Solutions > Industry Solutions > Ecommerce

Retailers are facing disruptive changes in how the web works and how consumers want to engage, shop and buy. What's emerging is a new internet that is increasingly made up of building blocks of content and functionality, where retailers seamlessly and easily integrate new user-centered capabilities directly into their sites, and distribute content and functionality to other sites on the web. The fastest growing online retailers are following these new rules -- which we call the Assembled Web -- and outpacing rivals still stuck in the old, siloed web. Many retailers seek to embrace these ideas yet lack knowledge of their options. New approaches are now available that enable retailers to plug in new capabilities without complex integrations or re-platforming. We help our clients figure out their plan of attack and efficiently assemble compelling solutions. Learn more in our Assembled Web for Ecommerce Whitepaper.

New Ecommerce Concepts

Many retailers are investigating new ecommerce concepts (e.g. social shopping, private event retailing) to move the needle more than the 1,001^st tweak to the current email or landing page. To help retailers assess their options, Optaros recently completed a broad survey of social ecommerce capabilities and categorized them by retailer adoption rates. The survey results are presented in the 2009 Social Ecommerce Guide, with adoption rates reflected by categories: baseline, strategic and visionary.

Ecommerce Plug-ins

Optaros Ecommerce Plug-ins enable retailers to add high priority new features such as drop down carts, 1 page checkouts and quick view modals to their ecommerce site without re-platforming. Learn more about Ecommerce Plug-ins

Digital Merchandising

A key to succeeding online is being able to rapidly merchandise product content and images, especially during turbulent holiday and sales periods. Unfortunately, many retailers are hampered by days-long processes to move images, samples and product descriptions through an approval process that is only supported by spreadsheets, email and note pads. Poor online merchandising leads to lost sales, low customer satisfaction and large operating costs. A Digital Merchandising system is key to a successful web channel. Contact us to learn more.

Re-platforming

Most retailers’ ecommerce systems have evolved over time through custom development. They represent years of “band aids upon band aids,” with a homegrown architecture that is inherently rigid and unsuitable for the new generation of online retailing, where the ability to quickly introduce an endless variety of innovations is crucial.

Those retailers that successfully implement a more agile system will have a significant competitive advantage. Unfortunately, too many retailers are unaware of a new option that assembles an ecommerce platform from software services to provide desired storefront flexibility and business agility. Most retailers already use this concept for some elements of their platform (e.g. PayPal or Scene 7 for image management). What’s new is that it’s now possible to assemble a complete platform using a services-based approach. Learn more about Agile Ecommerce