And the Michelin Stars for Digital Commerce go to…

Just a few weeks ago, I dined at The Taj Campton Place in San Francisco. The experience was nothing like any dining experience I had ever had. The table d’hôte menu had a high emotional quotient to it, the food was ethereal and the service, was well, very Taj. Fact is, Campton Place Restaurant is a Michelin two-star restaurant. Now, there are about 616,008 restaurants in the continental United States. Only 150 of them have one or more Michelin Stars. That is about 0.02%. Think about that for a second!

Every Chef dreams of winning a coveted star. Waiting for that one phone call with a heavy French accent on the other side., “”Bonjour, this is Pascal Remy with Le Guide Michelin. We’re calling to inform you that you will be included as a Two Star, in the next Michelin Guide for New York”; and that’s it… You have just become one of the most coveted restaurants in the city, perhaps in the country!

So what does it take to get a coveted star?… Be it a brand new one, or an extra star to add to the one or two you are already had? The only known criteria on which Michelin inspectors (of which there are only 7 in the US) judge a restaurant are:

Quality of the products Mastery of flavour and cooking techniques The “personality” of Chef in his cuisine

Value for money Consistency between visitsSounds simple right? But it isn’t. Because it is very hard to do the simple things right. It is also very hard to keep the stars or add to it, year after year. Things change when you get a star, it’s addictive, the star business. Not only will you have to maintain your quality and standards Michelin holds you to, you’ll have to improve massively.Don’t we wish we could have these stars for everything we do? Making choices and decisions easier for us? Fortunately, we have something very similar in the world of Software & Technology. It is called the Gartner Magic Quadrant.

Much like the Michelin Inspectors, Gartner Analysts spend hours agonizing over every small functionality, looking under every rock. They test your vision, put your software through its paces and ask probing questions. At the end of the grueling process you probably know more about your own product than you thought you did. It is almost like re-discovering yourself again, and re-affirming the faith that started your journey as a technology company in the first place.

Finally, if you have met all the stringent criteria set by Gartner and have exceeded the expectations of not one but four analysts, then and only then, you are considered for inclusion in the Gartner MQ.

So it is no surprise that I am so excited to announce that in our debut year of participating in the MQ process, CIMM2 has been included in the 2016 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce.To all of us at Unilog it is a matter of immense joy and pride, to be included among the best and to be counted as a contender for every Digital Commerce project out there, is no insignificant matter. And, may I just say, what a validation this is for all our customers!! Over a 100 of them, that purchased CIMM2 and are enjoying the immense benefits it

brings to their e-commerce projects. Their decisions certainly have been proved right!

It is true, every single company and technology included in the Quadrant is deserving of its place. And let us be clear about what the MQ is not… it is not a list of the ‘best’ digital commerce software’s out there. The analysts will be the first ones to tell you that. But what it is, is a guide. A guide to help you navigate the complex world of purchasing and implementing Digital Commerce solutions. And most importantly help you find the solution best for you. Every company on the MQ has a special and unique benefit that it brings. For example in our case the report said

Robust commerce capabilities: Unilog’s platform provides a digital commerce storefront, search capabilities, product data management, WCM, and shopping cart/checkout, as well as administrative tools to manage a commerce site.

B2B: CIMM2 handles core B2B functionality, including the management of complex products and company hierarchies; role-based approvals and workflows; purchasing via purchase orders or contracts; and CPQ.

Value: CIMM2 provides focused B2B functionality and good value for companies in Unilog’s target markets.

And even within hours of its release, the excitement in my office is palpable. Here we are, two years after launch, over a 100 customers and now a coveted recognition and validation of our software platform. This would not have been possible without the immense vision and talent that our Engineering team brings under the strong and able leadership of our Chief Technology Officer, Swamy Mahesh. It would not have been possible without the hard work of our implementation teams around the world or the support and guidance we receive from our customers. And it certainly would not possible without the blessing and support of our fearless Board of Directors who strengthen my arms every day.

This event is but a step in our journey to become the dominant force in B2B E-Commerce. As one of our customers Michael Powers from Hill & Markes put it so eloquently in the video below, “CIMM2 is the Future!”. This recognition fuels us to do better, and be better. Paul Arden from Saatchi once said, “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be.” So watch out world, ’cause we just got here! Also see more info @ https://www.unilogcorp.com/