Big Data, Big Problems

Filling the Gaps

Enter Attribute Enrichment

• • Increase Revenue per Visitor and Average Order Value: With improved product attributes, your entire product discovery offering, including search, recommendations, and quizzes, becomes more relevant. This translates to higher revenue per visitor (RPV) and increased average order value (AOV).
  • Reduce Returns and Refunds: High data quality leads to improved customer satisfaction, as the right products match customers’ preferences in terms of colors, flavors, sizes, and other attributes. 
  • Enhance Operational Efficiencies: Attribute Enrichment automates the process of enhancing product information, saving eCommerce teams time and money, and reducing human error. This newfound efficiency allows your merchandisers to focus on high-value strategic contributions, ultimately improving overall operations. 

• Maintain Control: Don’t blindly trust the AI. Your team has the final say on what attributes are added to the catalog so they can refine and tweak as needed.

• Stay Current with Market Trends: Attribute Enrichment leverages customer behavioral data to support the latest search trends. By creating trending attributes based on actual customer behavior, you can keep your product catalog up-to-date and competitive.

The Power of Composable eCommerce Solutions

What is Site Search?

• Strong filtering capabilities for different categories or groupings, based on the the behavior of your customers and shoppers
• Intelligent recommendations based on past searches and even general site behavior (I.e., shoppers clicking on a product, and recommending another product that would be related in their search)
• Clear and concise search results with the exact information that the shopper would like to see. Don’t make them click into every single result!
• Incorporate user generated reviews, and allow filtering of products based on reviews
• Autocorrect and error correction
• Never allowing a shopper or user to hit a dead end; even if their exact search doesn’t come back with results, suggest something else that could be related.

AI-Powered Site Search

Cleanse & enrich data

Translate & localize content

Personalize the shopping experience

Unlocking the Power of AI for Site Search Success

Whether it’s new digital marketplaces coming onto the scene, social media apps looking to break into eCommerce, or new technology like AI permeating the retail landscape, there seems to be an almost endless stream of new channels that many, if not all, brands and retailers are struggling to keep up with. Why?

Simply put, their eCommerce presence is precariously built on a traditional, monolithic commerce architecture that offers a single solution, from a single vendor, and a single digital experience.

And while this one-size-fits-all approach worked for many years to support standardized experiences and basic eCommerce offerings, the digital marketplace has expanded at such a rapid pace that we’ve quickly outgrown this legacy architecture. It wasn’t built to accommodate all the facets that are now required to produce high-quality product experiences across so many different channels.

Enter composable commerce; the modular approach to eCommerce that enables true omnichannel product experiences.

What is Composable Commerce?

Composable commerce is a development approach that leverages best-of-breed vendors composed together into a singular, custom-built application. This type of architecture model allows teams to create an ecosystem that is customized to meet their organization’s specific business needs, enabling activation of their entire product record across every channel.

Instead of the traditional, monolithic approach, composable commerce software communicates via API, meaning each individual solution can be updated or replaced at any time without disrupting the rest of the system. This creates a flexible, scalable eCommerce stack that can easily be updated or adapted to meet your needs as your organization grows.

What’s the Difference Between Composable Commerce and Traditional Architecture?

A traditional, monolithic approach offers an all-in-one solution from a single vendor, providing the basic capabilities needed to activate an eCommerce site.

For a while, this met a need in the market; everything was stored in the same place, and organizations had everything they needed to provide a singular, standard experience for all their customers.

However, thanks to the impact of both the pandemic and rapid technological innovation, the needs of modern organizations span much farther than the reach of traditional commerce architecture. There are new digital touchpoints emerging constantly that these legacy platforms simply weren’t built to accommodate, not to mention the ever-growing expectations of customers to have a dynamic, cohesive, and engaging experience with your product no matter where they discover or search for you.

