As new technologies become available within the digital space, businesses must adapt quickly by modernizing their legacy systems and harnessing the power of the cloud to stay competitive. Forrester’s 2024 report recognizes 42 notable providers– and we’re proud to announce that Perficient is among them.

We believe our inclusion in Forrester’s Application Modernization and Multicloud Managed Services Landscape, Q4 2024 reflects our commitment to evolving enterprise applications and managing multicloud environments to enhance customer experiences and drive growth in a complex digital world.

With the demand for digital transformation growing rapidly, this landscape provides valuable insights into what businesses can expect from service providers, how different companies compare, and the options available based on provider size and market focus.

Application Modernization and Multicloud Managed Services

Forrester defines application modernization and multicloud managed services as:

“Services that offer technical and professional support to perform application and system assessments, ongoing application multicloud management, application modernization, development services for application replacements, and application retirement.”

According to the report,

“Cloud leaders and sourcing professionals implement application modernization and multicloud managed services to:

• Deliver superior customer experiences.
• Gain access to technical and transformational skills and capabilities.
• Reduce costs associated with legacy technologies and systems.”

By focusing on application modernization and multicloud management, Perficient empowers businesses to deliver superior customer experiences through agile technologies that boost user satisfaction. We provide clients with access to cutting-edge technical and transformational skills, allowing them to stay ahead of industry trends. Our solutions are uniquely tailored to reduce costs associated with maintaining legacy systems, helping businesses optimize their IT budgets while focusing on growth.

Focus Areas for Modernization and Multicloud Management

Perficient has honed its expertise in several key areas that are critical for organizations looking to modernize their applications and manage multicloud environments effectively. As part of the report, Forrester asked each provider included in the Landscape to select the top business scenarios for which clients select them and from there determined which are the extended business scenarios that highlight differentiation among the providers. Perficient self-reported three key business scenarios that clients work with us out of those extended application modernization and multicloud services business scenarios:

• Infrastructure Modernization: We help clients transform their IT infrastructure to be more flexible, scalable, and efficient, supporting the rapid demands of modern applications.
• Cloud-Native Development Execution: Our cloud-native approach enables new applications to leverage cloud environments, maximizing performance and agility.
• Cloud Infrastructure “Run”: We provide ongoing support for cloud infrastructure, keeping applications and systems optimized, secure, and scalable.

Delivering Value Through Innovation

Perficient is listed among large consultancies with an industry focus in financial services, healthcare, and the manufacturing/production of consumer products. Additionally, our geographic presence in North America, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region was noted.

We believe that Perficient’s inclusion in Forrester’s report serves as another milestone in our mission to drive digital innovation for our clients across industries. We are proud to be recognized among notable providers and look forward to continuing to empower our clients to transform their digital landscapes with confidence. For more information on how Perficient can help your business with application modernization and multicloud managed services, contact us today.

Download the Forrester report, The Application Modernization And Multicloud Managed Services Landscape, Q4 2024, to learn more (link to report available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase).

Shoptalk held its first ever Fall conference in Chicago this past week and our very own Justin Racine, Principal of Unified Commerce, was present to take it all in. This year’s theme was 007, so Justin was on a reconnaissance mission to gain as much information on retail and commerce trends as possible. Here’s a debrief on his sources and the intel he was able to gather from them during his time at the show.

Infiltrate the Indie Brand Mindset

Before the explosion of social media, consumers gained knowledge of new brands by window shopping and traditional ads, but the reach only went so far. With the prevalence of social media, retail products that are niche and unique now have access to the whole world with platforms like TikTok and Instagram.  Rent the Runway is a clothing rental brand that’s currently reveling in the fact that indie brands are controlling the fashion space. Jennifer Hyman, the Founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, claimed that today a brand can skyrocket in value just by a teenager talking about its products on TikTok. Social media has been changing the way consumers shop, and brands need to be able to keep up and provide new and fresh ways to connect and interact. Rent the Runway did that by providing fashion clothing for rent, rather than purchase, thus allowing for an ever-changing wardrobe with plenty of variety. Retail – just like fashion – should take greater risks and be bolder.

Capture Customers with Community and Connection

Glossier CEO, Kyle Leahy, provided a thoughtful look at three C’s that should be focused on to provoke thoughtful, engaging, and relatable conversations between brands and their consumers. Community, connection, and customers are the three C’s in question here. Glossier prides itself on being a community-based brand, focusing on how their products make people feel. On stage, Kyle spoke about how their consumers come to them because of the community they’ve created, and by actively listening to their consumers.

However, it’s one thing just to listen – it’s another thing entirely to respond. Kyle stated that Glossier responds to every single comment or post on their socials. That’s how they’re building a strong community, like by like, comment by comment. Glossier doesn’t stop there; they continually strive for personalized customer experience. Their storefronts are full of local apparel and products, and a new fragrance they’ve recently launched is an aggressively impressive campaign.

