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No matter the industry or market, digital commerce is disrupting and creating new expectations from customers. Brands must look to place the customer experience as their first priority moving forward, and in order to do so means leveraging a unified commerce approach. This goes beyond having a robust omni-channel strategy, but takes it one step further by breaking down the walls of different channels and looking directly at the entire customer experience as a continual holistic offering. What does that mean, to break down the channel walls?
The winners in Retail are continually changing the game and delighting consumers with surprising innovations in self-service and user experience to improve online interactions, all while gaining an edge on the competition. This includes the use of chatbots to their sites, which have increasingly gained popularity over a short period of time and for good reason. Chatbots offer automated, intelligent responses to customers queries on demand, online and even have the ability to be hyper personalized. So what is the impact of chatbots in the B2B market going into the new year and what can they offer their users? As most B2B buyers tend to expect the same experience online as they are getting a B2C buyer, it’s more important than ever for the B2B market to take a look at chatbots.
As 2019 comes to a close, many leaders in B2B are reviewing their digital strategy going into the new year. Digital transformation is a strategic journey of innovation that offers incredible potential for growth. Consider it less about a complete system overhaul and more about shifting plans to invest in and be more competitive in today’s digital markets by delivering valuable online solutions. One of those online solutions is offering e-commerce and m-commerce (mobile commerce). Digital commerce offers B2B the ability to introduce new innovation to delight their customers, make their internal operations more efficient, and outpace their competition.
2019 has been full of enormous transformation in retail as the entire industry works to evolve with the consumer and strike a balance in all the purchasing paths one might take. Pair that with the blurring on industry lines as the consumer goods companies approach into their territory and other direct to consumer brands take off without the need of retail assistance and there is no doubt that in 2020 retail will (have to) continue to push the envelope to delight and maintain loyal customers. We are sharing several insights into what will help make for a successful new year for many retailers and insights into what will be discussed at the upcoming NRF 2020 Conference.
Direct-to-consumer (D2C) has become an increasingly hot topic and is sure to be on everyones radar at the upcoming NRF 2020 Show. Between the threat of digital disruptors and the pricing pressures from retailers, all brands need to adopt a consumer-centric mindset to stay relevant and prepare for future innovation. One way of doing this is through creating ones own e-commerce channel to obtain consumer data to drive their decision making processes. Brands that get e-commerce right win big time in the long run; owning customer data means being able to craft better (more personalized) customer experiences, build more loyal brand advocates, and take all that direct from customer feedback and intel to R&D when crafting new products.
At Echidna, we have been developing on Oracle Commerce for over a decade and extended our capabilities to Oracle’s newest e-commerce platform solution, Oracle Commerce Cloud, making us a preferred Gold Partner. Besides the fact that Oracle Commerce Cloud is ranked as one of the top SaaS e-commerce platforms and offers both B2B and B2C merchants a unified, modular SaaS infrastructure, we’ve come to recognize it also has additional features that are important when crafting a building products site while we were doing just that for one of our clients in the industry.
As a leading e-commerce agency, we often times work with our clients to help them navigate the best e-commerce platform for their current and future state. The e-commerce platform you choose will play an integral part in the core functions of your business, from both a customer-side and backend business operations point of view. Last week we starting discussing when and why companies start to consider an e-commerce re-platform and several requirements a brand should consider when reviewing e-commerce platforms. This week, we are continuing with Part 2 of our e-commerce agency tips to vet e-commerce platforms. This is by no means a complete list, but will give you a good idea of what to consider when you start reviewing e-commerce platforms for your company.
As a leading eCommerce agency, we realize choosing an eCommerce platform to fit your business is no easy feat with all the options on the market today. However, choosing the right eCommerce technology for your business can simply not be ignored. In our increasingly digital world, it is important to be able to evolve with ease, but still, use the foundation you have built to maintain your core capabilities. One part of your core foundation moving forward should be your eCommerce platform.
