A decade ago, digital commerce was still in its nascent stages. Retailers had limited solutions at their disposal, and technologies like IoT and AI were just budding concepts, with most retail sales still happening at physical stores rather than online sales.
Then came the digital transformation powered by various new technologies. Mobile devices took off, dramatically altering business systems and consumer shopping habits. Innovative companies pioneered exceptional digital commerce experiences, raising the bar for customer expectations industry-wide.
For the first time in history, leading solution providers began developing integrated cloud suites in digital commerce. However, these early solutions posed a dilemma for retailers: should they prioritize site performance or customer journey?
Fast forward to today, the trade-off is no longer necessary. Digital commerce teams can now enjoy scalability, functionality, and innovative site experiences without compromise. This blog explores everything you need to know about digital commerce and explains how a digitally targeted approach can give you a competitive advantage to attract new customers, increase sales and improve customer lifetime value.
What is Digital Commerce?
Digital commerce enables purchasing and selling goods and services via online marketplaces. It is a broad term that encapsulates all activities related to creating a seamless online shopping experience across various digital channels, including mobile commerce, social commerce, and digital marketplaces.
Here’s a snapshot of the timeline of e-commerce evolution.
The origin of digital commerce can be traced back to the 1960s with the invention of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a system that lets businesses swap traditional mail and fax communications for digital devices. However, the idea of online shopping as we know it today didn’t come about until 1979. This was when Michael Aldrich from the UK made a groundbreaking move by linking an updated home TV to a real-time transaction processing computer via a telephone line. This innovation marked the dawn of a new age in commerce – the origin of electronic shopping.
The first commercial transaction made online was the sale of a Sting album by NetMarket in 1994. Since then, digital commerce has evolved rapidly, with companies like Flipkart and eBay setting new standards in the industry.
Digital commerce can be broadly categorized into two types: passive and active. Passive commerce involves automated processes where transactions occur without much interaction, such as subscription services. On the other hand, active commerce requires multiple interaction points and continuous engagement with customers, like personalized and dynamic shopping experiences.
The Three Pillars of Modern Digital Commerce
Modern digital commerce is all about responding to customer needs in near real-time. It involves tracking the customer throughout their shopping journey, from the moment they land on your platform to the point of purchase and beyond.
This customer-centric approach of digital commerce requires a robust platform built on three main functionalities: Agility, Customer Centricity, and Innovation.
- Agility refers to the capability to adapt to shifts in customer behavior promptly. An agile platform can rapidly introduce new features, modify pricing strategies, and react to customer feedback. This adaptability enables businesses to remain competitive and meet the changing expectations of customers.
- Customer Centricity refers to understanding customer preferences and behaviors and tailoring your offerings accordingly. A customer-centric platform provides personalized shopping experiences, enhances customer engagement, and builds long-term customer loyalty.
- Innovation is the driving force behind the ongoing evolution of digital commerce. Innovative platforms leverage cutting-edge technologies like AI and big data to enhance various business operations, from inventory management to customer service. These platforms constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible in digital commerce, offering unique features and services that set them apart from the competition.
Why is Digital Commerce Important?
Modern digital commerce has become indispensable for retailers across various industries for several reasons:
Offering the Best Customer Experience
Digital commerce platforms elevate the customer experience by providing unparalleled convenience and personalization. User-friendly interfaces streamline the shopping process, while tailored recommendations ensure that customers find what they need effortlessly. Additionally, the 24/7 availability of digital platforms empowers customers to shop at their convenience, enhancing overall satisfaction.
Increasing Revenue and Margin
Digital commerce opens substantial opportunities for revenue generation and market expansion. Online platforms enable businesses to reach global markets, transcending geographical boundaries without the need to set up brick-and-mortar stores.
Online self-serve shopping and efficient inventory management further minimize errors and require fewer employees to manage operations, customer service, and administrative tasks, leading to cost savings.
Remaining Competitive
Retailers require a robust digital commerce strategy to stay competitive. Digital platforms allow businesses to respond swiftly to market trends and consumer demands, offering aggressive pricing and maintaining an edge over competitors. By leveraging digital commerce, businesses can stay relevant and meet the evolving user needs for long-term success.
Ensuring Personalization for Customers
Digital retailers and commerce leaders use machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to combine first-, second- and third-party data, to deliver personalized recommendations and targeted marketing, creating tailored shopping experiences that resonate with individual preferences. This level of customization enhances customer satisfaction and drives loyalty and repeat business.
Driving Business Growth
Digital commerce offers scalability and efficiency that traditional commerce cannot match. As businesses grow, digital commerce systems can scale seamlessly, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptation to market demands. This growth potential is crucial for retailers aiming to stay ahead in competitive markets.
