The buzz words today are new and changing. ERP hasn’t, it continues to provide the inventory, planning and financial information required by business. eCommerce has changed. As more B2B manufacturing and distribution companies adopt new capabilities online, the tie with ERP remains a key deliverable in effective commerce.
What happens as a company grows, acquires or re-platforms its eCommerce? Composable commerce offers a solution not considered. Composable commerce is the ability to modularize elements of eCommerce separating the business, UI and technical layers of the site. In a light and completely “headless” commerce system you gain 2 advantages to consider with your ERP.
- Multiple ERPs can connect to one composable front end through combining data from these sources onto the front end. You don’t need two sites or more to accommodate multiple or legacy systems. You can extend the life and decrease costs as you conduct digital transformation.
- ERP provides the critical inventory management for eCommerce. Using a composable commerce solution you can do the alternative solution of providing multiple commerce front end UI/UX to customers on the same ERP and application.
One of the biggest headaches to companies conducting a digital transformation is considering what to do with niche solutions or legacy ERPs. These systems represent significant value to the organization but also significant investments of capital and effort. Risks of replacing these systems are significantly higher than considering alternatives to extend the life and create better UI/UX experiences that can satisfy internal and external demands.
On the other-hand accurate and real time inventory, pricing and customer data is critical to eCommerce. Without it the system is barely and ordering system. Accurate data, complete, and enriched data create higher sales results compared to simpler transactional sites requiring inventory confirmations or sales interactions to get simple transactional information.
ERP and Composable Commerce make effective use of each strength of the system.
About: Robert Neumann is the Chief Digital Officer of CSS Commerce. He architects business solutions for B2B customers using a unique process called “solutioneering.” This process brings business, IT and customer insight together across the entire value chain of a business, not an isolated discussion. You can reach him at rob@csscommerce.com
CSS Commerce focuses on Commerce, Search and Supply. From suppliers to Channels we focus on commerce and product search solutions providing better visibility across the supply chain and better sales to your customers.
