How a smart integration layer strengthens your proposition

Linking systems and orchestrating data flows on your online platform is essential to provide customers with the experience they expect and thus strengthen your proposition. A good integration layer is indispensable for this. In this blog we go into what this will bring your customers and your organization and how you can ensure that your IT landscape remains scalable, flexible and future-proof.

In the digital age, the expectations of customers are increasing when it comes to user-friendliness and customer-friendliness when buying products or using online platforms. Companies such as Amazon,  Bol and Coolblue have set the bar high in recent years when it comes to offering an optimum customer experience. As a result, other organizations improve their digital platforms to stay ahead of competition. Organizations are therefore pulling out all the stops to win the online battle for the customer, in both the B2C and B2B segments. 

What do customers expect from online platforms in 2022? Customers want to be served just as well online as in a physical store: fast, error-free, personal service with a smile. Organizations will have to try to convey this experience in an online e-commerce, loyalty or subscription environment. You do this by offering:

• A pleasant 'look and feel' that fits seamlessly with the brand and the expectations of your target audience
• A pleasant rational customer experience by offering
• ease of use (simple, transparent, accessible and secure)
• relevance (easy to find and adapted to the needs of the target group)
• performance (the webshop or platform works quickly and is available 24/7)

Performance is key Good performance is generally seen as a key metric for conversion. If something takes too long, the user gives up. “Nowadays we are all really impatient. Everything has to work well, from logging in, searching for products or services, finding information, adding something to your shopping cart, paying, right through to delivery. Aftersales should not be overlooked here either,” says Ties Luijendijk, Business Consultant at rb2.

The right functionality for the right channel Moreover, customers expect always to have access to all relevant functionalities on all channels, whether on their mobile device or laptop. These functionalities often differ per channel.

Why a smart integration layer is a must-have Since the emergence of software-as-a-service (SaaS), customers no longer need to purchase or manage software themselves. The SaaS provider takes care of availability, security and continuous development.

We recommend that organizations opt for best-of-breed solutions from specialized SaaS suppliers. This creates a composable architecture: you choose an ERP system that best supports your processes, the right CRM system for managing the relationship and interaction with (potential) customers, a CMS for managing your content and a PIM for your product information. The challenge is to have all these systems work together as a whole with your platform for e-commerce, subscription and loyalty, for example. 

A smart integration layer comes in handy to ensure that all those systems and applications work well together and thus make optimum use of all the valuable data that is already present in different places within your organization. Core Connect, rb2's solution, is the glue that connects your applications and allows them to communicate. 

Link your tech stack to an integration layer and ensure that your data is up-to-date at all times and everywhere. This enables you to offer the best UX experience, made possible by new technologies and by your legacy systems. Because perhaps the biggest advantage of such a smart integration layer is that you do not have to modernize or move your entire IT landscape to the cloud in one go. You ensure that your IT landscape remains scalable, future-proof and flexible.