Erin Moloney, Author at Perficient Blogs https://blogs.perficient.com/author/erin-eschen/ Expert Digital Insights Wed, 19 Jun 2024 19:17:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://blogs.perficient.com/files/favicon-194x194-1-150x150.png Erin Moloney, Author at Perficient Blogs https://blogs.perficient.com/author/erin-eschen/ 32 32 30508587 6 Reasons You’ll Love Working for Perficient in Dallas https://blogs.perficient.com/2021/11/04/5-reasons-youll-love-working-for-perficient-in-dallas/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2021/11/04/5-reasons-youll-love-working-for-perficient-in-dallas/#respond Thu, 04 Nov 2021 21:06:19 +0000 https://blogs.perficient.com/?p=299890

Working at Perficient, you have access to a global network of colleagues who are the best in the business. In addition to a worldwide community, you also have plenty of reasons to thrive in your own hometown!

Here are six reasons our Dallas colleagues say they love working for Perficient.

Work On Large Clients & Projects

Perficient partners with the majority of the 20+ Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Dallas, and many of the most well-known brands. You’ll work with the biggest and most innovative companies in Dallas, helping to deliver transformative programs to accelerate growth and scale. You’ll work on technology programs with some of the largest of our partners, including Adobe, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and more.

Experience Training & Development

We offer Perficient Academy, our online library of training on processes, systems, and capabilities, as well as full access to Udemy, a library of 150,000+ courses across professional development, technology disciplines, and personal skill-building, from cooking to learning a musical instrument.

We conduct twice-annual performance reviews and have many certification opportunities. Our Growth for Everyone program is a company-wide initiative that evaluates career paths and development opportunities for all colleagues.

Giving Back & Community Engagement

We partner with The Mark Cuban Foundation to host the annual AI Bootcamps program for high school students to learn the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence.

We are also a major sponsor of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team. Our Dallas team participates in a variety of virtual and in-person events and user groups year-round.

READ MORE: Seven Reasons Why Perficient Chooses To Feed the City in Dallas

KEEP GOING: Perficient Teammates Fight Hunger with Feed the City

EVEN MORE: About Perficient’s History of Giving Back to the Dallas Community

Be a Part of Our Global Partnerships

As a Perficient employee, you get a first-row seat at all types of amazing partnerships, such as our work with the Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban.

You can even listen to Mark Cuban on our podcast, “What if? SoWhat?”, as he discusses his most memorable Shark Tank technology products, how to remain relevant to customers across generations, and why he’s excited to be working with Perficient to host AI bootcamps for underserved students.

Perficient is committed to advancing STEM education opportunities and the Mark Cuban AI Bootcamp program is a premiere resource that is closing the knowledge gap by empowering high school students with fundamental knowledge about AI concepts to increase AI literacy and understanding. Together, we’re training the next generation of AI leaders in Dallas.

Electricity Botz SquarePerficient has many more noteworthy partnerships colleagues enjoy such as with the RioBotz team who built the Minotaur bot that competes in the global TV show on the Discovery Channel, BattleBots, Team Perficient which is comprised of leading PGA and LPGA golfers, and other sports partnerships with winning teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues.

Enjoy an Amazing Local Office

Our office at The Campus at Legacy in Plano, TX offers clean, socially distanced workspaces, several conference rooms and offices, and a complete fitness center with showers. The office features convenient and free covered parking and is conveniently located near dozens of local cafes and restaurants at Legacy Town Center and Legacy West.

 

Click to view slideshow.

Be Part of Our Strong Culture

Our Dallas team hosts monthly town hall meetings on the state of the business and regular team culture activities. Erin Moloney, Perficient’s General Manager in Dallas, has been at Perficient for more than 12 years. Recently recognized for “Excellence in Leadership” by Consulting Magazine, she is also the co-chair for Perficient’s global Women in Tech employee resource group. In her role, she leads Perficient’s efforts in expanding our presence in the DFW market and serving our local clients with excellence.

MORE ABOUT: Unveiling the New Perficient People Promise


READY TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.

Go inside Life at Perficient and connect with us on LinkedInYouTubeTwitter, and Instagram.

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Growing Healthcare and Digital Marketing Expertise with Acquisition of MedTouch https://blogs.perficient.com/2020/01/06/growing-our-healthcare-and-digital-marketing-expertise-through-acquisition-of-medtouch/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2020/01/06/growing-our-healthcare-and-digital-marketing-expertise-through-acquisition-of-medtouch/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2020 14:03:47 +0000 https://blogs.perficient.com/?p=249502

Medtouch Logo High ResWe are thrilled to announce that we are expanding our capabilities in digital health solutions with the acquisition of MedTouch. MedTouch is an award-winning $13 million annual revenue digital healthcare marketing and technology consulting firm.

The imperative to provide customers with thoughtfully designed and effective digital experiences is at a high right now for healthcare providers and payers. In a recent report, Forrester says a company’s innovation investments and efforts should be driven by customer experience insights, and that this is exceptionally true for healthcare providers. Because “the lives and well-being of their customers are the sources of future value”.  According to Forrester, healthcare companies that innovate to improve the human condition are helping to position their firm to be a market leader.

