Wrapping Up The FODcast Season 6: Our Best Season Yet!

December 13, 2024

It’s fair to say that Season 6 of Simply Commerce’s The FODcast: The Future of Digital Commerce has been our most exciting and impactful season to date.

With captivating discussions and expert insights from our stellar lineup of guests, the podcast has gained traction with listeners from across the globe. The numbers speak for themselves—this season has seen impressive engagement and a growing community of digital commerce enthusiasts tuning in for every episode.

If you missed an episode—or simply want to reflect on the highlights—here’s a look back at the conversations that defined this series.

Season Highlights

This season shone a spotlight on how businesses are embracing digital transformation to remain competitive and future-ready.

The future of digital commerce is discussed at length across all of the episodes, but here are just a few highlights from what has been a BUMPER season:

Modernising Clarks for Tomorrow’s Retail Landscape with Meriel Neighbour

  • Key Takeaway: Meriel Neighbour discusses the digital transformation journey at Clarks, focusing on modernising their technology landscape to meet future retail demands.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE 

At the MACH Crossroads: Evolving Expectations in Digital Commerce with Sonja Keerl & Jim Herbert

  • Key Takeaway: Sonja Keerl and Jim Herbert explore the future of digital commerce, emphasizing the importance of MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless) technology in meeting evolving buyer expectations.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE 

Flexibility and Cost-Effectiveness: Fractional Hiring Insights with Adrian Wakefield

  • Key Takeaway: Adrian Wakefield discusses how fractional hiring provides businesses with access to specialized skills and strategic vision without the need for full-time commitments.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE 

Tech Strategies Redefining the Travel Industry with Mike Jones

  • Key Takeaway: Mike Jones shares how Love Holidays transformed its technology landscape, leveraging AI and service-oriented architecture to drive innovation and operational growth.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE 

Mastering Digital Transformation for Successful Business Change with Wendy Isaacs

  • Key Takeaway: Wendy Isaacs shares strategies for successful digital transformation, emphasizing the importance of aligning people, culture, and strategic planning.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE

Builing a Successful eCommerce Business with Nathan Lomax

  • Key Takeaway: Nathan Lomax talks about the challenges and successes of building an eCommerce business, highlighting the importance of resilience, strategic planning, and work-life balance.
  • 📽️ Watch HERE

Final Thoughts

It’s clear from our conversations over the last three years on the FODcast, that the digital commerce sector is experiencing a period of significant evolution, where businesses are increasingly compelled to innovate and adapt to rapidly advancing technologies and changing consumer behaviours.

Digital transformation has become the cornerstone of strategic success, driving businesses to integrate digital technologies across every facet of their operations. It’s not just about enhancing efficiency, but about creating smarter, more personalised customer journeys that foster deeper engagement and loyalty.

Companies must leverage data-driven insights to optimise their offerings, from product recommendations to tailored promotions, and even anticipate customer needs before they arise. This data-first approach is essential to staying competitive, allowing businesses to make informed, real-time decisions that enhance both customer satisfaction and profitability.

Equally important is the emphasis on customer experience, which has become a key differentiator in a crowded marketplace. Today’s consumers expect seamless, consistent, and personalised interactions across multiple channels, whether online or offline. Businesses must meet these expectations by implementing omnichannel strategies that unify customer touchpoints, providing a smooth transition from one channel to another.

Moreover, the role of agility and adaptability cannot be overstated—organisations must be ready to pivot and innovate swiftly in response to market shifts and technological advancements. The adoption of composable architectures enables businesses to create flexible, scalable solutions tailored to their specific needs, although careful planning and integration are required to avoid the complexities and costs that can arise, particularly for mid-market companies.

The digital commerce landscape is ultimately about finding the right balance between technology and the human element—ensuring that digital innovations enhance rather than replace the authentic relationships that businesses must nurture with their customers. Strong leadership, skilled teams, and a customer-centric mindset are indispensable in driving digital transformation.

As the sector continues to evolve, businesses that invest in the right technologies, stay ahead of trends like gamification and personalised rewards, and prioritise a seamless, high-value customer experience will be best positioned to thrive in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace.

Catch Up on Every Episode

Missed an episode? You can listen to the full season—and previous seasons—on your preferred platform:

Thank You To Our Guests

This season’s lineup featured an exceptional group of experts, each offering unique perspectives on the world of digital commerce.

Here’s a full list of the brilliant minds who joined us:

Join the Conversation

The future of digital commerce is constantly evolving, and The FODcast is here to bring you the latest insights. If you’d like to be a guest on the show and share your expertise, we’d love to hear from you.

Get in touch HERE for an initial chat.

Here’s to more exciting discussions, expert opinions, and innovative ideas. We’ll see you in the next season!

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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Challenges & Opportunities Across Digital Commerce | Q3 2024

September 15, 2024

In the fast-paced world of digital commerce, technological advancements and evolving consumer behaviors are reshaping how businesses operate and compete.