At a more granular, technical level, massive monolithic code bases present steep roadblocks; plug-and-play replacements of outdated technology is impossible, extensive knowledge of the code base is required for developers to do any sort of adjustments, and scalability is severely limited. As a result, development speed and time-to-market is simply too slow to keep up with the speed of today’s economy.

As consumer behaviors continue to rapidly shift and digital touchpoints continue to expand, more and more organizations are beginning to move away from a traditional model and towards a composable commerce model that decouples the frontend user experience from the backend logistics. This offers organizations the flexibility to customize their tech stack to their specific business needs.

With composable commerce, brands are able to:

• Create compelling, coherent, and consistent product experiences across every channel, regardless of their specific personalizations.
• Accelerate time-to–market and expand into new territories, products, and markets more seamlessly than ever before.
• Leverage best-of-breed technology solutions to ensure that you’re utilizing the most up-to-date and efficient processes.
• Scale your tech stack with your company by replacing technologies as you continue to grow and take on new challenges.

Tenets of Composable Commerce

Composable commerce architecture has been growing in popularity as more and more organizations continue to search for a more scalable and flexible model. But what does that actually look like in practice? Let’s take a look at three of the defining features of this modern commerce architecture.

1. Modular

Arguably the most important aspect of composable commerce approach is its modular nature. Every component of your tech stack is replaceable, and therefore scalable. Changing, adding, or removing one aspect of your tech stack will no longer crumble your entire ecosystem like a fragile Jenga tower.

What does this mean? Accelerated time-to-market, increased eCommerce conversions, eliminated redundant technology costs, and stronger omnichannel customer experiences.

2. Open Ecosystem

An open ecosystem essentially means that your organization isn’t tied to one specific vendor; you are free to select the software that best serves each individual business need, ensuring that you’re receiving world-class SaaS products across the board. This is a particularly useful aspect as it allows your team to easily swap out technology if a piece of software isn’t performing the way you intended it to, it’s been changed, or it becomes obsolete due to changed internal processes.

This open ecosystem also encourages simple integrations and deep customization capabilities, allowing your team to essentially build the perfect system for your commerce tech stack.

3. Flexible

The scalability and flexibility of a composable commerce architecture is one of the biggest reasons so many organizations are beginning to transition. Whether it’s adapting to meet the needs of new customer markets, new global locations, new products, or new eCommerce channels, composable commerce offers the flexibility to meet your organization’s needs that a traditional approach can’t compete with.

Benefits of Composable Commerce

So we’ve covered the basics of composable commerce, and how this architecture framework often provides greater agility and control to brands and retailers. But now let’s dive into the specific benefits that an organization can reap from migrating to a composable commerce architecture.

Create truly omnichannel experiences. 

Mobile, print, web, social media, retailer sites, even newer channels like voice search and TikTok. All of these existing touchpoints, and those of tomorrow, are potential places where your customers could discover you, but showing up on these channels requires a strong technological foundation to syndicate product information and listings. Monolithic architectures are often too rigid to adapt quickly to these rapid market changes.

Reduce vendor risk. 

Swap in and out components of your tech stack as needed, allowing your ecosystem to scale to meet your needs. Whether you need to replace an old piece of technology, incorporate a new software tool, or upgrade existing functionality and capacity, you can do so freely with this type of plug-and-play architecture.

Reduce operational costs. 

By increasing internal operational efficiencies and leveraging modern technology stacks, your organization is able to save time and money. Plus, you’re customizing your tech stack to what works best for your team, so you aren’t paying for features or solutions you don’t use.

Remove heavy reliance on IT. 

The user-friendly aspect of composable commerce means that managing and operating within this commerce approach doesn’t require in-depth technical skills from developers. Unlike the traditional model, composable commerce allows non-technical employees to perform necessary tasks.

 Deliver highly differentiated, personalized experiences that win against your competition.

More channels than ever before means more competition than ever before; the product experience that you offer to your customers needs to stack up or you risk losing their loyalty. By utilizing best-of-breed technologies and allowing your organization to scale, you’re able to provide your consumers with the personalized experience they’re looking for.