MedTouch and a History of Helping Healthcare Organizations

MedTouch has seen this first hand for many years. Healthcare companies turn to MedTouch to help improve multiple facets of their organization. This includes customer experience, acquire more patients, nurture engagement with their patients, and increase loyalty. They do this by partnering with digital experience platform providers including Sitecore, Salesforce, and Acquia. With these long-term, trusted partnerships, they deliver strategic solutions that provide impactful digital experiences that are unmatched.

Similarly, Perficient has been delivering digital technology consulting solutions to leading payer, provider and pharmaceutical organizations for decades:

A Shared Passion and Vision for Healthcare Organizations

Like MedTouch, we’re passionate about helping healthcare organizations give their patients and customers the right information and care where and when they need it most. In joining forces, this will enhance our ability to help all of our healthcare clients provide the communities they serve with high-quality and cost-effective healthcare. As well as enhance the patient’s and members’ experience and achieve operational excellence. Now we will expand upon our healthcare experience, strengthen our experience and expertise across our highly-skilled, growing Sitecore practice, and grow our team of healthcare marketers with this incredible new team.

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Meet Perficient Digital Commerce & DX Experts at IBM Think 2019 https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/15/meet-perficient-digital-commerce-dx-experts-at-ibm-think-2019/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/15/meet-perficient-digital-commerce-dx-experts-at-ibm-think-2019/#respond Tue, 15 Jan 2019 21:25:06 +0000 https://blogs.perficientdigital.com/?p=230788

Perficient is sponsoring IBM Think 2019, which is happening in San Francisco February 12 – 15th.  We are excited to have a booth (Booth #320), but even more excited to be contributing to so many incredible thought leadership sessions on the topics of commerce, digital experience and order management.
Several of our experts’ speaking engagements will be alongside our top clients who are using Watson Order Management solutions.

Our Sessions

 

Digitally Enhancing Physical Stores: Watson Commerce Order Management Innovation for BOPIS and SFS

Wednesday, 3:30 PM – 4:10 PM
Westin St. Francis, Level 2 | Olympic

Our industry’s pace of change challenges digital leaders to stay abreast of today’s latest, innovative deployments. Come hear how the nation’s leading fabric and craft retailer is using IBM Watson Commerce to elevate the customer experience. With IBM Order Management as a foundational element underpinning this client’s solution, this session will focus on how the initial deployment has migrated to the cloud and provides a single view of supply and demand, orchestrates order fulfillment processes across Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS) and Ship-from-Store (SFS), and empowers company representatives to better serve clients both in call centers and in-store engagements.
Speakers:

 

Innovating with IBM Order Management in Manufacturing and Distribution at Leggett & Platt

Wednesday, 4:30 PM – 5:10 PM | Session ID: 5787A
Westin St. Francis, Level 1 | Tower Salon A

At Leggett & Platt, a global, diversified manufacturer, the topic of supply chain and order management technology has transitioned from the dark corners of the warehouse to the executive table. While supply chain optimization is fairly well-established among retailers, branded manufacturers and distributors are being pressured to augment or even break from their traditional models. Join L&P and IBM Business Partner Perficient Digital as they discuss the challenge of blending physical with digital across customer acquisition, engagement and retention initiatives. Learn how L&P is optimizing inventory and order orchestration with IBM Order Management to grow revenue, gain market share and disrupt the industry.
Speakers:

  • Pawan Kumar Gupta, Director OMS, CPQ, B2B and Commerce, Perficient Digital
  • Tyler Burgess, Leggett and Platt Inc.
  • Michael Blinzler, Leggett & Platt

 

IBM Order Management—What Practitioners Love about the Newest Release!

Wednesday, 4:30 PM – 4:50 PM | Session ID: 7377A
Moscone South, Exhibit Level, Hall D | Data & AI Think Tank F

The demand for personalized order orchestration services has compelled organizations to re-examine their order-to-fulfillment lifecycle. It is imperative to enhance processes to improve business agility and support both B2C and B2B customers. With IBM’s newest order management solution, you can continue to deliver a differentiating experience. Learn how to use IBM Order Management to: aggregate, manage and monitor orders from all channels; use intelligent sourcing rules to determine the most efficient fulfillment; access a single order repository to manage the “order life cycle” in real-time; gain insights and alerts for performance and capacity, while managing supply and demand; and augment ERP processes to meet customer needs.

 

Mastering the Demands of Dealer and Customer Websites Using IBM Digital Experience Manager

Friday, 11:30 AM – 11:50 AM | Session ID: 7372A
Moscone South, Exhibit Level, Hall D | Data & AI Think Tank F

Business customers of large enterprises desire the same quality in their digital interactions as consumers do. Real-time data, product information, service notices, tools, service scheduling, maintenance, parts, data and more must be readily available—as well as current, accurate and easy to consume. Attend this session to learn the best practices, tips and tricks on how to elevate the combined dealer and customer website experiences using IBM Digital Experience Manager. Topics covered will include: accelerating speed to market, delivering targeted and secured content and data, producing highly polished user interfaces, mobility support, scaling for performance and content integration.
Speakers:

  • Glenn Kline, Principal and Technical Director, Perficient Digital

 

Our Clients’ Sessions

In addition, our client, Leggett & Platt, will join Jeanette Barlow’s keynote on February 11th at 3:00 pm.
 

About Us

Perficient is one of a select group of elite Platinum Business Partners who can sell and deliver services across all IBM software brands. Perficient and its Perficient Digital agency provide industry-focused and business-aligned solutions incorporating cloud, cognitive, data, analytics, DevOps, IoT, content management, BPM, connectivity, commerce, mobile, and digital experience.
 

