It’s a fact, change drives innovation. The 1980s saw the rise of ERP with CRM emerging in the 2000s. 20 years later and we’re now witnessing the advent of a new technology paradigm: product-to-consumer (P2C) management.
The defining moment in commerce
Ecommerce is still outgrowing physical retail at an incredible rate. The defining moment for ecommerce came when Amazon overtook Walmart as the largest retailer in the USA. It’s now crystal clear that every brand, retailer, and digital marketplace supplying goods has to integrate online and in-person channels.
The rise of commerce anarchy
The problem for many businesses is that they simply don’t have the level of dedicated resources they need to implement this integration. To make matters worse, we’re seeing an exponential rise in complexity – which we call commerce anarchy.
Let’s take a simple example
Say you’re a conglomerate of beauty brands active in 40 countries. What makes more sense: Trying to build a single presence on a social media channel, or opening 40 individual accounts? Imagine you have 30 brands across these 40 countries, do you then run 1200 accounts?
Then consider that you’re not only facing these challenges on one channel, but across multiple platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube. Not to mention the major retargeting platforms Criteo and AdRoll or price comparison sites like Shopping.com, Idealo, etc. It’s easy to see why commerce anarchy is probably the most pressing issue businesses face today.
New report coming at just the right time
I’m really pleased to be introducing our report at this time. It reveals the findings from a survey of 750 senior decision-makers involved in managing product information at organizations spanning 16 countries and 24 industries. You’ll discover their views on the current state of ecommerce, their tech, and their ability to compete. We can also reveal their take on the ability of P2C management solutions to support long-term success.
Facing up to a real and present danger
The report offers profound insights into current awareness around commerce anarchy and the root causes of the phenomenon. It also gives readers the means to overcome it. I believe it makes essential reading simply because commerce anarchy poses a real and present danger to every brand, retailer, service provider, and marketplace out there.
It’s a game with very high stakes
The stakes are high. Errors can result in real damage to brand, product, or vendor reputations. Nowadays, a single, tiny mistake can have huge implications. An unflattering product image, the incorrect price point, or an inaccurate description, all risk stifling sales and burning hard-earned consumer loyalty, revenue, and profit.
This research shows how the wrong approach to product information value chain management is costing organizations a significant proportion of their revenue and profits every year. The overwhelming majority of respondents were also concerned that commerce anarchy is inflicting reputational damage on their brands.
The results are a real eye-opener
You’ll discover that most companies are concerned with the consistency of the product information flowing through their current tech stacks, which might explain why only a tiny percentage feel confident about competing with hyperscalers over the next three years. Yet, at the same time, a surprisingly small number of decision-makers feel they need to rethink their current strategy
As you’ll be surprised to read, the report further reveals a severe misalignment between the perceptions of decision-makers and front-line managers in terms of approaches and technologies.
The role of product-to-consumer management
P2C management can enable you to gain control over the shopper experience as it expands into ever-more complex, fragmented, and extended markets. As you’ll read in the report, the respondents concur that P2C management will deliver a wide range of benefits.
An essential platform makes for essential reading
All of the reasons above are why I believe this is not just the most important operating model for brands, retailers, service providers, and marketplaces need to turn to - it’s the only one. This is why our latest report is essential reading for anyone working in commerce and dealing with product information value chains. I hope you find it helpful.