A survey of B2B companies with at least 1,000 employees, conducted by Forrester Consulting during the 3rd Qtr 2014 titled “Building The B2B Omni-Channel Commerce Platform Of The Future", determined that B2B buyers expect B2B supplier sites to provide a similar user experience to what they are accustomed to from B2C sites. Top features B2B customers expect when conducting business on B2B sites includes automated pricing options (62%), enhanced site search (60%), product reviews and ratings (58%) and improved personalized...

When Jeff Bezos told Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes that drones might one day be able to deliver packages the same day Amazon shoppers ordered a product, the rumor mill was set on fire. How would it work? When would it start? What about the regulations? What about the cost? Regardless of the oodles of questions and comments coming from said rumor mill, Amazon’s drones were nothing more than a vision for the future. But as it turned out, Amazon’s same-day...

As the digital age continues its upward and onward march, a marketer’s job becomes increasingly difficult to manage. When there are so many touch points – websites, brick-and-mortar locations, social media platforms and an ever-growing handful of devices used by customers – it can be a challenge to create meaningful interactions. Regardless of the challenge, “digital experience priorities must quickly evolve to keep up with fast-paced or fickle customer expectations. Given the frantic pace of digital, organizations invest or are left...

At the IBM Smarter Commerce workshop, held on Sept. 18-19 in Chicago, presenters showcased the enterprise marketing management (EMM) solutions developed by IBM to drive relationship marketing within the eCommerce arena. The topic was kicked-off with explanations as to how the tools within the platform address the needs of specific users.   For marketing leaders and planners: Maximizing ROI is one of the No. 1 goals of CMOs and marketing managers. Modeling and assessing the mix of marketing efforts is covered within...

Mobile, analytics, omni-channel and social might just be the four biggest issues on the plates of eCommerce business owners today. So it makes perfect sense that IBM, a leader in eCommerce platforms, is making it easier for e-retailers to excel in those realms.   With its new Digital Experience software, companies can deepen engagement, uncover customer sentiment and build loyalty. Just last month, in fact, IBM issued a press releasethat outlined the advanced capabilities included in the software: Mobile Experiences: According to...

In December of last year, the retail team at Alix Partners, a global firm of senior business and consulting professionals, summarized the 2012 holiday shopping season as less than what retailers were looking for. In the same report, they delivered their annual predictions for 2013, which included topics ranging from the Internet sales tax issue to omni-channel selling.   Nearly six months later, as retailers head into the 2013 holiday shopping season, Alix Partners revisited those earlier predictions to determine their...