Powering Oak and Fort’s Hypergrowth Journey with Shopify and EY

1
00:00:01.555 --> 00:00:02.425
Hello everyone.

2
00:00:02.685 --> 00:00:04.665
How are you doing? Thanks so much for joining us today.

3
00:00:04.805 --> 00:00:05.985
My name is Brian Peterson.

4
00:00:06.085 --> 00:00:08.145
I'm a partner here at EY in Toronto

5
00:00:08.565 --> 00:00:11.785
and the host of our session, which is all about how EY

6
00:00:11.805 --> 00:00:14.345
and Shopify have come together to support Open Fort,

7
00:00:14.825 --> 00:00:17.225
a phenomenal apparel retailer based outta Vancouver, Canada,

8
00:00:17.805 --> 00:00:21.025
on their commerce transformation to Shopify, Shopify.

9
00:00:21.025 --> 00:00:22.065
Before we jump into

10
00:00:22.065 --> 00:00:25.105
what will undoubtedly be a very lively conversation,

11
00:00:25.105 --> 00:00:27.865
knowing this group, I would just like our panelists

12
00:00:27.925 --> 00:00:29.265
to quickly introduce themselves.

13
00:00:29.415 --> 00:00:30.465
It's Jen starting with you.

14
00:00:31.905 --> 00:00:34.495
Hello everyone. I'm Jen Pearson, vice president of IT

15
00:00:34.595 --> 00:00:36.655
and e-Commerce Solutions at Oak and Fort.

16
00:00:36.805 --> 00:00:39.135
I've been with the organization for three years,

17
00:00:39.275 --> 00:00:41.655
and my responsibilities include all tools

18
00:00:41.755 --> 00:00:44.855
and technology that enable our employees,

19
00:00:45.115 --> 00:00:47.575
and that is in stores, in warehouses,

20
00:00:47.715 --> 00:00:50.095
and of course in head office, as well as all of the tools

21
00:00:50.095 --> 00:00:51.615
that our customer facing, too.

22
00:00:51.845 --> 00:00:53.295
Excited to be here for the conversation,

23
00:00:54.915 --> 00:00:55.915
Steven.

24
00:00:56.265 --> 00:00:58.835
Awesome. Thanks Brian. Uh, pleasure to be here.

25
00:00:58.835 --> 00:01:01.395
And thanks to our internal teams, uh, Brian Gunn from EY

26
00:01:01.395 --> 00:01:03.995
and Kate from Shopify for getting all of this organized.

27
00:01:03.995 --> 00:01:05.555
It's a big production and we are

28
00:01:05.555 --> 00:01:06.955
certainly grateful and we appreciate it.

29
00:01:07.335 --> 00:01:09.915
Um, I've been at EY for close to five years.

30
00:01:10.075 --> 00:01:11.915
I spent my career designing, developing

31
00:01:11.915 --> 00:01:13.995
and delivering clever customer experiences

32
00:01:13.995 --> 00:01:17.675
that generate ROII started my career in 2001 in my parents'

33
00:01:17.835 --> 00:01:19.355
basement and then built a small

34
00:01:19.355 --> 00:01:20.875
but highly focused digital agency.

35
00:01:20.975 --> 00:01:25.515
And then in 2019 was acquired by EY to, along

36
00:01:25.515 --> 00:01:26.795
with my colleagues, Anthony Riley

37
00:01:26.795 --> 00:01:30.875
and w Zabi build out the National EY Design Studio.

38
00:01:31.215 --> 00:01:33.435
So I'm now a partner in the customer transformation

39
00:01:33.715 --> 00:01:35.435
practice, which brings together the work

40
00:01:35.435 --> 00:01:37.995
that I do in the studio along with everything

41
00:01:37.995 --> 00:01:39.035
that I'm passionate about,

42
00:01:39.205 --> 00:01:41.635
which is helping organizations build sustainable value

43
00:01:41.655 --> 00:01:44.115
and growth by making every touch point in the customer

44
00:01:44.115 --> 00:01:45.755
journey an exceptional one inside.

45
00:01:45.755 --> 00:01:46.755
And note.

46
00:01:47.325 --> 00:01:49.025
Thanks, Steven and Michael. Over to you.

47
00:01:49.665 --> 00:01:51.285
Hi everyone. I'm Michael ine.

48
00:01:51.385 --> 00:01:52.845
Uh, I'm in, also in Toronto,

49
00:01:52.865 --> 00:01:54.205
in my, in my basement right now.

50
00:01:54.525 --> 00:01:56.285
Speaking of basements. Uh, I've been

51
00:01:56.285 --> 00:01:57.445
with Shopify for five years.

52
00:01:57.545 --> 00:02:01.005
I'm a sales leader. Uh, I help big brands, small brands,

53
00:02:01.005 --> 00:02:03.805
medium sized brands, make commerce transformations

54
00:02:04.125 --> 00:02:06.605
specifically with the retail side of things, point of sale,

55
00:02:07.025 --> 00:02:08.285
uh, all things of that nature.

56
00:02:08.315 --> 00:02:09.315
Excited to be here.

57
00:02:10.625 --> 00:02:13.525
Thanks, the three of you. So a quick note to the audience.

58
00:02:13.585 --> 00:02:15.445
So over the past several months, the four

59
00:02:15.445 --> 00:02:17.325
of us have worked really closely together

60
00:02:17.905 --> 00:02:20.765
and quite honestly have become very fast friends.

61
00:02:21.505 --> 00:02:24.485
So although I have a list of very thoughtful

62
00:02:24.505 --> 00:02:26.205
and extremely provocative questions,

63
00:02:26.405 --> 00:02:30.005
I fully expect these guys to jump in with their own thoughts

64
00:02:30.265 --> 00:02:33.805
and with their own, uh, perspectives on things unprovoked.

65
00:02:33.805 --> 00:02:36.365
So though we have a great sort of idea where we're gonna go,

66
00:02:36.905 --> 00:02:39.045
the path to get there is gonna be a little bit dynamic

67
00:02:39.155 --> 00:02:40.285
over the next hour or so.

68
00:02:40.425 --> 00:02:44.165
So, with that, Jen, this is all about open Fort, one

69
00:02:44.165 --> 00:02:45.485
of my favorite Canadian apparel brands.

70
00:02:45.755 --> 00:02:48.525
Perhaps you could tell us a little bit about the company

71
00:02:49.065 --> 00:02:51.245
and some of the growth ambitions of the brand.

72
00:02:52.145 --> 00:02:54.805
My pleasure. Oken Fort was founded in Vancouver,

73
00:02:54.805 --> 00:02:57.045
British Columbia, Canada in 2010,

74
00:02:57.225 --> 00:02:59.805
and our founder, min Kang wanted to fill a gap that she

75
00:02:59.805 --> 00:03:01.845
and her friends were experiencing in the market.

76
00:03:02.195 --> 00:03:04.165
They wanted styles that were fashion forward.

77
00:03:04.165 --> 00:03:07.085
Well-made clothing with a minimalist aesthetic, and

78
00:03:07.085 --> 00:03:08.645
because they couldn't really find anything

79
00:03:08.645 --> 00:03:10.485
that met their needs, she decided

80
00:03:10.485 --> 00:03:11.725
that she was going to create it.

81
00:03:12.025 --> 00:03:15.005
The business has grown from a single location from 2010,

82
00:03:15.105 --> 00:03:18.285
and actually initially it was an e-Commerce first business

83
00:03:18.435 --> 00:03:21.965
than a single location in Gastown and now to 42 brick

84
00:03:21.965 --> 00:03:23.685
and mortar locations across Canada

85
00:03:23.745 --> 00:03:27.085
and the USA, the company's goals are really to marry

86
00:03:27.085 --> 00:03:29.045
that minimalist aesthetic with value

87
00:03:29.145 --> 00:03:30.805
and function delivering attainable

88
00:03:30.805 --> 00:03:32.285
luxury for all of our customers.

89
00:03:32.785 --> 00:03:35.045
And over the years, we are really proud

90
00:03:35.065 --> 00:03:37.725
to see the product offering grown, not just

91
00:03:37.725 --> 00:03:38.885
to be women's apparel,

92
00:03:38.885 --> 00:03:41.885
but also to be men's wear accessories, including jewelry

93
00:03:41.985 --> 00:03:43.885
and footwear and homeware as well.

94
00:03:44.425 --> 00:03:48.285
So the focus really is on trend, elegant, crisp designs,

95
00:03:48.625 --> 00:03:52.245
and really one of our core values is uniquely you, meaning

96
00:03:52.825 --> 00:03:55.365
our aim is to bri to provide something that is going

97
00:03:55.365 --> 00:03:58.045
to appeal to everyone that fits into their lifestyle.

98
00:04:00.285 --> 00:04:03.065
So, so Jen, uh, interesting that you guys started out

99
00:04:03.085 --> 00:04:04.545
as an, as an eComm brand.

100
00:04:04.845 --> 00:04:08.265
Um, I'm really curious if you could paint the picture a

101
00:04:08.265 --> 00:04:10.105
little bit for us around like

102
00:04:10.105 --> 00:04:11.745
how you historically looked at e-commerce

103
00:04:12.165 --> 00:04:15.705
and the path that led to you now sort

104
00:04:15.705 --> 00:04:17.345
of orchestrating a larger commerce

105
00:04:17.345 --> 00:04:19.145
transformation for OK Fort.

106
00:04:19.975 --> 00:04:22.845
Great question. I joined OK Fort just over three years

107
00:04:22.865 --> 00:04:24.725
ago, and one of the first things that I like

108
00:04:24.725 --> 00:04:27.005
to do when inheriting at techs snack is

109
00:04:27.005 --> 00:04:28.565
to perform a capability assessment.

110
00:04:29.145 --> 00:04:31.285
And when I did this, I learned very quickly

111
00:04:31.355 --> 00:04:34.525
that Oken Fort had implemented a combination of software

112
00:04:34.525 --> 00:04:37.125
as a service platforms and custom solutions.

113
00:04:37.475 --> 00:04:39.485
This really isn't atypical for a business

114
00:04:39.485 --> 00:04:40.845
that's just over a decade old.

115
00:04:41.225 --> 00:04:43.245
It was actually quite forward thinking at the time

116
00:04:43.265 --> 00:04:44.685
to be implementing SaaS

117
00:04:44.685 --> 00:04:47.645
or, uh, software as a service first as the architecture.