From online platforms and mobile commerce to cloud-based ecosystems, companies must continuously adapt to remain relevant.

This report highlights key insights gathered by the team here at Simply Commerce through surveys and industry discussions, focusing on the challenges businesses face and the opportunities for growth.

Key Takeaways:

  • Increasing Profitability: Nearly 50% of businesses are struggling with competitive pressures and economic uncertainty.
  • Market Conditions: Over a third of respondents highlighted external market dynamics like economic shifts and regulatory changes impacting operations.
  • Technology Adoption: 19.3% find it challenging to keep up with technological advancements and maintain a competitive edge.
  • Talent Acquisition: Hiring skilled professionals is a major hurdle for 22.9% of businesses seeking growth and innovation.

For deeper insights and strategies to navigate these challenges, download the full report below:

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT TO READ MORE

As always, if you’re keen to explore how Simply Commerce can assist your business in navigating these trends and challenges within the digital commerce sector, please do get in touch. 

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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The Move From Monolith to Composable

August 23, 2024

Over the past 5 years we have seen more and more end customers, regardless of sector, look to break down their monolithic platform with composability in mind.

Cost, flexibility, scalability, innovation, and speed are some of the key benefits of doing this however what often goes unspoken are the challenges of undergoing such a transformation and how these can be overcome.

The Simply Commerce podcast, The FOD, has focussed on this exact topic over the last two seasons with insightful conversation that spotlights the experience of guest speakers who are at the top of their game including digital commerce leaders with end customers, agencies, and software vendors who have all been at the very heart of said transformations.

There’s no denying there are many benefits to a part, or fully, de-composed architecture, however, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right thing for your business.

First and foremost, it’s vital to understand your business requirements and goals before deciding on the technology you want to proceed with. 

There are currently a handful of options; from part-build/buy components for a bespoke architecture (we’ve been seeing this for some time already) to a fully de-composed eco-system. You also have new platforms being released built on MACH principles as their foundation as well as individual vendors with pre-built connectors to ensure a quick go-to-market timeframe. 

Should you decide on moving forward with a part or fully composable architecture here’s a summary of some of the top tips to ensure a successful implementation and delivery, taken from our guests who have lived, breathed, and worked through them: 

  • Understand your business goals before doing anything. 
  • Speak to industry peers who have undergone the transformation. Ask them, what didn’t go to plan and what would they do differently next time. 
  • Make sure the entire business understands how their roles will be impacted and ensure they are all bought in.  
  • Be meticulous when picking your third parties, delivery partners, and vendors. They are going to be key to your success.  
  • If you aren’t technology mature then consider hiring an experienced Business Analyst and Solution Architect to ensure the business demands are at the forefront.  
  • Start small to see ROI quickly. This will help ensure continued buy-in. Composable transformations aren’t designed to be a big bang, but it is likely business leaders will want to see some short-term gains from the investment. 
  • Ensure communication is a constant throughout the business. Success stories are key to keep everyone engaged but managing expectations will also be vital at key milestones in the project. 

 With 30% of new projects in 2024 having composability in mind, we are already seeing a direct impact on changes to hiring strategies and the search for the right talent and skill set across the whole of the digital commerce ecosystem as businesses review and strengthen their technology teams. Since the start of 2023, we’ve already assisted a number of end customers with a complete review (and re-shape) of their teams as part of their composable journey, including new hires across testing, engineering, leadership, and change management.

We’ve also seen a surge in demand for those working on a contract basis. 

Moving to composable will almost certainly require different skill sets and technical capabilities, so the business must be fully aware of the impact this will have on future needs, as well as on the incumbent team, and the part they will have to play in the transformation.

Even outside of the traditional tech teams, other parts of the business will be impacted too, particularly where new processes or technologies are introduced, so considering the holistic view of your people strategy here is key. Recognising the broader organisational impact beyond just the technical teams is key, as is selecting any external partners – including those best placed to help with the recruitment of new hires.

Ultimately, proactive planning and investment in talent development are essential for businesses to thrive – although that can be said for those moving to Composable, or indeed sticking with their monolithic approach as well.  

What we do know is that companies who have decided to embark on a composable transformation are more likely to require a strong internal technology capability, even if they initially seek external help with delivery or project management.

 

About Simply Commerce 

As a specialist recruiter in the digital commerce space for over a decade, there’s no one better placed to understand the journey you are embarking on, particularly when it comes to sourcing (and securing) the best talent on the market. 

We are perfectly placed to advise on skillset requirements, cost, and availability as well as a go-to-market plan to ensure you’re hiring the best possible professionals all of the time. Skillset cost and availability in particular is something we have found isn’t discussed enough with the vendors, and is of huge value to our existing clients. 

 

For more information and a free consultancy around the availability of resources for your transformation CLICK HERE to start that conversation. 

Written by:

James Hodges

Director of Client Engagement

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