 
 

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Meet our Augmented Analytics and Marketing Data Experts at NRF 2019 https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/10/meet-our-augmented-analytics-and-marketing-data-experts-at-nrf-2019/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/10/meet-our-augmented-analytics-and-marketing-data-experts-at-nrf-2019/#respond Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:46:18 +0000 https://blogs.perficientdigital.com/?p=230720

Come meet our experts Jim Butz, MicroStrategy Practice General Manager, and Kevin Bauer, Digital Marketing Practice Director, as they showcase demos and retail expertise at NRF 2019 next week. Demos will be held at the MicroStrategy booth (#1955) and will highlight augmented analytics, chatbots, voice, natural language technology, digital intelligence, digital marketing analytics, and data-driven omnichannel experience.
Meet the Experts:


Kevin Bauer,
Digital Marketing Practice Director

Kevin will be present in the MicroStrategy booth to discuss marketing, digital transformation, and how companies are activating data across marketing channels.


Jim Butz,
General Manager, Perficient’s MicroStrategy Practice

Jim will demonstrate innovative solutions that connect users to data via any interface by integrating with open BI platforms like MicroStrategy. Imagine a store manager walking down an aisle, wondering how a specific product is performing. With traditional BI tools, she would have to log into a BI portal, search thousands of SKUs for the desired product and run a report. By integrating leading image-recognition software with MicroStrategy’s BI platform, augmented reality integration makes it possible for the store manager to simply point the mobile device at the product and instantly get access to key performance metrics like inventory levels, sales, product benchmarking. Watch the video below to see how learn more, or visit Jim at NRF.
Jim will also demonstrate real-time integration between a POS, MicroStrategy, and Slack to provide intelligent alerts to a buyer about a potential inventory outage.  The message is all about injecting intelligence into non-BI processes to help with decision-making.

Our Demo Sessions:

  • Monday, January 14th @ 10:00 AM
  • Tuesday, January 15th @ 9:30 AM

Where:
Javits Center, NYC
MicroStrategy Booth #1955
We look forward to seeing you there!

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2019 Top Commerce Trend: HCL buys IBM Commerce and DX Products https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/04/2019-top-commerce-trend-hcl-buys-ibm-commerce-and-dx-products/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2019/01/04/2019-top-commerce-trend-hcl-buys-ibm-commerce-and-dx-products/#respond Fri, 04 Jan 2019 21:11:58 +0000 https://blogs.perficientdigital.com/?p=230681

One of the biggest shifts in the enterprise commerce solutions space in 2019 will be the acquisition by HCL of IBM’s collaboration and experience products. On December 7, 2018 IBM announced that they intended to sell a handful of software products to HCL, including WebSphere Commerce (the recently released V9 and multi-tenant IBM Digital Commerce offerings) and IBM’s DX Portal and web CMS products (formerly WebSphere; now DX portfolio). This deal is slated to close mid-2019. The full announcement can be seen here.
Perficient Digital is fully committed to working with IBM, HCL and our clients during this acquisition to fully understand how it affects our clients’ Digital Commerce solution(s) and roadmap.
Considering the number of changing trends in the Digital Commerce space, now, more than ever, organizations must assess their current solutions against their future business needs and technology investments. We help companies understand these trends and align them with their business objectives in order to help establish plans and road maps that meet short and long-term needs.
This acquisition should serve as a reminder to customers of those commerce and DX products how critical it is to

  1. Assess and understand how industry changes impact their business objectives at all times
  2. Partner with organizations who have an informed yet independent view of the marketplace

As IBM’s Commerce Partner of the Year, more than any other IBM services firm in the world, Perficient Digital remains dedicated to being at the forefront of helping our customers in this effort. We were chosen for this recognition because of our ongoing growth and relationships with key customers, and thought leadership around the IBM Watson Customer Engagement Commerce platform.

“We bring to market leading-edge commerce solutions that transform our customers’ businesses in a way that not only drives sales but strengthens their overall brand. Our approach to commerce is focused on crafting a journey, connecting with customers, and delivering a seamless customer experience across channels and throughout the enterprise.”
– Steve Gatto, National Sales Director for Perficient Digital’s Commerce Solutions Practice

We welcome the opportunity to discuss how this acquisition may impact your short and long term commerce plans. If you have questions about this topic or would like to talk with one of our commerce experts, please contact us at CommerceSales@perficient.com
For more information on why this deal occurred, we found the following article helpful:

IBM Goes All In On Cloud And Sends Collaboration And Experience Products To HCL,
by Allen Bonde, Vice President and Research Director at Forrester, published Dec 10, 2018

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4 Ways to Succeed in Retail in the “Age of Amazon” https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/11/28/4-ways-to-succeed-in-retail-in-the-age-of-amazon/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/11/28/4-ways-to-succeed-in-retail-in-the-age-of-amazon/#respond Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:00:42 +0000 https://blogs.perficient.com/commerce/?p=6464

Austin Carr just published “The Future of Retail in the Age of Amazon,” in Fast Company on the 24th of November. In it, he outlines four key takeaways for how successful retailers are innovating and evolving to remain competitive with their brick-and-mortar experiences.

