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Customer experience management specialist Sitecore this week announced the availability of Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics at the National Retail Federation Conference in New York City.
The software platform is designed to help bridge the gaps between in-store and digital experiences. Features include the abliity to buy online and pick up in store, plus manage orders, returns and customer service for both online and brick-and-mortar customers in a unified manner.
“This solution eliminates an entire layer of integration complexity, saving organizations thousands of hours of integration effort,” Ryan Donovan, corporate vice president of commerce for Sitecore, told eWEEK. “Commerce 8 powered by Microsoft Dynamics offers the same technology foundation, top to bottom, for online and brick and mortar channels. It seamlessly connects content and commerce, creating a new category of omni-channel marketing.”
The Commerce 8 platform includes support for multiple store fronts across different countries and legal entities in the same deployment. A reference storefront is provided to accelerate customer deployments.
Sitecore and Microsoft developed the product together over the past 12 months, co-designing its architecture to capitalize on the strengths of both Sitecore and Dynamics, the companies said.
The combined solution allows businesses to create connected customer experiences optimized for visitors’ digital behaviors, devices and preferences, complete with real-time order management across a variety of channels.
“Retailers must offer a consistent shopping experience across desktops and mobile devices,” Donovan said. “Channel convergence is a clear theme at the National Retail Federation’s annual conference now happening in New York City — expect this to be top of mind for retailers over the coming year.”
Donovan said organizations often fail to support multiple types of conversion paths, so it’s critical that businesses consider all ways customers interact with their brand and create a seamless experience that transcends specific channels.
“Personalization at the individual level, across channels, is no longer limited to tech giants with deep pockets. Consumers now expect all brands to deliver top-notch experiences,” Donovan said. “In this new landscape, organizations need to use all the data at their disposal to create personalized, relevant shopping experiences. They also must think outside the box, offering loyalty programs, compelling offers and predictive advertising to attract and retain customers.”