Digital Commerce is Today

26 September 2016

Digital Commerce is destined for a double digit growth. The suggestions from the market leaders: Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, Google, IBM, BCG and GroupM.

Digital transformation is that continuous process through which a business either brings or adjusts to a radical change in its own market (the so-called disruption), leveraging on digital technologies and skills to innovate business models, products and services, at the same time improving operational efficiency and company performances”.

This is perhaps the best summary to explain a change that has been going on for some time now, the so-called digital transformation. It was formulated like this by International Data Corporation (IDC), an American company dealing with market research activities: they’ve recently published incredible data on the growth of investments and jobs foreseen in this “digital revolution”.

The research has shown that investments in Information & Communication Technology (ICT) linked to the digital world will increase from 30% in 2015 to over 50% in 2019. Almost 70% of European businesses consider their digital transformation a business priority. Globally, over half of the resources will be channelled to DX, with more than 2thousand, and 100 billion dollar in 2019. In other words, in three years, the majority of corporate investments in IT technologies will be for digital processes. And, besides the search for new professional figures, reorganizations and repositioning of tasks and objectives among the managers in the businesses are going to take place. Executives will have to keep up with this transformation, ruling it.

In such a landscape, characterised by these relevant figures, the Master in Digital Commerce of the CDE (Center for Digital Business Education) promoted by YOOX Net-A-Porter in collaboration with Bologna Business School acquires a strategic importance within the courses offered by the School. The words of executives from Boston Consulting Group, Google, GroupM, IBM, WPP, partners of the educational project concerning E-Business and Digital Innovation confirm it.

“Consumers are modifying the way in which they interact with brands” said Alex Alexander, CIO at YOOX Net-A-Porter Group “how they look for products, the ways in which they share their purchase experiences with friends and family. All of this is affecting e-commerce operations.

Enrico Cereda, General Manager of IBM Italy agrees too on the central role of e-commerce “It’s emerging as a critical success factor leading to a new customer approach in all industries. Each single consumer” Cereda underlines “expects a lean and consistent experience, at all stages when they come in contact with the brand. Keeping the customer’s loyalty in such a competitive context is a challenge but also a key factor for success”.

Marc Vos, Senior Partner and Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group in Italy, widens the landscape of digital innovation to the sector of the Internet of Things, the interaction with real objects through the web, already being developed but something that still maintains a futuristic flair: “Italy is a manufacturing country and a leader in the fashion industry. If we keep this tradition in mind and we adjust it to the digital world, it’ll become clear to everyone that Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 can be strategic contexts for this country”.

Digital Commerce is growing exponentially, as Fabio Vaccarono, General Manager of Google Italy underlines “We’re right into the third industrial revolution. We live in an era in which 2 billion people are connected to the web and they’ll be over 5 billion by 2020. I believe a country such as Italy could take advantage of the great opportunities this scenario has to offer, because we have smart companies that could suddenly become micro multinationals and international players.”

The new digital business vocabulary can’t do without the word “omnichannel”. “Territorial and digital channels are converging. And this is a trend that is here to stay” clarifies Alex Alexander of YOOX Net-A-Porter, the company that together with Bologna Business School is in charge of the CDE project. “Successful retailers have already recognised this convergence and are establishing omnichannel relations with consumers. At this point it’s totally irrelevant if the consumer will then conclude the transaction online or in the store. And the great transformation is precisely that consumers will no longer be able to make a distinction between physical and digital channel, therefore it’ll be important for retailers to be prepared for such a scenario.”

The conclusion, and the invitation not to miss the opportunity to attend a Master’s course that can make one’s professionalism able to meet demanding, current needs comes from Alessandro Montanari, HR Director of GroupM It’s a great opportunity for those who are motivated to work as Web Developer, SEO Specialist, Web Project Manager, as well as Digital Strategist, Web Analyst or Digital PR Specialist, just to mention a few, significant examples. These are all new professions that will require, besides specific technical skills, also the capacity to focus, participate and cooperate, that is the founding pillars of the new 

 



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