“Retail is under huge pressure, but the death of stores is greatly exaggerated,” says [NYU Stern professor of marketing Scott Galloway], who believes that while Amazon will continue to disrupt the market, an increasing number of competitors will discover new ways to respond. “In the age of Amazon, retailers must leverage assets that [Bezos] doesn’t have: When Amazon zigs, retailers must zag.”

Here are four suggestions for remaining relevant in the “Age of Amazon”:

  1. Feature products that customers can’t get elsewhere.
    Target is a shining example of this: “craft a collection of mass-market housewares, partnering with high-end fashion designers like Isaac Mizrahi for custom fashion lines, and nurturing emerging brands such as Method through forward-thinking curation.” The modern-day version includes brands like Cat & Jack, “a boutiquey children’s decor line called Pillowfort, a modern furniture collection called Project 62, an athleisure apparel line for the post-yoga brunch crowd called JoyLab, and a dapper menswear brand called Goodfellow & Co.”
  2. Focus on delivering a satisfying experience.
    “Big retailers and digital-native consumer brands alike cite Warby Parker as an inspiration and seek to mimic, even reverse engineer, what they believe is the core of its hip but inviting store experience. But refashioning stores with a certain wood finish or outfitting employees in a distinctive smock doesn’t make you Warby Parker any more than painting your store white makes you Apple.” 
  3. Challenge the fundamental assumptions of commerce.
    While “in-store augmented reality, drone delivery, or bitcoin payments” may be “gimmicky distractions,” try to think differently about “how physical space can be monetized.” Think about how you can offer new experiences in-store such as stylists, fittings, and product trials and demos.
  4. Resurrect the Art of Selling.
    “Whereas the traditional rules of brick-and-mortar dictate that sales matter above all else, store associates at MartinPatrick3 are encouraged to dole out sincere fashion advice, and if it means counseling a guest away from a higher-priced item or directing him to competitors’ shops, so be it. The payback comes in the lasting relationships such honesty builds.”

“Retailers don’t need to chase a futuristic version of themselves that they might never attain; they first need to remember what made them special in the first place.”

Read the full article here.

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10 Tips from Walmart for Killing it in E-Commerce https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/10/19/10-tips-from-walmart-for-killing-it-in-e-commerce/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/10/19/10-tips-from-walmart-for-killing-it-in-e-commerce/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2017 14:10:05 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/commerce/?p=6332

I recently wrote “What Retailers Can Learn From Walmart’s Incredible E-Commerce Growth In 2017” for Forbes.com. Why? This year, Walmart posted an impressive 60% year-over-year e-commerce growth, and then Walmart announced it will sharply scale back store openings to focus more acutely on E-Commerce. So I wanted to take a look at what tactics have helped to drive this phenomenal E-Commerce success for them.
Below is a list of 10 tips I suggest in the article for how retailers can learn from Walmart’s growth to drive their own.

10 Tips for Retailers to Drive Success with E-Commerce

  1. Enhance sales and awareness of your products and offerings by participating in large marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart.
  2. Collect zip code information from online shoppers in order to understand whether the shopper is within a reasonable proximity to a local store to support in-store pickup.
  3. Leverage in-store analytics and warehouse and inventory management systems to understand and optimize every one of their inventory locations.
  4. Use APIs to better manage costs by expanding carrier selection, tracking and integrating with critical systems, and to drive complex inventory and shipping processes.
  5. Take advantage of cloud solutions that connect to existing systems more seamlessly than on-premises solutions. They also allow retailers to innovate more quickly by frequently testing new features and functionalities.
  6. Test your own ways of getting products into the hands of customers more quickly through services like UberRUSH and Deliv.
  7. Define what product categories you want to grow within and target partnerships or acquisitions based on that goal.
  8. Look at in-store customer behavior and feedback as well as site-wide search to understand what products and brands your shoppers are looking for. This may reveal a product or brand that you don’t already offer.
  9. Respond to shopping behaviors that are becoming increasingly personalized and engagement driven. Evaluate and define your average shopper’s identity and values, and then map out marketing strategy, shopping experience and e-commerce features based on their desires.
  10. Invest in digital marketing methods that will directly impact traffic and sales, including:
    1. Email marketing: Shoppers expect to receive offers and coupons from retailers they’ve already shopped with. Build a list of customer email addresses and offer discounts and coupons via email.
    2. Design: Make sure your site has a beautiful and compelling design and that it’s easy to use.
    3. Reviews and ratings: Reviews help with search engine optimization converting buyers.
    4. Social media: Integrate Instagram and Facebook by posting product photos and demos, encouraging users to share and purchasing ads on the platforms.
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Multi-platform Retail – Experiences replace the need for inventory https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/09/12/multi-platform-retail/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/09/12/multi-platform-retail/#respond Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:02:49 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/commerce/?p=6223

Nordstrom plans to open a store in Los Angeles that will have no inventory. Our Principal of Strategy & Innovation at Perficient Digital, Jim Hertzfeld says, “THIS is the future of physical retail,” and he points to what menswear retailer Indochino has been doing in retail, expanding from web into bricks-and-mortar. We’ve seen the same from Warby-Parker, Bonobos and Boll & Branch.
Though Nordstrom started as brick & mortar, branched out heavily into digital and then now is exploring new models for their physical locations, the latter four brands were digital-only, eCommerce phenomenons that started by building a brand and a customer base online but have recently begun expanding into physical retail.

