Interview with e-commerce executive Chris Muscut, providing valuable insights on retail trends and the ever-changing technology landscape.
Retail Trends: Balancing Consumer Expectations and Emerging Technologies | Podcast Episode 16
Language: Portuguese
What is ESB and is it already obsolete?
An Enterprise Service Bus, otherwise known as an ESB, is a type of IT architecture that allows multiple applications to communicate through a hub or bus-like infrastructure. What is Enterprise Service Bus and what does ESB mean for your IT integration?
An ESB integration basically establishes principles and rules that guide the communication capabilities of different applications.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Customer Experiences: Putting Your Technology Where Your Mouth Is
Delivering an exceptional, personalized customer experience (CX) requires more than a whizz-bang website and an intelligent chatbot (as engaging as these may be). The reality is that the customer experience is ongoing and forever.
Yes, the biggest hurdle is converting an initial website or store visit into a sale, but the CX doesn’t end there. It’s really just beginning.
Cloud Migration: Why It’s More Important Than Ever and How to Get it Right
Cloud migration isn’t a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. Cloud-based services have become so ubiquitous that we use them multiple times a day without a second thought. But despite the universal nature of cloud computing, what is changing is its importance in the business world.
No longer a “nice to have,” embracing cloud has become vital to enterprises’ growth, success, and ability to compete, as digital natives – companies that have never existed anywhere but the cloud – emerge and leverage new technologies and business models to disrupt the status quo.
Even though most organizations already use cloud technologies in some form, it’s still crucial to weigh the benefits of cloud migration against the risks and challenges it poses to your operations.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
What is Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration is the process of moving digital assets – data, applications, resources, and systems – to a cloud computing environment.
While we typically think of cloud migration as shifting assets from a legacy, on-premises system to the cloud, cloud-to-cloud migration is becoming increasingly common as enterprises work to reduce complexity, reduce costs, and increase the security of their systems.
Why Move to the Cloud Now?
Your company needs every weapon in its arsenal to continue growing, innovating, and thriving, and the cloud can help you scale, increase agility, grow revenue, and achieve business goals in today’s changing world.
If you’re among the rare handful of businesses that have resisted a large-scale cloud transition up to this point, you might be wondering how much it matters now. Do you really need to make a change?
Maybe your existing infrastructure is good enough – it’s kept your operations on track and your business growing. But the development of new technologies is accelerating, and the pressures organizations must be prepared to face in a post-pandemic world are increasing.
The cloud may not be a suitable environment for every single component of your technology. But your company needs every weapon in its arsenal to continue growing, innovating, and thriving, and the cloud can help you scale, increase agility, grow revenue, and achieve business goals in today’s changing world.
The Benefits of Cloud Migration
“Everyone is doing it” isn’t reason enough to tackle enterprise cloud migration. But your organization stands to gain a wide range of cloud migration benefits if you make the leap.
1. Resource Scalability
Cloud gives your organization the ability to grow as workloads evolve and demands increase. In comparison, scaling up conventional on-prem solutions means purchasing and installing new hardware, software, storage, and networking equipment.
2. Reduced IT Load
Many cloud providers take on the burden of regular maintenance and updates, meaning your (possibly overstretched) IT department can spend less time on mundane, repetitive tasks and focus on innovation.
3. Cost Savings
Cloud migration can also help enterprises reduce IT infrastructure costs. The scalable nature of a cloud environment makes it easy to right-size resources and adjust as needs change, rather than over-purchasing to ensure capacity for peak demand periods.
4. Greater Flexibility
One key lesson business leaders took from the pandemic was the importance of flexibility in surviving the unexpected. Migrating key data and processes to the cloud means your organization isn’t tied to a specific business location and can pivot quickly when conditions prevent staff from working on-site.
5. Elimination of End-of-Life Hardware Concerns
The pace of technological evolution continues to accelerate, making the life expectancy of investments in IT infrastructure shorter and shorter. Cloud migration puts the onus of updates on your service provider, freeing you from the hassle and costs of dealing with sunsetting solutions.
6. Ability to Leverage New Technologies
This cloud migration benefit goes hand-in-hand with the previous one – the rapid development of new technologies and tools means organizations with the ability to embrace new tech like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the Metaverse will have an edge over those who can’t.
Cloud Migration Risk and Challenges
The number one driver of failed or disruptive cloud migration experiences is a lack of planning. An end-to-end strategy is crucial to help mitigate cloud migration security risks, minimize disruption, and keep costs down.
Before embarking on a cloud migration journey, your organization must consider the specific requirements of any data or workloads you are moving to the cloud, identify any dependencies related to the transition and define your goals for the move. Companies that make the move without a comprehensive strategy face any number of challenges.
