Combine speed and access with the ability to govern and control core data and product information.
Learn MoreEmpowering brands to manage, syndicate, and optimize product content at scale.
Learn MoreEmpowering retailers to collect, list, and enrich product content at scale.
Learn MoreThe leading commerce experience management solution and only unified and adaptive system of record.
Learn MoreMaximize success with service offerings designed to deliver measurable results.
Learn MoreMaximize success with support offerings designed to fit your requirements, including everything from self-service tools to custom expert guidance.
Learn MoreEnrich and optimize product pages to create engaging shopping experiences.
Learn MoreClose the loop on product performance with measurable analytics.
Learn MoreIntegrate the fulfillment data exchange necessary for marketplace selling.
Learn MoreCollect all of the data needed to list products quickly and accurately.
Learn MoreCollect the high-quality content necessary to optimize ecommerce experiences.
Learn MoreLeverage the best network of essential service and solution providers in the industry.
Learn MoreEstablish direct connections to efficiently collaborate and publish superior product experiences.
Learn MoreManage and syndicate GDSN operational data alongside other product data and marketing content.
Learn MoreDrive collaboration between brands and retailers with a free, open, and standardized product catalog.
Learn MoreSalsify solutions offer unique functions to help brands, retailers, and distributors drive results.
Salsify is the foundation for digital shelf success, empowering industry leaders with the tools to win.
Salsify drives results for customers worldwide, empowering them to win on the digital shelf.
Salsify offers a wide selection of resources and tools to drive success at every stage of the digital shelf journey.
Takeaway: With titles like Chief Technology Evangelist, Chief Innovation Officer, and Chief Digital Demand Officer, hiring leaders to bolster agility when constructing digital transformation strategies and teams is just one step of a few critical ones.
Just ten years ago, “only 40% of CIOs were involved in strategic planning” as Harvard Business Review wrote, “now they’re regarded as some of the most integral members of the C-Suite.” What this stat says more than anything is digital transformation is no longer a nice-to-have, but an unceasing necessity.A ‘necessity’ in that we know “digital has permeated every last inch of the retail process, from marketing to e-commerce to supply chain,” and ‘unceasing’ in that there is no placidity in thinking the digital landscape has reached its peak. As we’ve met with countless brands and retailers to assess their needs, we’ve discovered some overarching qualities that define true digital transformation.
Expecting change without allowing funds for said change means company leadership is talking with no action. As the old saying goes, “Put your money where your mouth is,” and be serious about transforming your company’s digital landscape. For example, Mars recently hired not one, but two senior officers to drive “effectiveness and efficiency within existing technology platforms,” while also integrating “design thinking, new data analytics capability and automation to accelerate digitization.” At the core of these changes is a more streamlined consumer experience, certainly a valid reason to invest.
A siloed approach doesn’t always take the needs of merchandising, marketing, and sales teams into consideration. Worse - it may separate access to the content that sales and marketing needs to be successful Important for everyone within your company to understand is: Everyone has part in digital transformation. Ideas and innovation should not be left solely to technology, or even just a small task force group, but everyone should “be ready to sprint, deliver some quick wins, and drive change throughout an organization.” We've give past advice on how to build the perfect strike team for your digital iniatives.
Nike, for example, recently restructured their internal teams so the website, branded stores, and Nike+ digital apps and products are under one umbrella, all with an eye toward halving product creation timelines and reducing delays within the supply chain. To view the website and supply chain as connected, normally seen as two extremes, is the thinking more companies need to adopt.
For brands, retailers, and manufacturers, the groundwork of digital sales begins with product content. Start by finding the content creation source within your company and map out your ideal process. From there, look to a product content management (PCM) system like ours to either replace or layer atop your existing content management system.
Having a solid base that can be frequently adjusted without much cost or effort will aid in keeping pace with changing technology and providing information that supports the consumer’s shopping decision. And as this article eloquently advises, “implement technologies which have a quick and direct business impact, and tackle processes one by one instead of attempting to boil the ocean.”
Agility in company ideology, technology, and within staff thinking starts from the top. Teams should be rewarded for trying new things and the fear of failure demolished. Additionally, decentralizing direction and decision-making removes the “waiting-for-next-steps” mentality, encourages reasonable risk taking, and eases the undue pressure of time-wasting bottlenecks.
As a parting thought, Harvard Business Review and PwC found in a survey of “2,216 executives at companies with annual revenue of more than $500 million… just 52% of executives rated their Digital IQ as strong, down 15% from the year before.” In other words, you aren’t alone. But also, what a time to enact digital transformation within your company and come out ahead of the pack.
Download our Guide to Winning at Distributed Commerce to learn how top brands are tackling this problem and get practical advice on how you can get started.
Cara Wood is fascinated with emerging technology trends and their impact on commerce and communication. Cara is an avid reader who is frequently over-caffeinated.
Standing out on the digital shelf starts with access to the latest industry content. Subscribe to Below the Fold, our monthly content newsletter, and join other commerce leaders.