Industry News & Headlines | April 2024

May 19, 2024

The month of April seems to have been a catalyst for many. We’ve seen and heard new workstreams being signed off, new hires being approved, previously paused projects picked back up, and lots of contacts in the network securing new positions.

I have my suspicions that the start of a new financial year may have impacted this upward trend and played a big part in new hiring budgets being approved.

Simply Commerce noticed a notable uptick in new vacancies throughout the month. In fact, April has been one of our strongest months for new vacancies. We have also noticed:

🔴 30% of new vacancies are contract

🔴 30% of new vacancies sit within delivery or middle management

🔴 70% of new vacancies within engineering and testing.

Whilst new vacancies were high, April still had its challenges. We are seeing lengthy interview processes with extra due diligence happening. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s important to make the right hire, however, with the market slowly turning, particularly within engineering, we are already seeing companies that can move through the process quickly win the race to some great candidates.

Finally, SC attended the Retail Technology Show and what an event that was, the atmosphere was buzzing, the footfall was huge and the general takeaways are that there is still so much that can be done within this space. Personalisation & Content, Search and Product Information seem to be the 3 key areas of investment – along with Gen-AI of course.

 

Market Spotlight + Top 5 eCommerce Stories This Month

  • JD Sports expanded its flagship store in Westfield Stratford City, adding 4,000 sq ft and enhancing its digital features including immersive shopping experiences READ MORE
  • TikTok Shop UK expanded into preowned luxury fashion, joining existing offerings such as flowers and wellness, partnering with Luxe Collective Fashion, Sellier Knightsbridge, Sign of the Times, and Break. Archive READ MORE
  • ASOS.com continues to struggle as it recorded an 18% decline in sales in the 26 weeks to 3 March, with adjusted group revenue falling to £1.5bn. Loss before tax improved slightly to £270m, from a £290m loss last year READ MORE
  • Frasers Group acquired Dutch sports retailer Twin Sport, as part of its international expansion strategy. Twin Sport, with 17 stores in the Netherlands, yielded nearly £64m revenue in 2023. Frasers is also securing 10 former Sprinter retail locations READ MORE
  • Vinted revenue increased 61% up to €596 million from 22 to 23, more importantly, however, finally reaching profitability for the first time READ MORE

 

Each month we send out the latest industry news and headlines, plus sector insight such as this via our newsletter, The Pulse. This also includes the latest jobs and internal news… click HERE  to subscribe

 

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Industry News & Headlines | March 2024

April 19, 2024

March was a strange month with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, however, we finished on a positive note and this has certainly continued into the first week of April. 

Lots of positive data came out over the last month too:

🔸The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, rose to -12 in March 2024, having dropped back to -25 in February showing the mood of CEOs in the UK economy is rapidly improving.

🔸The Financial Times announced that UK public inflation expectations fell to the lowest in 2 years, a real positive sign and normally a good lead indicator of economic growth.

With such promising indicators, it’s clear that despite the ebbs and flows of activity in Q1. we’re on a trajectory of growth and stability as we move forward into April and beyond – and not before time.

 

Market Spotlight + Top 5 eCommerce Stories This Month

  • H&M experienced a significant boost in operating profit in Q1, nearly tripling to £155 million, resulting in a margin increase of 3.9%. READ MORE
  • PDD Holdings, owner of Temu, announced impressive sales figures of £27bn for last year, (nearly double that of 2022) with full-year operating profit soaring by 93% to £6.3bn READ MORE
  • Depop has announced an update to its fee structure, will see the elimination of its 10% selling fees for all UK users READ MORE
  • Several high street retailers including Sainsburys, Tesco, Greggs, and McDonalds were urged to address legacy issues within their operating systems after they suffered from major IT issues just days apart READ MORE
  • The turnover of the B2B market is projected to reach €1.7 trillion by 2025 READ MORE

 

Each month we send out the latest industry news and headlines, plus sector insight such as this via our newsletter, The Pulse. This also includes the latest jobs and internal news… click HERE  to subscribe

 

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 7 with Mikko Mantilla from IONA

April 18, 2024

In this penultimate episode of Season 5, we were delighted to welcome seasoned digital leader, Mikko Mantila , Co-Founder and CEO of IONA – an award-winning agency who specialises in next-generation eCommerce.