It’s called Glossier You, and the bottle is specifically designed to be activated by using the consumer’s thumb. In this way, it gives the feeling of the product being “encoded” to their thumbprint, giving them a personalized experience. To go one step further, they claim the smell is a little different on each person. With this product, they’ve built a conversation piece for their consumers around how it’s unique to them allowing connection across users for comparison, thus creating a shared experience and further solidifying their community.

Hacking Data to Delight Customers

Surprise and delight! That’s the name of the game when it comes to creating buzz with consumers. Many companies feel like they have a finger on the pulse, but according to the Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester, Brendan Witcher, that’s not the case. He challenged attendees’ perspectives saying that many customers don’t feel that companies are delighting or surprising them. These brands are operating off opinions rather than data, and these companies should gather real, credible data if they want to get to the heart of their consumers emotional responses.

Creative decisions should be based on true data and gained by letting the customer express themselves through their behaviors, actions, and even more importantly, their inactions. A great example of inactivity is those would be consumers who are visiting your site but not purchasing. Their lack of purchase, or inaction, is a clear look into a way to create growth simply by focusing on making those conversions. These customers are there, now all that’s needed is a push in the right direction.  Doubling up from Glossier’s 3C’s, Brendan revealed that there are 6 elements of customer data to focus on: characteristics, considerations, curiosities, conditions, context, and conceptions.

Closing the Dossier on Shoptalk Fall

For it being their first Shoptalk Fall, the show undoubtedly inspired and renewed the energy and enthusiasm of those in attendance. Individuals present expressed an urge to build deeper connections with their customers through a wide variety of strategies. The speakers encouraged the audience to listen to their customers, stay true to relevant retail trends, and dive deep into the data to curate connections and build communities. Now is the time to be unconventional, unique, and exciting.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to explore Perficient’s industry expertise in retail and commerce.

Read Justin’s full article on CMSWire.

Retail Media and the Influencer Revolution

Change is the Norm

Retail leaders have always been adept at understanding and adapting to rapidly shifting markets. For example, the inception of Amazon and the global pandemic massively impacted the ways by which retail organizations operated. Moreover, retail leaders are gifted in the art of pivoting, capable of garnering internal buy-in for new initiatives that would have been unthinkable just five or ten years ago. Ultimately, change is the norm in retail, and an incredibly recent innovation and driver of change is the invention of retail media networks.

Retail Media Networks

According to eMarketer, a retail media network is an “advertising business run by a retailer that enables marketers to buy advertising space across the retailer’s owned and operated digital properties, as well as physical stores.”

This type of network represents a massive shift in thinking for the retail industry. For most in the industry, retail media networks represent a 15% increase in conversion rates and 66% of brands are shifting budget from other channels to retail media (Google, Amazon, BCG). Ultimately, this evolution of “sold shelf space” into the digital world is one of the most important revenue drivers in for modern retailers. As customers have embraced digital-first experiences, retailers that have positioned loyalty apps as the “digital shelf,” providing screen space to CPGs willing to pay or provide a deal to a shared targeted customer.

In addition to the clear financial upside, retail leaders no longer need to operate in isolation when generating interest, loyalty, and share of wallet. Instead, they can partner with manufacturers, complementary retailers, and the right media partners to drive purchases from the right consumers at the right time.

What does this have to do with Influencers?

The rise of social media has blurred the lines between passive and active brand engagement, and nowhere is this more relevant than in influencer marketing. An influencer or celebrity’s social media following represents a targeted, curated audience ready-made to drive interest. Moreover, the access of the audience to the influencer through social media often creates the type of relationship that the most effective brands want to generate. A wholehearted endorsement of a product by an influencer is often more than enough social proof to generate significant upticks in eCommerce purchases.

The big unlock yet to be fully discovered by retailers is this: Retail media networks, when integrated correctly, are a primary vehicle to deliver influencer messaging. Consider these examples:

1. A takeover of your favorite grocery app the Wednesday before Halloween by Wednesday Addams (of Netflix’s “Wednesday” fame) promoting a special pumpkin deal.
2. An eCommerce promoted outfit with a special “Kim’s take” caption that highlights a Kardashian’s opinion on the ensemble, as well as the right bundled product (also available on the site or for half-off in-store).
3. A website with an Aaron Judge promoted baseball bat that includes embedded videos of him hitting home runs off the bat as well as one of the leading competitors (i.e. a comparison)

This unique value proposition, once only accessible to the richest media agencies with the largest budgets, is now a potential enormous creative value driver. With the right strategy, it can differentiate retailers who may be struggling to find effective ways to reach new buyers.

How does any of this relate to AI?

More than any other initiative in retail that came before it, the adoption of retail media means an additional ocean of data is about to pour into retail organizations. The ability to predict the right celebrity or influencer to partner with that aligns with the retail brand is non-trivial. Furthermore, forecasting the results of any given retail media campaign is difficult but necessary to quantify. Experimentation, data-driven optimization, and AI-driven analyses are critical, as betting big on a particular retail media campaign should (and can) be done with all the predictive indicators aligning on that effort.