Future-proof your Business with Composable Commerce

Future-proofing your business means that you need to be able to create compelling and consistent product experiences across all your owned and unowned channels, and that is significantly more simple when you’ve implemented a composable approach that allows you to plug-and-play technologies as you scale.

The inherently modular nature of the architecture, coupled with the flexibility and scalability it offers, means that a composable commerce approach is the one of the most efficient way brands and retailers can activate their product story across each and every channel, regardless of if it’s owned by them or not. By streamlining internal operations and relying on best-of-breed technology, composable commerce enables organizations to deliver unique, personalized product experiences to their consumers at every stage.

Interested in learning more about how to migrate to a composable commerce model? Request a demo of Akeneo today to see how our MACH-certified PIM can help.

Then along came the digital transformation.

First there was dial-up internet and chat rooms. Then came along Amazon, social media, Yelp reviews. Before you knew it, you barely existed if your business didn’t at least have a Google listing.

Each of these new creations became more than a fad. They became channels through which potential buyers learned about your products. But businesses faced the challenge of managing these multiple channels at once, and two dominating strategies emerged: omnichannel eCommerce and multichannel eCommece.

What exactly is difference between omnichannel vs. multichannel, and how can one or the other impact your business? Let’s dive in.

What is multichannel eCommerce?

Multichannel eCommerce is short for “multiple channels.” It simply means that you sell your products on more than one channel. Many retailers have both a physical store and an online presence, selling on social media, eCommerce sites, marketplaces, and other platforms. For manufacturers, multichannel eCommerce has been truly revolutionary, allowing them to sell direct-to-consumer rather than having to rely on third parties and catalogs. 

Businesses following a multichannel approach focus on building out individual channels while ensuring product information is accurate and consistent. They tailor strategies to each channel and track results, but each channel acts as a “solo act” rather than a player in an orchestra.

Benefits of multichannel eCommerce

Because of the digital transformation, even the most old-school retailers and manufacturers typically have a basic website or social media presence by now, making them multichannel by definition.

For some, this simple strategy can bring rewards like:

• Reaching more customers and new audiences
• Reaching shoppers when and where they are most likely to buy
• Increasing incremental sales and total sales volume
• Increasing awareness of your brand
• Driving higher average order value
• Growing your online presence and sales
• Providing a more consistent and rewarding shopping experience

Drawbacks of multichannel eCommerce

So why the debate between multichannel eCommerce vs. omnichannel?

Those who have operated under a multichannel eCommerce framework will know the struggles well, such as:

• Implementing new infrastructure and processes needed for fulfillment, shipping, logistics, etc.
• Increased costs due to new requirements
• Greater demands on the supply chain
• Channels and data becoming siloed
• Inconsistent product information, branding, and customer experiences

New business plans can typically fix the first three issues. However, the last two points are the reason why multichannel vs. omnichannel eCommerce remains a problem, so let’s dive into omnichannel.

What is omnichannel eCommerce?

Omnichannel eCommerce combines all customer channels for brand interaction into one strategy, going beyond multichannel approach. Instead of working separately, all your channels collaborate, communicate, and influence each other. This creates a harmonious “orchestra” that guides your customers throughout their purchasing process.

What’s the difference between omnichannel vs. multichannel?

The biggest difference between omnichannel and multichannel eCommerce is that while omnichannel is people-focused, multichannel is product-focused; while omnichannel is customer-centric, multichannel is channel-centric. Multichannel eCommerce is all about moving inventory as efficiently as possible through various channels. Omnichannel takes a more holistic approach, aiming to provide a seamless experience throughout the entire customer journey. 

Both strategies have data at their core, but even then, there’s a difference: The foundation of multichannel eCommerce is product data. The foundation of omnichannel eCommerce is both product and customer data. 

