Demandware stays current with omnichannel trends
Retailers looking to keep up with consumer demand for an individualized and seamless customer experience have a new supporting technology option to consider.
Enterprise cloud-based commerce solutions provider Demandware Inc. is releasing an enhanced version of its flagship Demandware Commerce Cloud platform. Enhancements include predictive recommendations and email capabilities. The platform leverages data science to deliver product recommendations that create personalized site experiences, while the Demandware predictive intelligence engine works with a retailer’s existing email solution to choose the optimal content for each email recipient at the moment of email open.
In addition, newly introduced merchandising enhancements enable retailers to drag and drop products within category grids and provide advanced search and filter capabilities within products and categories. Meanwhile, new capabilities to support attribute-based merchandising facilitate assortment planning and provide improved personalization.
Underscoring the omnichannel nature of the platform upgrade, enhancements delivered to the Demandware Digital Store Solution include predictive recommendations, better support for video, localized reference storefronts, the option for ordered products to be delivered to the store, and the ability for store associates to access consumrs’ online wish lists.
Other enhancements include partnerships with Pinterest and Salesforce.com that let users sell to consumers via “buy now” buttons in social and service channels, an embedded content delivery network, and optimized order processing for flash sales and other high-volume events. Commerce Cloud is delivered on a standards-based, open architecture that can be customized.
The wide-ranging set of enhancements and upgrades Demandware has introduced for its e-commerce platform illustrate the changing definition of “e-commerce.” Customers now shop across digital channels including third-party social sites, as well as physical stores, and do not recognize any distinction among different touchpoints.
A retailer that cannot allow a customer to easily purchase an item displayed on a Pinterest board, or reserve a product on their mobile phone for same-day in-store pickup, or provide consistently targeted promotions and recommendations across all channels based on real-time omnichannel behavior, is lagging behind consumer expectations. Demandware is doing its best to make sure those expectations are met, if not exceeded.