Artificial Intelligence is the best answer we have to maximize return on retail media efforts, as the number of ever-changing variables and the dynamic nature of retail media can create a perfect storm of unknown or hidden variables. In other words, injecting data-driven rigor into retail media efforts and building predictive models to optimize outcomes is imperative to select the best influencers with whom to partner, and the right offers and incentives to drive maximum ROI.

There will always be unknown variables in this ever-changing space, but leveraging the correct AI models can help retailers:

1. Identify the most suitable influencers for their brand and target audience
2. Predict the potential impact of influencer partnerships on sales and brand awareness
3. Optimize content and messaging for maximum engagement
4. Analyze real-time data to adjust campaigns on the fly
5. Measure and report on the ROI of influencer marketing initiatives

In conclusion, the convergence of retail media, influencer marketing, and AI presents an unprecedented opportunity for retailers to revolutionize their marketing strategies. By embracing these technologies and approaches, retailers can create more personalized, engaging, and effective campaigns that resonate with their target audience and drive tangible business results. As we move further into this new era of retail marketing, those who can effectively harness the power of AI to optimize their retail media and influencer partnerships will likely emerge as industry leaders.

The Future of Retail Media and Influencer Marketing

As we look ahead, several trends are likely to shape the future of retail media and influencer marketing:

1. Hyper-personalization: AI will enable retailers to create highly personalized experiences for each customer, tailoring influencer partnerships and product recommendations based on individual preferences and behaviors.
2. Micro and nano-influencers: While celebrity endorsements will remain valuable, there will be a growing focus on partnering with micro and nano-influencers who have smaller but highly engaged audiences in specific niches.
3. Augmented Reality (AR) integration: Influencers will increasingly use AR technology to showcase products in immersive ways, allowing customers to virtually try on clothes or visualize furniture in their homes.
4. Real-time campaign optimization: AI-powered tools will enable retailers to adjust their influencer campaigns in real-time based on performance data, maximizing ROI and engagement.
5. Cross-channel integration: Retail media networks will become more sophisticated in integrating influencer content across multiple channels, creating seamless customer experiences from social media to in-store displays.

Challenges and Considerations

While the potential of AI-driven retail media and influencer marketing is enormous, retailers must also be aware of potential challenges:

1. 1. Data privacy concerns: As retailers collect more data to power their AI models, they must ensure compliance with data protection regulations and maintain customer trust.
   2. Authenticity and transparency: As influencer marketing becomes more prevalent, maintaining authenticity and clearly disclosing sponsored content will be crucial to preserving consumer trust.
   3. AI bias: Retailers must be vigilant in monitoring and addressing potential biases in their AI models to ensure fair and inclusive marketing practices.
   4. Keeping pace with technological advancements: The rapid evolution of AI and marketing technologies will require ongoing investment in training and infrastructure.

Conclusion

The influencer revolution in retail, powered by AI and retail media networks, represents a paradigm shift in how brands connect with consumers. By leveraging these technologies, retailers can create more engaging, personalized, and effective marketing campaigns that drive real business results.

As the industry moves forward, the most successful retailers will be those who can effectively blend the art of influencer partnerships with the science of AI-driven optimization. They will create seamless, omni-channel experiences that resonate with consumers on a personal level, while continuously adapting to the ever-changing retail landscape.

The age of AI in retail media and influencer marketing is just beginning, and the possibilities are boundless for those willing to embrace this new frontier. As retail leaders continue to innovate and push boundaries, we can expect to see even more exciting developments in the years to come, forever changing the way brands and consumers interact in the retail space.

Personalization in Retail

As retailers and CPGs continue to innovate in the age of AI, customers increasingly expect personalized and relevant experiences at every interaction. According to the Salesforce 2020 State of the Connected Customer Report, customers are, on average, 70% more loyal to brands that offer personalized in-store and digital experiences compared to their competitors. Furthermore, brands that personalize experiences see a 23% higher conversion rate (BCG, 2019). These statistics clearly demonstrate that customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction are intimately tied to the customer journey.
But how can an organization gain insights into that journey? How can retail brands possibly sift through the massive number of interactions to discover the moments ripe for personalization? And to what extent do personalization and product innovation need to partner to drive outcomes?

The answer is simple: Listen to your customers. Social media is a gift to brands, as customers often vent frustrations or share ideas about products and offerings on these platforms. With 66% of all customers expecting companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, the clear imperative is for brands to hear pain points on social media and adapt to feedback.

Listening to Customers

Ultimately, listening to feedback at scale requires Social Listening, a unique strategy and solution that allows for insights and monitoring of social media data signals for brand interactions. Using this approach, brands across the globe leverage strategies and tools to collect, filter, and search through brand mentions, contextualizing brand mentions. This allows brands to best understand how to serve their customers and deliver more compelling reasons to buy. Working with the largest brands on social listening platforms, we often see that using AI to infer sentiment, loyalty, and propensity to buy results in more loyal and satisfied customers.
As I have written before, our Journey Science framework is the most effective way to implement such data-led strategies. By combining social listening with advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, brands can create truly personalized experiences that resonate with their customers, driving both loyalty and business growth.