Multichannel presents your products on various channels and allows your customers to purchase them or otherwise communicate with you. You’ll collect data on what’s selling, when, and how quickly, but not on customer behavior and preferences. And while you’ll be able to see individual channel performance, you won’t be able to see how all the channels work together.

Omnichannel retail is an integrated experience. Data is shared between channels to target and retarget buyers, providing seamless experiences. Buyers can continue where they left off, even if it was on a different channel. Each interaction builds upon the last, fulfilling the customer’s needs as they progress through the buying journey. 

Essentially, omnichannel takes multiple channels and synchronizes them, while multichannel leaves them separated and siloed. Thus, all omnichannel eCommerce is multichannel, but not all multichannel is omnichannel.

So why isn’t everyone doing omnichannel?

When you look at omnichannel vs. multichannel, it seems obvious to say that omnichannel is better. Multichannel is a more siloed approach, and whether you’re in retail, manufacturing, or distribution, the digital transformation has paved the way forward for holistic, omnichannel eCommerce. 

So why aren’t more companies focused on omnichannel?

The truth is that omnichannel strategies typically require a large investment of resources, especially in the beginning. If you operate out of a brick-and-mortar store or warehouse using a catalog or third-party partnership model, creating even a multichannel strategy means you’ll need to build a website, leverage marketplaces, learn about social media, and start advertising.

To reach true omnichannel status, you’ll also need to syndicate your product data, optimize your tech stack, synchronize your customer data, and then use analytics to segment and target and deliver personalized content at every touchpoint.

When business are instead offered a simple, straightforward multichannel strategy that can still increase sales in the short-term, it can be tempting to not make a further investment in omnichannel. But that’s a mistake.

Omnichannel vs. multichannel eCommerce is ultimately about a long-term vs. short-term approach. The fact is that the digital transformation is turning the world toward omnichannel experiences. You can either build an omnichannel commerce strategy now and get ahead of your competition—or you can be left behind. 

Luckily, many of the differences between omnichannel vs. multichannel can be mitigated with the right technology and partners. While a multichannel strategy will use separate and disparate technologies, like eCommerce platforms for selling, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, or customer data platforms (CDPs), composable technology allows you to orchestrate and scale your tech stack as your challenges and goals expand.

Best-of-breed Product information management (PIM) systems are a great place to start implementing an omnichannel strategy. A PIM provides a central database for your product information, allowing you to distribute consistent, accurate data to all of your channels while also conforming to their rules — and a composable PIM means that it connects seamlessly with your existing technology, and plays nicely with new systems introduced down the road.

Ready to learn more about best-of-breed technology can help you implement and support an omnichannel strategy? Book your demo today to see the benefits for yourself.

1. Data-Driven, Hyper-Personalized Shopping Journeys

2. Transparent Supply Chains & Business Practices

3. Incorporation of AI to Enhance Customer & Employee Experience

• Generate & enrich product content: Quickly and easily generate ready-to-edit content, including product descriptions and product page copy that aligns with your business’s tone of voice, product keywords, and character limits.
• Collect & cleanse product data: Leverage AI to accurately clean and enrich any product data including de-duplication, data extraction, and product categorization & classification, at scale and in a centralized way. Relieve your teams from lengthy manual data work by leveraging the power of AI.
• Enhance work automation: Remove lengthy manual tasks and increase operational efficiency, elevating employee job satisfaction and productivity
• Unburden & support customer service: AI can help unburden support teams and make them highly efficient by intelligently routing specific requests or questions to specific people or departments, encouraging higher customer and employee satisfaction
• Personalize content to new markets and geographies: Automatically translate product content to quickly and efficiently deliver product experiences at scale and in any language with AI

4. Seamless Experiences Across Digital, Social, and Physical Channels

5. Growth in Demand for a Circular Economy

• Increase Store Traffic: Customers are increasingly drawn to stores that offer drop-off points for their pre-loved items.
• Reduce Return Rates: By extending the lifespan of products through resale or refurbishment, retailers can significantly reduce the number of returns, cutting down on waste and saving money.
• Communicate a Shared Passion and Commitment: Participating in the circular economy sends a strong message that your brand cares about the environment, which can foster customer loyalty and attract like-minded consumers.
• Improve Upsell and Cross-Sell Opportunities: When customers bring in products for resale or recycling, retailers have an opportunity to upsell new items or cross-sell related products, increasing revenue.

