The changing shape of the eCommerce landscape

Marketplaces like Amazon, social networks like Facebook and even search engines like Google are increasingly providing shopping alternatives to traditional ecommerce sites.

In a recent Business Reporter interview, featured in The Independent, Ed Bussey, our Chief Solutions Officer, and Matt Wurst, VP Client Management, explain the implications of this change for the retail sector.

“Failing to respond to these changes is potentially nothing short of catastrophic for retailers because these platforms will, in time, become the dominant drivers of online commerce”, said Ed Bussey. But it’s not all doom and gloom. On the contrary. Ed goes on to explain that the changing landscape offers brands “huge opportunities to tap into ready-made audiences that, to all intents and purposes, the platforms have paid to acquire”. The million-dollar question is then, how do retailers transform this challenge into an opportunity?

The answer is content. A brand’s content is increasingly its sole means of connecting with consumers across this ever-growing list of platforms. Content has always been king, and in this world of fragmented and decentralised commerce, its value is even more acute.

Matt Wurst goes on to explain that “retailers need to re-visit the types of skillsets they require to create online content for this landscape, based on an understanding of not only what’s new and what’s next with these platforms, but how consumers are specifically engaging with each platform.” Only then will they be able to use content to “guide and direct consumer behaviour, plus cut through the clutter in this highly competitive market”.

Finally, the article in The Independent lays out four key steps retailers can take to accomplish all the necessary transitions, including:

1. Creating a new customer acquisition and retention blueprint
2. Unlocking the potential of platforms with optimised content
3. Amplifying reach with content production at scale
4. Focusing, relentlessly, on content performance

You can read the full article and access the full video here.

For insights on the ecommerce content of 100 leading US retailers, read our Jellyfish Insights Report on Winning the Ecommerce Content race.