In conclusion, as we navigate the age of AI in retail, the key to success lies in understanding and responding to customer needs through personalization. By leveraging social listening and advanced analytics, brands can stay ahead of the curve and deliver the experiences that modern consumers demand.

Imagine a world where your business can effortlessly keep pace with technological advancements and continuously changing customer expectations. The ability to swiftly develop new technology products and applications is crucial to staying competitive. However, relying solely on in-house development capabilities is not always feasible for many organizations.

Forrester released its Modern Application Development Services Landscape, Q3 2024 report to help businesses understand the value they can expect from modern application development (MAD) service providers and explore potential partners.

Modern Application Development Services

Forrester defines MAD service providers as:

“Service providers that work collaboratively with their clients to cocreate custom modern applications and, in parallel, assist them in the transformation and modernization of their software development capabilities and organization.”

In Forrester’s Priorities Survey, 2024, “64% of business and technology professionals said that bringing more development in-house would be a high or critical priority for their IT organization over the next 12 months.”

According to the report, “tech execs and application development leaders implement MAD services to:

• Increase cocreation. … MAD services can cocreate with clients while supporting them in learning how to modernize capabilities with agile, DevOps, native cloud, and edge, including generative AI (genAI).

• Improve customer experience. The goal isn’t to insource 100% of all application development work, but to improve internal capabilities and be efficient partners with MAD service providers.
• Focus on business outcomes, not just outputs. The shift to assessing modern development by measuring benefit realization and business value is a reality.”

Perficient’s Recognition and Focus Areas

We believe Perficient has been recognized for our ability to deliver on these promises, helping clients navigate the complexities of modern application development and achieve tangible business results. Perficient self-reported the following extended use cases as the top three for which clients select them:

• Backend Integration and Modernization: We specialize in integrating and modernizing backend systems to ensure seamless and efficient operations, enabling businesses to stay competitive in the digital age.
• GenAI to Increase Employee Productivity: We leverage genAI technologies to help clients boost employee productivity by automating routine tasks and enhancing decision-making processes.
• Product Operating Model: We focus on developing robust product operating models that align with our clients’ business objectives, ensuring sustainable growth and innovation.

Perficient’s Expertise and Industry Focus

Forrester based its analysis of service providers on two factors: market presence and services functionality. They segmented vendors into three categories based on MAD services revenue: large, midsize, and small; and five categories based on services functionality and global reach.

Perficient was listed as a large provider in this space with $250 million or more in annual MAD services revenue. Perficient’s listing as a consultancy in this Landscape report includes our geographic presence (North America, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific) and industry focus areas (healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing/production of consumer products).

We are proud of this achievement and remain committed to leveraging our expertise in modern application development to help our clients succeed. For more information on how Perficient can help your business with custom application development and digital transformation, contact us today.

Download the Forrester report, The Modern Application Development Services Landscape, Q3 2024, to learn more (Link to report available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase).

In today’s competitive climate, an exceptional customer experience (CX) is no longer a luxury, but rather an essential pillar of business success. Providing a seamless, personalized journey has become the cornerstone of brand loyalty, customer retention, and revenue growth. Customers expect positive omnichannel experiences, and brands that fall short of these expectations will not only miss out on current revenue, but also risk future sales due to negative perception and reputation challenges.

With brands stretching across digital and physical properties, building an omnichannel customer experience can seem daunting. Partnering with an experienced consulting partner provides a strategic and custom approach, enabling organizations to activate and engage their customers at every touchpoint. According to the Forrester report, “Clients lean on their providers to spark change within their organizations: to support customer-focused culture shifts, help them develop more customer-friendly products and services, and understand and amplify the growth potential of creating better customer experiences.”

Forrester’s State of CX Teams Survey, 2024, reported that “half of CX decision-makers say that improving CX is the top priority for their organization’s executives; nearly 60% say that their organization’s CX program is responsible for the CX strategy. In fact, two-thirds of CX decision-makers say that they plan to increase spending with CX strategy consulting services in 2024.”

The Customer Experience Strategy Consulting Services Landscape, Q2 2024

Perficient is proud to be recognized as a large consultancy in The Customer Experience Strategy Consulting Services Landscape, Q2 2024 report with an industry focus in financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing/production of consumer products, and a geographic focus in North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

Our CX Capabilities

Forrester carefully researched each service provider in the report through a set of comprehensive questions and identified three core business scenarios – vision and strategy setting, business assessment/analysis, and customer research. According to Forrester, “These are the business scenarios that buyers most frequently seek and expect CX strategy consulting services providers to address.” We believe as a leading digital consultancy that helps clients imagine, create, engineer, and run digital transformation and CX solutions, that we in turn, help organizations drive growth, efficiency, and differentiation in these three areas.

