Category: IT & Ecommerce

Creating a Technology Playbook for Future Growth and Competitive Positioning

Posted on by annaktaylor
Artificial Intelligence technology

 

Introduction

 

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world, technology plays a crucial role in driving growth and maintaining a competitive edge. To navigate this dynamic landscape successfully, companies need a well-defined, performance-led technology playbook that outlines their strategic approach to leveraging the tech stack for future growth and market expansion.

 

This technology playbook serves as a guiding framework, enabling businesses to adopt emerging trends, harness the power of innovation, and develop a cutting-edge brand experience.

 

I have outlined key components and strategies that shape a technology playbook, setting businesses on the path to accelerated performance, revved up profitability, and future success.

 

Leveraging IT Principles to Drive Business Expansion

 

Implementing a robust IT infrastructure can significantly enhance operational efficiency and scalability, laying a strong foundation for steady growth. By utilizing data and in-depth market research, businesses can gain actionable insights that inform strategic decisions, helping them stay ahead of the competition.

 

Adopting cloud computing solutions supports flexible and cost-effective expansion, allowing organizations to adapt swiftly to changing buyer behaviors.

 

Ensuring that cybersecurity measures are firmly in place protects sensitive business information and maintains customer trust, which are crucial for evading precarious headwinds.

 

Strategic Technology Planning

 

The purpose of strategic technology planning is to seamlessly align IT systems with business goals, driving both growth and efficiency. It starts with a thorough assessment of current technological capabilities and identifying gaps that must be addressed to maintain competitiveness. Through comprehensive analysis and computing, the team will forecast future technological trends and prepares for their adoption. These tactical initiatives are tremendously valuable for the company securing a cutting-edge advantage in the market.

 

Word to the Wise

The planning process necessitates a forward-thinking approach and collaboration across departments, so that technology investments are not only strategic but also support overall organizational objectives.

 

Setting Long-Term Objectives

 

Establishing clear and measurable goals that reflect the organization’s vision is crucial for guiding long-term success. Flexibility must be at the forefront to adapt to changing circumstances and market conditions, ensuring that strategies remain relevant and effective.

 

Objectives should be realistic yet challenging – driving growth and fostering innovation within the company. Regular reviews and adjustments of these long-term objectives help maintain momentum, spurring an economy-of-scale mindset and keeping the organization on a high-velocity track.

 

Word to the Wise

Evolving, testing, and experimentation in technology – along with a collective exploratory mindset – are essential to meet the demands of an ever-changing business landscape.

 

Continue reading “Creating a Technology Playbook for Future Growth and Competitive Positioning” →

Quality Assurance (QA) Methods & Standards for Digital, Data, and Infrastructure

Posted on by annaktaylor
Blog title with desk + computer

 

As digital continues to rise as a powerhouse commerce channel, the need for optimized and effective online functionality and user experiences becomes more critical. Testing is the means by which you will identify flaws, frustrations, and failures (all of which are not necessarily in plain sight).

I’ve outlined some key factors to help build an effective testing system for your website, applications, software, infrastructure, database, and technology.

