V.1

Why is it so difficult to successfully launch a new commerce software with traditional retailers? I mean, truly. Truly. Successfully.

I started thinking it’s because tech people don’t speak retail and retail people don’t speak tech. When I say this to senior leaders, I usually reference that time when they were in a meeting with a new technology company and had to write down 10 acronyms to look up later when they got back to their desk. This is part of the shtick.

What I came to find is, “DTC” fashion companies speak in digital marketing & VC lingo. Traditional retail employees speak in retail jargon. The list of acronyms & formulas used to communicate the same concepts on both sides is a mile long.

Let’s Take This A Step Further

The beauty of Shopify is that it is super intuitive to use however, nothing comes in the box. You want something additional, get an app. Then you buy additional apps to customize your Shopify store for your specific business. Apps are essentially white label digital products. Shopify apps are actually called SaaS - software as a service. They are providing companies with a white label service.

The retail customer and company selling the app are speaking two different languages. This white label app is being used for all types of different business models & industries. After the deal is signed, the software is handed off to junior team members to customize & manage.

What happens when the people executing don’t understand the nuances of a business?