Through our customer experience and digital marketing practice, we use behavioral insights and predictive modeling to give a deep understanding of customers and their brand interaction so that organizations can influence behavior and build a relationship with them through positive interactions that are scalable across touchpoints.

One of the ways we help organizations optimize their CX is through our Journey Science jumpstart, a 6 week approach that uses research, data-driven insights, and continuous optimization to help organizations deliver frictionless experiences. This proprietary approach employs behavioral insights and predictive modeling to give organizations a deep understanding of their customers and their interaction with a brand so businesses can influence behavior and build a relationship with customers through positive interactions that are scalable across touchpoints.

In addition to the core business scenarios in this report, Forrester also references seven extended business scenarios that are important to certain buyers looking for CX services.

Forrester asked each vendor included in the Landscape to select the top three business scenarios for which clients select them and from there determined which are the extended business scenarios that highlight differentiation among the vendors. We are shown in the report for having selected organization transformation, technology transformation, and experience design as some of the top reasons clients work with us out of the listed extended business scenarios.

Learn More About Perficient’s CX Services

Whether your business is just starting its CX journey or seeking to enhance its current efforts, partnering with the right service provider can make all the difference. With a team of more than 125 CX professionals, Perficient combines data-driven insights with human-centered methodologies to maximize business impacts. Contact us now to discover how our expertise can take your business to new heights.

Download the Forrester report, The Customer Experience Strategy Consulting Landscape, Q2 2024 to learn more (Link to report available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase).

As healthcare continues to evolve, it finds unexpected inspiration in other industries. In our latest podcast, James Hannis of Cardinal Health reveals how a retail perspective can revolutionize patient care in the digital age.

James has a rich background in retail and discusses how this experience is invaluable in his current role. He highlights the importance of speed – a cornerstone of retail – and how it can elevate the patient experience in healthcare. From navigating complex persona-based marketing to ensuring rapid service delivery, James unpacks the potential of a retail mindset to make healthcare more responsive and personal.

This episode also touches on the nuances of personalization within the privacy constraints of the healthcare industry and the digital hurdles that come with a traditional, B2B-focused business.

Connect with James Hannis, Chief Architect – Customer Engagement and Enterprise Solutions

Connect with Jim Hertzfeld, Vice President of Strategy

Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or visit our website.

Subscribe Where You Listen

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | Stitcher

Meet our Guest

James Hannis, Chief Architect – Customer Engagement and Enterprise Solutions

James Hannis, the chief architect at Cardinal Health since 2015, is a visionary IT executive known for his work in multi-channel retailing. With a rich background from Comdata, Ascena Retail Group, and Express, he has a track record of driving innovation and building high-performing tech teams. At Cardinal Health he has been instrumental in making healthcare solutions more accessible and personalized, leading customer engagement and corporate solutions, and navigating the evolving healthcare landscape. His dynamic leadership and dedication to people development have propelled the company into a new era of technology capability.

Connect with James

Meet the Host

Jim Hertzfeld is Area Vice President, Strategy for Perficient. For over two decades, he has worked with clients to convert market insights into real-world digital products and customer experiences that actually grow their business.

More than just a strategist, Jim is a pragmatic rebel known for challenging the conventional and turning grand visions into actionable steps. His candid demeanor, sprinkled with a dose of cynical optimism, shapes a narrative that challenges and inspires listeners.

Connect with Jim:

LinkedIn | Perficient

Perficient Receives Seven “Most Valuable Professional” Recognitions

We are proud to share our inclusion in the Coveo MVP Program with 7 of our own selected for the recognition. The Coveo MVP program recognizes individuals for their invaluable contributions and expertise within the Coveo ecosystem.

To be considered for the recognition of Coveo MVP, one must possess a deep understanding of the platform and its business value to demonstrate strong thought leadership in the community. In addition, individuals must deploy quality implementations that enhance adoption and boast long-term success for customers using Coveo.

Join us in congratulating our MVPs:

1. Eric Immerman, Director
2. Kristofer Quinn, Senior Technical Architect
3. Ryan Weeber, Lead Technical Consultant
4. Rohit Patidar, Lead Technical Consultant
5. Fernando Rodriguez Rojas, Lead Technical Consultant
6. William Kirkconnell, Technical Consultant
7. Zachary Fischer, Senior Solutions Architect

First time MVP recipient and Lead Technical Consultant, Ryan Weeber bolsters excitement on his inclusion:

“I am thrilled to be recognized for the first time as a Coveo MVP! It’s such an honor to be included among this incredibly talented group of professionals.”

Eric Immerman, Coveo practice director celebrates his 4th consecutive inclusion in the Coveo MVP program and reflects on his team’s success:

“Being recognized once more as a Coveo MVP remains a fantastic acknowledgment of the expertise and hard work my team and I contribute towards ensuring our clients fully benefit from and use the Coveo platform effectively.”