Last week we starting discussing how taking on a customer centric approach should include reviewing your user experience and what that means for your e-commerce growth going into the 2020 and beyond. When a customer centric approach is taken in user experience, you will be able to see an improvement in understanding your user behaviors, increased opportunities to innovate because of user interactions and a return on your user experience investment. By following user centric design, you can better create user personas, site maps and customer journeys to start to craft your ideal user experience. Now we understand that precisely mapping out key user tasks, understanding the core processes and watching actual user behavior fulfills one piece to the user experience puzzle, but what’s next? This week, we are discussing how wireframes, prototypes and design concepts play and important part in the user experience.
Starting with a customer-centric approach and aligning your user experience with this mindset is a key puzzle piece to eCommerce growth going into 2020. If your user experience is focused on the customer and properly executed you can expect three main goals to be accomplished.
Preparing for the future of commerce is no easy feat. While looking for a solution to fulfill current needs, you also need to be able to anticipate how you wanted to adapt and change in the future as you drive your commerce business forward. With an e-commerce platform being a core foundation for any business looking to create positive disruption within their industry, it is important to understand the basics when it comes to designing, building and maintaining a modern viable commerce solution. This includes the continuous innovation that is required to keep up in today’s digital economy. We are giving insight into this and the seven key steps on how to ensure the future-readiness of your commerce solution.
Winners in retail consistently show that by promoting positive disruption and innovative ideas they are able to build a stronger business from the inside and out. The B2B market has taken note and already leaders have emerged. With it being clear that the fundamentals of what, where and how buying is taking place is evolving at a rapid pace, which technology and strategies should your brand consider? When looking to the future of e-commerce and making our predictions for 2020, we focused on ways that can be truly helpful and meaningful to the consumer and recommend taking a holistic approach to overall commerce development.
September 20, 2026
Quoting is not the reason your products cannot be sold online. Unexamined quoting workflows are. Sort your order volume honestly, move the standard majority to self-service, give the negotiated remainder a visible digital workflow, and measure quote abandonment the way you measure cart abandonment.
September 1, 2026
B2B site search fails when it speaks catalog language instead of buyer language. The evidence is sitting in your search logs right now, and most of the fixes are content and configuration work, not a replatform.
July 21, 2026
We rank nine real use cases by whether they are delivering ROI in production today, whether they are conditionally working depending on the substrate underneath, or whether they remain experimental for most enterprise teams. The framing matters. Investing in a use case in the wrong bucket is how AI budgets quietly disappear in year two.
July 8, 2026
After working with enterprise B2B commerce teams for seventeen years, including most of the past three years deep in AI implementation work, a pattern is clear. The companies pulling ahead are not the ones investing the most in AI. They are the ones operating with the clearest framework for what AI is actually changing in commerce, and what it is not.
June 24, 2026
AI commerce features rarely succeed or fail cleanly. They tend to deliver real value in narrow places and underperform in others, with the net result obscured by attribution challenges, attribution overlap with other initiatives, and metrics that were not set up at the start of the project to answer the question that finance is now asking.
The teams that hold up well in their year-two budget conversations are not the ones with the biggest results. They are the ones with the clearest measurement. Six metrics, in our experience working with enterprise B2B commerce organizations, cover the picture honestly. Together they tell finance whether the AI investment is paying back, where it is leaking, and what to fund next.
April 23, 2026
A failed or underperforming integration does not just delay your go-live. It creates ongoing operational drag that undermines the business case for the entire commerce investment — for years. This guide gives enterprise teams a practical framework for evaluating integration partners: what to look for, what to ask, and what answers should give you pause.
April 16, 2026
Enterprise eCommerce integration projects have a failure rate that the industry does not talk about enough. Failure as in the integration was built, went live, and then proceeded to quietly undermine the commerce experience it was supposed to power. These are not edge cases. They are the normal outcome of integrations that were designed without enough rigor, implemented without enough governance, or handed off to teams who lacked the context to maintain them.
