Make Your Omnichannel Retail Strategy Real-Time with EDA

To meet the needs of today’s omnichannel retail shoppers, retailers need to automate and accelerate the distribution of real-time information across supply chain, e-commerce, and in-store operations. Our latest paper, The Architect’s Guide to Real-Time Retail, covers the 6 steps necessary for retailers looking to build a scalable, real-time, event-based ecosystems that can accelerate omnichannel retail strategies. 

“Digital business professionals view omnichannel capabilities as both a keystone for their companies’ digital engagement strategies and an imperative to meet shoppers’ rapidly changing expectations. And that’s despite the significant time, capital, and change management commitments required to execute these projects. As a result, omnichannel roadmaps are rarely simple documents; they often contain many complex initiatives that touch departments across the enterprise.”
(Source: Paving The Path To Omnichannel Commerce, Brendan Witcher, Dec. 31, 2021)

We’ve helped companies reliant on mission-critical data or delivering brilliant customer experiences to their customer base revolutionize their business models from single channel to real-time omnichannel experiences. Solace CTSO Sumeet Puri documented the 6-steps for omnichannel technology architects in retail to successfully adopt event-driven architecture (EDA), deliver better customer experiences, and improve the responsiveness and resilience of retail IT systems.

The Architect’s Guide to Real-Time RetailHow retail IT professionals can architect for resilience and rapid response by leveraging event-driven architecture.Download Now

He starts by explaining how important it is to adopt an event-driven mindset before you try to make use of all the real-time data that will now be available from initiatives such as:

• Mobile devices and mobile apps
• Online shopping and other online channels
• Brick and mortar store connectivity
• Improved physical in-store experiences.
• Social media platform integration
• To name a few…

“As retailers respond to the pandemic, and strive to stay connected to their customers, they must embrace a digital-first mindset and upgrade their IT systems to provide real-time responses to consumers. Event-driven architecture is the enabling paradigm for this mindset.”
– Sumeet Puri, CTSO, Solace

Simply put, the real-time distribution of data is a priority for retailers. Adoption of EDA is the key that unlocks the value of all that real-time data so you can do things like:

• Dynamically adjust pricing in response to shifting demand,
• Bring new products to market more quickly,
• Accelerate stock turnover of perishable products approaching their expiration date, and
• Offer customers an excellent omni-channel experience.

With goals like these in mind, Sumeet gives a retail-centric take on the proven 6-step process he’s seen all kinds of enterprises (including retailers like EDEKA and Les Mousquetaires) use to start down the path to EDA and omni-channel synchronization. 

From identifying the first use case to tackle, to putting in place the tools needed to succeed (e.g. an event mesh built with event brokers, and an event portal), and then tactics for using the ROI you realize to spur “rinse and repeat” across your organization. 

If you’re responsible for making sure your IT infrastructure is ready to deliver brilliant customer experiences with an accelerated omnichannel strategy, have a read of it today.