Coveo at Perficient

Our Coveo practice helps brands design, architect and implement modern intelligent search solutions that empower users to be more successful in delivering a winning customer experience. As a Platinum partner and two time Accelerator Award recipient, we pride ourselves on providing unique, innovative solutions to our clients.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our team and their continued dedication to demonstrating key thought leadership and technical expertise to grow the Perficient + Coveo partnership. To learn more about Perficient’s Coveo solutions, visit our Coveo partner page, subscribe to Perficient’s blog and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In a dynamic digital landscape, choosing the right Adobe service provider is paramount for businesses seeking to maximize their Adobe investments. The selection process can be daunting with a diverse set of providers that vary by size, type of offering, geography, and business scenario differentiation. So where do marketing leaders start?

Forrester published The Adobe Services Landscape, Q1 2024 report report to help B2C marketing executives investigate potential partners. The report states, “B2C marketing executives should use this report to understand the value they can expect from an Adobe service provider, learn how providers differ, and investigate options based on size and market focus.”

The report outlines market dynamics that B2C marketers should consider and shares the research Forrester collected on notable providers, including Perficient.

Recognized Among Notable Adobe Services Vendors

Forrester’s report lists vendors based on geographic focus, industry focus, type of partner, size, and vendor-selected extended business scenario differentiation.

Among the providers in the report, Perficient is recognized in the Adobe Services Landscape as a medium-sized consultancy with an industry focus in healthcare, manufacturing/production of consumer products, and manufacturing/production of high-tech products, and a geographic focus in North America.

Perficient Listed as a Regional Partner for Adobe in IDC Market Perspective: Adobe Summit 2023

Going Beyond Core Business Scenarios

In the report, Forrester identified core business scenarios “that buyers most frequently seek and expect…,” in addition to extended business scenarios to further illustrate vendor differentiation. The report states, “Beyond these core business scenarios, buyers often look for providers that focus on certain extended business scenarios.”

The identified extended business scenarios in the report include advertising, B2B marketing engagement, workflow management, digital enrollment and onboarding, and industry-specific solutions.

Forrester asked each Adobe service provider in the report to select the top extended business scenarios it focuses on. The report states, “These are three business scenarios, beyond the core ones, that the provider wants customers to recognize as its areas of focus.”

Perficient is shown for selecting the following as its top three extended business scenarios, in no specific order.

1. B2B Marketing Engagement – Forrester states the objective is to “Coordinate lead management, account-based marketing, and attribution at scale across online and offline channels”
2. Workflow Management – Forrester states the objective is to “Centralize, streamline, and automate work processes to accelerate collaboration and efficiency”
3. Digital Enrollment and Onboarding – Forrester states the objective is to “Simplify and automate the process of enrolling and onboarding new customers”

As a provider actively evolving to meet customer needs, we believe Perficient’s focus on these extended business scenarios underscores our commitment to maximizing the value of our clients’ Adobe investments.

Finding the Right Adobe Partner

As a Platinum Adobe Partner, we care deeply about where you are on your Adobe journey.

We are here to ensure end-to-end delivery and integrated solutions that tackle your ever-changing, increasingly complex business challenges.

If you’re on the hunt for an Adobe partner, get to know our experts and find out what we can do for you!

You can read the entire Adobe Services Landscape, Q1 2024 report via the Forrester website where it’s available to Forrester subscribers and for purchase.

Many retailers are embarking on a digital transformation to modernize and scale their order management system (OMS) solution. Built on a modern architecture, the solution wraps Docker containers around order management business services. This architecture streamlines application management and the release of new functionality. The container technology also supports varying levels of technical acumen, business continuity, security, and compliance. If you want to reduce capital and operational expenditures, speed time to market, and improve scalability, elasticity, security, and compliance, you should consider moving your on-premises IBM Sterling application to IBM supported native SaaS or other cloud solutions which best suits your business.

Tailored Hybrid Cloud Solutions from IBM

IBM offers retailers three distinct hybrid cloud solutions tailored to their specific needs. The first option involves a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach with containers on any platform. While offering flexibility, it comes with potential downsides such as slower time to market, increased operational costs, and higher risk due to the intricacies of self-managing containerized environments. The second option introduces a more robust solution with IBM Certified Containers deployed using Kubernetes, striking a balance between customization and manageability. Option three, the most advanced choice, employs IBM Certified Containers deployed through the Red Hat OpenShift Containers Platform. This enterprise-grade solution prioritizes faster time to market, reduced operational costs, and lower risk, providing a secure and comprehensive hybrid cloud environment for organizations seeking efficiency and reliability in their IT transformation endeavors.

*K8s is referred to Kubernetes. * RHOCP is referred to Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.

IBM Sterling Certified Container Overview

IBM Sterling Order Management certified containers are distributed in the form of three images—om-base, om-app, and om-agent—via the IBM Entitled Registry. This distribution utilizes licensed API keys, streamlining the process for customers to conveniently retrieve and access these containers in their local registries or incorporate them seamlessly into their CI/CD pipelines.