118
00:04:47.905 --> 00:04:51.485
But solutions were always selected based on need and budget,

119
00:04:51.945 --> 00:04:55.005
and then developers would build tools around the tools

120
00:04:55.005 --> 00:04:57.165
that had been selected for cost efficiency.

121
00:04:57.715 --> 00:05:00.045
This was very efficient in terms of cost,

122
00:05:00.065 --> 00:05:02.885
at least initially, and it solved the problems of the day

123
00:05:02.885 --> 00:05:04.005
that they were met with.

124
00:05:04.345 --> 00:05:07.605
But this meant that because resources were scarce

125
00:05:07.605 --> 00:05:10.285
and, you know, Oak was entirely self-funded.

126
00:05:10.495 --> 00:05:13.165
These economical choices that made sense at the time

127
00:05:13.755 --> 00:05:15.445
also meant that the organization was

128
00:05:15.445 --> 00:05:16.605
incurring technical debt.

129
00:05:17.025 --> 00:05:18.525
And so as an e-comm leader

130
00:05:18.525 --> 00:05:21.045
and an IT leader, this is not something that you want

131
00:05:21.045 --> 00:05:23.605
to live with long-term, especially when it begins

132
00:05:23.605 --> 00:05:25.285
to obstruct the customer experience in

133
00:05:25.285 --> 00:05:26.645
your employee experiences too.

134
00:05:27.975 --> 00:05:30.075
So, um, and and how long were you sort

135
00:05:30.075 --> 00:05:31.795
of operating in in that dynamic?

136
00:05:32.055 --> 00:05:33.675
So if I think about, you know, you've been around

137
00:05:33.675 --> 00:05:35.195
for I think 12, 13 years now.

138
00:05:35.505 --> 00:05:37.435
Like how long has it been sort of from the start

139
00:05:37.435 --> 00:05:39.715
or when did you guys start to notice that that sort of

140
00:05:39.715 --> 00:05:41.435
what was working in the past was starting to,

141
00:05:41.455 --> 00:05:43.075
to not necessarily be effective?

142
00:05:43.815 --> 00:05:46.675
So by the time that I joined, there were definitely,

143
00:05:46.855 --> 00:05:49.955
you know, vocal partners throughout the business

144
00:05:49.955 --> 00:05:51.475
that were willing to speak to the pain

145
00:05:51.475 --> 00:05:52.515
that they were experiencing.

146
00:05:53.015 --> 00:05:55.875
Um, the, the organization as a whole being

147
00:05:55.875 --> 00:05:58.405
around almost 15 years now, has gone through a couple

148
00:05:58.405 --> 00:06:00.645
of iterations, but the current platforms

149
00:06:00.645 --> 00:06:02.685
that are in place have been in place for about seven years,

150
00:06:03.185 --> 00:06:05.685
and they are well overdue to be replatformed,

151
00:06:05.685 --> 00:06:06.845
which is why we're on this journey.

152
00:06:07.465 --> 00:06:09.205
So really, if we go back to

153
00:06:09.205 --> 00:06:11.405
that initial capability assessment, it was clear

154
00:06:11.405 --> 00:06:13.725
that there was a fork in the road that Hadid reached

155
00:06:13.985 --> 00:06:16.285
and that technical debt demanded attention.

156
00:06:17.025 --> 00:06:20.725
The opportunity laid really not in just solving for the tech

157
00:06:20.725 --> 00:06:23.485
that was outdated and really over-engineered,

158
00:06:23.705 --> 00:06:25.205
but instead to address the pain points

159
00:06:25.205 --> 00:06:27.645
through the interviews that we did with the business

160
00:06:27.745 --> 00:06:28.885
and all of the observations

161
00:06:28.885 --> 00:06:30.285
that I was able to obtain firsthand.

162
00:06:31.585 --> 00:06:34.605
And was there specific things within, uh,

163
00:06:34.835 --> 00:06:38.285
just just your econ posture that were making that critical?

164
00:06:38.365 --> 00:06:40.925
I I kind of, you know, there's a point in time I guess,

165
00:06:40.925 --> 00:06:43.605
where you kind of reflect on the fact that kind

166
00:06:43.605 --> 00:06:44.965
of what's gotten you to

167
00:06:45.175 --> 00:06:47.165
where you are isn't necessarily gonna

168
00:06:47.185 --> 00:06:48.405
get you where you are going.

169
00:06:48.465 --> 00:06:50.005
So I'm wondering if there are, were two

170
00:06:50.005 --> 00:06:52.605
or three specific things that just were sort

171
00:06:52.765 --> 00:06:55.485
of the critical elements of, of having to rethink your,

172
00:06:55.485 --> 00:06:56.685
your e-comm posture generally,

173
00:06:56.685 --> 00:06:57.765
or maybe you can just paint

174
00:06:57.765 --> 00:06:58.805
the picture a little bit for us there.

175
00:06:59.425 --> 00:07:02.045
For sure. So in terms of, you know, e-commerce

176
00:07:02.265 --> 00:07:03.805
and our customer experience teams

177
00:07:03.825 --> 00:07:05.725
and what they're having to do to service the customer,

178
00:07:06.075 --> 00:07:08.685
they were encumbered by many, many manual processes.

179
00:07:09.025 --> 00:07:13.045
So things may seem seamless to the outsider,

180
00:07:13.425 --> 00:07:15.405
but for those who are part of the organization,

181
00:07:16.125 --> 00:07:17.645
a lot was done in spreadsheets.

182
00:07:17.645 --> 00:07:19.565
There's a lot of sort of manual catch up

183
00:07:19.565 --> 00:07:21.965
and managing of even things like inventory in order

184
00:07:21.965 --> 00:07:23.685
to make the orders and the experiences

185
00:07:23.955 --> 00:07:25.165
such as Omni-channel happen.

186
00:07:25.545 --> 00:07:27.565
Um, and you can't just keep adding more

187
00:07:27.565 --> 00:07:29.765
and more resources as your organization grows.

188
00:07:29.865 --> 00:07:31.885
You really have to have the right tools in place.

189
00:07:32.805 --> 00:07:35.125
Spending time in stores was also really, really eye-opening,

190
00:07:35.125 --> 00:07:37.125
which is why this is a commerce transformation

191
00:07:37.125 --> 00:07:38.365
for us of all channels.

192
00:07:38.745 --> 00:07:40.365
Our store associates practically have

193
00:07:40.365 --> 00:07:42.725
to become junior help desk managers,

194
00:07:42.785 --> 00:07:45.525
and they have to learn how to really address the technology.

195
00:07:45.795 --> 00:07:48.805
They're up to three different payment devices at each C

196
00:07:48.835 --> 00:07:50.605
desk, which is absolutely overkill.

197
00:07:50.865 --> 00:07:53.725
And system performance, including e-comm performance,

198
00:07:54.075 --> 00:07:55.245
were not great.

199
00:07:55.465 --> 00:07:57.245
So these things really need to be addressed.

200
00:07:57.305 --> 00:07:58.805
No customer wants to be waiting in line,

201
00:07:58.825 --> 00:08:01.565
and no customer wants to be watching a little, uh,

202
00:08:01.795 --> 00:08:04.405
icon spin on their computer as they wanna place an order.

203
00:08:06.005 --> 00:08:08.305
So Steven, we're gonna get you in a, in just a minute, uh,

204
00:08:08.365 --> 00:08:11.305
around, you know, some of the work that we do here at EY

205
00:08:11.305 --> 00:08:13.465
with respect to the Design studio and e-com more generally.

206
00:08:13.485 --> 00:08:15.945
But, you know, at this point in time, I think, you know,

207
00:08:15.945 --> 00:08:18.985
we had met Jen, uh, we went to to Vancouver, spent some time

208
00:08:18.985 --> 00:08:20.945
with her to, to understand sort of some

209
00:08:20.945 --> 00:08:22.065
of the things that she was just talking about.

210
00:08:22.385 --> 00:08:24.905
I would love, Steven, if you don't mind providing a little

211
00:08:24.905 --> 00:08:26.945
bit of perspective, like an outside in perspective.

212
00:08:27.125 --> 00:08:28.745
We came in, started to, to talk

213
00:08:28.805 --> 00:08:31.305
to Jen about state, you know, state of things.

214
00:08:31.445 --> 00:08:33.745
We started to kind of do some light discovery, you know,

215
00:08:33.745 --> 00:08:36.185
what were some of your observations if, if you can recall,

216
00:08:36.365 --> 00:08:37.705
uh, when we started to think about

217
00:08:37.705 --> 00:08:39.505
how we could potentially support, uh, open for?

218
00:08:40.275 --> 00:08:44.605
Yeah, I think, um, in our, in our first call, Jen, we,

219
00:08:44.725 --> 00:08:47.645
I don't even think we talked much about technology, which,

220
00:08:47.785 --> 00:08:51.045
you know, might be the expectation in a lot

221
00:08:51.045 --> 00:08:52.365
of opening conversations.

222
00:08:52.985 --> 00:08:55.525
Um, I, you know, I was doing my best

223
00:08:55.525 --> 00:08:57.125
and Brian, you know, we were doing our best

224
00:08:57.125 --> 00:08:58.285
to understand really like

225
00:08:58.545 --> 00:09:00.965
how your organization was thinking about this kind

226
00:09:00.965 --> 00:09:03.405
of project and was asking more questions

227
00:09:03.405 --> 00:09:05.045
around the business processes

228
00:09:05.065 --> 00:09:08.045
and who was bought in, you know, in most migrations

229
00:09:08.045 --> 00:09:09.605
or transformations like this, the,

230
00:09:09.605 --> 00:09:11.765
the technology can be the easier part.

231
00:09:12.275 --> 00:09:13.685
It's that impact to people

232
00:09:13.705 --> 00:09:17.245
and process that can really be challenging if it's really

233
00:09:17.305 --> 00:09:18.365
not discussed upfront.

234
00:09:19.025 --> 00:09:21.325
Um, and so I, I know that there was this moment

235
00:09:21.325 --> 00:09:23.525
that will always stick with me when, you know,

236
00:09:23.525 --> 00:09:27.125
after that exchange, when we were in Vancouver, you had, uh,

237
00:09:27.125 --> 00:09:28.645
you had said, you know, you're the first company

238
00:09:28.645 --> 00:09:32.045
that has spoken about migration in this way.

239
00:09:32.135 --> 00:09:34.965
Thank you. And, you know, from that conversation to now,

240
00:09:34.985 --> 00:09:36.965
our relationship has been characterized by

241
00:09:37.595 --> 00:09:39.645
real conversations about challenges

242
00:09:39.645 --> 00:09:41.565
and ways to solve them collaboratively.