To 2024 and Beyond

1. Offer Hybrid Shopping Options

2. Ensure Cohesive Product Information Across All Channels

3. Localize Product Content

4. Incorporate Innovative Technologies

Navigating the Omnichannel Future of Black Friday

It seems as if every other video that pops up on your FYP recently is promoting some product that promises to change your life or revolutionize the way you look, along with a link directly in the video that you can click and purchase that very product. Sometimes I’ll be halfway through a video, blithely unaware that I’m being sold anything until I spot that little gray “eligible for commission” bar sitting right over the caption.

With an estimated 33 million shoppers in the US alone, the popularity of TikTok Shop is picking up the pace and showing no signs of slowing down, and it’s clear to see why; the video app allows brands to connect with micro-influencers with niche audiences and connect authentically with consumers where they naturally go.

And while social commerce like TikTok Shop faced some initial criticism and hesitation, that unique ability that social media provides means that brands that can crack the social commerce code are the ones that will succeed in scoring a sizable portion of the nearly $1 trillion market by 2028.

With the holiday season fast approaching, let’s take a look at four ways brands can harness the power of social media to provide a seamless shopping experience for their consumers, and why a successful social commerce strategy relies heavily on the quality and completeness of your product information.

4 Ways to Utilize Social Commerce This Holiday Season

1. Partner with influencers to reach a niche audience

Influencer partnerships have become a driving force for brand awareness and purchasing decisions. The power of product placement and endorsements on social media is undeniable, with 57% of consumers making purchases based on information provided by influencers.

Here’s where it gets interesting: with social media, you no longer need a high-priced celebrity to promote your brand. Creators with smaller followings can work just as effectively. Nano and micro-influencers, in particular, are often a better fit for eCommerce brands due to their lower cost and higher engagement rates with niche audiences. 

The key to success is treating your influencers as an extension of your brand. You’ll need to ensure that your influencers have access to comprehensive details about your products, including specifications, features, benefits, and any unique selling points. The more they know about what they’re promoting, the more confidently and accurately they can convey that information to their followers.

They’ll also need access to high-quality visuals that are consistent with your brand’s identity but allows for your influencer to express some creativity and individuality that highlights why you chose to work with this specific influencer. 

2. Communicate Your Brand’s Values to Create Authentic Customer Connections

Gone are the days when consumers merely sought products; now, they crave a connection with the heart and soul behind the brand, and if they don’t connect with your business’s message, they’re quick to abandon purchase in search for an organization that shares their views.

The Akeneo 2023 Global B2C Survey uncovered that two-fifths of consumers have declared their willingness to pay more for brands that proudly showcase their core values. And it’s not just a passing fad; we also found that these consumers are prepared to invest an average of 18% more for products that weave meaningful brand values into their very fabric. 

Whether it’s related to sustainability, social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, or other ethical aspects, brands need to ensure that their values and commitments are consistently communicated to customers, and social media is a great way to do so.

To effectively create an authentic connection with consumers, brands must do more than just hold these principles dear. They must consistently and transparently communicate them to their customers. Social media provides an exceptional platform for achieving this, such as partnering with Influencers  with a genuine commitment to the same causes, or running a campaign that amplifies your brand’s message and shows how you’re committing to the cause. The shared values between your brand and these influencers serve as a bridge, fostering a stronger and more authentic bond between your brand and your target audience.

3. Customize your product content for different channels

Social commerce is not a one-size-fits-all strategy; it’s a multifaceted landscape that requires a nuanced approach. Just as you meticulously personalize content for various digital platforms like your eCommerce site or Amazon, the same level of customization should extend to different social channels. This level of adaptability is essential because each platform possesses its unique strengths and caters to distinct audience preferences.