Create a Test Plan
  • Generate Use Cases and Test Scenarios
  • Establish a Stable Test Environment
  • Assemble Capable and Proficient Testers
  • Prepare a Schedule for Testing
  • Design Scoring for each Test Case
  • Verify a Clear Understanding on Reporting of Test Results
  • Create a Test Results Report
  • Define the Administration for Post-Test Actions and Retesting
  • Set Up a Retesting Resolution Report
Prepare Documentation
  • QA Processes
  • Testing Protocols
  • Test Flows
  • Pass / Fail Outcomes
  • Prioritized Action Plan
Testing Requirements
  • Modules and Functions
  • Triggers
  • Inputs / Outputs
  • Database Transactions
  • Files & Reports
  • Documented Flows and Use Cases
  • Utilities & Scripts
  • Automated Functions
  • Invalid Data Alert and Error Messages
  • Security, Access Controls
Application Testing
  • Mobile Responsive: Simulate All Screen Sizes and Device-Browser Combinations
  • User Interface including GUI Validation and User Acceptance
  • Page Rendering | Element Alignments | Content Placement
  • On-Site Search | Navigation | Keyword Analysis
  • On-Page Content | Internal & External Links | International Conversion, if applicable
  • Shopping Cart: End-to-End including Account Set Up, Tax, and Shipping
  • SEO: Tags, Schema, URLs, Structured Data, HTTPS, Crawl & Indexing
  • Favicon | Breadcrumbs | Information Architecture | Visual Cues
  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript | Style Sheets| Robots.txt | Sitemap | XML Sitemap
  • Pop Ups | User Messages | Error Notices | Auto-Generated Emails
  • Add-Ons | Plug-Ins | 3rd Party Software | Integrated Applications
  • Media: Optimization, Minification, Formatting, Placement, Accessibility
  • Data: Accuracy, Integrity, Structure, Feeds, Real Time Delivery
  • Call to Actions | Buttons | Rick Text Links | Interactive Elements + Icons
  • Caching | Minimize HTTP Requests | Bottom of Page Scripts | Lazy Loading
  • Inspect the CSS Grid, Container Queries and DOM Properties
  • Forms: Minimum Fields | Auto Fill | Auto Correct | Progressive Format
  • Technical: Functional | Database | Data Feeds | Load Balance | Recovery
  • Inputs + Outputs | APIs | Interface Between Servers | Query Response Time
  • Inspect Network Activity and Server Access Logs
  • Performance | Compatibility | Security | ADA Accessibility Compliance
  • Core Web Vitals | Analyze Runtime Performance
  • Timeline Event Properties: Loading, Scripting, Rendering, Painting
  • Platform: Reliability, Availability, Stability, Scalability, Maintainability
  • Site Administration: Manual for Capabilities, Functions, and Reports

Continue reading “Quality Assurance (QA) Methods & Standards for Digital, Data, and Infrastructure” →

Mastery of Ecommerce – 8 Pillars of the Pursuit

Posted on by annaktaylor
bright colors from opening laptop

 

I’ve gained indispensable insights through multiple ecommerce implementations across several industries. Here are vital methods, tactics, and actions for building or advancing a profit-bearing platform.

#1 The Numbers

Quantifiable OKRs (objectives and key results)

Set clearly formulated and specific Business Goals for each of these measurable performance metrics:

  • Conversion
  • Engagement
  • Optimization
  • Monetization

Commit to an Actionable and Achievable Timeline

Too often, the budget, timeline, and resources are not fully defined at the start.  There may be general numbers put on paper, however a successful ecommerce initiative requires forecasting and accounting for each of the following:

  • Ecommerce Software
  • Set up, Servers, Database, Environments
  • 3rd Party Integrations & APIs (Tax, Shipping, Payment Gateway, Technologies, Customer Service, Live Chat, etc.)
  • Technology & Marketing Stack
  • Back-End Integrations (CMS or DXP, CRM, PIM, Database etc.)
  • Mobile Responsive
  • Add Ons, Extensions, Mobile App
  • Project Management
  • Web Development
  • UI / UX, Design, Multimedia
  • Content and SEO
  • Site Performance and Testing
  • Domain, Hosting, SSL
  • Training and Documentation
  • Maintenance, Upgrades, Scaling
  • Launch PR – Internal and External Communications

A more detailed list is available here: https://artofdigitalcommerce.com/ecommerce-archetype/

#2 The Brand

Collaborate and establish the following before your project starts:

  1. Brand Values and Vision
  2. Unique Selling Proposition
  3. Competitive Advantage
  4. Your Brand’s “Wow” Factor
  5. Markets, Competitor Landscape, and Industry Positioning

Be innovative, forward-thinking, and fully customer-centric in this process.

Continue reading “Mastery of Ecommerce – 8 Pillars of the Pursuit” →

Profile of an Ordering Portal – Key Features & Capabilities

Posted on by annaktaylor
b2b order portal banner for digital commerce

 

Many B2B operators, dealers, and sellers utilize an ordering portal to achieve their business objective. The demand by customers has risen sharply for an easy-to-use, highly intuitive platform with the means to search their product catalog, place and track orders, and manage invoices, payments and account information.

There are a wide range of ordering portal solutions on the market today, claiming to offer an all-in-one user friendly, seamless solution.  Truth is, each B2B entity has unique requirements based on their business model, customer interactions, catalog and pricing structure, and back-end system.