April 2, 2026
B2B eCommerce integration is not a technical afterthought. It is the connective tissue that determines whether your commerce platform works as a real business capability or as an expensive storefront with a broken backend.
The organizations that treat integration as a strategic investment — architecting it deliberately, governing it continuously, and partnering with specialists who understand the complexity — are the ones whose commerce channels actually deliver the ROI they were promised.
March 25, 2026
Most B2B eCommerce projects launch. Few scale. The difference is strategy—defined before the platform is chosen and executed long after go-live.
March 18, 2026
Most B2B eCommerce sites look fine and perform poorly. Here's what enterprise buyers need from a digital commerce experience—and where most designs fail.
March 15, 2026
Boomi is how Echidna builds that foundation. Not as a simple data pipe — but as the central nervous system of the enterprise, transforming and cleaning data in transit, enabling parallel workstreams, and making it possible to modernize legacy systems without replacing them.
March 11, 2026
Choosing the wrong platform costs millions and years. This guide walks through the evaluation criteria that actually matter for enterprise B2B organizations.
April 16, 2026
Enterprise eCommerce integration projects have a failure rate that the industry does not talk about enough. Failure as in the integration was built, went live, and then proceeded to quietly undermine the commerce experience it was supposed to power. These are not edge cases. They are the normal outcome of integrations that were designed without enough rigor, implemented without enough governance, or handed off to teams who lacked the context to maintain them.
March 15, 2026
Boomi is how Echidna builds that foundation. Not as a simple data pipe — but as the central nervous system of the enterprise, transforming and cleaning data in transit, enabling parallel workstreams, and making it possible to modernize legacy systems without replacing them.
July 1, 2024
Let’s debunk a popular myth before we start: Continuous innovation is not a one-off event or just a buzzword. It’s not about having that one groundbreaking idea that skyrockets your business to success. True innovation is a continuous process. It’s about applying strategic, tactical, and operational strengths consistently to prepare for future shifts. In a world where technology evolves at breakneck speed, staying relevant requires more than a flash of brilliance. It demands a relentless, ongoing commitment to change.
May 17, 2024
In recent years, voice search technology has transformed the way people interact with their devices and access information. This innovation allows users to search the internet, control smart home devices, and perform various tasks simply by speaking commands. Voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant have become integral parts of our daily lives, making voice search an essential aspect of modern SEO strategies.
May 11, 2023
Throughout 2022 and early 2023, there was an explosion of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that captivated business leaders, investors, and society as a whole with its impressive ability to create new and seemingly human-made text and images.
April 26, 2023
You know that providing a seamless, personalized experience to your customers is the key to success. With online purchases on the rise and the growing popularity of omnichannel retail, chatbots have become the go-to tool for businesses looking to improve customer service and increase sales.
March 6, 2023
Construction Specialties has been at the forefront of providing specialty building products worldwide for more than seventy years. With a presence in twenty countries, they have obtained more than 40 registered product patents and produced ten distinct product lines. Their products can be found in or on some of the world's most famous buildings.
November 23, 2022
With eCommerce sales doubling in the past five years and markets expected to almost double again by 2026, companies are making sizable investments in their eCommerce capabilities.
June 29, 2022
In a time when every company is digital to some degree, your strategy is the differentiator. The stronger your strategy the easier it is to not only navigate rapid change and innovation, but as a result those companies also see higher conversion rates.
April 4, 2022
The automotive industry is at a crossroads. One way maintains the current status quo with little room for competitive edges and scalability, while the other path leads to reimagining its core operations and focusing on digital channels. While the latter path might seem intimidating at the moment, it is important to understand that the industry is moving towards digital selling as a business model for both B2B and B2C markets. Choosing to ignore buyer demands can hurt automotive brands in the long term.
April 28, 2021
We’re living in an accelerated world of eCommerce.
10 years growth in 3 months according to a recent study by Bank of America and Forrester Analytics. While it can be debated how this measured, we can all agree things have changed rapidly in digital.