Nordstrom’s New Store – The Facts

  • The store will be 3,000 square feet.
  • It opens October 3rd at 8401 Melrose Place in West Hollywood.
  • It will have no inventory.
  • Services offered will include:
    • personal stylists
    • one styling suite and eight dressing rooms
    • alterations
    • manicures
    • beverages including beer and wine, cold-pressed juices, and espresso drinks from Nordstrom Ebar.
    • product pick-up from Nordstrom’s Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store (BOPIS) service, which will even include same-day pickup if you order before 2 p.m.
    • returns: return any product from Nordstrom stores, Nordstrom.com and Trunk Club

 
The stylist feature appears to be a big aspect of these retailer/digital “omnichannel” explorations.
Similarly, at Indochino’s new showrooms, the Chicago Tribune notes:

At Indochino’s showrooms, “style guides” take customers’ measurements and walk them through customization options, from fabric selection to monogramming. Garments are delivered in about four weeks.

Shifting Control to the Customer

The “empowered consumer,” which we have written about often here, is taking more and more control if her shopping experience.
“Customers like having more ability to shop on their terms,” said President of Stores James F. Nordstrom in a late-August interview with RIS NewsThe store plays a huge role in that, and they’re really important. And they’re going to be the hub of a lot of the things that we do over time, which is why we want to continue investing in our most important markets.”
Nordstrom has been addressing this shifting control by investing in digital for many years, and it’s paying off. According to RISnews.com, their online sales growth was up 27% for Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook, and up 20% for Nordstrom.com in Q2, 2017.

“Such retail mashups are becoming more common as stores strive to incorporate unexpected experiences to entice customers who otherwise might be content to shop online. Surprising activities could get them off the couch and walking into an actual store.” – USA Today

In “The Age of the Customer,” the balance of power has shifted from manufacturing and distribution to the highly informed, constantly connected customer. And companies know that providing the best experience, as well as unique and unforgettable experiences, to these customers is key to their success.

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Amazon Poised to Dominate eCommerce Again with #PrimeDay 2017 https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/07/07/amazon-poised-to-dominate-ecommerce-again-with-primeday-2017/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/07/07/amazon-poised-to-dominate-ecommerce-again-with-primeday-2017/#respond Fri, 07 Jul 2017 19:18:54 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/commerce/?p=5829

Most e-retailers offer special discounts and specials on Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving, which will be November 27th this year), but Amazon has now successfully created its own industry holiday with Prime Day.

What is Prime Day?

The Basics:

  • Amazon has announced that July 11th will be Prime Day, 2017.
  • In the spirit of Cyber Monday, Amazon has hosted this special day three years on a row now – the first one in 2015 was to celebrate Amazon’s 20th year in existence.
  • For the full day, shoppers with Prime will enjoy special discounts and deals. Get a snapshot of what’s planned for the consumer here. Amazon will run Alexa-exclusive offers starting July 5th – just ask your Alexa device what the Prime Day offers are.
  • In 2017, instead of one full day, the sales that make up Prime Day will run for 30 straight hours. Prime Day will begin at 6 p.m. Pacific on July 10 and ending at midnight Pacific on the 11th. Mark your calendar.
  • To participate, Marketplace Sellers on Amazon can offer time-sensitive, limited-quantity promotions, limited to one per customer until the deal expires or available discounts or products are claimed.

“Prime Day is our annual deals event just for Prime members. We want Prime Day to be one of the world’s best days to shop, with awesome prices on everything you’re into. We’re bringing you hundreds of thousands of deals, new deals starting as often as every five minutes, and special offers across everything included with Prime—from music and video to reading and voice shopping.” (Source: Amazon.com)
 

What’s in it for Amazon?

  • Since 2015, Amazon has enjoyed the day’s flash-sale-style ability to drum up interest at a pique shopping time of the year, driving an increase in sales just before the holiday shopping season kicks in.
  • It’s also a critical opportunity to promote Amazon Prime, the company’s loyalty program that includes free 2-day shipping, photo storage and other perks.

According to Internet Retailer, Prime Day 2016 (held on July 12th, a Tuesday) was the biggest sales day in Amazon’s history. Despite Amazon not releasing exact sales figures, here are some eye-opening stats estimated by reputable retail & commerce sources:

  • Shoppers spent $2.5 billion on Amazon on Prime Day, 2016, (Internet Retailer estimate) up from an estimated $1.5 billion spent on Prime Day 2015.
  • Customers placed 60% more orders on Prime Day 2016 than the year prior. (Internet Retailer estimate)
  • 70% of all online shoppers say they are planning to visit Amazon.com on Prime Day 2017 (A survey of shoppers by Bizrate Insights for Internet Retailer)

 

What’s in it for Amazon Marketplace sellers?

  • There’s a fee to participate if you sell products through Amazon: The fee for sellers to participate is up to $500 this year, up from $300 in 2016 and $150 in 2015.
  • To participate, Amazon sellers can offer Lightning Deals on products that must be “Prime-eligible” and stocked in Amazon’s warehouses to be fulfilled by Amazon.
  • Amazon Marketplace sellers who choose not to participate in the deals may still enjoy an increase in interest in their products as a result of the increase in traffic to Amazon.com during that 30-hour period of time. In fact, one retailer who talked to Internet Retailer said he did not participate in Prime Day 2016 but still saw triple the sales compared to an average day.

 

What Do Our Industry Experts Think?

