From social commerce to volumetric videos, buying products online should be anything but boring. Today, customers use an average of nine different channels to browse inventory, seek advice, and make purchases. Within these channels, companies have so many options to engage with customers and build a personal bond. Whether it is creating a sleek easy-to-use design for users or making the user feel like they are in the physical store, these emerging trends have created a new urgency for companies to unify their presence wherever their customers happen to be. Therefore, as the leading digital executive search firm, we are seeing top CMOs take advantage of these new trends and adding on headless commerce to further their marketing efforts.
Headless commerce is a separation of the front end and back end of an e-commerce application. It allows companies to use application programming interfaces (APIs) to customize their customer’s buying journey as needed. Not only does this ensure a smooth transition within your website, but you are able to also connect third-party consumer touchpoints like social media to help you become more innovative.
However, implementing headless commerce requires a lot of preparation and unity within your team. Here are 2 crucial steps the leading e-commerce executive search firm recommends you take to ensure you are creating a consistent brand experience.
2 Crucial Steps an eCommerce Executive Search Firm Recommends For Headless Commerce Implementation:
Know Your Target Market
Believe it or not, headless commerce is not focusing on technology or different channels; it focuses on your target audience. You need to map out why and how your consumers pick your brand. Do they organically search for your product? Did they find you on social media? What mediums are the main source leading to your brand?
For top marketing executives, this is probably common knowledge. However, if you are too quick to answer and have not re-evaluated your consumers, you might be using outdated information for your new marketing strategy.
Therefore, a good practice is to verify your consumer insights. This is the first step to creating a successful foundation for your goals. The key is to be able to use your data to build a business case that demonstrates what is possible with a headless approach centered around the current experience.
Have An Efficient Leader
Ensuring valuable customer experience requires the usage of several different departments within the company. Employees from product, marketing, finance, and IT departments need to be brought together and pushed in the same direction to make real changes to the customer experience and buyers’ journey.
It’s not only crucial to have an efficient team, you need the right leader. The reality is, headless commerce is a fairly new method. Finding a leader who possesses the right hard and soft skills can be difficult. However, the right eCommerce leader will be able to take responsibility for making the transition flow smoothly and be accountable for making changes happen within the organization.
It is imperative the individual is a visionary. Merely understanding where the company is at with the data provided is not enough. They need to be able to find where every journey breaks off and build a new path for different types of consumers. By putting themselves in the customer’s shoes, they can make sure all messaging / storytelling aligns with the consumer’s expectations. Therefore, the key to developing a great cross-functional approach lies solely in the expertise and leadership of your eCommerce VP.
Overall, there is no question consumer behavior will continue to evolve. Top leaders must continue to expand their digital marketing skills and find innovative ways to attract consumers. As the leading digital executive search firm, MarketPro executive recruiters believe headless commerce will make it possible for brands to stay up-to-date and deliver the right experience through the right channel, at the right moment.
If, however, you find yourself in need of assistance to find the right leader, partnering with a leading VP e-commerce executive search firm will make a huge difference. Now is the time to invest in your brand and make sure you have the necessary resources to implement great e-commerce strategies.