Take, for example, the visual-centric world of Instagram. This platform thrives on captivating, high-quality images that tell a story. Therefore, to make a meaningful impact on Instagram, your content should be visually stunning, with an emphasis on striking imagery that aligns with your brand’s identity. This is where the art of storytelling through visuals can truly shine, drawing your audience into your brand’s narrative.

On the other hand, platforms like TikTok are all about fast-paced, on-trend videos that capture attention in seconds. To excel on TikTok, your brand needs to create short videos that are not just promotional but engaging and shareable. By aligning your content with the trends and humor that resonate with TikTok’s user base, you can successfully tap into this unique and rapidly growing audience.

The key to success in the world of social commerce is recognizing the diversity of each social platform and tailoring your content to align with their distinct strengths and audience preferences. 

4. Run social media specific campaigns to encourage following & cross-channel research

Social commerce is not just about crafting the right content for the right channel; it’s also about offering value to your audience. In today’s world, marked by a cost-of-living crisis, consumers are more conscious of their spending than ever. As a result, they prioritize deals and seek to maximize the value they get from their purchases. Running social media-specific discounts and campaigns can be a powerful way to attract and retain customers across different social channels as the allure of discounts and deals resonates deeply with cost-conscious consumers, making it a powerful incentive for them to engage with your brand.

These promotions not only encourage followers but also stimulate cross-channel research. By offering unique discounts or exclusive offers on specific platforms, you can entice users to follow your brand on multiple channels, enhancing your overall reach and engagement.

Diversification in your promotional approach can be equally effective. For instance, you can consider offering bundled products at a discount, appealing to consumers who are seeking a comprehensive solution at a reduced price. Alternatively, you can run promotions on items that have performed exceptionally well on different social channels. This tailored approach is designed to cater to each platform’s unique audience, recognizing that what resonates with one group of users may not be the same for another. In doing so, you demonstrate a deep understanding of your audience’s needs, reinforcing their perception of value and strengthening their connection to your brand.

Running social media-specific discounts and campaigns can be a strategic game-changer, not only attracting and retaining customers but also fostering cross-channel exploration. Whether through bundled products or platform-specific promotions, the goal is to provide tailored value that resonates with the diverse audiences present on various social channels, ultimately driving the success of your brand in the dynamic landscape of social commerce.

The Future of Social Commerce

Is TikTok Shop poised to take over Amazon any time soon? Of course not. But people don’t peruse and purchase on just one channel, which means your brand and products can’t just be on one channel, and it’s important to recognize that social commerce is not just a passing trend but an important channel where brands can authentically connect with their audiences.

This diversity in consumer behavior emphasizes the importance of an omnichannel approach for brands. While TikTok, Instagram, and other social commerce platforms play a pivotal role in your brand’s online presence, they are most effective when part of a broader, Product Experience (PX) Strategy. 

Social commerce is a force to be reckoned with. Brands that embrace an omnichannel approach, utilizing various platforms to cater to diverse consumer needs, are well-positioned for success. Social commerce is here to stay, and understanding its dynamic nature is the key to thriving in this ever-evolving landscape of online retail, especially as we gear up to face the busiest shopping season of the year.

But what exactly does it take to build a successful PX Strategy, and who are the individuals who drive it forward? We’ve answered the former in this blog post here, but let’s dive into the latter and outline the instrumental roles and responsibilities of the jobs that make up a PX ecosystem through a fictional fashion retailer, Ziggy Corporation.

About Ziggy Corporation 

Ziggy is a visionary and globally recognized fashion retailer, redefining the way people experience fashion. With a robust in-store and digital presence, we curate cutting-edge fashion to inspire individuals worldwide. Our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and customer-centricity drives us to continually push boundaries in the retail industry. At Ziggy Corp, we believe that fashion is an art form, a statement, and a means of self-expression, and we invite you to join us in our journey of style, creativity, and global influence.