John Latham

John Latham, Director, Perficient Digital


Jim Hertzfeld

Jim Hertzfeld, Principal, Strategy and Innovation at Perficient Digital


“Every day is Prime day,” says Jim Hertzfeld, Principal, Strategy & Innovation at Perficient Digital. “Let that sink in.” Hertzfeld is speaking to Amazon Prime’s dominance in the industry since launching Prime.
“Prime Day is an evolution of Cyber Monday, which was an evolution of Black Friday,” says Perficient Digital’s John Latham. “These retail trends and the mechanisms for how retailers are capturing the consumer’s attention are evolving, spreading out and shifting increasingly online.”
“Without ever starting as a Hallmark holiday, Amazon Prime is once again changing the way that people shop. How Amazon’s influence on consumer shopping behavior evolves is an open question and an increasingly interesting one as they expand into the brick-and-mortar space with the pending acquisition of Whole Foods.”
 

Why is Amazon Prime one of (if not the singular) most successful loyalty programs ever?

  • It requires no accumulation of points or miles
  • It requires no sign-up for a credit card or spending requirement beyond a $99 annual fixed fee
  • A marketing success story, Amazon “latched on to the power of defaults, knowing that the result of a customer browsing first on Amazon would be immensely more profitable than the $79 membership fee, which has since been raised to $99.” – Loosethreads.com

“When customers spent more, Amazon’s volumes increased, so it could lower shipping costs and negotiate new deals with vendors. That saved the company money, which would help pay for Prime and lead back to lower prices… Prime changes a customer’s shopping behavior by minimizing friction she is subject to. Less friction breeds more loyalty.” (Brad Stone’s book “The Everything Store”)

 

Sell on Amazon, but you don’t want to participate in Prime Day?

“Discount products and spend money on advertising, such as on Amazon’s pay-per-click campaigns. That way, he can take advantage of the traffic surge on Prime Day without sacrificing as much margin as he would if he paid to participate in Prime Day deals.” (Source: Internet Retailer)

How is this year unique?

According to Internet Retailer, retailers who sell through Amazon’s Marketplace, meaning you’ll find their goods on Amazon.com, are already starting to prepare for Prime Day each year as though it’s a second Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Some etailers even report seeing double the daily sales volume on that day.
How do retailers who sell through Amazon prepare for Amazon Prime Day?

  • Ensure pricing is competitive
  • Check product descriptions and photos to make sure they’re polished
  • Check out recent product reviews
  • Make sure inventory levels can support estimated demand
  • Offer special deals for Amazon customers during that 30-hour window while adhering to Amazon’s rules for discounts and inventory on Prime Day

“Prime Day is a great day to sell inventory at an accelerated pace, especially for goods that may have been sitting in warehouses for a while. For instance, if a seller’s product has received good reviews but hasn’t sold recently on Amazon, then discounting the price and promoting it on Prime Day is a good way to drive sales, marketplace sellers say.” (Source: Internet Retailer)

 


Header image source: Flickr User: Kārlis Dambrāns

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4 Things Shoppers Want from Brick-and-Mortar Retailers https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/03/14/4-things-shoppers-want-from-brick-mortal-retailers/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2017/03/14/4-things-shoppers-want-from-brick-mortal-retailers/#respond Tue, 14 Mar 2017 16:30:31 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/perficientdigital/?p=13075

Brick & mortar retailers are always looking for ways to better engage the customer with her head glued to her mobile device. Digitally engaging customers can increase sales and improve customer loyalty. But there are so many ways to engage consumers digitally. Because many retail giants have invested heavily in their brick & mortar footprint, the question remains:
How do retailers leverage mobile & digital technology to improve in-store shopping?
An International Council of Shopping Centers survey of more than 1,000 people in February (conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for ICSC) was released two days ago, and it tells us several key sentiments of the in-store shopper:

  1. Leave Me Alone While I Shop: By 2020, “Three-fifths of consumers expect that  they will actually prefer to be left alone to do their own thing while in stores instead of engaging with a sales person.”
  2. Show Me How it Will Look: More than 50% of respondents said they prefer to have access to digital/mobile tools that can superimpose a home furnishing or accessory within a real space.
  3. Let Me Buy Online and Pick It Up in Store: Almost 75% of respondents (87% of millennial respondents) said they have purchased ahead of time on their mobile device and picked the item up in the store. This behavior is referred to as “click-and-collect.”
  4. Show Me Where to Find It In the Store: More than 50% of respondents said they prefer to compile their own digital shopping list ahead of time and then have a mobile app or similar device direct them on where to go within the store to easily find what’s on their list. This is increasing in customer expectations as tools such as Alexa’s shopping list make this behavior more familiar to consumers. 37% of consumers said they’ve used a digital assistant to build shopping lists or to place orders for in-store pickups

My colleague here at Perficient, Albert Qian, wrote about another study recently completed that shows additional features that can help to engage the in-store shopper using technology:

It behooves retailers to ask more than ever what their customers want. Success is no longer foot traffic through the door, but also investing in the appropriate infrastructure that adds value and delights customers to return. These include using technologies like chat bots, cloud artificial intelligence, and recommendations engines that enhance the sales capabilities of the in-store associate.
Even retailers experimenting with hybrid cloud stand to benefit as they take advantage of the additional customer data to personalize, understand, and contextualize each individual visit to a retail or online store. The more retailers execute, the less likely a customer will be lost to a competitor down the street or online, resulting in repeat visits and word of mouth sharing.