High Cloud Migration Costs
Cost savings is a commonly cited driver of cloud migration, but a lack of planning can leave organizations facing higher-than-expected cloud migration costs. Managing spend remains a top challenge for organizations using the cloud, and data suggests approximately 32% of cloud spend is wasted.
Vendor Lock-In
Not all cloud solutions are created equal. Cloud service providers often boast an array of services, but organizations with specific requirements must ensure their needs will be met before cloud migration begins. Signing a contract only to discover the provider can’t deliver what you need is a recipe for disappointment at best – and disaster at worst.
Security Issues
Despite the universality of cloud use, security remains a common roadblock to cloud migration. The process of transitioning digital assets to the cloud can put applications, data, and systems at risk if security threats and vulnerabilities are not carefully considered – and addressed – before migration begins.
Lack of Expertise
The development and execution of a cloud migration strategy are directly related to the complexity of your existing infrastructure. Legacy systems with multiple dependencies can be challenging to migrate, and problems can arise if your migration team doesn’t have adequate expertise in both the system you’re migrating from and the target cloud environment.
Operational Disruptions
Few, if any, businesses can afford to put day-to-day operations on hold while they undertake a cloud migration, but the downtime and delays caused by moving data and systems from existing infrastructure to the cloud can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
Digibee helps you do cloud migration right
The case for cloud migration has never been more compelling: the benefits of cloud migration continue to increase, and the downsides of resisting the transition are becoming more apparent. Let the experts at Digibee help reduce cloud migration risks and optimize your strategy.
Download your complimentary copy of The Future of Cloud Migration for a deep dive into changing migration goals and challenges, tips on measuring success, emerging use cases for cloud computing, and detailed guidance on making the move successful and pain-free.
How a Unified Retail Commerce Model is Reshaping the Industry, According to Gartner
Successful retailers are resilient, able to respond to changes in the market with agility and poise. In recent years, the role of technology has proven to be the biggest differentiator, enabling retailers to easily accommodate the unexpected, while less prepared entities simply fade away.
But with new technology and business models comes new methods in how we measure business and performance outcomes.
In a recent Gartner report, analysts examine this shift. The research emphasizes the role of strategic CIOs and other leaders in creating new, digital KPIs that measure and quantify progress, informing important decisions, and ensuring the success of the business.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Staying Connected in the E-Commerce Product Community | Podcast Episode 15
Interview with e-commerce product leader Alicia Dixon, providing valuable insights into the product management world and investing in your career.
Digibee’s iPaaS Enables Seamless Integration for Vissimo
Learn how Vissimo Group’s successful integration project through Digibee resulted in multiple benefits and added value for their customers.
Integrate faster with Digibee’s Supportive 3-Step Customer Onboarding
Getting started with your enterprise integration is a daunting task; even the process of planning your enterprise integration is a daunting task. You know it’s a big job, you know there are complex use cases to map out and consider, and you know that whatever solution you choose must be able to expand and adapt as your company grows (even if you don’t know how your company will grow!).
If your company already relies on software from companies that also offer integration tools, at first glance it may seem that staying within that software ecosystem is the simplest way to ensure a smooth customer onboarding plan, and–ultimately–a successful integration.
On the surface that may seem to be true, and we recognize that most of these large software companies offer integration platforms with very robust functionality capable of meeting the most complex user needs, but there are several challenges that need to be considered at all areas of the integration lifecycle, from building, running, monitoring (…and billing!)
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
iPaaS XL Doesn’t Fit All
Have you heard the expression “Too much of a good thing”? While at first glance the size and complexity of the big integration platforms seems like a benefit to any user, it can cause many unintended and adverse situations to arise. With a great big very complex enterprise integration partner comes a great big monthly bill AND a very complex certification process.
Barrier to Entry
Just like a buffet where you have to make sure you have a big enough appetite to get your money’s worth, when choosing your integration partner you must be sure that the usage will be high enough to offset the high price tag with sufficient integration value. Even some large corporations run the risk of spending more to integrate than they gained through integration, and this becomes more of a peril for small to medium-sized companies, that is if they can even afford the price tag to begin with!
Complex Systems Require Complex Certifications
Taking full advantage of a complex system often requires hiring developers who have specialization, or even gone through a formal certification process, to build and run it. To achieve this, a company either has to spend the time and money associated with hiring these specialized developers, or in training up their own internal developers to pass the three levels of certification before they can even tackle enterprise customer onboarding.