At Ziggy, our teammates are the driving force behind who we are and where we want to go as a company. We work every day to shape a first-class work environment and culture, which is rooted in our core values of Humility, Benevolence, Openness, and Innovation. We want our people to help us grow and to grow with us, and that’s why we do whatever it takes to equip our employees with everything they may need to make a tangible impact on themselves, the business and the company. 

1. Chief Product Experience Officer 

Job Description

We are seeking a visionary and strategic Chief Product Experience Officer (CPEO) to join our dynamic retail brand. As the CPEO, you will be responsible for shaping and executing our Product Experience (PX) Strategy, ensuring our products delight customers, and driving innovation and excellence across our entire product portfolio. You will play a pivotal role in defining the overall customer experience and strengthening our brand’s position in the fashion industry.

Responsibilities:

• Product Experience Strategy: Develop and articulate a comprehensive PX Strategy that aligns with the company’s objectives and customer-centric values.
• Innovation Leadership: Lead the charge in identifying market trends, emerging technologies, and customer insights to drive product innovation and differentiation.
• Product Development: Oversee the end-to-end product development process, from ideation to launch, ensuring products are high-quality, customer-centric, and meet market demands.
• Customer-Centric Approach: Champion a customer-first mindset across the organization, ensuring that customer feedback and preferences are at the forefront of product decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including design, marketing, engineering, and sales, to ensure alignment with product experience goals.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilize data and analytics to make informed decisions, track product performance, and continuously improve the customer journey.
• Brand Consistency: Ensure that the product experience aligns with the brand identity and messaging, maintaining brand consistency throughout the product lifecycle.
• Omnichannel Integration: Lead efforts to seamlessly integrate the online and offline customer experiences, ensuring consistency and continuity across all touchpoints.
• Customer Engagement: Develop strategies to engage and retain customers through exceptional product experiences, loyalty programs, and post-purchase support.
• Team Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing product experience team, providing guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
• Financial Oversight: Manage and allocate resources effectively to maximize return on investment in product development and customer experience initiatives.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of success in a senior leadership role within a retail or consumer-focused organization.
• Strong understanding of retail industry trends, customer behavior, and market dynamics.
• In-depth knowledge of digital technology, e-commerce platforms, and digital marketing strategies.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive collaboration.
• Proficiency in leveraging data and analytics for decision-making.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Degree in business, information technology, marketing, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).

Preferred:

• Familiarity with MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) and/or Composable Commerce.
• Experience with Akeneo Product Cloud. 

2. Product Experience Manager 

Job Description

Join our dynamic retail brand as a Product Experience Manager, where innovation and collaboration drive success. In this role, you will be responsible for executing our product experience strategy by ensuring customer satisfaction, fostering innovation, and driving operational improvements across the Product Experience Management (PXM) process. You will help define the overall customer experience and play a pivotal role in strengthening our brand’s value within the fashion industry. 

Responsibilities:

• Digital Commerce Excellence: Lead efforts to enhance the digital commerce experience, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly online shopping journey.
• Supplier and Retailer Collaboration: Cultivate strong partnerships with suppliers and retail collaborators to streamline data exchange and enhance accuracy.
• Product Taxonomy and Governance: Oversee and refine product taxonomy and governance to ensure the correctness and consistency of our product experiences.
• Customer-Centric Approach: Help implement a customer-first mindset across the organization, ensuring that customer feedback and preferences are at the forefront of product decisions.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with design, marketing, engineering, and sales to align with product experience goals.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Utilize data and analytics to make informed decisions, track product performance, and continuously improve the customer journey.
• Brand Consistency: Ensure that the product experience aligns with the brand identity and messaging, maintaining brand consistency throughout the product life cycle.
• Omnichannel Integration: Lead efforts to seamlessly integrate the online and offline customer experiences, ensuring consistency and continuity across all touchpoints.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in digital commerce strategies and optimizing online shopping experiences.
• Strong change management skills with a track record of implementing process improvements.
• Expertise in building and maintaining product taxonomies and data governance. 
• Proficiency in leveraging data and analytics for decision-making.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and retail partners within the fashion retail industry.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Degree in business, information technology, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).