Founded in 2019,  IONA has gone on to experience rapid growth, with studios now in Helsinki, London, and Davao City in The Philippines. And, with a client base that continues to expand across the Nordics and the UK, Mikko has most recently experienced success with notable involvement in the MACH Alliance’s C-suite advisory board.

The episode delves into IONA’s background, pioneering the adoption of headless technology, as well as a focus on the evolution of composable strategies over their first 5 years in business.

In our chat, Mikko reflects on the ‘hype’ surrounding the concept and the necessity for businesses to consider its implications carefully, emphasising the importance of organisational readiness, cultural alignment, and clear communication of expected benefits and ROI.

The conversation deep dives into the complexities and realities of embracing composability in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, offering valuable insights and guidance for businesses navigating this transformative journey.

LINKS TO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE ARE BELOW

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 6 with Rex Bigger from Cabiri

April 16, 2024

Seasoned professional Rex Bigger joined the composable conversation for Episode SIX of The FOD.

With over 25 years working in the tech and IT sector following a first-class degree in Astrophysics from UCL, Rex has a vast amount of experience with a varied career that has seen him work as a Senior Java Developer for the likes of MTV and Disney, before moving into Consultancy roles with e2x Limited where he led projects for high-profile clients including LEGO and Ikea.

Rex then co-founded specialist headless commerce consultancy, Cabiri in 2017 where he is currently CEO.

In our chat for the FOD, Rex spotlights the early days of composable (before the term itself even existed) and why the agency chose to join the MACH Alliance in late 2023.

He also considers future developments within IT more generally, and whether its cyclical nature means a new generation of monoliths could be where we end up as businesses embrace composable, but with a desire for a homogenous interface – it’s another fascinating discussion and viewpoint.

Whether you choose to listen to the podcast, or watch – you’ll find the episode in a number of places to suit you – links below >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 5 with Craig Smith & Rico Adler from SCAYLE

March 26, 2024

In this episode, we welcomed two guests to join the conversation about Composable – digital and eCommerce experts Craig Smith and Rico Adler from one of the fastest-growing global eCommerce platforms, SCAYLE.

SCAYLE, a B2C specialist, is certainly making headlines – notably as a named ‘niche player’ in  Gartner’s Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce last year, as well as the more recent announcement that Manchester United Football Club has selected them as their official eCommerce platform provider.

Craig – UK & Ireland Country Manager at SCAYLE has worked in the digital tech industry for over 3 decades across retail brands, retail tech companies, and as strategic advisor to UK retailers at Salesforce.

Rico meanwhile– Director Solution Consulting at the company, has a similarly impressive background in the sector – joining the German online giant About You as Head of Client Development to build out the SCAYLE platform.

In our chat for The FOD, we talk in detail about the rising expectations of consumers and, knowing that these will continue to grow as tech develops, remembering their needs specifically whilst businesses and IT teams plough ahead with their digital transformation change programmes.

We also discuss the most common reasons why composable transformations falter, as well as the future of eCommerce and current trends impacting the market for all stakeholders.

Links to listen and/or watch the episode are below – as always, do share with your network >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 4 with Gert Van Vliet from Touchtribe

February 15, 2024

We really enjoyed this discussion for The FOD where we welcome seasoned digital expert Gert van Vliet to the ongoing Composable conversation.

Gert has many decades of experience working in and around the digital commerce space; initially as a functional designer and developer, before moving into consultancy across sales, marketing, accountancy and IT functions for a range of businesses and agencies.

Gert is currently the Managing Director for Netherlands-based digital commerce agency, Touchtribe – part of the MakerStreet Network, one of the country’s biggest digital agencies, offering complete end-to-end solutions for its clients.

