Established in Somerset, England, Clarks, a shoe retailer with a 200-year history, maintains an archive of over 22,000 designs that originated with a sandal crafted from sheepskin offcuts. The initial product was indicative of the company’s fundamental principles: conscientiousness, innovation, and craftsmanship.
However, the retailer’s technology infrastructure was not evolving at the same rate as footwear innovation, which continued to advance. The brand was at risk of a competitive operational shutdown within a year by 2022 if it failed to transition from its monolithic commerce platform, which was in the final stages of its lifecycle.
Implementing a modification
Clarks was not the only organization facing a technological dilemma; a MACH Alliance survey of global IT decision makers revealed that 41% of large organizations were still employing a legacy IT infrastructure at the time.
The company came to the realization that it was necessary to undertake a complete digital transformation, transitioning from a monolithic architecture to more agile technology platforms in order to satisfy the expectations of the contemporary consumer.
In the span of a year and a half, Clarks completed a complete overhaul of its digital and in-store commerce platforms, resulting in enhanced consumer personalization and consistency.
What MACH Alliance provides to the table
It accomplished all of this with the assistance of the MACH Alliance, a non-profit industry association established in 2020 to assist retailers in navigating a modern and intricate technology landscape.
The alliance has transformed into a guiding force for retailers and other enterprise organizations, setting standards, certifying breakthrough technologies, and leading retail brands toward transformative, open, best-of-breed technology. It was created from a grassroots movement of technologists and early adopters of MACH technology..
For retailers seeking future-proof, composable and open technology platforms, the alliance offers expert education, standards and best practices.
The return on investment is substantial and transformative. Clarks observed an increase in customer conversions (17%), site performance (28%), add-to-basket rate (79%), start-checkout rate (47%), and gross margin by adopting MACH.
The origins of the situation
In 2022 Clarks’ e-commerce platform and store point of sale were over two decades old and entirely out of extended support.
“We were aware that we desired to implement headless solutions, so that was a beginning.” We looked at all suitable products which “played” with Commercetools [an in-house solution in play], which led us to the MACH Alliance,” Meriel Neighbor, Clarks’ director of global digital product, delivery and transformation, said in an email interview.
The next stage was the selection of products against business requirements.
The technology transformation commenced in July 2022, with a “gold build (completion)” date of June 30, 2023.
“We commenced development in Jan. 2023 and launched our first store in the U.S. on Aug. 2, 2023, so just seven months!” Neighbor stated.
Big victories are the result of significant change.
Clarks now provides customers with the option to use Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as complete omni capability, full gift card omni capability, and exchanges in the United States and returns (also available in the U.K.).
“Through the products we had selected and implemented, we also incorporated loads of additional features we had not had before, such as video content and product placement, full translations, single-click checkout [verus seven clicks previously],” according to Neighbor.
“The platforms and products themselves have significantly altered our customer experience and our business.” For instance, we did not have real-time inventory or data for real-time reporting in the past. These are significant changes.
Suggestions and guidance
Undertaking such an intensive tech development project requires loads of agility, according to Neighbor, as well as the ability to choose partners well and conduct complete due diligence before choosing partners.
“From a development perspective, do checkout first,” she indicated.” From a business perspective, take the business on the comprehensive voyage. If necessary, provide backfill to ensure that you have dedicated resources. Business transformation is of paramount importance.
Holly Hall, managing director of the MACH Alliance, asserts that such transformations necessitate more than merely technical details.
“Technology is advancing at an unbelievable rate, and every retailer has dreams of implementing the latest advancements into their operations,” Hall stated in an interview conducted via email. “In order to fully embrace composability and transition away from restrictive legacy systems, retailers must develop an incremental strategy.” This necessitates administrators and key decision-makers to alter their perspectives and comprehend the positive effects of restructuring and altering the fundamental role of technology in their businesses.
Retailers should invest in their brand’s overall digital strategy rather than specific vendors, technologies, and applications, which may change as often as the retailer’s requirements change, she said.
Providing retail experiences that are both engaging and enjoyable
Hall asserts that there are numerous advantages to a contemporary and modular technology architecture.
“The magic is powered by technology.” She stated that numerous retail organizations have improved their omnichannel consumer engagement and enhanced their e-commerce capabilities by transitioning to modern and composable technology architectures.
Clarks’ extensive digital transformation, which encompassed both in-store and online platforms, necessitated the redesign of more than 400 content pages on its new website, as well as the integration of new video elements and language translations.
“When retailers embrace a MACH approach, incorporating advanced customer personalization or leveraging AI becomes much easier for brands to both attain and maintain,” according to Hall. “With an eye toward future technology advancements, brands that invest in their technology infrastructure and utilize MACH technologies are better prepared for omnichannel, personalized, and engaging retail experiences.”