Headless Commerce and leading design change through a brand experience

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WHAT IS HEADLESS COMMERCE?

2. HEADLESS ECOMMERCE
Front End
Experience Layer
eCommerce
Headless
API Layer
eCommerce
DecoupledMonolithic

4. 4

5. SQLI2019
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Over 80% of organizations
expect to compete mainly
based on CX this year
Source: Gartner
WHY CX

6. SQLI2019
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By 2020, customer experience
will overtake price and product as a key
brand differentiator.
Source: Walker
WHY CX

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Customers who have had
an unpleasant experience
on a brand website are
88% less likely to return
Source: Clicktale
WHY CX

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Loyal customers—those who support a
brand over time—spend 67% more than
new customers.
Source: Edelman
WHY CX

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eCommerce TechnologiesCMS / Front End Technologies
TYPICAL HEADLESS TECHNOLOGIES

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HI, I AM PHIL!
Experience, Digital & Marketing
Director
Customer experience led growth and
marketing transformation at the
intersection of humanities and
technology
fearless (collective)

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A BRAND PERSPECTIVE
How do I compete with
pureplay online new emerging
brands
eCommerce website too
difficult to update
Not competitive as we
innovate too slowly
Our eCommerce site doesn’t
enable us to get our brand
across
It looks boring..
Sales team says we cant piss off
our retailers
Our next SAP change request
window is 6 months out
How do we compete with
Amazon
Amazon VC is delisting our
products
How do we connect with our
consumers
IoT is interesting
Garyvee says to go all in on
‘Voice’What is our range of products
and portfolio strategy

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MANAGING STRATEGIC SHIFTS
1 2 3
Cultural Shift__
Moving from wholesaler /
manufacturer to acting and
behaving like a shopkeeper
Strategic Shift__
Moving from silos to COE’s
and project based teams
acting on problems to be
solved for specific
commerce archytypes
Strategy, experience and
agility leading technology
Growth Mindset Shift__
Redefining eCommerce
from a web channel to any
channel.
Voice, IoT & commerce
anywhere mindset

13. SQLI2019
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MOVING FROM WHOLESALER /
MANUFACTURER TO ACTING AND BEHAVING
LIKE A SHOPKEEPER
• B2B internal mindset lack of
agility in fulfilment, pricing
and development
• Passive retailer mindset
• Obsessed with customer
experience
• Omnichannel & touchpoint
mindset
• Technical fluidity in mindset

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MOVING FROM SILOS TO COE’S AND
PROJECT BASED TEAMS ACTING ON
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED.
• Problems to be solved identified and
led by detailed archetypes and
consumer insights for eCommerce
strategy.
• Only then discuss technology
• Act like an enterprise software
product manager
• Remove silos and develop cross group
COE’s
• Where challenge for transformation is
greater decouple teams into incubator
hub blend start-up with enterprise. Eg.
Founders Factory, London

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REDEFINING ECOMMERCE FROM A WEB
CHANNEL TO ANY CHANNEL.
3rd Party
Commerce
Mono Branded
DTC
Portfolio
Branded DTC
Portfolio
Branded DTC
Embedded
Software DTC
Commerce
App MyAccount
Utility DTC
Commerce
How to be agile, efficient and available for sale across just
these DTC touchpoints? Show me the money $$$

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STRATEGIC PRIORITISATION OF DTC
BRANDED CHANNELS
What
consumers are
looking for?
eCommerce
problem to
solve?
Where
consumers
engage with
brands
Typical
Archetypes:
Need
Brand Product
Solve my
problem
Reactive Amazon VC
Choice
Brand /
Products
Validate my
choice
Routine
restock
Google /
Amazon
Passion
Brands /
Products
Enrich my life Impulse Vs Trial Google, DTC
branded.com Headless
microservices
sweet spot!

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COMMERCE COMPETITIVENESS REQUIRES SPEED TO
MARKET ESPECIALLY BLUE OCEAN OPPORTUNITIES
Every
Second
Every
Quarter
De(re)fine Design Develop Deploy Measure
Large Marketplaces
Digitally Native Vertical Brands Legacy Retailers / Brands

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ATTENTION RAPIDLY SHIFTING FROM
‘DESKTOP’ EXPERIENCES
Other (10%)
Desktop (34%)

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PUREPLAY ECOM PLATFORMS
CHALLENGED TO KEEP UP, LAND
GRABS SLOWING INNOVATION
1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019+
Commerce

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ONLY CERTAINTY IS CONSTANT
CHANGE. KEY
RECOMMENDATIONS
1 2 3
Productise Commerce__
Treat your eCommerce
with the discipline and
management frameworks
as if you were an
enterprise vendor
Decouple commerce
technically into an API
based headless
approach__
Be API-first because the
only certainty we have is
that the future will be full
of change. APIs can and
will forever be able to be
consumed by any
consumer device, front-
end, or other application.
Build internal capability in
CX, UX & Service Design__
Lead your development
teams in terms of
experience based on rigid
consumer insight

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PRODUCTISE COMMERCE
PRODUCT 1:
Brand Content Only
PRODUCT 2:
B2C Omnichannel Content &
Commerce
PRODUCT 3:
Omnichannel B2B Commerce,
Self-Service & Content Portal
Product 4:
B2B2E Brand Content Only
B2C Omnichannel Strategy B2B & B2B2E Strategy
The ability to engage audiences
dynamically, build brand affinity
through engaging content, view
products, & know where-to-buy the
product or service.
The ability for B2C audiences to
engage & build brand affinity through
content & purchase directly from the
business in a seamless manner..
Finished goods & spares.
The ability for a B2B customer to
place an order online, request a
quote, view order history, view
promotions, content and ship to’s.
Ability to self-serve, access training
and marketing assets.
A Group / divisional corporate
focussed website template to
provide an overview of the business,
core strategic focus,product range
and employee value proposition.
Example in a global multi brand portfolio context..

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DECOUPLE COMMERCE TECHNICALLY INTO
AN API BASED HEADLESS APPROACH_WHY?

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DECOUPLE COMMERCE TECHNICALLY INTO
AN API BASED HEADLESS APPROACH_WHY?

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BUILD INTERNAL CAPABILITY IN CX, UX &
SERVICE DESIGN
You should know, own and love the experience and
show your dev teams the strategic vision for your
eCommerce ‘product’ experience

25. SQLI2019
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BRANDS DOING API BASED COMMERCE
• In-car commerce
for Audi’s all-new e
tron line (full
electric)
• Android-based
front-end,
commercetools API
Microservices

26. SQLI2019
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BRANDS DOING API BASED COMMERCE
• 700m Online Sales
• 35% from China
• Phase 2 is in-store
integration w/
Adyen
• Headless CMS
• Replacing ATG for
B2C
• Replacing Hybris
for B2B

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THANK YOU 