June 15, 2020
We knew this year would require brands to work on the ongoing challenge of optimizing the customer experience. However, being able to embrace a customer-first approach through digital operations has turned instrumental for brands in 2020. As merchants work towards the post-coronavirus future, what does that look like?
September 20, 2026
Quoting is not the reason your products cannot be sold online. Unexamined quoting workflows are. Sort your order volume honestly, move the standard majority to self-service, give the negotiated remainder a visible digital workflow, and measure quote abandonment the way you measure cart abandonment.
September 1, 2026
B2B site search fails when it speaks catalog language instead of buyer language. The evidence is sitting in your search logs right now, and most of the fixes are content and configuration work, not a replatform.
August 4, 2026
When a B2B buyer gets stuck on your site, they do not generally abandon the relationship. The site's conversion rate is technically unaffected, because the buyer never entered the funnel at all. Meanwhile a sales engineer spent part of their afternoon reading a spec sheet aloud. Your support volume is the usability report your analytics cannot produce. Here is how to read it.
March 18, 2026
Most B2B eCommerce sites look fine and perform poorly. Here's what enterprise buyers need from a digital commerce experience—and where most designs fail.
October 13, 2025
You don’t need another pep talk about “putting the customer first.” You need levers. The good news: modern UX testing tools are exactly that—levers that move revenue, reduce cost-to-serve, and de-risk big bets.
June 23, 2025
In today’s competitive online market, cutting the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of your eCommerce platform is critical for long-term profitability. Believe it or not, one of the most effective ways to do that isn’t about the technology—it's about user experience (UX). Here’s how enhancing UX can help you slash costs, boost conversions, and reduce hidden operational drag.
January 14, 2025
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, mobile users demand seamless, intuitive experiences. A mobile UX audit is the key to uncovering friction points, optimizing usability, and boosting engagement. Whether you’re launching a new mobile app or optimizing an existing one, following best practices ensures your mobile experience meets user expectations and drives conversions.
November 5, 2024
Seamless system integration has become foundational for success in B2C and B2B eCommerce. As companies shift to digital-first strategies to remain competitive and responsive to client demands, integrating systems like ERP, CRM, and inventory management is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.
October 30, 2024
Once upon a time, the most advanced digital assistant many of us knew was Clippy—the quirky, ever-helpful paperclip in Microsoft Office. For all his flaws, Clippy was groundbreaking: the first mainstream, interactive UX assistant that tried to understand what users were doing and offered guidance (even if often unrequested). Though Clippy fell short in many ways, he introduced the idea of proactive assistance in a digital workspace—a concept that has since evolved dramatically.
September 24, 2024
The holiday shopping season is already in full swing—don’t panic! There’s still time to make quick, impactful adjustments to your eCommerce site that can help you handle the holiday rush like a pro. 🎁 With these last-minute tips, you can boost site speed, optimize your checkout process, and leverage social media to drive more traffic and sales. Let’s dive into the tweaks you can implement right away to get your site holiday-ready.
September 10, 2024
The industrial goods sector has seen a significant shift toward eCommerce in recent years, with businesses increasingly turning to online platforms to purchase tools, machinery, and raw materials. However, selling industrial goods online comes with unique challenges—ranging from large and complex product catalogs to diverse customer needs, such as procurement managers, engineers, and technicians seeking highly specific items. In this evolving landscape, AI personalization in industrial goods eCommerce is becoming a key driver for success, as buyers now expect tailored product recommendations, custom pricing, and seamless navigation through large inventories.
September 4, 2024
In the rapidly evolving world of automotive eCommerce, data-driven decision-making is no longer just an advantage—it's a necessity. With the rise of online vehicle shopping, managing customer expectations, inventory, and competitive pricing has become increasingly complex. Automotive eCommerce managers need more than just intuition to succeed in this environment; they require the power of data to make informed decisions that drive growth and enhance customer experiences.