243
00:09:41.905 --> 00:09:44.405
So I think this notion is the reason why we wanted

244
00:09:44.405 --> 00:09:46.805
to come out to Vancouver early on and see you and,

245
00:09:46.985 --> 00:09:48.165
and talk more about

246
00:09:48.165 --> 00:09:51.045
how you saw this project working the buy-in

247
00:09:51.065 --> 00:09:52.405
and the why behind it.

248
00:09:52.905 --> 00:09:56.485
Um, some of what came outta that lunch was an understanding

249
00:09:56.485 --> 00:09:59.485
that perhaps not everyone in the organization was aware of

250
00:09:59.545 --> 00:10:03.085
how the business operates can have an outsize impact on the

251
00:10:03.085 --> 00:10:04.685
ability to replatform successfully.

252
00:10:04.985 --> 00:10:06.125
So hearing stories about

253
00:10:06.125 --> 00:10:08.325
how others have done it successfully, you know,

254
00:10:08.325 --> 00:10:10.085
from a conference feels a little more

255
00:10:10.355 --> 00:10:11.645
like confirmation bias.

256
00:10:12.145 --> 00:10:14.605
But you always have to recognize that how ev

257
00:10:14.605 --> 00:10:16.605
that every business operates differently

258
00:10:16.625 --> 00:10:19.445
and what worked for one may not necessarily work

259
00:10:19.445 --> 00:10:22.365
for another, which is why we did those, you know,

260
00:10:22.365 --> 00:10:24.165
subsequent three discovery sessions.

261
00:10:24.545 --> 00:10:27.805
We wanted a, a chance to a, you know, support you

262
00:10:27.945 --> 00:10:30.005
and reinforce your messaging

263
00:10:30.005 --> 00:10:31.325
to the rest of the organization.

264
00:10:31.715 --> 00:10:34.565
That this is not necessarily a straightforward or simple,

265
00:10:35.145 --> 00:10:38.125
but b, to start getting an understanding of how unique

266
00:10:38.225 --> 00:10:41.605
or typical your business processes were at Oak

267
00:10:41.605 --> 00:10:44.405
and Fort, um, from the time when a product is ready

268
00:10:44.405 --> 00:10:47.125
for sale, all the way to returns and exchanges

269
00:10:47.125 --> 00:10:48.805
and store transfers, et cetera.

270
00:10:49.225 --> 00:10:52.445
So all of that informed our discussions on scope from

271
00:10:52.535 --> 00:10:54.725
technology design integrations,

272
00:10:55.265 --> 00:10:58.245
and I think probably most importantly, change management.

273
00:10:58.625 --> 00:11:02.205
Um, and all of that work upfront to really understand

274
00:11:02.945 --> 00:11:05.845
how the organization was gonna be impacted across the board

275
00:11:05.845 --> 00:11:08.525
with that broad lens allowed all of us

276
00:11:08.585 --> 00:11:10.805
to really de-risk the project significantly.

277
00:11:12.765 --> 00:11:15.265
So when we came in, uh, you know, we, we had a,

278
00:11:15.285 --> 00:11:17.625
we had a good sense that Shopify would be a great fit

279
00:11:17.805 --> 00:11:18.905
for open Fort, um,

280
00:11:18.965 --> 00:11:21.665
and obviously in, in terms of our alliance with Shopify,

281
00:11:21.685 --> 00:11:23.065
we had been talking about Open Fort and,

282
00:11:23.065 --> 00:11:25.185
and talking about how to collaborate together to,

283
00:11:25.525 --> 00:11:28.385
to really support you, Jen, and, and your and your company.

284
00:11:28.535 --> 00:11:30.945
Michael, I wanna go to you for just a minute, um,

285
00:11:30.945 --> 00:11:32.985
because, you know, you had started conversations

286
00:11:32.985 --> 00:11:35.425
with Open Fort prior to even EY getting into,

287
00:11:35.735 --> 00:11:37.225
into the conversations or into the mix.

288
00:11:37.435 --> 00:11:40.025
Maybe I could just talk a little bit about maybe Shopify's

289
00:11:40.025 --> 00:11:41.145
perspective of Open Fort

290
00:11:41.145 --> 00:11:43.385
and some of the, the challenges that that,

291
00:11:43.535 --> 00:11:46.185
that Shopify was sort of uniquely qualified to,

292
00:11:46.245 --> 00:11:49.545
to be solving, uh, you know, again, outside of EY and,

293
00:11:49.545 --> 00:11:51.505
and just more directly in terms of your interactions

294
00:11:51.505 --> 00:11:52.825
with Open for, if you can recall.

295
00:11:53.765 --> 00:11:56.125
Absolutely. Yeah. Um, I think that Jenna was talking

296
00:11:56.125 --> 00:11:59.725
to Shopify for almost a year plus, uh, just kind

297
00:11:59.725 --> 00:12:01.605
of evaluating if this is gonna make sense,

298
00:12:01.705 --> 00:12:05.085
but while Open Fort was selling omnichannel, meaning

299
00:12:05.085 --> 00:12:06.685
that they were be able to sell e-commerce,

300
00:12:06.825 --> 00:12:09.365
retail marketplaces, et cetera, um,

301
00:12:09.365 --> 00:12:11.725
their backend in infrastructure wasn't in a place

302
00:12:11.725 --> 00:12:14.085
that they could effectively utilize any data

303
00:12:14.225 --> 00:12:16.365
or learnings from those, those tech stacks.

304
00:12:16.365 --> 00:12:19.845
As Jen, as Jen mentioned, um, in our conversations, Jen,

305
00:12:19.945 --> 00:12:22.125
Jen was outlining that they were spending more time on

306
00:12:22.125 --> 00:12:25.405
development integrations, upkeep, bug fixes,

307
00:12:25.625 --> 00:12:28.125
versus focusing on the initiatives that they had outlined

308
00:12:28.125 --> 00:12:30.365
and aspire to do for so long.

309
00:12:30.785 --> 00:12:32.845
Um, and Shopify, when we hear that, like

310
00:12:32.845 --> 00:12:34.805
that is a direct fit into what we can do.

311
00:12:35.305 --> 00:12:38.045
Um, so they even couldn't do things like buy online,

312
00:12:38.045 --> 00:12:39.885
pickup in store, or endless aisle,

313
00:12:39.885 --> 00:12:41.405
or have one customer profile.

314
00:12:41.945 --> 00:12:43.885
And as they had plans to grow internationally,

315
00:12:43.885 --> 00:12:45.965
additional retail stores, we saw

316
00:12:45.965 --> 00:12:48.525
that this would only magnify their current challenges

317
00:12:48.865 --> 00:12:50.125
and create future ones.

318
00:12:50.305 --> 00:12:53.565
So when we hear those things, technical debt instead

319
00:12:53.565 --> 00:12:55.925
of growth initiatives, that's Shopify's bread and butter,

320
00:12:55.925 --> 00:12:58.365
and that's when we came, uh, to, to the, to the plate.

321
00:12:59.345 --> 00:13:01.165
That's great. So, and we're gonna get Michael to,

322
00:13:01.165 --> 00:13:02.405
to you into Shopify, uh,

323
00:13:02.445 --> 00:13:03.565
a little bit more directly in just a minute.

324
00:13:03.865 --> 00:13:06.405
I'm go back to Steven for for just a second. Stephen.

325
00:13:06.825 --> 00:13:08.805
Um, can you just walk back and,

326
00:13:08.805 --> 00:13:11.085
and talk to us a little bit about the EY Design studio,

327
00:13:11.265 --> 00:13:13.045
the work that we do, uh, as well

328
00:13:13.045 --> 00:13:14.445
as paint a picture a little bit about

329
00:13:14.445 --> 00:13:17.085
how EY typically engages with clients like OK,

330
00:13:17.085 --> 00:13:19.565
Confort on transformations such as this.

331
00:13:19.995 --> 00:13:23.085
Sure. Um, so the Design Studio really is a,

332
00:13:23.125 --> 00:13:26.245
a multidisciplinary team dedicated to creating

333
00:13:26.965 --> 00:13:28.485
remarkable experiences at scale

334
00:13:28.515 --> 00:13:31.245
with a laser focus on generating return on investment.

335
00:13:31.785 --> 00:13:35.245
Um, so we're a national end-to-end in terms of delivery.

336
00:13:35.665 --> 00:13:37.925
Uh, we've got product ownership to product strategy,

337
00:13:37.925 --> 00:13:39.565
helping clients develop their strategy

338
00:13:39.665 --> 00:13:42.325
as they enter new markets, or find new audiences

339
00:13:42.425 --> 00:13:45.445
and uncover what makes them tick, and then design

340
00:13:45.465 --> 00:13:48.685
and develop and deploy these exceptional experiences.

341
00:13:49.265 --> 00:13:52.365
Um, and we do it a across the board.

342
00:13:52.625 --> 00:13:56.285
Um, we have UX designers, service designers, uh,

343
00:13:56.475 --> 00:14:00.925
product strategy, uh, technologists, uh, everything

344
00:14:00.925 --> 00:14:03.885
that you could need to develop an idea

345
00:14:03.985 --> 00:14:05.365
or an experience at scale.

346
00:14:05.895 --> 00:14:08.485
We've got that capability through our national practice.

347
00:14:09.105 --> 00:14:13.045
Um, we also fall under the, uh,

348
00:14:13.705 --> 00:14:17.605
the customer, uh, area of, of, uh, our competency

349
00:14:18.025 --> 00:14:21.805
and we have, um, a sister competency with MSS,

350
00:14:21.825 --> 00:14:23.045
so marketing, sales, and service.

351
00:14:23.505 --> 00:14:24.805
So while the studio falls under

352
00:14:24.805 --> 00:14:26.285
that customer transformation practice,

353
00:14:26.625 --> 00:14:28.045
we not only have the capabilities

354
00:14:28.145 --> 00:14:30.925
to deliver those experiences needed from the studio,

355
00:14:31.505 --> 00:14:34.245
but with our di with our disciplines within marketing, sales

356
00:14:34.245 --> 00:14:36.685
and services, we really have the ability

357
00:14:36.685 --> 00:14:40.085
to help organizations meet their future growth ambitions

358
00:14:40.545 --> 00:14:43.005
by making sure that every aspect of the organization,

359
00:14:43.115 --> 00:14:46.245
from marketing services, service sales, um,

360
00:14:46.275 --> 00:14:50.085
digital commerce pricing is all anchored around the customer

361
00:14:50.545 --> 00:14:53.925
to deliver, you know, what I think is the beating heart of

362
00:14:54.575 --> 00:14:55.885
every organization,

363
00:14:56.145 --> 00:14:58.125
and that is to generate lifetime value

364
00:14:58.125 --> 00:15:00.045
through a connected customer experience.

