Following the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has been faced with a revised reality that will affect each of us moving forward. B2C and B2B retailers alike, have seen changes in every aspect of how their businesses operate and in turn, have altered their digital presence to keep up with demand. This time of distress and disruption is not the time to halt your digital presence or growth, but instead, work to ensure that your solution is flexible and robust enough to withstand current circumstances and any future changes. 

How has COVID-19 impacted the way we do business?

‘COVID-19 has become both an agent of change and an accelerator for pre-existing trends,’ says Keith Pires, SVP, Enterprise at BORN. 

• The COVID pandemic has forced the closure of most brick-and-mortar entities disrupting the way traditional retailers conduct business.
• Businesses have to work even harder to stave off competition and fight the ease of buying off Amazon.com, deemed an essential business and growing stronger at this time. 
• Growing consumer demands are coupled with a shortened supply chain. To remain innovative and accessible across multiple touch points, businesses are recreating a seamless digital customer experience. BORN is seeing an increased customer need for quick migrations to an online platform that is more robust.
• The ability to work remotely is an imperative. To lower costs and reduce complexity, many corporations are also now moving from an on-premise data storage to a cloud data storage. 

Is moving to Cloud Storage Necessary?

BORN is consistently asked when and how to make the move.  Cloud storage allows corporations to easily connect with customers, clients, and other businesses, all at a reduced cost. There is a reduction in deployment time, which is especially significant given the recent economic circumstances. However, corporations placing a heavy emphasis on security and control would probably find more comfort with on-premise data storages and must factor in that this will still require on-site support.

How do B2C eCommerce solutions help brands adapt to these circumstances?

For a business to remain successful, it must cater to the customer’s unique buying proposition by offering personalization, convenience, and transparency. ‘The paradigm of a unique selling proposition has been overtaken by a unique buying proposition,” stated Keith Pires, SVP, Enterprise at BORN. 

To meet the customer’s unique buying proposition businesses must first gather the necessary information on clients in a different stage of its buying journey.  Following its acquisition of Qualtrics, SAP has seamlessly developed a solution that provides a holistic view of customer experience utilizing both experiential and operational data to deliver solutions following every step of the customer journey. Creating a unified customer experience while technically delivering it successfully oftentimes poses a challenge.

How do you implement an eCommerce solution quickly?

BORN developed an accelerator that allows B2B, B2C, and B2C2B commerce enterprises to reduce implementation costs by up to 40% and time-to-market by up to half, all without sacrificing quality.  ‘Even before the pandemic, customers were asking for the full power of SAP Commerce Cloud but in an accelerator approach,’ said Alex Stickelberger, Principal at BORN. ‘We built BORN EAGLE with a robust set of design, UX & UI features and pre-built integrations we developed. In addition, it is the first-ever certified SAP pre-packaged commerce solution.’

What recent innovations in SAP Commerce Cloud support a quicker implementation?

SAP Commerce Cloud helps create digital transformation for businesses by enabling omni-channels strategies, contextual customer experiences, and unifying customer processes.

With a newly-developed storefront called Spartacus, SAP Commerce Cloud Clients can utilize an angular based framer through JavaScript. This removes the need for complex frameworks and allows customers to deploy with little to no downtime.

What should retailers consider as restrictions ease?

It’s important to plan for the gradual re-opening. ‘One critical factor is logistics,’ says Keith Pires. ‘Is a business providing convenience and visibility to the customer?’

By offering a transformative experience in the digital front, businesses can provide customers with a one-to-one experience which can be developed into brand loyalty and trust. Consumers are forever-changed in how they shop and interact with their favorite brands.  It’s time for businesses to rise to meet their new expectations.