Optimizing eCommerce through Enterprise Architecture and Content Strategy

Dustin Collis // NavigationArts

(how Sitecore saves lives)

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IntroductionDustin Collis, CIONavigationArts#sitecoresaves

Twitter: @collisindc

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STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

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Introduction to Reality

Thousands of web sitesanalytics not standardized

elaborate content workflowsno editorial calendar

multiple content repositoriesIT makes content edits

no CRM or Marketing Automation

global company

silo based decision making

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Meet Angela the Marketer

Mary’s Bio

• Sell more product

• Drive customer engagement

• Attract more resellers

• Increase brand awareness

Angela’s Goals

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Content Strategy – Digital Content

Print Content != Digital Content

• Color Forever sales are 95% web

• Content should be created for both print and digital simultaneously

• Reduce redundancies to improve time-to-market

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Content Strategy – Brand and Voice Consistency

Silo based content production

• Creates opportunities for brand erosion

• Causes rework and redundancy

• Weakens the user experience by confusing the consumer

• Means there isn’t an enterprise content strategy in place

New Product Campaign

Content is created in standard Formats

Business Need

Instances of content are customized based on market

needs

Creating new content in a Standardized Framework

Content Creation

Content Customization

Content Displayed based on User

Independent Beauty Consultants

Consumers Business Users

Ideate

Create

Publish

Measure

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Content – Target Content

Who are you speaking to?

• Know your audiences

• Know your product

• Know your KPIs

• Measure it appropriately

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Content Strategy – Governance & Staffing

What is the right team?

• Delegated Content Management Model

• Provide oversight and leadership for enterprise-wide web initiatives and policies

• Manage overall look and feel, information architecture, and vision for online experience.

• Continual interaction to identify new content and features

Digital Directors

Content Owners (branding, marketing, product owners)

Digital Advisory Council

Digital Services Team(creative teams, content teams, features)

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John’s Goals

• Enable marketing goals

• Global deployment and support

• Lower infrastructure costs

• Increase flexibility and buy-in of the architecture

John the Enterprise Architect

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Enterprise Architecture – Global Team

Group Hug Time

• The global team needs to include IT, Marketing, Product, and Regional representatives

• Re-platforming is a singular opportunity for positive change management

• Without this, the silos and org chart warfare will continue anew

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Enterprise Architecture – No More Ostrich(ing)

Align with the organization

• Evaluate enterprise needs

• Implement governance model and enterprise evaluation process

• Service Oriented Architecture, a must for a global organization

• Consolidate systems where possible

Ideate

Create

Publish

Measure

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Enterprise Architecture – Leverage Best of Breed Tools

Why are you building software?

• You should be leveraging it

• Put together a best of breed tool-kit

• Strategic alliances with product companies can pay big dividends

• Plug-and-play mentality fits a regional focus better

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Enterprise Architecture – Fixed and Flexible

Architecture Model

• Fixed/Flex method for global management

• Utilize SOA for scalability and a global feature set

• Flex capabilities for regional or market focus

• Market capabilities remove the “go rogue” tendency

Fixed

Flex

Market

Locked down code base that provides global services, base features, and regional infrastructure.

Flexible configuration, plug-and-play tool sets for market specific requirements.

Editable content, layouts, and marketing capabilities

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Wrap Up

Enterprise Architecture

• Silo busting and change management

• Align with the organization

• Leverage best of breed tools

• Fix/Flex model for global scalability

Content Strategy

• Print Content != Digital Content

• Consistent Brand and Voice

• Target Your Content

• Governance and Staffing

Outcomes

• Governance Model

• Enterprise deployment road map

• Realistic 3 year architecture costs and planning capabilities

• Global deployment and setup capabilities

• Standard brand consumption by market place

• Marketing and content management by audience

• Standardized analytics and trend analysis capabilities

• Flexible feature evolution configuration

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Where Do I Start?

Be courageous and form a new habit

• Does your company have a digital strategy

• Understand and document existing initiatives

• Work with (or create) a digital steering committee

• Evaluate your own group’s silo(s)

• Recommend best practices to your peers

• Be a leader by example

• Attend future Sitecore conferences

Build Business CaseDefine Strategy

Process Alignment

Staffing

Key Executive Support

Execution

Test, Measure, Ideate

Technology Selection

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Q & A