• om-base: Serving as the foundational image, om-base is provisioned on the IBM Cloud Container Registry (Image Registry). It is equipped for the addition of product extensions and customizations, allowing customers to create a customized runtime tailored to their specific needs.
• om-app: This image is the Order Management application server designed to manage synchronous traffic patterns. It incorporates the IBM WebSphere Liberty application server. The different om-app images that are built using the customized runtime can be deployed with a dedicated route or ingress to expose the applications in om-app images. Routes are created only if using a Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform cluster. For any other Kubernetes cluster, ingress is created.
• om-agent: This container serves as the Order Management workflow agent and integration server, specifically tailored to handle asynchronous traffic patterns.

Basic Architecture of Sterling OMS – Post Deployment on K8s or RHOCP

Image Courtesy: IBM

Key Benefits of IBM Sterling Certified Containers

• Flexibility: Multi cloud & platform validated to run applications anywhere seamlessly.
• Speed: Faster start-up times and new instance creation with easy install and configurations.
• Efficient Scaling and Deployment Management: Auto-scaling with standardized deployment across all environments. Optimize your infrastructure by capacity scaling & reduced compute resources. Better logging and monitoring and support for continuous integration & delivery.
• Security: Safeguard brand reputation with top-tier security standards.
• Seamless Upgrades with Zero Downtime: Simplify application deployment and maintenance with zero down-time upgrades.

Cloud Solutions for IBM Sterling Order Management

IBM offers its native Software as a Service (SaaS), commonly known as IBM Cloud or CoC, taking on the responsibility for hosting, managing, maintaining, and monitoring the entire Order Management (OM) ecosystem. This allows customers to direct their focus toward achieving their business requirements and enhancing business services. IBM’s ownership and management of the DevOps process facilitate automatic upgrades of the OMS application with new features, alongside activities such as backup, database reorganization, and upgrades/patches for WebSphere Application Server (WAS) Liberty, MQ, DB2, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). The proactive monitoring of system performance, coupled with the establishment of automatic alerts and remediation procedures for instances of high CPU/memory usage, ensures a seamless experience for customers. Convenient access to detailed audits/graphs of system performance is provided through a self-serve tool, complemented by log monitoring via Greylog.

In contrast, three other well-regarded cloud solutions compatible with IBM Sterling Certified containers—Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)—present unique advantages. However, customers opting for these alternatives bear the responsibility of implementing measures to manage, maintain, and monitor the entire Order Management (OM) ecosystem. This encompasses tasks such as database backups, infrastructure upgrades, and system performance monitoring. Additionally, customers must seamlessly integrate with logging tools of their choice when opting for these alternatives.

Conclusion: A Path to Modernization and Efficiency

In conclusion, the shift towards a modernized and scalable Order Management System (OMS) is becoming imperative for retailers undergoing digital transformation. The adoption of IBM Sterling Certified Containers and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions presents a strategic pathway to enhance flexibility, speed, efficiency, and security in managing the OMS ecosystem. IBM’s hybrid cloud offerings provide retailers with tailored choices, allowing them to align their preferences with the desired level of customization, manageability, and risk. The option to leverage IBM’s native SaaS or explore alternate cloud solutions like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure or Oracle Cloud underscores the adaptability of IBM Sterling solutions to diverse business needs. As retailers navigate the complexities of modernizing their OMS, the comprehensive support provided by IBM’s SaaS offerings stands out, ensuring a secure, efficient, and future-ready infrastructure for their digital endeavors.

Key Links-

Installing IBM Sterling Order Management System Software using Certified Container – IBM Documentation

A Step-by-Step Guide for Deploying IBM Sterling Order Management on AWS | AWS for Industries (amazon.com)

Deploy Sterling Order Management on Azure Red Hat OpenShift – IBM Developer

Deploy IBM Sterling Order Management Software in a Virtual Machine on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

eCommerce has transcended its traditional boundaries set over twenty years ago, morphing into a holistic experience that extends far beyond mere online transactions. This recent transformation has been fueled by the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the Commerce ecosystem, propelling the industry into a new era of personalized, intelligent, and immersive shopping. Holistic commerce is the aim now, where customer monologues become a dialogue, transactions become interactions, and Commerce becomes more than just about systems, but about business outcomes.

Personalization Redefined

Gone are the days when online shopping and B2B purchasing merely involved scrolling through a list of products. Customers are now looking for immersive experiences utilizing AI solutions that have the power to analyze vast amounts of customer data to gain insights into preferences, behaviors, and purchase history. This allows businesses to craft hyper-personalized experiences for each consumer, which ultimately puts the customer in the driver’s seat of choice and preference. This level of personalization not only enhances customer satisfaction but also drives increased conversions and loyalty. AI algorithms help guide customers’ tastes, and buyer preferences anticipate their needs and even predict future buying trends.

Is Seamless Commerce the New ‘Frictionless’?

