Far from being short-lived, this e-boutique has become a real means of assisting the customer throughout their shopping journey. Maddyness met Henri David Bijaoui, CEO of colorMat De Sousa, CEO of The broad society and Emilie Benoit-Vernay, Head of Southern Europe Shopify. Decoding this trend to find out how e-commerce has become a hub of innovation.
A symbiosis of online and stationary sales geared towards customer satisfaction
The death knell rang on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Containment is in effect. The shops are closed. The situation is difficult for small companies that are still little digitized. Should we wait until the health situation improves? Many professionals then decide to create an e-shop. It is this choice that will later allow the development of fertile ground for innovation, a real one “Omnic Innovation Center”.
“For a long time, e-commerce was ‘just’ a new online shop says David Bijaoui, CEO of Colorz. “We found ourselves in a context that was innovative for some at the time, but disappointing for the brand’s employees. The sellers have always been against each other: the physical store against the website. Then e-commerce changed and matured. Today it is no longer a business but a service at the customer’s service ».
In fact, the different acquisition channels (website, physical store, social networks, etc.) have connected, making it possible to speak of appearance “of hubs”.
Thanks to this connection, e-commerce is not an easy ” additional channel “, but became a ” service “Additionally. E-commerce no longer plays the role of just a store, but also a role as a catalogue, a shop window or even a backup solution to retain the customer when an item is not available in store. As David Bijaoui, CEO of Colorz , explains, the connections between the physical and the digital have become particularly tight: “Today it is no longer a problem if an item in our size is not listed in the store: the item can be ordered directly on the e-commerce website in the store. The online store has become part of an environment dedicated to customer service. The aim is not to turn this into a new touchpoint, but to provide the customer with a single hub with multiple touchpoints. The digitization of the brand will offer her this service.”
Benefit for brands that already have a community
Conversely, brands that were first starting out on the web were able to drive the creation of their online community. With or without an e-commerce building block, these brands could then easily go to market and communicate by opening physical stores. In fact, the e-merchant or content producer already has an obligation and a community.
The logic of the symbiosis is then possible in both directions. “During the Covid period we saw a significant influx of local traders who jumped into online trading for survival reasons,” recalls Emilie Benoit-Vernay, Shopify’s Head of Southern Europe.. “Local retailers then wanted to keep the two channels […] although these tools were previously considered competitive. Today we are also able to reverse the equation, as evidenced by the advent of the creator economy. […] On the one hand we help the merchants who have a product to create a community and on the other hand we help the creators to live thanks to their community.”
The emergence of innovations based on e-commerce
Ecommerce site building platforms have enabled more accessible ecommerce innovation for businesses. It does so by facilitating the implementation of tools that do not require advanced computer skills. “Today, Shopify has become a complete ecosystem that fosters innovation” says Mat de Sousa, CEO of The Wide Company. “The services offered to dealers are adapted to customer demand. The features available to protect against online fraud or measure environmental impact are proof of this. Shopify now has a carbon footprint module and has implemented numerous checks and banking analytics to prevent fraud. It is even possible to develop your own functionalities.”
The e-commerce of tomorrow must therefore make it possible to shop like in a store. Innovation in the industry is headed in that direction, but supply constraints are a limit to that goal. However, one solution can lie precisely in the omnichannel nature of platforms. “The ”Ship from Store” is a real challenge for the innovative logic of retail” says David Bijaoui, CEO of Colorz. “Do I need a central warehouse for e-commerce and a more ‘distributed’ warehouse across my branch network? Why not use shops as distribution relays? Then we work on the “order management system”: we go as close as possible to the customer to deliver it. If a local store has the item the customer is looking for, the item will leave that store.”.
This interconnectedness even allows the customer to get more information about the items, especially their availability or restocking. In fact, the stores are directly connected to the brand’s website(s). The payment itself can be done through the retailer’s application to avoid waiting at the checkout, which many brands already offer for certain accessories.
“E-commerce is the cornerstone of brand digitization. But we are only at the beginning” remember the CEO of Colorz. “It’s hard to imagine what tomorrow’s applications will be. If e-commerce were a beach of white sand with palm trees and fish, innovation would be the grains of sand on a beach in constant formation. All these innovations are helping to shape the e-commerce of tomorrow, an e-commerce in constant evolution. “.