It is important to remember that this training will be an incurred cost going forward regardless of which route you choose. It will also make the process of replacing or augmenting your team members as you grow both slower and more expensive.
Make a Powerful First Impact with Digibee
We think it is important for companies of all sizes to begin integration, so to support this goal Digibee takes a very flexible approach to pricing with no prohibitively large cost barrier-to-entry. Instead we employ a subscription model that allows you to pay only for the integrations you use. The overall cost of Digibee is on average nearly 50% lower than the other guys, and it includes five times the number of production pipelines – easily replicated integrations made between systems – from the start, so you can realize your integration goals sooner.
At Digibee we also know that your time to value is key. We ensure your team gains mastery of the Digibee platform without sacrificing fast results through our 3-step onboarding plan:
- We Got You (we build for you)
- Together (you build with our help)
- You Got This (you build on your own)
We got you
The Digibee team delivers first integrations
Digibee Subscription
Digibee Integration Platform
Together
Digibee / Customer work together to deliver
Digibee Subscription
Digibee Integration Platform, Integration Delivery, & Empowerment
You got this
Customer is ready to create and deliver integrations
Digibee Subscription
Digibee Integration Platform & Empowerment Team
Step 1: We Got You
In our first step of client onboarding, Digibee will build up to the first set of Pipelines for our customers. By having the Digibee team hit the ground running with your first integrations you will get to see real world examples of the Digibee integration capsules in action with your own unique suite of internal tools and business needs, and give you the fastest time to market possible.
Trying us out is a low-risk decision
To ensure that Digibee really is the best integration partner for you, we complete Step 1 on any of your staging platforms even before you commit to a subscription. Your role is as simple as sharing the data flow and aiding us in the connection to your data sources.
Step 2: Together
In the “Together” phase you begin to build your own integrations with our support. We will be there to guide and educate your team both on an individual level and through the Digibee Foundations Academy portal and Workshop(s).
Not just “technically” together
At Digibee, we understand it’s important that “together” should include both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This way everyone can have an appropriate understanding of the capabilities of our integration platform to be able to best understand how to implement it in a way that meets your business needs.
Step 3: You Got This
Once your team is comfortable, you are ready to proceed with new integrations on your own. Thanks to our drag-and-drop low-code solutions, even your more junior developers will be able to learn to build, update, and run complex integrations quickly.
Digibee’s Inclusive Pricing Difference
Our subscription pricing includes several valuable bonuses that support you on your customer onboarding journey. Our support services are included in our pricing, so there aren’t any hidden costs.
Comprehensive Support
Even after your integration up and running with your own developers, we are always there for you if you need us! Digibee provides a dedicated customer success team that will help you troubleshoot and enable your team to keep getting the best results and outcomes from our integration platform-as-a-service.
Worried about monitoring for all your integrated pipelines?
Using integrated monitoring metrics and logs, our system actively supports your integration maintenance by flagging potential issues for you in real time. This helps you avoid interruptions for your customers.
Begin your Integration Journey with Digibee
With our subscription model and 3-step onboarding process, Digibee strives to make your enterprise integration as simple and cost-effective as possible.
Do you have more questions for us? Check out this resource: 5 (+1) Reasons to Choose Digibee Over a Traditional iPaaS or feel free to start the conversation and book a demo now.
The Digibee Difference: Payless Ecommerce Integration Customer Story
Delivering in less than 30 days for a Black Friday deadline, Digibee secures an ecommerce platform for a global retailer.
The Information Age of Retail: Data, Data Everywhere
Retailers are firmly on board the digital transformation train, reinventing how they do business to delight consumers with omnichannel and personalized experiences. Gone are monolithic technology stacks, replaced with agile and composable architecture models that support the success of the business today and into the future.
However, in the rush to digitize, many retailers overlook the unprecedented volumes of data these new (and existing) technologies generate. While plenty of thought is invested in optimizing the customer experience (CX), establishing how to manage the storage and analysis of so much data is often an afterthought.
In this blog post, we examine the different types of data generated within retail, the new technologies that increase the load, and the strategic importance of managing data for a healthy and profitable business.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Retail Data and Why It Matters
Retailers generate data across the entire operation, front and back. Every pick, click, and customer interaction; every SKU, sale, and shift in inventory generates more data that must be managed.
There are three categories for retail data, depending on the source:
- Structured data is organized and usually stored in a database, file, or spreadsheet. Examples include point-of-sale, inventory, product hierarchies, etc.
- Unstructured data is not organized and is saved in its native format. Examples include customer reviews, location data, tweets, pictures, hashtags, etc.
- Semi-structured data straddles both categories. It is not captured or formatted using conventional methods. However, there may be information associated with the data, such as metadata tagging. Examples include emails, XML, zipped files, etc.