The features of the portal, the size and condition of the data sets, specific customer needs, as well as its technical design, must be the drivers for platform selection. That means starting with the scope of capabilities and catalogs, and complexity of the technology ecosystem.

Continue reading “Profile of an Ordering Portal – Key Features & Capabilities” →

Strategy Tips for Your Technology Playbook

Posted on by annaktaylor
digital services globally

 

Many companies are grappling with the concept of transforming digitally. It certainly sounds smart, recognizing that the world is rapidly becoming digitized in its work, daily activities, commerce and entertainment.

Understandably, for many leaders, the technology landscape appears complex. Extensive. And costly.

The best approach is incremental and experimental. Advancing technologies, and creating a digital-savvy workspace, should be done in a climate that is eager to innovate while still driven to steer pragmatically.

The cutting-edge elements of digital are, first and foremost, not a ‘one size fits all’.  You must craft your own game-changing journey by trying out, testing, exploring and shaping the map.

Continue reading “Strategy Tips for Your Technology Playbook” →

The Merits and Momentum of Cloud Services

Posted on by annaktaylor
cloud-services-in-digital-network

 

A significant element of digital transformation is shifting to serverless cloud computing to leverage services, storage, and processing capabilities. 

Businesses are assessing their technology and recognizing the many advantages of cloud solutions, such as:

  • Cost efficiencies
  • Structural flexibility
  • Cohesiveness of event-driven performance
  • Ease of operational management
  • Real-time data processing
  • Integrated systems and applications
  • Compatibility with different languages
  • Automated scaling
  • Quicker deployment
  • Reliable support for databases, dev/ops, and AI programs

By moving to the cloud, many complexities of a back-end system are removed. Another benefit is eliminating the need to estimate usage. Often, projecting demand can cause unnecessary expenses when reserves and resources are idle.

Continue reading “The Merits and Momentum of Cloud Services” →

Business Use of Lean and New Technologies

Posted on by annaktaylor
coding-computer-data-depth-of-field

 

The engineering of a company’s digital commerce is more important than ever before.  Making prudent and progressive infrastructure decisions, while also strategically being lean and competitive, is a new kind of approach which doesn’t occur by happenstance. 

It requires widening your time-honored, long-established lens and committing to an unwavering technology stewardship, along with the following:

  • significant planning
  • objectivity and exploration
  • outcome modeling
  • high-level disciplines and standards
  • continually maturing team insights and ingenuity

Some simple recommendations are to avoid hype, do not be swayed by the claims from technology firms, reps or self-described pros, evaluate a diverse number of methods and pathways, and amplify value and efficiency at every stage.

Why ‘value’ and ‘efficiency’? Because those are the foundations of lean principles.  By creating capabilities-driven production with waste-reducing workflows, the aim is to reach more effective and profitable performance.

Continue reading “Business Use of Lean and New Technologies” →

Ecommerce – Tips for Interface and Interactions to Advance Performance

Posted on by annaktaylor

Ecommerce is driven by consumer intent and buying behaviors. An online merchant must present their product or service in an environment that is intuitive, familiar, trusted, motivating and seamless. 

 

A website’s primary objective must be to eliminate the distance that exists between the user and the brand, including economic, cognitive, physiological, emotional, awareness and significance. 

 

Successfully reducing ‘gaps’ requires optimizing key aspects of an application, such as:

 

  • Navigation and hierarchy 
  • Process flows
  • Interface design
  • Orientation structure
  • Mobile configurations 
  • Visual experience
  • Content merit and arrangement 
  • Data display and acceleration
  • Personalized components

 

Understanding intention starts with identifying the different motivators:

 

  • Purchase – price, discount, incentives, shipping fees
  • Information – seeking to answer ‘who, what, when, where, how’
  • Location – nearest to the user, directions, maps and routes
  • Experience – desire to be inspired, enlightened or entertained
  • Explicit – based on one or more specific keywords

 

The architecture of a website will dictate how well customer engagement and actions are achieved. Usability and findability require blending creative and compelling experiences with the science of online interaction behavior.

 

For those building the user interface, make it a priority to be data-informed, using business intelligence to identify consumer drivers. And design first for platform structure, data taxonomy, and navigation before presentation and context.