The holistic evolution of eCommerce means that shopping is no longer confined to only one channel. Consumers now expect a seamless experience across various touchpoints – from online stores and mobile apps to social media and in-store interactions. AI empowers businesses to provide consistent and engaging experiences across these channels by analyzing customer behavior and optimizing content delivery. Customers now prefer a commerce experience that can be started and finished in any channel they want. Websites and native apps are now accessed in-store and in person, where devices are becoming voice-controlled, and AI ensures a seamless journey where the customer needs the brand to be. B2B companies incorporate comparison buying, social, sales representatives, and support channels to help their clients understand their procurement options and contract rates through personalized websites.

AI-Powered Chatbots and Customer Support / Self Service

Customer support centers staffed with dozens of customer service reps (CSR’s) are now becoming a legacy way of working for brands. The recent trends around intelligent bots provide near-instant assistance by answering queries, addressing concerns, and even guiding customers through the purchasing process. Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities enable chatbots to understand and respond to customer inquiries just like a human representative would, ensuring a round-the-clock support system. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also reduces response times and operational costs for businesses. As more B2B companies turn toward online assistance and self-service for real-time information, the criticality of these functions to be detailed and precise will exponentially increase. This means that both customers and customer support view and understand a single version of the truth across the order lifecycle.

Order Management as a Commerce Catalyst

Inventory management is fundamental to making the customer promise and seeing it through. Post-purchase experience design is a key enabler of customer lifetime value. From a systems perspective, Order Management Solutions (OMS) enable brands to optimize their inventory levels, minimizing stockouts and overstock situations. By ensuring that the right products are available at the right time to the right channels, operations become streamlined and revenue potential is maximized. Additionally, the OMS has the next-generation business logic required to satisfy both the expectations of the customers and the demands of the business to maximize return on the investment of inventory. Where previously eCommerce was the sole focus, now brands must have the right strategies and capabilities to enable accurate inventory promising to be served in real-time to consumers.

The Evolution Toward Visual Search and Augmented Reality

Visual search and augmented reality (AR) technologies are bringing the in-store experience to online shopping and an online shopping experience to B2B procurement. Visual search now allows customers to snap a picture of an item and find similar products available for purchase. Improved buying journeys are further sustained by customers virtually trying products “on” or simulating their use before procurement, now being enabled by generative AI solutions. There are similar applications of this in the furniture space as well, as consumers now can see their living rooms and bedrooms with an augmented view of what the new room will look like. The ‘eCommerce’ landscape as we know it could not have conceived this just 10 years ago. Commerce is now enabled to be where the customer wants, fueled by AI.

The holistic evolution of eCommerce is being driven by AI towards “Commerce” itself, thus reshaping the way we shop and do business. No longer confined to online transactions, eCommerce has expanded to encompass personalized experiences, multi-channel interactions, and intelligent decision-making. New capabilities and operational processes are being developed to enhance personalization, streamline operations, provide seamless customer support, optimize order management and order lifecycle management, and even bring virtual experiences to life.

eCommerce is dead, and in part, AI killed it.

As the synergy between Commerce and AI continues to grow, the future promises an even more immersive and intelligent shopping experience, revolutionizing the world of Commerce as we know it.

Please email us at oxm@Perficient.com to start a conversation or visit our website.

In today’s competitive landscape, prioritizing customer experience is essential for success, making it crucial for organizations to choose the right professional services partner to help them deliver exceptional experiences that meet customer expectations. This strategic partnership not only requires a firm with technical design expertise but also one that has an understanding of the evolving forces shaping the future of customer experience.

That’s why we are excited to share that Perficient has been named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Experience Build Services 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment and IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Experience Design Services 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment reports. These IDC MarketScapes highlight leading global providers of experience build (XB) and experience design (XD) services, offering a framework for organizations to compare vendors based on their product and service offerings, capabilities, strategies, and current/future market success factors.

What Does This Inclusion Mean for Perficient?

Our position in these reports underscores Perficient’s extensive global reach, emphasizing our commitment to digital experience as a crucial factor in differentiating our clients’ strategies. Serving as a trusted partner in experience build and design, we offer specialized capabilities in personalization, data and analytics, service design, and product design. Leveraging our industry experience, tangible innovations, and proprietary assets like Envision Online, we bring about transformative changes in our clients’ organizations, enhancing experiences for all its users.

The IDC MarketScape for Experience Build Services notes, “As an independent digital experience agency, Perficient combines business and technology transformation capabilities including a robust collection of supporting assets and tools, with a focus on the design and build of customer experiences.”

The IDC MarketScape for Experience Design Services outlines that Perficient’s network of global innovation centers “aim to foster creativity, experimentation, collaboration, and continuous improvement among clients, and encourage the development of cutting-edge technologies and solutions.”

What Does This Mean for Our Clients?

This inclusion can continue to strengthen our clients’ trust in us as their partner of choice for experience design and build transformations. Our innovative approach to design allows organizations to move fast, quickly understanding where they stack up against customer expectations and competitors and what they need to do to reach their goals. Our technology and business expertise across multiple CX platforms and partnerships allows us to seamlessly bring that vision into reality with end-to-end delivery across the globe.

To learn more about how we can help in your customer experience transformations, contact us.