April 21, 2025
Magento Open Source has long been a go-to platform for growing eCommerce brands. But in 2025, the shift toward SaaS-first, fully integrated platforms is accelerating—and Adobe is making it clear where the future lies: Adobe Commerce Cloud.
April 7, 2025
eCommerce site performance is more than just a technical metric—it’s a direct driver of customer experience, conversion rates, and long-term revenue. For enterprise-level businesses with high traffic volumes, complex integrations, and global user bases, maintaining optimal site performance is both a challenge and a necessity.
March 31, 2025
As your eCommerce business scales, your platform needs to scale with it. At Echidna, we help brands implement flexible, high-performing Shopify solutions that support long-term growth. One of the most common questions we hear is: When does it make sense to upgrade from Shopify to Shopify Plus?
March 10, 2025
The digital commerce landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. For enterprise organizations, eCommerce implementation is no longer a luxury—it’s a strategic necessity. Whether your goal is to expand market reach, streamline operations, or enhance customer experience, a well-executed eCommerce platform can be a game-changer.
March 3, 2025
The Adobe Summit 2025, taking place March 17-20 in Las Vegas, is the premier event for digital commerce leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve. With Adobe Commerce continuing to push the boundaries of omnichannel, personalization, and AI-driven commerce experiences, this year's sessions promise insights and strategies for businesses ready to scale.
February 24, 2025
The eCommerce world moves at lightning speed, and if your digital strategy is still stuck in 2022, you’re already behind. For eCommerce trends in 2025, customers expect seamless, AI-powered experiences, personalized interactions, and frictionless buying journeys—whether they’re shopping for jelly beans, batteries, industrial components, or aerospace technology (more on that mix later).
February 18, 2025
Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento Commerce, is a powerful and flexible eCommerce platform designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. With its cloud-based infrastructure and rich feature set, it offers seamless scalability, personalization, and advanced business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) capabilities. In this guide, we will explore everything you need to know about Adobe Commerce, from its key features to implementation best practices.
January 21, 2025
As ecommerce continues to evolve, marketplaces have emerged as a dominant force in both B2C and B2B spaces. With about 50% of global online sales occurring on marketplaces—and this number expected to grow—businesses can no longer afford to overlook the opportunities presented by these platforms. VTEX commerce solutions provide tools and frameworks for businesses to explore and manage marketplace models effectively. This article explores VTEX marketplace capabilities and how they support businesses in a competitive digital landscape.
December 3, 2024
The eCommerce world is gearing up for a landmark year in 2025, where growth, innovation, and disruption converge to reshape how businesses sell and customers shop. Post-pandemic consumer behaviors have solidified, sustainability concerns are influencing purchasing decisions, and advancements are propelling eCommerce technology into a new frontier.
November 30, 2024
In today’s digital world, making your website accessible to all is not just a legal obligation but also a smart business strategy. Accessibility opens the door to a wider audience, ensures compliance with regulations, and fosters inclusivity. Conducting a web accessibility audit is the first step in identifying and fixing barriers that may prevent users with disabilities from fully experiencing your website. This guide breaks down the steps to ensure compliance with standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and create a more inclusive online experience.
November 5, 2024
Seamless system integration has become foundational for success in B2C and B2B eCommerce. As companies shift to digital-first strategies to remain competitive and responsive to client demands, integrating systems like ERP, CRM, and inventory management is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity.
October 30, 2024
Once upon a time, the most advanced digital assistant many of us knew was Clippy—the quirky, ever-helpful paperclip in Microsoft Office. For all his flaws, Clippy was groundbreaking: the first mainstream, interactive UX assistant that tried to understand what users were doing and offered guidance (even if often unrequested). Though Clippy fell short in many ways, he introduced the idea of proactive assistance in a digital workspace—a concept that has since evolved dramatically.
September 20, 2026
Replatforming does not have to cost you your search traffic or your place in AI answers. The teams that come through clean treat SEO and AI visibility as first-class requirements of the migration, with an owner, a checklist, and a monitoring window, not as a task for launch week.