Should Retailers Invest in the Mobile Web or Mobile Apps?

According to this ICSC survey, it’s important to evaluate your mobile app opportunity. Check out these impressive stats on the survey respondents’ usage of retailers’ mobile apps:

  • 71% of consumers have one or more retailer apps on their phones.
  • 74% of consumers access a retailer app at least once a week.
  • 86% of millennials accessed a retailer’s app once a week.

 

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Mobile Video and Content Trends – Panel at #GSMAmobilitylive https://blogs.perficient.com/2016/11/02/mobile-video-and-content-trends-panel-at-gsmamobilitylive/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2016/11/02/mobile-video-and-content-trends-panel-at-gsmamobilitylive/#respond Wed, 02 Nov 2016 16:45:19 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/perficientdigital/?p=12286

mobility-liveI sat in on the Mobile Video and Content panel discussion at GSMA Mobility Live 2016 in Atlanta, GA.
Panelists:

  • Stacy Glisson, PwC
  • Campbell Foster, Adobe
  • Robin Wheeler, Twitter
  • Hannu Verkasalo, Verto Analytics
  • Laurie Baird, You.i TV

 

Trends in Mobile Video

For advertisers, people are getting harder to reach via TV

Consumers are watching a lot less TV advertising. According to Nielsen, consumers watch about 4 hours and 20 minutes of TV a day on average. If you watch 4 hours, an hour and a half of that is Netflix. It’s getting a lot harder to reach people on TV, as an advertiser. – Campbell Foster, Adobe

Ability to build and launch apps that work across devices

We’re providing apps that work on smart TVs, tablets, mobile phones, Xbox, Playstation. We’re trying to help media companies a simple way to get to a consumer in the way the consumer wants to digest content. (Laurie Baird, You.i TV)

Live Streaming is Exploding

Twitter is at the heart of live streaming, thanks in part to Periscope, but also with our overarching live stream strategy. Twitter is the best place to find out what’s happening right now, and that includes what’s happening on TV right now, so the live strategy we have is an extension to that. We have a deal with the NFL where Thursday night games are streamed. We also live streamed the debates and will live stream on election day. You do not have to authenticate (log-in) to view live video on Twitter, and that drives up viewership. (Robin Wheeler, Twitter)

“75% of our live streaming audience is under the age of 35.” -Robin Wheeler, Twitter

Authentication is the biggest inhibitor to video watching

One solution is enabling home-based authentication so that if you’re in the home, we detect if you have a cable package and authenticate you automatically. Something like 70% of live-streaming of TV on devices happens in the home. With auto-authentication, the conversion rate of people being able to view live video increases 30%. (Campbell Foster, Adobe)

The definition of mobile is changing

It’s not just devices, your smart phone and tablet, but other devices.

Content is still king

Growth in mobile is coming from the quality of content being produced. As the technology becomes more efficient, there are new growth opportunities. (Laurie Baird, You.i TV)
The consumer is really in control of what content we consume, when we consume it and how we consume it. ( Robin Wheeler, Twitter)

Consolidation in carriers and content companies

Carriers are all pursuing different strategies. AT&T, Turner, Verizon, HBO and Warner Brothers all have new developments recently and have seen signficant revenue growth from new content strategies. So many larger players are trying to own the entire end-to-end stack of content to technology/hardware and platforms. (Campbell Foster, Adobe)

Experimentation in monetization

The two ways to make money in online video are subscriptions and advertising. Chord-cutting is increasing. More and more direct to consumer services are being offered such as sports or entertainment apps. We’re also seeing a lot of experimentation in advertising with pre-roll, end-roll, and mid-roll. People are getting more creative with advertisement overlays where the ad takes up 1/3 of the screen or lower third but the video content keeps playing so the experience is not interrupted.
You’re actually going to be paying more to get the content you want because you’ll have to go to so many different sources for the content you want — Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, cable, sports, etc… but we believe in the next few years this will level out. (Laurie Baird, You.i TV)

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Trends in Connected Home and IoT – Panel at #GSMAmobilitylive https://blogs.perficient.com/2016/11/02/trends-in-connected-home-and-iot-panel-at-gsmamobilitylive/ https://blogs.perficient.com/2016/11/02/trends-in-connected-home-and-iot-panel-at-gsmamobilitylive/#respond Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:44:58 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/perficientdigital/?p=12277

I attended the Connected Home panel discussion at GSMA Mobility Live in Atlanta today.
mobility-livePanelists:

  • Moderator: Jefferson Wang, Senior Partner, IBB Consulting
  • Ashwin Karuhatty, Business Development, Smart Home, Amazon Alexa
  • Darren Ford, COO, Artificial Solutions
  • Joe Wytanis, Senior Director, Business Development, Flex
  • Bill Keen, VP, Mobile Solutions, Digital Guest Experience & Applied Discovery, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
  • Joel Evans, Co-Founder and VP Cloud & Mobile Transformation, Mobiquity

The panel first addressed the obvious and compelling reasons why “Smart Home” devices are becoming more popular:

  1. Automation
  2. Energy Savings
  3. Convenience & Customer Experience

But the majority of the panel discussion centered around the several inhibitors to adoption and how the industry is overcoming them.

