The Framework
Nine pillars, in priority order. You cannot run a great campaign (Pillar 9) without getting Pillars 1 through 8 right first. Click any pillar to explore it.
1
Operations
Project management, finance, fraud, compliance, and strategy. The foundation every other pillar stands on.
2
Customer Service
Inbound, outbound, escalation, and empowerment. Your front line is your brand.
3
Analytics
Insights, dashboards, attribution, and predictive modeling. Data scientists should generate insight, not just reports.
4
Product Mgmt / UX
User research, interaction design, prototyping, and usability testing across every digital asset.
5
Site Search
The only place customers tell you exactly what they want. Zero results = lost revenue.
6
Merchandising
Assortment, taxonomy, pricing, promotion, and product content. The hardest operational challenge in eCommerce.
7
Development
Build, patch, monitor, and secure. Development is a continuous expense, not a one-time project.
8
Fulfillment
Add-to-cart to doorstep and back. Shipping costs will be your largest expense. Negotiate hard.
9
Performance Marketing
The last pillar by design. You cannot run a great campaign without Pillars 1 through 8 in place first.
Core Objective
What is eCommerce?
An attempt at simplifying and answering the always-asked question. This framework gives leadership a consistent language to organize teams, evaluate performance, and prioritize investment across the entire digital operation.
Smart people create complex solutions. Your job is to simplify and accelerate.
The Central Decision
Build vs. Buy
Every technology decision in digital commerce comes down to one question: does your company want to be a retailer or a software company? The answer determines your platform strategy, vendor relationships, and development investment across all 9 pillars.
Most Useful UX Book: "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug. Most Inspirational: "Orbiting the Giant Hairball" by Gordon MacKenzie.