NIBs (credit image/Pixabay/niekverlaan)Retail and eCommerce highlights this week include: Mazda partners with Candyspace and  selected Optimizely’s digital experience platform (DXP) to develop and optimise a new suite of sites for international car giant. Software AG announced an agreement to acquire StreamSets, a data integration provider for the modern data stack. CBS NorthStar, a provider of restaurant Point of Sale and Management software, announces a new partnership with COGS-Well. APG’s UK retailer partners will be able to offer their customers international deliveries to precise what3words addresses. PPRO launches report to help American businesses maximize their chances of success as they enter new markets. PPRO research finds US retailers are falling behind as global eCommerce competition tightens.

Optimizely selected to deliver Mazda’s new dealer websites

Optimizely’s digital experience platform (DXP) has been chosen by digital product specialists Candyspace for the development and optimisation of a new ecosystem of dealer websites for Mazda. The platform aims to consolidate 81 separate platforms and streamline customer journeys.

The Candyspace team worked collaboratively with the team at Mazda along with selected dealers. The project took a customer-centric and UX-focused approach to designing, developing and optimising the suite of websites on Optimizely DXP.
As a result, customers can now enjoy frictionless user journeys across the ecosystem, with personalised experiences that showcase the range of new and used models at their local dealerships and the latest finance offers.

With vastly improved data and analytics, Mazda can drive leads and optimise conversions and journeys across the digital platform. Candyspace’s solution, enhanced by the capabilities of the Optimizely platform, is designed to evolve in line with the automotive sector.

Software AG to acquire StreamSets

Software AG announced an agreement to acquire StreamSets, a data integration provider for the modern data stack. With this acquisition, Software AG adds a sizeable and fast-growing SaaS and subscription business that is growing rapidly. StreamSets’ revenue having grown at a four-year CAGR of more than 70% through 2021.

StreamSets’ data integration platform enables customers to move data  to and from any part of their digital infrastructure. This combination enables Software AG customers to unlock and capture value from data as it moves between on-premises applications, data streams, SaaS applications, legacy data stores and cloud data platforms like Amazon RedShift, Databricks and Snowflake. The combined hybrid iPaaS platform will deliver consolidated, conformed, continuous data to smart applications and the connected enterprise.

Software AG’s has a new M&A strategy which is designed to accelerate company’ growth. The deal will see Software AG enter the cloud data integration portion of the wider data integration market. A segment growing 26% annually in a market projected to reach $3.5 billion by 2025.

Software AG’s existing Digital Business portfolio can connect to a hybrid application landscape and integrate the transaction data within it. StreamSets’ technology collects, consolidates and moves data from across this landscape as well as a broader range of datasets including edge and process data. This requires smart data pipelines that understand the structure and meaning of the data passing through them. In addition to the ability to transport the data to a set of hybrid destinations. This includes cloud data warehouses, data lakes, messaging systems and event hubs. Software AG says the StreamSets DataOps platform delivers modern data pipeline technology to solve a crucial part of the hybrid integration challenge for enterprise customers.

CBS NorthStar partners with COGS-Well to provide  restaurant POS

CBS NorthStar, a restaurant Point of Sale and Management software provider, announced a new partnership with COGS-Well. COGS-Well is a provider of restaurant inventory control and recipe management software. The two companies have combined to offer seamlessly integrated, best of breed solutions, for restaurant front-of-house and back-office management. The combined offering aims to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and are easy to use.

UK retailers can now offer seamless deliveries across APG’s global gateways

APG, a supplier of cross-border eCommerce delivery solutions, has partnered with global addressing company what3words. APG’s UK retailer partners can now offer their customers delivery to an exact what3words address via a what3words-enabled logistics provider. This includes Aramex in the Middle East. APG has established a presence in major trade lanes across the globe. The company has four major origins in China, Europe & UK, the US, and Australia.

With what3words, every front door, side door, mall entrance, delivery point, and spot-on an unmarked road has its own three-word address. Now, APG can pass a what3words address through to its partner carriers, allowing couriers to pick up and drop off packages accurately and efficiently in the last mile. Drivers will no longer have to call and ask customers for additional directions, optimising the delivery process and providing a smoother customer experience.

The technology is already proving beneficial for deliveries across the globe; tests in Dubai demonstrated that using what3words addresses improved delivery speeds by 42% and reduced the total distance travelled by drivers by 22% compared to more traditional navigation.

PPRO research finds US retailers are falling behind as global eCommerce competition tightens

PPRO, an infrastructure provider for local payment methods, released its report which explores the global eCommerce market in 2022. The report looks at how American businesses can maximise their efforts as they enter new global markets.
To bring US goods and services to a global market, merchants must know how to adapt and localise. This includes the opportunities and payment methods unique to the regions and countries into which they plan to expand.

Key findings:

  • Consumers need retailers to care about their preferences. A recent study found that between 35% and 45% of what a consumer regards as a “good service” is contingent upon that person’s culture and background. The more a merchant’s digital channels feel authentic to the shopper’s language and local culture, the more likely that shopper is to complete the transaction.
  • Almost 70% of Americans have a credit card, globally only 18% of consumers have one. According to PPRO’s own research, up to 80% of consumers will abandon a transaction if they reach the checkout and cannot find a payment method they know and trust. To ensure maximum consumer acceptance and the best possible conversion rates, US merchants must offer a range of familiar and trusted local payment methods.
  • American brands are strong. The good news is that American merchants are competing effectively in these growing cross-border markets. Asked where they bought their last cross-border purchase, 50% of Mexican shoppers, 47% of South Korean, 29% of Japanese, 28% of Australian and Indian shoppers and 20% of Brits all say it was from the US.

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