Emily Pfeiffer researches B2C commerce options, commerce/website search, and order administration methods. Lauren Cevallos researches point-of-service options, retail planning methods, and different retailer expertise.
We hear software program distributors throughout our analysis areas saying that they provide — or are — or help — “unified commerce.” And once we ask them what they imply by that, we get quite a lot of solutions. And in the event you stroll across the expo flooring at trade occasions, you’ll see sales space after sales space that claims “unified commerce.” Look intently, and also you’ll understand that you just’re distributors throughout many alternative classes of commerce expertise and possibly even companies that don’t have software program, all saying that they do unified commerce.
TL;DR: We’re internet hosting a webinar for Forrester shoppers on November 19. In case you’re a Forrester shopper, please be a part of us! We are going to dig in on how the time period “unified commerce” is used within the commerce tech market. We’ll additionally present readability on what kinds of unification matter and find out how to lower by way of the advertising and marketing communicate to get to the worth you want.
We requested many distributors what “unified commerce” means to them. We get very completely different solutions:
- Some mentioned it’s about unifying (or consolidating) technical features inside one platform.
- Others talked about integrating tech throughout platforms.
- A couple of merely described the performance that their firm gives.
Recently, a standard reply is even much less clear: “Unified commerce is about promoting and interacting with prospects, seamlessly, throughout channels together with digital and bodily.” Sound acquainted? Sure — it’s principally simply “omnichannel” ( … which is already a time period).
Is unified commerce only a new time period for an present idea — or, confusingly, many present ones?
The largest motive we see this time period as problematic is as a result of so many distributors use it, they usually all imply one thing completely different once they discuss what they’re unifying.
We hear it from order administration methods, point-of-service options, fee suppliers … and more often than not when a vendor makes use of the time period, it doesn’t even supply a commerce answer. Moderately, it supplies methods which are part of the nice commerce tech ecosystem (irrespective of how unified it could be).
So in the event you’re struggling to know what it’s that distributors are serving to you unify, and the way and why you’d need “unified commerce,” we’re right here that can assist you perceive.
So “unified commerce” just isn’t a factor. Nonetheless …
Digital companies profit from unification of their commerce methods and tech.
To be clear, there may be worth in unification. We are going to clarify the place we see advantages in unification inside commerce tech, regardless of the quite a few interpretations of the time period unified commerce.
Be a part of us on November 19 for a reside webinar on the subject of unified commerce and ask your questions reside! And in the event you can’t be a part of that day, please take heed to the playback. We’re additionally completely satisfied to debate this with you as a Forrester shopper by way of a steering session or inquiry.
