 | News about digital retail commerce |  |
 | | | Looking Ahead to the New Year | | - Sheplers CEO: What's ahead for digital commerce
 | | | Bob Myers, CEO of Sheplers | Bob Myers is CEO of Western apparel merchant Sheplers. Myers has worked in the retail industry for more than 25 years and previously held e-commerce leadership positions at QVC and J.C. Penney.
Are you more optimistic or cautious about the upcoming year in e-commerce?
Optimistic. The companies that took the time to retool during the retail downturn are now starting to show significant comp improvements. The big multichannel retailers have applied meaningful resources to digital-commerce platforms and those projects are starting to wrap up. Pure-play retailers are finally monetizing all those customers they have been acquiring. The specialty retailers have made strides to better their customer relationships. And most feel last year was "the year of mobile," meaning this year we all may start to monetize it. All this and the tax cuts were extended too ...
Which trends should e-commerce companies invest in? Which should they be wary of?
There are so many innovations occurring in and around digital commerce. We have had success in keeping focus on customer-experience projects. These projects typically solve a customer barrier to entry while shopping or offer a customer solution. About half are front-end changes that customers can see, and the other half are infrastructure projects that streamline production, merchandising, shipping or marketing efforts.
One of the bigger, yet needed, investments that many companies face is replacing their current platform. Customers expect retailers to be available on multiple platforms. Retailers need to be where the customers want us to be, when they want to access our assortments. They weave in and out of multiple channels and expect a tailored view of your assortments and services based on the device or location they are shopping or using your services.
Invest in technology that enables your team to create content, merchandise hierarchy and customer solutions once and publish onto multiple sites and devices (smartphones, iPads, portals, etc. ...). Your success in digital commerce ties directly to a seamless customer experience across multiple channels. This cannot be done in silos. Retailers can no longer afford to build a process or deploy technology that can't integrate across platforms.
The best investment you could make is in "the team." As the bar raises across digital commerce, investing in your people continues to be the priority. Retaining and attracting talent is critical. Organizational cultures that promote innovation and collaboration within the four walls of their offices and, even more importantly, allow the team to explore outside the company (Shop.org, for example), will attract and retain future digital leaders.
What to be wary of: All the above being said, I am typically wary of technology investments that are only purely focused on "branding" or "social networking." Both are critical but difficult to measure the ROI. Stay focused on projects that can improve your "brand," get you involved with social commerce, allow you to monetize the interaction and acquire customers with great one- or two-year value are the way to go. What emerging technologies have the greatest potential for e-commerce next year?
First, let's define potential. About 20 years ago, I had a legendary district manager at J.C. Penney beckon me to the district office for a one-on-one meeting. It was a rare occurrence for a department manager in a store to be sent to the district office, let alone converse with the DM. He said, and I quote, "Boy, everyone around here seems to think you've got a lot of management potential. Do you know what that means?" Before I could answer, he defined what potential meant. "It means you haven't done a damn thing yet." He then told me I was to take an assignment on his district staff.
Digital retailers are starting to utilize customer solutions like shop with friends, social microsites, more advanced versions of trying on merchandise and utilizing smart devices.
Invest in technologies that help you customize the experience to individual customer segments, be it locally or globally or preferably both. This holds the biggest potential (see definition above) and is the least flushed out. Geolocation tools and international-site enablers would be on my list to watch for. | | | | |
 | eCommerce Replatforming Incentives for 2011!
Venda can help you expand internationally, manage all your commerce in one place and test new strategies like mobile and social commerce. Our transparent and efficient business model help us lower costs and provide superior ROI. Visit or call to learn about incentives for upgrading to Venda from Volusion, Marketlive, Demandware or ATG. | | Your Predictions |  | | | - How do you expect to drive growth next year?
| Redesigning our e-commerce website and making it easier to use |  32.56% | | Social sites. Expanding our brand's reach and showcasing our brand evangelists are the surest ways to drive growth |  27.91% | | Mobile apps and websites |  27.91% | | International expansion |  11.63% | - What is your social-media strategy for 2011?
| We're focused on developing our social-commerce plans | 42.86% | | We'll work on marketing via social-media sites including Facebook and Twitter | 39.29% | | We are still working on our social-media strategy and have no clear goal defined yet | 17.86% | - What are your company's international-expansion plans?
| We'll look to open e-commerce businesses in Canada and the U.K. before expanding elsewhere internationally | 40.91% | | We have no plans to expand internationally | 36.36% | | My company plans to expand in one or more non-English-speaking countries | 22.73% | - Rank priorities for your e-commerce/marketing budget.
The poll question was sponsored by Venda. | Improve existing e-commerce website | 46.43% | | Launch mobile commerce | 17.86% | | Invest in more video/rich media | 14.29% | | Launch social media/social commerce | 14.29% | | Other |  7.14% |  | |  | | | Got Mr. Roboto? Save 30% on Automated Fulfillment!
When an order is delayed, damaged or incorrect, there is immediate impact to your brand reputation and revenue. Venda delivers the speed and accuracy of robotic fulfillment technology, previously available only to larger firms. Visit Venda.com/fulfillment to schedule your Fulfillment Audit. | |  |  |  |
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