According to research from IDC, 62% of organizations surveyed said that 40-79% of their sales occur on digital commerce platforms. In addition, 45% of organizations need a digital commerce platform that is oriented to both B2C and B2B on one single platform.
But what makes matters more complicated is how challenging and complex the purchasing choices are for modern enterprisers who are required to choose between digital solutions for order management, headless eCommerce, personalization, point of sale (POS), and more, to support their digital commerce strategies.
On top of the increasing number of solutions available in the marketplace, the COVID-19 pandemic served as a major tipping point that was responsible for accelerating shopping experiences and consumer expectations. Therefore, retailers need to implement solutions that can keep up with demand and continue to satisfy shoppers.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was especially important in driving retailers to offer new and innovative shopping experiences that required new commerce-enabling applications to support hybrid models of commerce. Examples of these new experiences include BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store), marketplaces, and offerings subscriptions to customers.
Now that we’re entering a post-pandemic world, these changes brought on by COVID-19 to the digital shopping experience are here to stay. But how can brands and retailers keep up and continue to deliver innovation?
It is more important than ever for retailers and businesses to consider implementing a unified commerce solution that provides convenience and stability. But choosing the right solution can be challenging due to the complexity of purchasing choices in today’s market.
Kibo recently sponsored a new report from IDC, “Unified Commerce: An Innovative Alternative for Omni-Channel and Digital Commerce.” In this report, IDC’s researchers define a unified commerce solution as one that “provides API-first headless agility with a level of convenience and stability that rivals that of traditional monolithic digital commerce infrastructure architecture.”
Based on survey results and the findings offered in this report, IDC argues that when it comes to satisfying customer demand and keeping up with digital commerce trends, it’s important for retailers to implement a unified omni-channel platform for digital commerce.
IDC defines omni-channel commerce as “a type of multichannel approached focused on providing seamless customer experiences via a combination of virtual and real-world customer experience environments” by striving “to provide full coverage of the CX journey across all channels.”
IDC also highlights four benefits of implementing a unified omni-channel platform:
- Increased Customer Satisfaction
- Increased Sales and Traffic
- Faster Time to Market
- Software Compatibility
Taking these benefits into account in conjunction with current digital commerce trends and customer behavior is important for retailers to consider as they move forward and continue to innovate and improve on their digital commerce strategies.
For a deep-dive into current digital commerce trends, the rise of composable or “headless” models, and insight into how omni-channel platforms impact digital commerce, we encourage you to download this complimentary report from IDC to learn more.
IDC Spotlight on Unified Commerce: An Innovative Alternative for Omni-Channel and Digital Commerce