Once combined, the collective is referred to as Big Data, with emphasis on the “big”.
Consider the world’s largest retailer: Walmart. The company collects 2.5 petabytes of unstructured data from one million customers every hour. Add to this the data generated by 245 million customers visiting 10,900 brick and mortar stores, supplemented with 10 active websites, and the scope of the company’s Big Data is astounding.
The collected information serves Walmart well. For example, in-house analytics systems analyze close to 100 million keywords each day to optimize bidding, factoring in millions of products and hundreds of millions of customers from a range of sources. On this single data initiative alone, Walmart has produced a 10-15% increase in online sales for $1 billion in incremental revenue.
Getting Your Data House in Order
Although few companies compete at the level of a Walmart, the need to collect and integrate data from a range of data-generating components is an absolute requirement for digital transformation, regardless of retailer size.
Enterprise integration is a critical enabler in achieving these outcomes, streamlining the collection of structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data across the operation to contribute to a Big Data collective.
A good example is Payless, an international, self-serve footwear retail chain, with almost 4,500 stores in 30 countries. The retailer implemented enterprise integration platform as a service (eiPaaS) technology to connect a new e-commerce platform within its existing retail infrastructure.
The result is a seamless flow of data to and from the system, supporting a consolidated database for better analytics and insights. With a contemporary e-commerce platform firing on all cylinders, Payless is able to provide an improved customer experience, even during surges in sales on Black Friday and other high-volume days.
With enterprise integration, retailers benefit from a rich store of ever-green data they can continually analyze to uncover meaningful insights. These include:
- Personalized customer experiences
- Trend and spend predictions
- Forecasting demand
- Pricing optimization
- Customer journey insights
New Retail Tech = More Data
Even after your data house is in order, the work doesn’t stop. More customers mean more digital interactions, spawning even more data. Most impactful is the adoption of nascent technologies, a key enabler for digital transformation initiatives.
Today, ecommerce websites and remote interactions generate the biggest share of retail data. However, brick and mortar stores have become data generators in their own right. Here are just a few examples of innovative instore technologies entering the retail domain that contribute to Big Data:
Digital & curated shopping
The Nike NYC House of Innovation store provides shoppers with an immersive, digitally powered experience including interactive geozones that are navigated by scanning QR codes via mobile phones.
(Photo credit: Nike)
The space includes a Nike Speed Shop, where customers reserve items online, then try them on and buy them in-store. Pre-selected merchandise is placed in lockers that the customers open with their smartphone.
The store also has a customization space where shoppers personalize products with the colors and features they want.
Automated checkout
Everyone’s familiar (though maybe not enthralled) with self-checkout kiosks. Automated checkout is upping the game, with computer vision, deep learning, and sensor fusion technology to automate payment and checkout.
(Photo credit: Amazon)
Amazon is an established early adopter, where customers enter a store, select items, and leave without queuing or checking out. Payment is automated via the Amazon Go app.
Inventory Analytics Robots
The adoption of new technology isn’t limited to customer interactions. Sam’s Club relies on automated powered robotics with artificial intelligence operating systems to analyze shelving units across its stores.
(Photo credit: Sam’s Club)
Data collected is used to verify pricing accuracy, confirm product locations versus the floor plan, and monitor stock levels.
Though radically different in terms of tech and use cases, all of these innovative retail technology models have one thing in common: data. And plenty of it.
Managing so many diverse data sources has become a business imperative, providing retail organizations with insights that help inform important decisions, today and in the future.
Digibee eiPaaS technology enables a resilient and agile data strategy that easily grows with your organization, regardless of size or scale. We help our customers evolve their business, leveraging Digibee’s low-code eiPaaS to integrate modern systems with existing technologies, streamlining the flow of data across the operation for a singular view of the business.
If you’re interested in how Digibee can help your retail organization, we are happy to show you how. Book your choice of a discovery call (15 minutes), custom demo (30 minutes) or a deep dive (60 minutes) to learn more.
Weir Group Successfully Integrates Global and Local Systems
Digibee provided the Weir Group with a fast, reliable, and secure integration process to support critical workflows.
Why Digital Transformation is Important and How to Make it Happen
Once dismissed as a meaningless buzzword among tech circles, digital transformation has become a high priority for organizations of all sizes, across all verticals.
The importance of adapting often-siloed legacy systems to communicate with new technologies and tools became painfully clear amid pandemic shutdowns, and the new reality of hybrid work models and digital-first business has forced even those most resistant to change to acknowledge its value.
But what is digital transformation, really?
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.