Preferred:

• Familiarity with MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) and/or Composable Commerce.
• Experience with Akeneo Product Cloud. 

3. Technical Product Experience Manager 

Job Description

Join our dynamic retail brand as a Technical Product Experience Manager, where innovation and collaboration drive success. In this role, you will be responsible for executing the technical components of our product experience strategy by leading the overall solution design for our product experience applications including system optimization, data management, and integrations throughout the Product Experience Management (PXM) process. You will help design, build and maintain the technical solutions that provide exceptional product experiences to our customers and strengthen our brand’s value within the fashion industry. 

Responsibilities:

• Technical Strategy: Define and drive the technical architecture strategy to meet business goals, ensuring alignment with our business objectives, industry best practices and emerging technologies.
• Solution Design: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design robust and scalable digital solutions, including front-end and back-end systems, databases, and third-party integrations.
• System Optimization: Continuously assess and optimize system performance and capabilities to meet evolving business needs.
• Data Management: Oversee data architecture and data management strategies, ensuring data governance, availability, and compliance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with various teams, including product management, IT, marketing, ecommerce, and others to ensure technical alignment with business goals. 
• Integration: Manage the integration of various systems, including PIM, PLM, ecommerce, ERP, DAM, third-party APIs, and other tools.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in technical product management within the retail or related industry.
• Experience with building and maintaining system integrations and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
• Strong understanding of data management best practices around building and maintaining product taxonomies and governance. 
• Proficiency in data analysis and the use of technical tools for decision-making.
• Familiarity with Product Experience Management software ecosystem (ERP, DAM, PIM, CMS, Ecommerce, Syndication systems).  
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Degree in computer science, information technology, or a related technical field. 

Preferred:

• Familiarity with MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) and/or Composable Commerce.
• Experience with Akeneo Product Cloud. 

Paving the Path to a Bright PX Future

Here at Akeneo, we understand that the journey towards PX excellence is not without its challenges; in fact, many corporations may find themselves ill-equipped to support the full spectrum of these roles at the moment, and that is more than okay.

However, we firmly believe that every organization, regardless of its current stage of PX maturity, can start implementing a PX Strategy today. Even just incremental changes that enhance the customer journey, like improving the completeness and accuracy of your product information, is a step in the right direction.

You also don’t need to immediately go out and hire for all of these roles, like the Ziggy Corporation has. Your current team may already possess the skills and passion needed to support a PX Strategy, so it may make sense for you to harness their potential and provide them with the necessary tools and resources first.

While the roles we’ve outlined today are undeniably critical for PX excellence, their full integration may take some time. But with a customer-first mindset and a dedication to continuous improvement, any organization can join the league of brands that redefine product experiences and pave the way for PX excellence.

1. Executive Sponsor

• Define and execute overall PX Strategy
• Align PX Strategy to corporate objectives
• Develop and monitor progress of OKR/KPIs
• Ensure collaboration across teams
• Remove blockers 

2. Manager of Applications & Integrations

• Administer platform(s)
• Manage integrations between systems
• Design architecture
• Data management (governance, migration, availability, compliance)

3. Product Experience Creator

• Define Product Experiences
• Develop or onboard new products
• Convey Brand Values
• Enrich Product Experiences
• Translate and adapt content to different markets
• Ensure products comply with local regulations

4. Manager of Channels

• Manage Channel specific requirements
• Manage Assortment 
• Measure performance
• Manage channel specific descriptions & SEO
• Build Channel Experiences 
• Customer Support

People & Processes: The Backbone of Product Experience Excellence