In our chat for The FOD, we talk in detail about the number one reason why Composable transformations fail, the importance of culture and the ‘human element’ of being part of an often very complex project, and the inevitable (and unpredictable) future of the sector as AI-use and implementation start to take hold.

Links, as always are below giving you a choice of networks to listen/view at your leisure.

Let us know what you think (and please do share to those who are starting on or going through a composable transformation themselves) >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 3 with Dom Delvon from Apply Digital

January 20, 2024

For our third episode of the season, we welcomed seasoned technology leader, Dom Selvon, to the ongoing discussion on all things Composable.

Dom has many decades of experience within the sector, working initially within management consultancy services and technology delivery, and then as a solutions architect and CTO for systems integrators.

Currently the Global Chief Technology Officer of Apply Digital – a leading digital solutions agency, Dom has spent the best part of the last five years advising clients on the move to composable and has helped some of the world’s most recognised brands including, Moderna, Kraft Heinz, Lululemon, and The Very Group.

An Executive Board Member of the MACH Alliance, Dom chatted to us in detail about the importance of departmental collaboration, ensuring the IT/Tech department is part of the wider delivery team (and not viewed as a ‘supplier’) and why understanding the business vision is critical for all parties who embark on the journey to composable.

As always, please find the links below to listen or watch the recording – and let us know your thoughts in the comments >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 2 with Tomas A. Krag from NoA Ignite

December 29, 2023

For this second episode of the new season, we were delighted to welcome experienced digital leader, Tomas A. Krag to join the discussion on all things Composable.

Currently Chief Technology Officer at full-service agency NoA Ignite, a full-service agency based in Denmark, Tomas has also held senior positions client-side, with CTO roles at home-retailer and manufacturer Hilding Anders, and more recently Bang & Olufsen where, in building an eCommerce team from scratch, went on to win multiple awards for front-end design and MACH architecture.

In our chat with Tomas, he talks openly about the most common mistakes companies make when going down the composable route, when you are likely to see the benefits of composable architecture  as well as reasons why some decide to change paths altogether and move towards a more monolithic architecture

As always, please find the links below to listen on your preferred podcast platform >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S5 | Episode 1 with Michiel Tielemans from Lab Digital

December 26, 2023

After a welcome response to Season 4, episodes in this Season of The Fod: The Future of Digital Commerce, continue to have a primary focus on all things Composable.

And, while this isn’t a new topic per se, it is undoubtedly still a popular one with many unanswered questions.

Through conversations with our guests – this time agency leaders – we’ll be trying to find the answers.

Our first episode of Season 5 features an insightful discussion with Michiel Tielemans, MD of Lab Digital, one of the Netherlands’ leading composable agencies that have helped a wide range of clients over the last decade including Frasers Group, Mars, Suzuki, and Toyota.

Michiel shares with us the reasons why Composable transformations fail, as well as advice to end customers on how to make sure they are set for success from the get-go.

It’s a fascinating, honest discussion and will no doubt be of use to businesses considering a move away from monolith.

As always, please find the links below to listen or watch the recording – and let us know your thoughts in the comments >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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S4 | Episode 7 with Dave Hardiman, ex Wiggle

November 27, 2023

We are delighted to present to you a BONUS episode for Season 4 of our podcast; The FOD, where we chatted in depth with former Head of Software Development at Wiggle, David Hardiman.

In our chat with David, we learn more about the retailer’s move to Composable which started in earnest back in 2020 – a move necessitated by an outdated e-commerce infrastructure.

In this episode we hear about the challenges that the decision to go ‘Composable’ presented and why anyone embarking on that journey or indeed weighing up their options, should (in David’s words) go into it with their eyes wide open, and with a crystal clear vision of what business requirements are; an understanding of what problems they are looking to solve, and an acknowledgement that this is an inherently complex process despite the obvious advantages it can bring.

It’s a fascinating discussion that offers an honest and balanced view from someone who has lived through the journey – and has come out of the other side with clear insight on the positives …and the pitfalls.

Links to listen/view the episode are below >>>

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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