail chain. In physical retail, consultancies were engaged to judge footfall, observe shopper behaviour, make suggestions around till placement, and more. In an ecommerce environment, every metric from customer acquisition through to conversion rates can be tracked with the right technology.

In fully understanding product and customer data through business intelligence, brands can build seamless experiences that enable more rapid sales, increase basket sizes, incentivise repeat purchases, improve stock management and reduce returns, as well as build resilience for the biggest peaks in the retail calendar.

Put simply, business intelligence shifts retailers away from the basic model of taking, processing and shipping orders to one which uses data from transactions and interactions intelligently to add huge value.

What is Patchworks BI?

Patchworks BI (business intelligence) offers retailers next-level data-driven intelligence by identifying trends to enhance business processes. It is a secure, fully hosted and managed Reporting as a Service (RaaS) solution, managed by a dedicated team of

BI analysts and data engineers. It offers fast-growing ecommerce brands superior analysis for their business data. The tool optimises data-driven customer journeys and helps develop intelligent strategies that meet the expectations of increasingly techsavvy and socially conscious consumers, driving revenue and growth.

The business intelligence solution aggregates data already flowing between ecommerce systems such as Adobe Commerce, commercetools, BigCommerce, Shopify or WooCommerce, back office systems such as Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Linnworks, Brightpearl, SAP, SEKO, Bleckman, Veeqo, and Peoplevox, marketplaces like TikTok, Mirakl or The Edge by John Lewis and physical retail systems such as Lightspeed, Sitoo, Cybertill and EposNow. By harnessing this data retailers are empowered with a wealth of insights across different business areas in a clear, engaging way. Built upon the Microsoft Power BI platform with data hosted in a cloud-based data warehouse, Patchworks leverages the Microsoft ecosystem for a trusted performance that’s secure and scalable.

Optimising ecommerce outcomes

Able to be set up in hours, Patchworks BI offers fast, accurate, and meaningful data insights through a suite of reports developed by experts. For instance, its sales analysis gives insight into returns and discounts for

accurate sales figures to understand what’s selling well but has a high rate of return - or the best and worst performing products. Advanced inventory management metrics can inform brands what is and isn’t working in their supply chain to optimise fulfilment. By rapidly generating reports including order management, inventory management, and advertising and marketing, BI allows ecommerce, marketing and customer excellence decision-makers to be truly dynamic, empowering them to deliver for customers’ evolving expectations and to make quick and informed decisions that impact the bottom line.

With three product tier options - Standard, Professional, and Enterprise - the product suits businesses at any stage in their analytics journey and can scale as the business evolves. Professional and enterprise tiers offer a more advanced multi-user approach, adding daily alerts, and regularly refreshed data several times a day for the most accurate figures.

The fully scalable BI solution works optimally alongside Patchworks’ integration platform as a service (iPaaS), the most advanced secure integration for hundreds of popular ecommerce systems and apps. Brands can take control of their data, by building complex but seamless data flows between an ever-increasing array of core systems.

The benefits of business intelligence

Patchworks BI offers fast, accurate, and meaningful data insights that allow retailers to make intelligent retail decisions, based on their data, to evolve and compete in a rapidly changing retail landscape - it takes the guesswork out of ecommerce.

In accessing the very best analysis for their business data, brands that have access to this layer of business intelligence to optimise operations and customer experience have more certainty in their ecommerce decisions that can only build success.

Contributor: Jim Herbert , CEO at Patchworks