Over the years, as a marketer and strategist I’ve been subjected to many a buzz word; I’ve championed E-commerce, Multi-Channel, Omni-Channel and dipped my toes into the world of Big Data and now it seems that Digital Transformation is THE buzz word. But what is ‘Digital Transformation’ and how is it different to those words used before?
I have worked in the Retail, Consumer Marketing and Digital industry for more years than I would care to call out and so you could say I’ve been at the coal face for this change. The development of the internet, ecommerce, mobile and connectivity has changed the way we interact with the world and created a new generation of tech addicts with high expectations. We can now easily operate our businesses on a global level, we can easily reach customers who aren’t just down the road and we know more than ever about how our customers interact with us.
For me, in a business sense the evolution began with Ecommerce. This new channel drove a huge shift in retail, changed the competitive landscape and radically shifted customer expectations. This evolved into Multi-Channel and what became important was the way businesses hooked up their internet activities, websites, digital marketing and social media with their store and phone channels. Multi-Channel evolved into Omni-Channel where the customer is placed at the heart of everything a business does. Big Data (yes, buzz word bingo a go-go in this post!) comes into play as we become obsessed about knowing everything about everything, and generally having more data and insight than most businesses can cope with.
These ‘evolutions’ are still ongoing and for many businesses they are still grappling with ecommerce and multi-channel. Generally these areas are driven by marketing and technology teams and this is where digital transformation is different. Digital transformation is about the entire organisation. Instead of being championed by just a few departments, it is about shifting the mindset of the entire business, starting from the top.
Digital transformation moves a business beyond just thinking about ‘digital’ as something the marketing department do, or the technology teams implement. It gets to the very heart and culture of a business and embraces a new way of thinking. For those embracing this change it affects the very core of the businesses strategy and fundamentally is about people and culture as much as it is about technology. It is wide reaching and will likely affect supply chain, finance and operations as much as it does marketing and technology teams.
By embracing this evolution a business will drive a culture where learning, testing and development are day-to day ways of being. They will be transparent and operate collaboratively with agile teams. They will use data in a whole new way, embracing new ways of measuring and reviewing business activities. Critically, they are passionate about customer experience and are customer centric at every level. Marketers will need to combine creative and analytical skills to succeed in delivering results for the business with the ultimate customer experience.
The digital transformation, as with any change, can leave some fearful and sceptical about what it means for their business, many shunning it and believing that the way they work just now is fine. I’m certain, and have been for many years now, that the businesses that will succeed are the businesses that embrace this change. We live in a digital environment that is being driven by a new generation of tech savvy consumers. Our customers are engaging with us in new ways and this will continue to develop and those businesses who don’t keep pace will become marginalised.
It doesn’t have to be scary to change. To find out how Maxwell Miles can help support your Leadership teams, Strategy, Marketing and Ecommerce contact me today at hello@maxwellmiles.co.nz