Showing posts with label Cloud-based ecommerce platforms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cloud-based ecommerce platforms. Show all posts

Monday, May 11, 2020

Moving On-Site Applications to the Cloud

In the past, companies were forced to build and host all of their applications on their servers. This made working on those applications difficult without being on-site and often slowed down their servers for everyone else at the company. Maintaining these closed-circuit servers were expensive and needed constant monitoring. As technology advanced, a better option surfaced: The Cloud. This refers to the Internet servers that millions of databases, software, and applications can run on. Instead of being tied down to one location, these online servers are in places around the world so you can access them wherever you are.

Advantages of Moving Applications to the Cloud


There are a lot of benefits that go with moving software to the Cloud. One, what used to be heavy IT workload can now be automated. Because people can build and update applications on the Cloud, IT does not have to constantly babysit. Instead, adjustments can be made at the click of a button or done automatically. Two, complex acquisitions with very different companies becomes easier. Without being stuck trying to merge different software applications and data by hand, the Cloud can make transitions smoother for both companies.

Although there are many more reasons that we will not dive into here, cloud providers typically utilize a wide variety of security measures to protect its users from threats – most likely much more than one company would invest in on their own. As security threats are ever-changing, this is a nice advantage to better protect your business.

The Downside


While in the long run there are very few disadvantages from keeping your applications on the Cloud, there can be some short-term drawbacks that keep businesses from a leap of faith. The transition process from on-site to on-cloud can be extremely lengthy for your business, especially if you have many large, complex software’s already in place.

You will need to slowly migrate everything onto the Cloud and closely monitor them until your infrastructure has been rebuilt using the new system. This process could take upwards of a year to get everything transitioned over and working properly. Additionally, you will be forced to keep a strong connection online to allow your employees to gain access to your programs once in the Cloud. You should expect a lot of hours spent on testing, retesting, and testing again to ensure the complete functionality of your new Cloud-based programs.

It may seem like quite a few downsides to moving to the Cloud, eventually, it is the right move. You will not be required to spend as much manpower monitoring your in-house servers and applications, and you will be able to use your software’s virtually anywhere in the world. Here at Charter Global, we believe that by utilizing the Cloud, your business can level up and start down the path to even more advances.

Friday, February 28, 2020

E-Commerce Trends on the Rise | Charter Global

Trends in eCommerce technology include mobility, digitization, customization, speed optimization, chat-bots, and more


According to research conducted by Big Commerce, 80% of people in the U.S. make purchases online at least once a month. While the majority of people shop on large marketplace websites like Amazon, roughly 30 to 40% also purchase from online retailers like web stores, independent boutiques, and category-specific e-retailers. This year we’ll see several e-commerce trends emerge with the potential to transform how we shop and communicate with online stores. 

1) Mobile first


In 2016, mobile eCommerce services accounted for over $25 billion in sales, an increase of more than 25%. This figure is predicted to continue to increase, reaching over $30 billion in 2017, and $42 billion by 2020. Mobile traffic has overtaken the desktop. Google is working on a new, mobile-first web index and marketing strategy. According to these trends, it’s critical to business to put mobile first, rather than simply optimizing for mobile.

2) Digital payments


Mobile payments are on the rise as smartphone users adjust to the convenience of contactless payments. Starbucks was an innovator in mobile payments, becoming one of the first to offer products based on an online payment model. In 2016, an increasing number of customers adopted digital payment methods, using their phones, cards and even watches to complete contactless payments. PureNet predicts that every customer will expect to be able to complete their transaction using a digital wallet in real-time.

3) Personalization and Customization


The amount of data available increasingly allows content, ads, and products to be shown to the right people at the right time, across the web and social networks. The continuing sophistication of personalized recommendations will be trending for eCommerce this year. Retailers will embrace personalized experiences – even using e-mail marketing to cater personalized emails to consumers, rendering unique customer experiences. and Artificial Intelligence by starting to collect behavioral data like browsing history, geo-location, and social media from website visitors and developing highly targeted campaigns based on customer segments and previous online experiences.

4) Fast delivery


Ecommerce delivery timescales have reduced drastically and become much faster, boosting customer relationships with eCommerce sites. Delivery and returns have always been one of the pain points of the online shopping experience, but improvements in eCommerce technology have improved delivery significantly. PureNet predicts same-day delivery will continue to rise in 2017, and more eCommerce integration with drop-off point providers such as Doddle.

5) Competitive Platforms 


eCommerce Technology will continue to play a greater role in automating the retail experience. With the help of the latest technology, salespeople will be able to focus on building relationships with customers to increase sales. In order to stay competitive, businesses must invest in high-performing eCommerce solutions. Providers such as Charter Global, apply leading technology tools to deliver customized eCommerce solutions to mid-size and Fortune 1000 companies. Experienced providers offer expertise across multiple, proven Cloud-based eCommerce platforms such as SAP HANA, SAP Business One, Magento, PCI DSS, Spring MVC (Framework ), Magnolia CMS/ Blossom module, HTML5, CSS3, JQuery, and Struts.

6) Chatbots


Chat-bots are AI-led automated messenger services that allow your customers to engage with your brand via instant messenger via machine learning. Over the last few years messaging apps have exploded in popularity, and thanks to eCommerce personalization, artificial intelligence technology has been adopted by many large retailers. This year will see these two trends combine to deliver a new way of shopping and communicating.