September 1, 2026
B2B site search fails when it speaks catalog language instead of buyer language. The evidence is sitting in your search logs right now, and most of the fixes are content and configuration work, not a replatform.
October 7, 2025
If your brand sits in that sweet spot—north of $10M, south of $5B—social shouldn’t just be “posting and hoping.” In 2025, social is a performance channel, a customer research lab, a talent magnet, and for many categories, a storefront.
August 11, 2025
Let’s be honest: digital marketing budgets are under more scrutiny than ever.
April 14, 2025
When it comes to showing up in search, your site isn’t just competing for attention—it’s fighting for relevance. And in 2025, the rules of SEO are sharper, smarter, and more user-focused than ever. If you want better rankings, more organic traffic, and a website that actually converts, it starts with a solid on-page SEO audit.
March 25, 2025
Unlock Better PPC ROI with the Right Strategy and Execution
February 6, 2025
Why eCommerce Platform Implementation Matters
February 1, 2025
A Strategic Approach to SEO and Digital Marketing for Sustainable Growth
September 24, 2024
The holiday shopping season is already in full swing—don’t panic! There’s still time to make quick, impactful adjustments to your eCommerce site that can help you handle the holiday rush like a pro. 🎁 With these last-minute tips, you can boost site speed, optimize your checkout process, and leverage social media to drive more traffic and sales. Let’s dive into the tweaks you can implement right away to get your site holiday-ready.
July 2, 2024
Imagine this: A small eCommerce business invests $500 in a PPC campaign and, within a month, sees a return of $2,000 in sales. That’s a whopping 300% return on investment (ROI). This scenario isn’t a fairy tale but a real possibility when PPC campaigns are executed effectively. However, achieving such high ROI isn’t just about luck; it’s about leveraging data to drive decisions.
May 30, 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization (SEO), staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. Recent developments have shed light on new opportunities and challenges within this dynamic field. A glimpse behind the curtain has provided us with a deeper understanding of how Google possibly evaluates and ranks content, underscoring the importance of adapting our strategies to align with these newly uncovered criteria. However, Google does caution against making assumptions based on potentially outdated or incomplete information contained in these documents.
April 30, 2024
The boundaries between social media and eCommerce are becoming increasingly blurred. Today's buyers expect not only to interact with brands through social platforms but also to make purchases there without skipping a beat. This shift has given rise to a new phenomenon known as social commerce, a fusion of online shopping and social media that is transforming the way brands interact with their customers.
March 2, 2026
Echidna will be at Boomi World 2026 in Chicago. As a Boomi partner with 16+ years of integration experience, we work with B2B commerce organizations to design and implement the integrations that keep operations moving — from ERP and EDI to CRM, PIM, OMS, and modern commerce platforms.
March 15, 2025
March 2025: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
February 11, 2025
February 2025: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
January 15, 2025
January 2025: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
January 7, 2025
The NRF 2025 Big Show is packed with innovation, inspiration, and strategies to shape the future of retail. With so many sessions to choose from, it can be tough to decide where to focus your attention. That’s why we’ve rounded up three of the most exciting, game-changing sessions you simply can’t miss. These discussions bring together retail leaders, digital visionaries, and industry disruptors who are reshaping the way we do business.
December 18, 2024
December 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
November 19, 2024
November 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
October 16, 2024
October 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
September 18, 2024
September 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
August 15, 2024
August 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
July 8, 2024
July 2024: Your Monthly Digest of Top Digital Commerce Insights
July 3, 2024
The automotive industry is undergoing a major shift, driven by rapid advancements in digital technology. This transformation is reshaping how vehicles are manufactured, marketed, sold, and serviced. From AI-driven manufacturing processes to sophisticated online sales platforms, automotive eCommerce is becoming the backbone of modern automotive operations. This shift is not just a trend but a necessity for survival and growth in an increasingly competitive market.