365
00:15:00.625 --> 00:15:03.325
And so that's, that's a little bit about what we do.

366
00:15:03.425 --> 00:15:06.685
So we've got the, the ability to really conceive, um,

367
00:15:07.205 --> 00:15:10.965
a better way of organizations meeting their future, um,

368
00:15:11.145 --> 00:15:13.885
and then produce the strategy for that,

369
00:15:14.685 --> 00:15:18.945
and then build the experiences and then augment, elevate,

370
00:15:18.945 --> 00:15:20.745
and enhance those experiences throughout

371
00:15:20.745 --> 00:15:21.865
the lifetime of the organization.

372
00:15:23.375 --> 00:15:25.435
And can you talk a bit about, uh, just how,

373
00:15:25.455 --> 00:15:26.955
how EY looks at transformation?

374
00:15:27.295 --> 00:15:30.475
Uh, again, really wanna talk about, um, so the work

375
00:15:30.475 --> 00:15:32.555
that we do with Jen and open for even just

376
00:15:32.555 --> 00:15:33.795
outside of core implementation.

377
00:15:33.815 --> 00:15:35.595
So maybe you could talk a bit about, uh, you know,

378
00:15:35.595 --> 00:15:36.555
how you look at, uh, at

379
00:15:36.635 --> 00:15:37.715
commerce transformations more generally.

380
00:15:37.985 --> 00:15:39.595
Yeah, so, you know, I, I think we,

381
00:15:39.625 --> 00:15:42.115
because we see, you know, in a lot of our clients

382
00:15:42.295 --> 00:15:45.355
how the entire business operates and where bottlenecks

383
00:15:45.355 --> 00:15:47.995
or points of friction for the both the employee

384
00:15:48.095 --> 00:15:50.995
and the customer experience exists, we tend to go

385
00:15:51.215 --> 00:15:54.435
beyond just the front end design of a commerce channel.

386
00:15:54.895 --> 00:15:56.915
Um, so we think the, the path

387
00:15:56.915 --> 00:15:59.875
to profitability in e-commerce is not about just the

388
00:15:59.875 --> 00:16:01.675
storefront and the ability to take a payment,

389
00:16:02.265 --> 00:16:05.435
it's the way in which the organization operates across

390
00:16:05.465 --> 00:16:08.755
product planning, merchandising, marketing, selling,

391
00:16:09.025 --> 00:16:10.835
fulfillment, and servicing.

392
00:16:11.135 --> 00:16:13.755
So because all of those processes have a potential

393
00:16:13.755 --> 00:16:16.915
to be disrupted in a big project like this, working

394
00:16:16.915 --> 00:16:18.875
with a partner that sees the big picture

395
00:16:19.055 --> 00:16:21.475
and has the resources, the experience

396
00:16:21.495 --> 00:16:24.355
and the capabilities to really sort of wrap their arms

397
00:16:24.615 --> 00:16:25.675
around the full project

398
00:16:26.895 --> 00:16:30.355
and be really honest about the challenges ahead, it helps

399
00:16:30.415 --> 00:16:33.155
to cement trust and rally the team.

400
00:16:33.415 --> 00:16:34.995
And, and the reality is, is that

401
00:16:35.015 --> 00:16:36.555
to make something like this successful,

402
00:16:37.025 --> 00:16:40.555
it's not just about changing the logo on the tech stack, um,

403
00:16:40.665 --> 00:16:42.155
it's really a team sport.

404
00:16:42.375 --> 00:16:43.635
So as I alluded to

405
00:16:43.655 --> 00:16:47.275
before, when everyone has been operating a certain way for

406
00:16:47.275 --> 00:16:51.195
so long, it's easy to think, you know, this is fine, like,

407
00:16:51.195 --> 00:16:52.275
the way we're going is fine.

408
00:16:52.815 --> 00:16:56.675
Um, but big decisions from all areas of the business,

409
00:16:57.055 --> 00:16:59.755
you know, are eventually going to be need to be made

410
00:16:59.935 --> 00:17:02.195
around things like inventory setup.

411
00:17:02.495 --> 00:17:04.755
So now a dedicated inventory pool

412
00:17:04.775 --> 00:17:07.275
for e-comm only is required,

413
00:17:07.335 --> 00:17:10.955
and that's gonna require reconfiguration on both the ERP

414
00:17:11.095 --> 00:17:14.035
and the warehouse, which is gonna impact supply

415
00:17:14.035 --> 00:17:15.155
chain in the logistics team.

416
00:17:15.655 --> 00:17:18.195
Um, from a finance perspective, making the decision

417
00:17:18.495 --> 00:17:20.115
to have authorization

418
00:17:20.115 --> 00:17:23.475
and capture of the credit card in the way that you operated

419
00:17:23.475 --> 00:17:24.715
before and transitioning

420
00:17:24.895 --> 00:17:28.315
to often capture at the same time at a point of purchase,

421
00:17:28.745 --> 00:17:31.395
this is gonna impact the way the finance team operates

422
00:17:31.395 --> 00:17:34.875
and how reporting is done, replacing where images are stored

423
00:17:34.875 --> 00:17:37.195
and merchandise impacts the product design team.

424
00:17:37.815 --> 00:17:39.795
So fundamentally changing the returns

425
00:17:39.815 --> 00:17:43.075
and exchange process impacts the in-store retail team

426
00:17:43.135 --> 00:17:46.435
as well as the back office CX team, fraud tax systems,

427
00:17:47.475 --> 00:17:50.605
customer case management, the list goes on, like the,

428
00:17:50.605 --> 00:17:52.845
there isn't one aspect of the organization

429
00:17:52.845 --> 00:17:56.805
that isn't impacted, which is why we're so well positioned

430
00:17:56.805 --> 00:18:00.125
to bring a team together that can tackle what people think

431
00:18:00.385 --> 00:18:03.565
of immediately as the big challenge, the, the storefront,

432
00:18:04.305 --> 00:18:07.885
but also what some tend to overlook, um,

433
00:18:07.975 --> 00:18:09.565
which is the business continuity

434
00:18:09.565 --> 00:18:11.325
and the change management work streams

435
00:18:11.715 --> 00:18:14.965
that truly make this successful on launch day.

436
00:18:15.225 --> 00:18:19.765
And also knowing how the platforms can be molded

437
00:18:19.985 --> 00:18:24.005
and bent and fit to how an organization wants

438
00:18:24.005 --> 00:18:26.605
to do business in their future state.

439
00:18:27.145 --> 00:18:29.165
So this is what we brought known only

440
00:18:29.165 --> 00:18:30.405
to our discovery sessions,

441
00:18:30.425 --> 00:18:33.725
but also in all our conversations with executive leadership,

442
00:18:34.145 --> 00:18:36.725
um, the story that though you've been operating a certain

443
00:18:36.725 --> 00:18:38.525
way for so long, the change

444
00:18:38.525 --> 00:18:41.045
that this will bring ab bring about even the smallest

445
00:18:41.045 --> 00:18:43.885
change, can feel a little uncomfortable,

446
00:18:44.225 --> 00:18:46.605
and you need a partner that will keep showing up

447
00:18:46.605 --> 00:18:49.605
with the ways to make the complexity

448
00:18:49.605 --> 00:18:51.485
of this feel way less so.

449
00:18:52.975 --> 00:18:54.435
So, Jen, I, I see you nodding.

450
00:18:54.775 --> 00:18:58.075
Um, as, uh, as Steven Wa was sort of talking a bit about

451
00:18:58.175 --> 00:19:00.195
how we think about transformations, um,

452
00:19:00.455 --> 00:19:01.555
what's it like to work with us?

453
00:19:01.655 --> 00:19:03.555
I'd love, I'd love, you know, just love sort

454
00:19:03.555 --> 00:19:06.115
of your perspective on what it's like to work with Edey and,

455
00:19:06.115 --> 00:19:08.315
and what it's like to work within the context of our, uh,

456
00:19:08.635 --> 00:19:09.755
alliance with, with Shopify.

457
00:19:09.805 --> 00:19:12.315
Maybe just in your own words, what, what, what has the last

458
00:19:12.895 --> 00:19:14.995
God four months or so been like for you?

459
00:19:16.295 --> 00:19:17.355
It has been fantastic.

460
00:19:17.595 --> 00:19:19.755
I have to say that it was evident from our first meeting

461
00:19:19.755 --> 00:19:21.755
that this would be a different relationship

462
00:19:21.755 --> 00:19:23.915
because you really took the time to understand

463
00:19:24.185 --> 00:19:26.115
what the business objectives were, understand

464
00:19:26.115 --> 00:19:29.315
what our vision was, even kind of co-op it out of the rest

465
00:19:29.315 --> 00:19:31.755
of the executive team, because this is not just an

466
00:19:31.755 --> 00:19:34.195
e-commerce re platform or a point of sale re platform.

467
00:19:34.305 --> 00:19:36.515
This is transformative for the business exactly.

468
00:19:36.575 --> 00:19:40.235
As Steven articulated, the right partner makes such a

469
00:19:40.235 --> 00:19:41.795
difference, they can accelerate the journey.

470
00:19:42.065 --> 00:19:43.795
Selecting technology, in my opinion,

471
00:19:43.935 --> 00:19:45.875
is almost the easiest decision.

472
00:19:46.425 --> 00:19:48.715
It's how you go about implementing it to make sure

473
00:19:48.715 --> 00:19:50.475
that you're going to meet your business objectives

474
00:19:50.475 --> 00:19:52.755
and that it's adopted is what really matters.

475
00:19:53.295 --> 00:19:54.835
So I was incredibly excited

476
00:19:54.835 --> 00:19:56.555
to learn about the EY Shopify Alliance.

477
00:19:56.575 --> 00:19:58.835
It matches experienced implementers

478
00:19:58.865 --> 00:20:01.395
with the most exciting commerce platform on the market.

479
00:20:01.935 --> 00:20:04.995
And I could not be happier to have partners

480
00:20:04.995 --> 00:20:08.755
that really understand what my business is going to come up,

481
00:20:08.755 --> 00:20:11.795
up, up with as challenges as we begin to re-platform

482
00:20:11.795 --> 00:20:13.875
and rip out tools, because we do have

483
00:20:13.875 --> 00:20:15.155
to be thinking about the client experience.

