Our IT director came into this company to help the transition to the world of e-commerce through a tech stack development plan and implementation strategy

Company Profile

A mid-size manufacturing company was on the brink of a significant manufacturing to e-commerce transition. They aimed to evolve from their traditional roots and establish themselves as a leading e-commerce retailer. This journey of manufacturing business digital transformation required a holistic approach encompassing data, digital, IT, and brand transformation.

CEO’s Mission

The overarching mission was to undergo a fundamental shift in the business proposition. The goal was to own the entire value chain, functioning both as a manufacturer and a retailer with its distinct distribution channels. Ultimately, the company aimed to transition from a B2B business model to a more consumer-centric B2C model.

CIO’s Objectives

  1. In the first instance, draft an analytics and data science strategy to harness insights for developing the new brand and the target operating model.
  2. Also, propose a tech stack development strategy that emphasises automation, self-serve, and the democratisation of insights and analytics across the organisation, highlighting the role of the IT director in e-commerce growth.
  3. Finally, spearhead a transformation of the current skill sets within the data and insights team to better support the e-commerce business model.

What the Director Did

Tech Stack Development for E-commerce Transition

The IT Director initiated a strategic review of the existing infrastructure, people, processes, and data. This led to a new organisational strategy with a core focus on data. The primary step was to audit and then recommend the right data and technology stack to establish a foundation for the B2C model. Collaborating with the CIO, a comprehensive tech stack recommendation profile was provided, ensuring optimal data capture, master data management, data quality enhancement, and new data governance processes.

Building a Team with Relevant Skills and Capabilities

Aligning with the transformation goals, the Director identified essential skill areas. These were categorised into:

a) KPI and MI

b) Strategic Analytics and Market Research

c) Digital Analytics

d) Finally, Predictive Modelling and Data Science

Detailed job specifications were drafted, leading to the recruitment and retraining of individuals with the necessary skills. Recommendations were also made regarding the ideal balance of internal and external skills.

Automation and Cultivating a Self-Serve Culture

A primary objective was ensuring data and insights permeated every business segment. This would therefore empower all functions to leverage data confidently in decision-making. A significant enterprise-level project was launched focusing on process automation and data accessibility. The Director collaborated with partners and vendors to adopt industry best practices. Finally, efforts were made in change management communication and partnering with HR to roll out a data literacy training plan.

The Results

  • Fundamentally changed the culture taking the organisation on a journey to becoming a truly data-driven organisation 
  • Embedded data and analytics in the decision architecture of the company where no major decision was taken without strong data and evidence 
  • A new Data and Insight team was set up with the relevant skills recommended  
  • The data and Analytics centre of excellence was set up with collaboration from various teams 
  • Analytics guided the company into product and market diversification thereby growing international revenues and profits 
  • Key management reports were set up with the right KPIs, much of it was automated 
  • Dynamic pricing models helped to increase revenue  
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