Inhibitors to Connected Home:

Interoperability and integration

Interoperability is a major inhibitor (Joe Wytanis, Flex)

“Our model for connected home is that when you plug in any device, it should recognize all the other connected devices in the home and work together in logical ways.” -Ashwin Karuhatty, Amazon Alexa

Price point vs. Monetization / Business Model

The value that end consumers see for things like a smart lock, versus a regular lock – do consumers really see the benefit when price point is still pretty high? (Joe Wytanis, Flex)
Hardware prices are going down so margins are shrinking. So if prices go down, how to companies monetize this space?
For us, it’s in the experience layer. We believe if we provide a better experience, you’ll pay a premium for our hotel. Layering smart home into our hotel rooms changes the way we deliver service. We looked at the questions that people were constantly calling our front desk about, and we built those into Amazon Alexa into the rooms. (Bill Keen, IHG)
Home builders are looking at the smart home as a requisite feature as more milenials are aging and beginning to buy homes. Smart home devices used to be a luxury, an add-on cost. Now home builders can more cost-effectively integrate smart home technology into their homes to differentiate themselves from other home builders. Connected Home is going to be a base level expectation for new homes. But overall, I don’t think the various industries have even had a chance to think through the plethora of opportunities for monetization. There are many and will be many. (Ashwin Karuhatty, Amazon Alexa)
Insurance companies have an obvious incentive to invest in smart home technology for their customers, or to provide a discount to their customers who are using smart home devices for things like carbon monoxide, water leakage or other damage and disaster sensors. (Joe Wytanis, Flex)

amazon_alexaVoice as a user interface

Voice will make it easier to use. Connected home has always been around – 30+ years, but has always been reserved for the affluent and/or the technologically advanced consumer. With the Internet of Things and tech enhancements, the cost of building the devices is starting to come down. If an average consumer wants to connect their home, it’s becoming more affordable.

“We believe voice is going to change the way all of us interact with connected devices inside and outside the home.” – Ashwin Karuhatty, Business Development, Smart Home, Amazon Alexa

When many people think about connected home, they see many panels, buttons and devices and feel it’s too complicated. But now with voice, such as Amazon Alexa, you can just control the environment more easily by telling Alexa what to do. Voice adds that simplicity where now you don’t feel it’s a complicated effort to have a connected home.  (Ashwin Karuhatty)

“There is a tidal wave of interest in voice-enabled products.” – Joe Wytanis, Senior Director, Business Development, Flex

I think voice is the future, but not the only way of interacting. You’re not going to get rid of touching glass, and the big thing that will happen – look at Viv being acquired by Samsung. When you think about voice interaction, Siri had some issues with responding properly, and Alexa was an improvement and allowed developers to expand on the voice interaction, and now Viv is Siri to the next level, so as a human, I can start really having the interactions with my Echo/Alexa that I want to have, by saying “It’s cold in here” and Alexa should say “would you like me to turn up the heat?”  (Joel Evans, Mobiquity)

“The ultimate interface is primarily voice-driven but with the ability to introduce some kind of GUI aspect as well.” – Darren Ford, Artificial Solutions

We store customer preferences ahead of time so when you show up in the hotel room, your profile preferences are saved and used ahead of time (temperature, lighting, etc.) (Bill Keen, Intercontinental Hotels Group).

“Machine language and natural language understanding and voice recognition wasn’t good decades ago. 99% accuracy is where we are today with Alexa. That’s a game-changer, and that’s why you see voice changing everything. At the end of the day, it’s not just about voice. It’s about making the experience meaningful for users.” -Ashwin Karuhatty, Amazon Alexa

Devices as a Replacement

Connected Home devices used to be a supplement and not a replacement. New lamp instead of replacing the overhead lamp. But now these devices are starting to see connected devices replacing things. Wemo switches replace existing. The big question is do I invest and replace everything in my home or just do it one by one? (Darren Ford, Artificial Solutions)

Ease of Use

Consumers afraid that these tools are for limited individuals at the house. Does the technology pass the “wife test” where my husband or wife can easily understand and use the technology too? (Darren Ford) Right now, these devices are for enthusiasts and not simplistic, end-to-end solution from network to device to operating system. Things like the Echo where voice is removing the friction will enhance ease of use and make it simple for the masses (Bill Keen, Intercontinental Hotels Group)
Travel can be a disorienting experience. Your house is different because you know where everything is. You end up digging around for plugs and switches and thermostat to find things. We want to make your travel arrival experience non-disorienting and we want our customers to feel relaxed when they arrive. But we want to make it simple for them, simplifying the interface, and that’s why I’m a big fan of natural language voice recognition and understanding intent. (Bill Keen, Intercontinental Hotels)
If you have to send an engineer to every home that wants to install a door knob, it won’t scale. But to scale, there has to be an appropriate support channel. If you can provide the same level of ease of interaction in support with pre-charging, self-diagnostics and personalization, that will ease scale. (Darren Ford, Artificial Solutions)

“The devices and technology we use are only as good as the quality of experience they create.” – Ashwin Karuhatty, Amazon Alexa

Security and Hacking

The advice is to keep your devices up to date in terms of the latest software, and keep your network up to date. This is going to be a real problem moving forward. (Darren Ford)
Devices in the home are now on the internet and available to hack into. Firewalls, updated software and ensuring there are things in place to prevent hacking are important. Hacking and security has been an issue since the computer was invented but from a home perspective, safety and security is paramount. (Ashwin Karuhatty, Amazon Alexa)
 

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