484
00:20:15.215 --> 00:20:17.355
We have to be thinking about how we merchandise today

485
00:20:17.415 --> 00:20:19.475
and how we're going to be merchandising tomorrow,

486
00:20:19.885 --> 00:20:21.155
where we wanna store images.

487
00:20:21.415 --> 00:20:23.355
All of the details that Steven spoke about,

488
00:20:23.815 --> 00:20:25.395
and we got into the nitty gritty.

489
00:20:25.895 --> 00:20:27.995
And I was very, very impressed

490
00:20:28.065 --> 00:20:29.435
with the overall understanding

491
00:20:29.435 --> 00:20:31.435
that the EY design studio even had

492
00:20:31.495 --> 00:20:35.635
of the Shopify app ecosystem in order to give us an idea of

493
00:20:35.635 --> 00:20:39.435
what kind of tools we could choose to plug in to make sure

494
00:20:39.435 --> 00:20:41.955
that everything ran as smooth as possibly as well.

495
00:20:42.855 --> 00:20:44.835
You know, prior to undertaking this initiative,

496
00:20:45.015 --> 00:20:47.285
we had lengthy, lengthy discoveries.

497
00:20:47.905 --> 00:20:51.405
You all spent time with my teams, the executive team, um,

498
00:20:51.465 --> 00:20:54.565
and you really learned how that business functions so

499
00:20:54.565 --> 00:20:56.205
that all of our requirements could be met.

500
00:20:56.265 --> 00:20:59.045
And it really reinforced the approach with everyone

501
00:20:59.105 --> 00:21:00.165
and what to expect.

502
00:21:00.465 --> 00:21:02.365
And I think that that was the first step on our change

503
00:21:02.365 --> 00:21:03.685
management journey as well.

504
00:21:04.465 --> 00:21:07.125
Um, and I will definitely say that in addition to all

505
00:21:07.125 --> 00:21:10.205
of your technical expertise, you have been a champion

506
00:21:10.385 --> 00:21:12.245
for our customers and our employees.

507
00:21:12.585 --> 00:21:13.725
So you've really thought about

508
00:21:13.985 --> 00:21:15.525
how is this transformation going

509
00:21:15.525 --> 00:21:16.925
to impact everyone involved?

510
00:21:17.345 --> 00:21:19.525
You've supported us by doing experience blueprinting

511
00:21:19.625 --> 00:21:21.805
and coaching our teams on its applications

512
00:21:21.805 --> 00:21:24.445
so they can truly understand what this is going to do

513
00:21:24.465 --> 00:21:25.925
for them in their day to day.

514
00:21:26.305 --> 00:21:28.445
And also developed a change program that is going

515
00:21:28.445 --> 00:21:31.285
to allow us to make sure that nothing is a surprise.

516
00:21:31.285 --> 00:21:33.605
People will understand what they need to do

517
00:21:33.985 --> 00:21:36.645
as we go from day zero to day one.

518
00:21:37.065 --> 00:21:38.965
Um, the transformation is gonna impact all areas

519
00:21:38.965 --> 00:21:41.685
of the business, but because the design studio has been

520
00:21:41.685 --> 00:21:44.765
so immersed in the project, they've really been able

521
00:21:44.765 --> 00:21:46.365
to get three steps ahead

522
00:21:46.465 --> 00:21:48.365
and make sure that leaders that haven't been

523
00:21:48.365 --> 00:21:49.965
through these types of transformations

524
00:21:49.965 --> 00:21:53.085
before know what to expect and feel truly supported.

525
00:21:53.225 --> 00:21:56.125
So it's been a very different and fantastic relationship.

526
00:21:57.165 --> 00:21:58.255
Okay. And for, for the audience,

527
00:21:58.255 --> 00:22:02.055
that was not a scripted response, that was, uh, I,

528
00:22:02.115 --> 00:22:03.135
I'm assuming that's right from the

529
00:22:03.135 --> 00:22:04.295
heart, so thanks Jen for that.

530
00:22:04.355 --> 00:22:06.895
So that's, uh, a great kind words, and,

531
00:22:07.195 --> 00:22:08.855
and I think I, I know, uh, absolutely

532
00:22:08.855 --> 00:22:11.015
that UI feels the same about Open Fort, um,

533
00:22:11.205 --> 00:22:13.055
Michael o over to you a little bit.

534
00:22:13.155 --> 00:22:17.375
Um, you know, Shopify, uh, you know, two years ago,

535
00:22:18.035 --> 00:22:20.855
uh, really started to make a push into the enterprise.

536
00:22:20.875 --> 00:22:21.935
And so I would love to

537
00:22:22.075 --> 00:22:23.775
to get your perspective a little bit on, on

538
00:22:23.775 --> 00:22:27.175
how Shopify looks at, uh, commerce transformations

539
00:22:27.525 --> 00:22:30.335
with respects to enterprise clients specifically, you know,

540
00:22:30.355 --> 00:22:32.375
as this is really gonna be, uh, um,

541
00:22:32.395 --> 00:22:34.295
or is already a, a major part of sort

542
00:22:34.295 --> 00:22:35.455
of Shopify's growth strategy as well.

543
00:22:35.455 --> 00:22:38.055
So maybe a few words on how you look at, uh,

544
00:22:38.055 --> 00:22:39.175
e-commerce transformations.

545
00:22:39.175 --> 00:22:40.215
How are you looking at enterprise?

546
00:22:40.685 --> 00:22:42.655
Yeah, you got it. And it's so funny

547
00:22:42.655 --> 00:22:45.175
because when, when businesses, they start to say, we want

548
00:22:45.175 --> 00:22:47.135
to go up market, we wanna have enterprise clients,

549
00:22:47.155 --> 00:22:49.575
that's a typically a conscious strategy

550
00:22:49.675 --> 00:22:51.815
and maybe not the best product market fit,

551
00:22:51.815 --> 00:22:54.295
but like with us, it, it's no longer just a strategy,

552
00:22:54.325 --> 00:22:56.175
it's truly just a market fit.

553
00:22:56.475 --> 00:22:58.175
Um, this is hot off the press, actually,

554
00:22:58.255 --> 00:22:59.695
I think we just got it like an hour ago,

555
00:22:59.715 --> 00:23:03.455
but Shopify was named a leader in the IDC Marketscape Report

556
00:23:03.455 --> 00:23:05.415
for Enterprises, meaning that we're a leader

557
00:23:05.435 --> 00:23:07.495
for enterprises over 500 million looking

558
00:23:07.515 --> 00:23:09.495
for an e-commerce platform, um,

559
00:23:09.495 --> 00:23:11.055
which is amazing, so happy to hear that.

560
00:23:11.395 --> 00:23:13.095
Uh, but in terms of like the narratives,

561
00:23:13.095 --> 00:23:14.455
it's a tale as old as time.

562
00:23:14.455 --> 00:23:15.695
I've been here for five years,

563
00:23:16.035 --> 00:23:18.295
it never gets old enterprise retailers

564
00:23:18.315 --> 00:23:21.735
who have long been on archaic solutions, who at the time

565
00:23:22.295 --> 00:23:23.295
probably was the only solution

566
00:23:23.295 --> 00:23:25.535
that could manage a business of that scale.

567
00:23:26.035 --> 00:23:27.655
Um, but we're seeing time and time again

568
00:23:27.655 --> 00:23:29.015
that those systems can't adapt.

569
00:23:29.125 --> 00:23:31.455
They're costly, the updates take forever,

570
00:23:31.875 --> 00:23:33.735
and they just can't change at the pace

571
00:23:33.875 --> 00:23:35.255
of which commerce is moving today.

572
00:23:35.635 --> 00:23:38.375
So with Shopify, we're seeing enterprise retailers migrating

573
00:23:38.375 --> 00:23:40.855
at a crazy clip for flexibility,

574
00:23:41.175 --> 00:23:42.775
scalability, time to launch.

575
00:23:42.995 --> 00:23:46.405
Uh, we've seen enterprise brands launch a brand new store in

576
00:23:46.405 --> 00:23:48.565
seven days, I think is the, the, the number lately

577
00:23:48.945 --> 00:23:50.645
and the total cost of ownership compared

578
00:23:50.645 --> 00:23:52.045
to these archaic solutions is night

579
00:23:52.045 --> 00:23:54.725
and day, um, all of that through unified platform.

580
00:23:54.995 --> 00:23:57.365
This is the baseline for any current challenges

581
00:23:57.665 --> 00:23:58.845
and future growth goals.

582
00:23:59.025 --> 00:24:01.205
So yeah, we're loving seeing, we're loving, we're loving

583
00:24:01.205 --> 00:24:03.125
what we're seeing in the enterprise space so far.

584
00:24:04.105 --> 00:24:05.565
So Michael, you, you mentioned, uh,

585
00:24:05.565 --> 00:24:07.565
or you, you said the word unified, which is,

586
00:24:07.565 --> 00:24:10.405
which is a great segue into sort of the, the next area

587
00:24:10.435 --> 00:24:12.965
that I would love to drill into, which is this idea of,

588
00:24:12.985 --> 00:24:15.965
of unified commerce, which is, you know, something

589
00:24:15.965 --> 00:24:19.085
that we talk a lot about within ey, uh, is also a,

590
00:24:19.125 --> 00:24:21.365
a major part of how Shopify's looking at,

591
00:24:21.465 --> 00:24:22.645
at their growth strategies.

592
00:24:22.645 --> 00:24:26.165
Well, Michael, could you for us define, you know,

593
00:24:26.165 --> 00:24:28.245
what unified commerce is, you know,

594
00:24:28.265 --> 00:24:29.725
and how it's different perhaps from,

595
00:24:29.725 --> 00:24:31.205
from omnichannel selling?

596
00:24:31.565 --> 00:24:34.085
I, I think is sort of, uh, a term that, that most

597
00:24:34.085 --> 00:24:36.085
of us would be, would be more familiar with,

598
00:24:36.545 --> 00:24:37.545
For sure. Yeah, the last couple

599
00:24:37.545 --> 00:24:37.885
years,

600
00:24:37.945 --> 00:24:40.805
all you've heard is omnichannel, omnichannel, omnichannel,

601
00:24:41.065 --> 00:24:42.965
um, if I had to sum it up, in my opinion,

602
00:24:43.275 --> 00:24:45.965
it's essentially the ability to sell on all channels.

603
00:24:46.395 --> 00:24:48.685
It's prioritizing the customer experience

604
00:24:48.685 --> 00:24:51.965
between online retail marketplaces, B2B.

