We’re still talking about this year’s IRCE conference! “The Largest Display of E-Commerce Technology and Services” certainly delivered on that promise. There were workshops, keynotes, parties and an incredible collection of e-commerce services on display, including our very own Smart Merchandiser.

Omnichannel & Flexibility are the Future

Everything at IRCE pointed towards the importance of omnichannel. The focus for all online sellers needs to be on the consumer, whether they’re interacting with your brand on a laptop, mobile device, or in a retail store.

Target.com President Jason Goldberger really drove this point home during his keynote: “We spent tens of millions of dollars reinventing our store assets into flexible distribution models where guests have full control over whether they buy online or pick up in-store.” Flexible delivery options have helped Target’s online sales soar this year, making the investment worthwhile. As Goldberger stated, “the economics of losing a guest to our competitor is no longer a consideration.”

Everything is about the customer journey.

Use Your Data

Making your data work for you was a big theme for all the attendees at this year’s conference. Using the mountain of data we have about consumers to drive sales is the least today’s retailers can do, as smart analytics can help managers get a complete picture of their customers.

Go Big or Go Home

Goldberger addressed Target’s Lilly Pulitzer fiasco head-on, discussing the perils of failing so publicly. Failure can be “a good thing if it forces you to learn and makes you better. Target has come a long way in the past couple of years, but we’re still trying to figure things out.”

Everyone is iterating fast and jumping on new technologies to help improve sales and enhance the customer experience. Sometimes you’ll succeed, sometimes you won’t. But as the saying goes, the only way to fail is not to try.

If you’re looking for a partner to help you navigate these new technologies, get in touch with us. Our team of e-commerce experts has refined all of these strategies into easy-to-use tools that make optimizing your online store as easy as buying a ticket to next year’s IRCE.