Business Models in Digital Commerce
Digital commerce has paved the way for the following business models, each catering to specific types of transactions and customer needs:
- B2B (Business to Business): It involves transactions between businesses. Online platforms like Alibaba.com have become a vital tool for businesses to sell products or services to other businesses, offering efficiency and scalability that traditional methods cannot match.
- B2C (Business to Consumer): This form of digital commerce focuses on transactions between businesses and individual consumers. Digital platforms like Flipkart facilitate direct sales, improve customer reach, and offer personalized shopping experiences, making shopping convenient and enjoyable for consumers.
- C2C (Consumer to Consumer): It involves transactions between consumers, often facilitated by third-party platforms like eBay. These platforms offer a marketplace for customers to trade and exchange goods directly with each other, democratizing the commerce landscape.
- C2B (Consumer to Business): In this type of digital commerce, consumers sell products or services to businesses. Digital platforms like Upwork have enabled consumers to offer their skills or products to businesses seeking them, reversing the traditional business-to-consumer model.
Challenges in Digital Commerce
Implementing digital commerce strategies can be complex and demanding. Here are some of the challenges retailers can encounter:
Overdependence on legacy system
Many organizations are hindered by outdated technology when it comes to adapting to rapidly evolving customer expectations. Heavy reliance on legacy systems requires continuous assistance from IT teams to implement changes. In addition, collecting and acting upon customer’s behaviour data still elude many brands. In the absence of insights to make the change, many businesses struggle to move their modern digital commerce vision forward within their organization. Fortunately, composable commerce technologies can help you overcome these challenges and provide flexibility in creating customizable storefronts independent of IT and web development resources.
Delivering Consistent User Experience
A cohesive user interface, responsive design, and consistent brand identity are essential for providing customers with a seamless and pleasant experience across devices. Customers demand rich media content, reviews and consume content for every channel. By collecting data on customer interactions at various touchpoints and incorporating technology to assist in delivering personalized experiences, retailers can overcome this challenge.
Ensuring Data Security
The use of third party technologies and multiple touchpoints can put your store at the risk of security breaches. Hence, businesses must implement robust security measures to guard against data breaches and cyber-attacks. This includes encrypting sensitive information, regularly updating security protocols, and staying informed about the latest threats to customer data.
Driving Traffic
Effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO), digital marketing, and content strategies are essential to driving traffic to your site. This involves continuous efforts to create engaging content, optimize website performance, and leverage social media and other digital channels to reach and maintain your audience.
Customer Retention
Personalized experiences, loyalty programs, and excellent customer service are vital strategies to retain customers. By understanding customer preferences and offering tailored experiences, retailers can create long-term relationships and encourage repeat purchases.
Join FCC to Drive Your Digital Commerce Experience
At Flipkart Commerce Cloud (FCC), we offer a comprehensive suite of retail solutions designed to enhance your digital commerce strategies. These solutions can be integrated based on your specific business requirements
Our end-to-end digital commerce engine let’s you create stunning customizable storefronts with robust backend to support smooth order processing and supply chain management. Our digital commerce solutions includes:
- Customer Buying Portal: Supported with composable commerce, our customer buying module includes Storefronts & Page Constructs for creating engaging content and a Personalization & Recommendation Module for enhancing the customer buying experience. With rich media catalog management, cart-and-checkout, smart reviews, AI-powered CRM and chatbot-to-personalization features, our platform comes with robust features that can help you delight your customers with an excellent digital shopping experience.
- Seller Management Module: Empower your sellers with a robust dashboard to manage their product listings, inventory, orders, and financials seamlessly. Our platform facilitates efficient seller onboarding, real-time order tracking, and commission management, fostering a thriving marketplace ecosystem.
- Supply Chain Management: This module includes an Order Management System, Warehouse Management System, and 3P Logistics Handling Systems. These tools can help you optimize your supply chain operations, ensuring timely deliveries and improved customer satisfaction. Our supply chain solutions are underpinned by robust technology, providing vital support for a wide range of sellers and MSMEs across the country.
In addition to the digital commerce engine, we also provide advanced business modules designed for revenue growth and profit maximization. These include:
- Pricing Manager Module: Strategize and run profitable pricing strategies with our smart pricing algorithms, which take into account competitive pricing, demand elasticity, and market trends. Our Pricing Manager is user-friendly and designed for impact. You can expect a 3-5% uplift in revenue and up to a 4 to 7% improvement in margin while saving time on repricing and ensuring 100% accurate pricing with human-in-loop interventions.
- Retail Media Monetization Solution: Monetize your online assets and diversify retail revenue streams for greater profitability. Our uniquely constructed advertising engine is rooted in understanding online shopping behaviors. By leveraging advanced ML algorithms, it places tailored ads based on users’ shopping intents. Several global retailers have already benefited from this offering.
Interested to know more about our digital commerce solution? Get in touch with our retail technology experts today!