605
00:24:52.265 --> 00:24:54.205
And while that benefits has so many benefits

606
00:24:54.205 --> 00:24:55.925
for the customers in terms of like gift cards,

607
00:24:56.155 --> 00:24:57.525
loyalty points, returns

608
00:24:57.545 --> 00:25:00.485
and exchanges, it has a lot of challenges

609
00:25:00.505 --> 00:25:01.645
for the actual retailer.

610
00:25:02.225 --> 00:25:04.485
So that's essentially the first step into commerce.

611
00:25:04.485 --> 00:25:05.685
That's like the baseline you,

612
00:25:05.745 --> 00:25:07.165
you have to have in this day and age.

613
00:25:07.505 --> 00:25:08.805
But to take it one step further,

614
00:25:09.145 --> 00:25:10.365
you have to unify everything.

615
00:25:10.365 --> 00:25:12.205
And that's, that's my definition of unified commerce.

616
00:25:12.555 --> 00:25:15.485
It's unifying the backend systems, consolidating the data

617
00:25:15.545 --> 00:25:18.725
for retailers like Jen so they can make decisions

618
00:25:18.725 --> 00:25:21.405
that ultimately grow the business, understand behaviors,

619
00:25:21.425 --> 00:25:24.925
trends, learnings, um, and it's not just customers.

620
00:25:24.925 --> 00:25:26.405
It's inventory, it's reporting,

621
00:25:26.435 --> 00:25:28.165
it's payments, it's everything.

622
00:25:28.185 --> 00:25:30.885
So instead of reconciling all of your various channels,

623
00:25:31.035 --> 00:25:33.165
it's all in one place, unified, if you will.

624
00:25:34.105 --> 00:25:37.645
And can you also talk a bit about, um, point of sale

625
00:25:37.755 --> 00:25:38.965
with respect to Shopify as well?

626
00:25:39.085 --> 00:25:41.605
I think point of sale is obviously a, a key part

627
00:25:41.605 --> 00:25:44.405
of unified commerce as we think about really extending

628
00:25:44.635 --> 00:25:45.965
Shopify or sort of

629
00:25:46.585 --> 00:25:49.125
the commerce strategy from e-comm to brick and mortar.

630
00:25:49.145 --> 00:25:50.645
So maybe you could talk a bit about, uh,

631
00:25:50.645 --> 00:25:52.205
Shopify's perspective on point of sale and,

632
00:25:52.205 --> 00:25:54.485
and how that fits into the unified commerce, uh, strategy.

633
00:25:55.115 --> 00:25:57.125
Yeah, uh, I actually, I'm on the point of sale team,

634
00:25:57.125 --> 00:25:58.845
so I'm, I'm happy to talk about that, uh,

635
00:25:58.845 --> 00:25:59.925
until the cows come home.

636
00:26:00.385 --> 00:26:02.805
Um, I think, I think in long, there's two different types

637
00:26:02.805 --> 00:26:03.925
of, of retailers, let's say.

638
00:26:03.925 --> 00:26:05.845
There's, there's the digitally native, we call it,

639
00:26:05.855 --> 00:26:08.805
where it's brands who are born online, um,

640
00:26:08.805 --> 00:26:10.805
they've had an amazing run of success,

641
00:26:10.825 --> 00:26:13.085
and then they want to expand into the retail

642
00:26:13.295 --> 00:26:14.645
world and vice versa.

643
00:26:14.645 --> 00:26:15.885
There's born on retail

644
00:26:15.945 --> 00:26:18.845
and then have ultimately come online later in their journey,

645
00:26:19.345 --> 00:26:20.485
um, with the point of sale.

646
00:26:20.835 --> 00:26:23.805
With, with technology in general, those two types

647
00:26:23.805 --> 00:26:26.365
of merchants have had barriers into

648
00:26:26.365 --> 00:26:27.445
expanding their business.

649
00:26:27.535 --> 00:26:28.925
Maybe they don't have the technology in

650
00:26:28.925 --> 00:26:30.085
place to go brick and mortar.

651
00:26:30.085 --> 00:26:31.605
They don't have the inventory, the reporting,

652
00:26:32.185 --> 00:26:33.285
if they're retail first,

653
00:26:33.345 --> 00:26:35.285
how can they grow online while still having

654
00:26:35.285 --> 00:26:36.605
that retail footprint?

655
00:26:36.985 --> 00:26:40.645
So having a unified platform in the backend fits both, both,

656
00:26:40.865 --> 00:26:42.445
uh, merchant or customer types.

657
00:26:43.025 --> 00:26:45.645
Um, and that way your plans, whether they're known

658
00:26:45.665 --> 00:26:48.285
or unknown, like you have the technology in place so

659
00:26:48.285 --> 00:26:50.245
that your growth is, is unbound.

660
00:26:50.785 --> 00:26:52.605
Um, can I speak, go ahead, Steven.

661
00:26:52.965 --> 00:26:54.485
I was, I was carry on Michael,

662
00:26:54.505 --> 00:26:56.925
but, um, I, I was gonna jump in on your comment on,

663
00:26:56.945 --> 00:26:57.965
on retail only.

664
00:26:58.045 --> 00:27:00.085
I, I think it's a, uh, like bricks

665
00:27:00.085 --> 00:27:02.365
and mortars, it's a good topic to dive into

666
00:27:02.365 --> 00:27:05.565
and why unified is, is terribly important. Um,

667
00:27:05.785 --> 00:27:06.785
Do it.

668
00:27:07.225 --> 00:27:11.365
The, I I think what has been happening over, you know,

669
00:27:11.525 --> 00:27:14.485
a number of years and certainly exacerbated by by Covid I,

670
00:27:15.025 --> 00:27:17.045
is that, you know, traditional bricks

671
00:27:17.045 --> 00:27:20.485
and mortar retailers have had a much easier time

672
00:27:20.825 --> 00:27:22.645
to manage the data

673
00:27:22.905 --> 00:27:25.405
and the decisions that they need to manage.

674
00:27:26.065 --> 00:27:30.765
Um, their primary channel for sales was an owned channel.

675
00:27:30.875 --> 00:27:33.605
It's in their store, they're seeing customers every day.

676
00:27:33.985 --> 00:27:38.685
But with the explosion of so many different channels

677
00:27:39.015 --> 00:27:41.925
where people can buy your products from,

678
00:27:42.035 --> 00:27:44.645
whether it's marketplace or social media

679
00:27:45.225 --> 00:27:50.125
or you know, digital, it now has created this massive, uh,

680
00:27:50.435 --> 00:27:55.045
ecosystem where retailers who were traditionally bricks

681
00:27:55.045 --> 00:27:59.365
and mortar now have to build out an entire organization just

682
00:27:59.385 --> 00:28:01.285
to manage these disparate channels

683
00:28:01.285 --> 00:28:02.685
and the data that comes with it,

684
00:28:02.985 --> 00:28:06.605
and identify where is product velocity going,

685
00:28:07.025 --> 00:28:10.005
how do we manage the planning process just

686
00:28:10.005 --> 00:28:12.045
because we now have this fragmented

687
00:28:12.145 --> 00:28:16.605
and massively, uh, blown out ecosystem

688
00:28:16.635 --> 00:28:18.205
that we are now selling on.

689
00:28:18.785 --> 00:28:21.325
And when you're talking Omni,

690
00:28:21.705 --> 00:28:24.605
you're talking about the backend systems of all

691
00:28:24.605 --> 00:28:28.245
of those different fragmented channels, whereas unified,

692
00:28:29.675 --> 00:28:30.695
the, the, the promise

693
00:28:30.715 --> 00:28:33.135
or the, the hope is that all of

694
00:28:33.135 --> 00:28:36.535
that data filters right back into one single source of truth

695
00:28:37.185 --> 00:28:39.455
where all the organization wants

696
00:28:39.455 --> 00:28:43.215
to do in the first place is just make better decisions about

697
00:28:43.215 --> 00:28:46.375
their future from one set of data

698
00:28:46.605 --> 00:28:47.935
that is telling them the truth.

699
00:28:49.855 --> 00:28:51.755
You nailed it. Yeah, you absolutely nailed it.

700
00:28:52.135 --> 00:28:55.395
Um, and I think, you know, as, as you know, data and,

701
00:28:55.395 --> 00:28:57.555
and first pretty data with marketing becomes more

702
00:28:57.555 --> 00:29:00.875
and more challenging with all the, you know, iPhone, uh,

703
00:29:00.875 --> 00:29:02.435
privacy and, and stuff like that.

704
00:29:02.435 --> 00:29:05.115
Like this data is more valuable than it's ever been.

705
00:29:05.575 --> 00:29:06.955
So to have a system

706
00:29:06.955 --> 00:29:08.755
where you maybe don't have the holistic view

707
00:29:08.755 --> 00:29:10.235
of everything is like putting yourself

708
00:29:10.535 --> 00:29:12.715
behind the cart wherever saying is.

709
00:29:12.815 --> 00:29:14.035
So you nailed it, Steven.

710
00:29:14.155 --> 00:29:16.035
I think that you could have summed up my entire part with

711
00:29:16.035 --> 00:29:17.275
that one sentence, so thank you.

712
00:29:17.815 --> 00:29:19.915
Hey, and, and Michael, maybe, um, you know,

713
00:29:19.915 --> 00:29:22.195
we were talking a little bit about some of the functionality

714
00:29:22.705 --> 00:29:25.595
that Shopify is releasing that, uh, really brings

715
00:29:25.595 --> 00:29:28.115
to life some of what Steven was talking about and,

716
00:29:28.215 --> 00:29:30.555
and some of the, um, you know,

717
00:29:30.555 --> 00:29:32.195
value propositions around unified commerce.

718
00:29:32.195 --> 00:29:34.075
Do you, do you wanna talk a bit about sort of some

719
00:29:34.075 --> 00:29:35.435
of the things that Shopify is doing in this area?

720
00:29:35.825 --> 00:29:38.235
Yeah, I mean, I can, I can speak to one thing specifically

721
00:29:38.235 --> 00:29:41.115
that I think is launching maybe today, maybe soon.

722
00:29:41.705 --> 00:29:43.445
Um, so, you know, if you go into a brick

723
00:29:43.445 --> 00:29:45.925
and mortar store, classic, uh, the,

724
00:29:45.985 --> 00:29:47.805
the cash register is like, Hey, what's your profile?

725
00:29:47.805 --> 00:29:50.125
What's your email? You type it out, it's one

726
00:29:50.125 --> 00:29:53.005
of your grade eight emails that has like, asterisks

727
00:29:53.005 --> 00:29:54.765
and 60 nines in it and stuff like that.

728
00:29:54.825 --> 00:29:56.445
And it's, it's, it's a long process.

729
00:29:56.715 --> 00:30:00.125
It's, Jen mentioned, um, there's a long line of people.

730
00:30:00.505 --> 00:30:02.445
So what Shopify has done is we came up

731
00:30:02.445 --> 00:30:04.685
with something called email capture at checkout.

732
00:30:04.995 --> 00:30:07.125
What that does is it takes customer's,

733
00:30:07.125 --> 00:30:08.885
data anonymous customers

734
00:30:09.065 --> 00:30:11.165
and maps it back to our Shop pay network.

735
00:30:11.665 --> 00:30:14.725
So that system that you have in the backend is unifying your

736
00:30:14.725 --> 00:30:16.125
entire business between online

737
00:30:16.425 --> 00:30:18.645
and the store without you having to do anything.

738
00:30:19.145 --> 00:30:21.485
Um, so if you are, go ahead, Ryan. Yeah,

739
00:30:21.485 --> 00:30:23.125
Sorry, Mike, maybe for that, um,

740
00:30:23.135 --> 00:30:24.365
maybe just take two seconds

741
00:30:24.465 --> 00:30:26.365
and talk about Shop Pay and, and what that is.

742
00:30:26.995 --> 00:30:30.725
Sure. So Shop Pay is an accelerated checkout.

743
00:30:31.065 --> 00:30:34.005
Um, any of, all of our Shopify merchants have the ability

744
00:30:34.005 --> 00:30:35.725
to offer Shop pay on their website.

745
00:30:36.105 --> 00:30:38.605
And if I'm a customer and I've shopped at Store one,

746
00:30:38.605 --> 00:30:41.245
and I put my information in with a credit card, if I go

747
00:30:41.245 --> 00:30:44.405
to a brand new Shopify store that has never, I've never been

748
00:30:44.405 --> 00:30:47.725
to in my entire life, my information is already saved from

749
00:30:47.725 --> 00:30:49.405
being a Shopify customer somewhere else.

750
00:30:49.825 --> 00:30:52.645
And that way the conversion is two clicks in and out,

751
00:30:53.025 --> 00:30:55.325
and then my customer data is available

752
00:30:55.325 --> 00:30:57.845
to all Shopify merchants for marketing

753
00:30:57.985 --> 00:31:01.085
and, uh, first party data and stuff like that.

754
00:31:01.185 --> 00:31:04.725
So having that network of Shopify Custo customers

755
00:31:04.725 --> 00:31:07.245
for Shopify stores is an incredible advantage

756
00:31:07.245 --> 00:31:08.605
to Shopify, uh, clients.

757
00:31:09.105 --> 00:31:10.685
So essentially what you're saying is, um,

758
00:31:11.145 --> 00:31:15.045
you are now bringing Shop Pay directly into

759
00:31:15.605 --> 00:31:17.045
a brick and mortar store

760
00:31:17.425 --> 00:31:21.525
and allowing customers who are transacting with Shopify POS

761
00:31:21.945 --> 00:31:24.685
to actually be part of that shop pay ecosystem.

762
00:31:24.785 --> 00:31:25.925
Is that, that's sort of the

763
00:31:26.035 --> 00:31:27.085
Yeah, that's, that's correct.

764
00:31:27.105 --> 00:31:28.245
And then PE Jen's, Jen

765
00:31:28.245 --> 00:31:30.965
and her team can go back into their backend, see

766
00:31:30.965 --> 00:31:33.085
who their customers are, their, their behaviors,

767
00:31:33.085 --> 00:31:34.725
their trends, their geolocation,

768
00:31:35.065 --> 00:31:37.405
and that way they can build marketing campaigns against it.

769
00:31:37.425 --> 00:31:39.605
So massive, massive win for,

770
00:31:39.665 --> 00:31:41.125
for first party data in marketing.

771
00:31:42.065 --> 00:31:46.045
So, so Jen, um, you know, obviously you're already aware

772
00:31:46.045 --> 00:31:47.605
of all of this because we talk about it, uh,

773
00:31:47.775 --> 00:31:50.005
quite extensively as we think about the future of,

774
00:31:50.145 --> 00:31:51.925
of commerce for Open Fort.

775
00:31:52.225 --> 00:31:54.765
Um, maybe just keeping with the unified commerce, uh,

776
00:31:54.765 --> 00:31:57.165
conversation, you know, what, what's, how, how,

777
00:31:57.185 --> 00:31:58.965
how is Open Fort looking at Unified Commerce?

778
00:31:59.745 --> 00:32:02.165
How are you seeing, um, you know, the,

779
00:32:02.225 --> 00:32:04.605
the potential really bring to life some

780
00:32:04.605 --> 00:32:05.725
of the growth ambitions that,

781
00:32:05.755 --> 00:32:07.125
that you talked about earlier on in

782
00:32:07.145 --> 00:32:08.205
the, in the conversation?

783
00:32:08.915 --> 00:32:12.925
Yeah, our, our omnichannels really are siloed channels

784
00:32:12.925 --> 00:32:15.405
that have been patched together in order

785
00:32:15.425 --> 00:32:17.965
to create this omnichannel experience.

786
00:32:18.265 --> 00:32:21.445
So for us, unified commerce actually means creating a more

787
00:32:21.765 --> 00:32:23.565
seamless experience for both our customers

788
00:32:23.565 --> 00:32:24.645
and our employees as well.

789
00:32:25.065 --> 00:32:27.325
And if we think about even just the shop app

790
00:32:27.325 --> 00:32:28.525
that we're going to have available

791
00:32:28.975 --> 00:32:31.165
where we can be discovered by customers

792
00:32:31.165 --> 00:32:34.005
that maybe don't know us yet, this is already giving us a,

793
00:32:34.125 --> 00:32:36.005
a leg ahead where we're going to be able

794
00:32:36.005 --> 00:32:37.165
to reach so many more people.

795
00:32:37.665 --> 00:32:41.405
Um, app development is something that is often talked about,

796
00:32:41.405 --> 00:32:43.725
like, when should a business decide if they want

797
00:32:43.725 --> 00:32:45.405
to make their own proprietary app?

798
00:32:45.665 --> 00:32:47.805
Unless you have some sort of value add

799
00:32:47.805 --> 00:32:51.125
that makes it worthwhile, there is no real reason,

800
00:32:51.305 --> 00:32:53.365
but Shop App gives you this extra reach

801
00:32:53.385 --> 00:32:55.325
and also provides a lot of the same experiences

802
00:32:55.325 --> 00:32:56.725
where you can do notifications,

803
00:32:57.405 --> 00:32:59.245
customers can get push updates on their

804
00:32:59.245 --> 00:33:00.405
orders once they place them.

805
00:33:00.665 --> 00:33:02.765
So all of this starts to create this really seamless

806
00:33:02.775 --> 00:33:04.165
experience, and that's some of

807
00:33:04.165 --> 00:33:05.605
what we're really, really excited about.

808
00:33:07.425 --> 00:33:10.885
That's great. So, um, we have, uh,

809
00:33:10.905 --> 00:33:13.445
we have some questions coming in, so I wanna, I wanna get

810
00:33:13.445 --> 00:33:14.605
to the questions in, in just a minute.

811
00:33:14.745 --> 00:33:17.925
So a little bit of, sort of some, some final thinking,

812
00:33:17.925 --> 00:33:20.805
some final thoughts, um, from, from the, from the panel.

813
00:33:20.905 --> 00:33:24.045
So, so Jen, obviously this is a big, uh,

814
00:33:24.275 --> 00:33:27.765
this is a big program for Open Fort specifically around,

815
00:33:28.185 --> 00:33:30.125
you know, transforming your, your, your commerce posture.

816
00:33:30.865 --> 00:33:34.445
Um, if you think about, you know, some IT leaders

817
00:33:34.445 --> 00:33:37.165
that might be in the, in the audience today listening

818
00:33:37.165 --> 00:33:38.725
to the webinar, reflecting sort

819
00:33:38.725 --> 00:33:41.485
of about their current situations, you know, could you,

820
00:33:41.485 --> 00:33:43.125
could you maybe give them a little bit

821
00:33:43.125 --> 00:33:44.925
of perspective in terms of, you know,

822
00:33:44.985 --> 00:33:47.325
or advice in terms of how they should start to think about,

823
00:33:47.745 --> 00:33:49.045
you know, transformations,

824
00:33:49.065 --> 00:33:51.885
how they should think about potentially going down, uh,

825
00:33:51.965 --> 00:33:53.645
a similar route to, to what you've done?

826
00:33:54.475 --> 00:33:56.455
For sure. So, I, I wanna take us back

827
00:33:56.455 --> 00:33:57.615
to this capability assessment

828
00:33:57.615 --> 00:33:59.135
that I initially started off with.

829
00:33:59.135 --> 00:34:00.255
When I joined the organization,

830
00:34:00.325 --> 00:34:01.775
that was really the first piece.

831
00:34:01.895 --> 00:34:03.175
I had to partner with the business

832
00:34:03.395 --> 00:34:05.095
to really understand what the needs were.

833
00:34:05.475 --> 00:34:07.935
And it was clear that we had reached a, a critical point.

834
00:34:08.235 --> 00:34:10.375
So the next step for me was to put together a process

835
00:34:10.375 --> 00:34:12.095
that quantified the opportunity

836
00:34:12.475 --> 00:34:15.175
and leveraged that assessment that was created to highlight

837
00:34:15.175 --> 00:34:16.175
what the pain points were,

838
00:34:16.645 --> 00:34:18.375
what our employees and our customers were facing.

839
00:34:18.875 --> 00:34:21.815
And this allowed us to really develop a model to determine

840
00:34:21.815 --> 00:34:23.335
what is the ROI going to be

841
00:34:23.755 --> 00:34:27.335
and what needs urgent care, what do we have to focus on?

842
00:34:27.755 --> 00:34:28.975
You know, over the previous decades

843
00:34:29.005 --> 00:34:31.095
that technical debt had mounted

844
00:34:31.095 --> 00:34:33.615
and landed us in a position where our resources were

845
00:34:33.615 --> 00:34:36.015
so overburdened with maintenance on the legacy systems

846
00:34:36.325 --> 00:34:38.015
that they could not focus on innovation.

847
00:34:38.635 --> 00:34:40.895
And even though we had put a lot

848
00:34:40.895 --> 00:34:43.575
of effort into offering these omni-channel experiences,

849
00:34:43.955 --> 00:34:45.455
we struggled with the table stakes.

850
00:34:45.595 --> 00:34:48.175
So that included things like performance and SEO,

851
00:34:48.435 --> 00:34:49.735
and that is not okay,

852
00:34:49.735 --> 00:34:51.495
because it meant that we were falling further

853
00:34:51.595 --> 00:34:53.815
and further behind, despite seeming

854
00:34:53.815 --> 00:34:55.975
to have some more modern experiences available.

855
00:34:56.555 --> 00:34:58.495
It was clear that we needed to make some big moves,

856
00:34:58.995 --> 00:35:00.735
and it wasn't just about the current state,

857
00:35:00.735 --> 00:35:02.615
but it was about where we wanted to be

858
00:35:02.715 --> 00:35:04.655
and that growth trajectory that we were on as well.

859
00:35:05.075 --> 00:35:07.215
So as a business, we set our objectives

860
00:35:07.355 --> 00:35:10.335
and they were to increase efficiency, increase customer

861
00:35:10.335 --> 00:35:12.015
and employee satisfaction as well.

862
00:35:12.435 --> 00:35:13.495
And as a technology

863
00:35:13.495 --> 00:35:17.095
and e-commerce leader, my objectives were scalability, PCI,

864
00:35:17.095 --> 00:35:18.335
compliance and cybersecurity,

865
00:35:18.795 --> 00:35:21.735
and a reasonable cost of ownership, as well as making sure

866
00:35:21.735 --> 00:35:24.375
that we had a partner that was constantly innovating so

867
00:35:24.375 --> 00:35:26.815
that we would never find ourselves in that same position

868
00:35:26.815 --> 00:35:30.535
where something had shifted in the market, for example, um,

869
00:35:30.665 --> 00:35:33.015
let's say sales through social media

870
00:35:33.125 --> 00:35:34.495
that we couldn't tap into.

871
00:35:34.915 --> 00:35:37.285
So this is really where Shopify, you know,

872
00:35:37.395 --> 00:35:38.605
took my attention.

873
00:35:38.955 --> 00:35:40.845
They had been on my radar for quite some time.

874
00:35:41.355 --> 00:35:43.405
I've been in the IT space for over two decades,

875
00:35:43.705 --> 00:35:45.925
and in retail and e-comm for 15 years.

876
00:35:46.425 --> 00:35:48.845
And, you know, it was really about,

877
00:35:49.205 --> 00:35:51.325
I would say eight years back when Shopify started

878
00:35:51.325 --> 00:35:52.765
to impress me with their solutions.

879
00:35:53.765 --> 00:35:55.285
I will share with you all that.

880
00:35:55.545 --> 00:35:58.365
Um, for the past couple of years, we have been using Shopify

881
00:35:58.365 --> 00:36:00.645
to power our warehouse sales at Open Fort at the

882
00:36:00.645 --> 00:36:01.725
Vancouver Convention Center.

883
00:36:02.265 --> 00:36:06.085
And warehouse sales are incredibly intense, you think, lines

884
00:36:06.085 --> 00:36:07.725
of customers, if you've never been to one

885
00:36:07.725 --> 00:36:09.605
that wrapped not only through the building,

886
00:36:09.665 --> 00:36:12.365
but around the building and outside, you've got thousands

887
00:36:12.365 --> 00:36:14.205
of people excited and waiting.

888
00:36:14.395 --> 00:36:17.245
There's this crazy frenzied energy shoppers are looking

889
00:36:17.245 --> 00:36:19.805
for deals and any tools that are going to perform.

890
00:36:20.345 --> 00:36:21.685
Um, with the performance issues

891
00:36:21.685 --> 00:36:24.125
that we were facing on the tech stack that we had, I knew

892
00:36:24.125 --> 00:36:25.965
that I had to make a different choice.

893
00:36:26.225 --> 00:36:27.605
And that choice was Shopify.

894
00:36:28.025 --> 00:36:30.165
We were able to configure the store

895
00:36:30.585 --> 00:36:34.365
and set up 15 lanes in a horseshoe configuration in less

896
00:36:34.365 --> 00:36:36.445
than a day and train our staff in minutes.

897
00:36:36.665 --> 00:36:37.925
And I'm, I'm not kidding about that.

898
00:36:38.265 --> 00:36:40.485
We had seasonal staff and we were able to train them

899
00:36:40.485 --> 00:36:43.125
because the technology is so easy for them to adopt.

900
00:36:43.505 --> 00:36:45.765
It really is very, very straightforward.

901
00:36:46.265 --> 00:36:47.805
Um, over those few intense days,

902
00:36:47.805 --> 00:36:49.965
we processed over a million dollars in transaction

903
00:36:50.105 --> 00:36:53.245
and the entire organization became Shopify fans.

904
00:36:54.065 --> 00:36:56.245
So for two years, this has been, you know,

905
00:36:56.245 --> 00:36:57.565
the warehouse sales solution,

906
00:36:58.065 --> 00:37:00.285
but the question became, you know, why,

907
00:37:00.385 --> 00:37:02.285
why are we not considering this in our stores?

908
00:37:02.505 --> 00:37:06.405
And the, the big, uh, piece that I had to discuss

909
00:37:06.405 --> 00:37:08.085
with the team was, we should be,

910
00:37:08.345 --> 00:37:09.845
and we also need to talk about what

911
00:37:09.845 --> 00:37:11.005
that journey is going to look like.

912
00:37:11.665 --> 00:37:14.845
So the advice that I would share with anyone

913
00:37:14.845 --> 00:37:17.205
that was thinking about taking on an initiative like this

914
00:37:17.425 --> 00:37:18.525
is look inward.

915
00:37:18.525 --> 00:37:22.245
First, assess your internal capabilities, your skills,

916
00:37:22.585 --> 00:37:25.165
and whether or not you are ready, ready with a group

917
00:37:25.165 --> 00:37:26.405
of people that you have to take your

918
00:37:26.405 --> 00:37:27.605
organization to the next level.

919
00:37:28.705 --> 00:37:30.685
Our team is really, really lean at open Fort.

920
00:37:30.785 --> 00:37:33.525
We have a lot of people who are extremely engaged,

921
00:37:33.865 --> 00:37:35.125
but they've never been through an

922
00:37:35.125 --> 00:37:36.525
enterprise transformation before.

923
00:37:37.025 --> 00:37:39.885
And so for me, it was important to find that partner

924
00:37:39.885 --> 00:37:41.405
that was gonna be able to support us.

925
00:37:41.625 --> 00:37:43.445
We, we thought we knew what the technology was,

926
00:37:43.745 --> 00:37:47.965
and then EY Shopify Alliance reinforce that idea.

927
00:37:48.025 --> 00:37:50.725
And the EOI design studio really showed us

928
00:37:50.725 --> 00:37:53.805
that implementation can be a joint effort,

929
00:37:53.865 --> 00:37:55.205
and that they understood who we were

930
00:37:55.835 --> 00:37:57.405
selecting an implementation partner

931
00:37:57.405 --> 00:37:59.085
with a strong bench is instrumental.

932
00:37:59.295 --> 00:38:01.765
Enterprise transformation is not prescriptive.

933
00:38:01.785 --> 00:38:05.085
So one size is not going to sit and fit with everybody.

934
00:38:05.785 --> 00:38:06.925
You can't simply do

935
00:38:06.995 --> 00:38:08.965
what the business down the block is doing.

936
00:38:09.075 --> 00:38:10.965
It's gonna depend on your backend systems,

937
00:38:11.545 --> 00:38:13.925
and you are going to have to make some decisions on

938
00:38:14.025 --> 00:38:16.525
how you want to treat your experiences going forward.

939
00:38:17.225 --> 00:38:19.525
So when you select a partner, it serves

940
00:38:19.525 --> 00:38:21.125
to be really honest about the skills you have,

941
00:38:21.275 --> 00:38:23.365
your capabilities, your bandwidth,

942
00:38:23.625 --> 00:38:25.125
and be sure that your objectives

943
00:38:25.225 --> 00:38:27.765
and differentiators for your business are spelt out.

944
00:38:28.265 --> 00:38:30.605
And also share where you're going to foresee challenges.

945
00:38:30.985 --> 00:38:32.925
It doesn't serve anybody if you just try

946
00:38:32.925 --> 00:38:35.605
to paint this picture of, we're a simple business, we know

947
00:38:35.605 --> 00:38:36.725
what we're doing, we just need

948
00:38:36.725 --> 00:38:38.165
to get this in in four weeks time.

949
00:38:38.665 --> 00:38:41.125
Be honest about what you've got, and let them ask questions

950
00:38:41.125 --> 00:38:42.525
and help probe to determine

951
00:38:42.775 --> 00:38:44.605
where are the challenges going to lie.

952
00:38:45.825 --> 00:38:47.725
Uh, yeah, so, so for me, I mean,

953
00:38:47.725 --> 00:38:50.205
the EY Design Studio has become an extension of the team

954
00:38:50.205 --> 00:38:51.885
for us, and you've done

955
00:38:52.145 --> 00:38:54.845
so much more than just gathering requirements

956
00:38:54.865 --> 00:38:56.085
to help us move through this.

957
00:38:56.185 --> 00:38:57.645
It, it's not a project plan.

958
00:38:58.065 --> 00:38:59.045
It really has been the thought

959
00:38:59.045 --> 00:39:00.325
leadership that has been brought as well.

960
00:39:00.755 --> 00:39:03.565
Your partner should also bring some added value to,

961
00:39:04.235 --> 00:39:06.605
I've been so delighted with the approach that

962
00:39:06.745 --> 00:39:08.925
of you've all taken with us to establish

963
00:39:09.435 --> 00:39:10.765
more than just the requirements.

964
00:39:11.025 --> 00:39:14.685
So for us, we are design led, so we are very,

965
00:39:14.685 --> 00:39:16.445
very aesthetic, and sometimes that means

966
00:39:16.445 --> 00:39:18.245
that we wanna make decisions with our heart.

967
00:39:18.825 --> 00:39:20.805
But the design studio recognized that,

968
00:39:21.145 --> 00:39:24.605
and during the design phase, they even did a customer study

969
00:39:24.665 --> 00:39:27.325
to assess how the design elements on our website were

970
00:39:27.645 --> 00:39:29.045
functioning the existing website,

971
00:39:29.345 --> 00:39:32.965
and also how they were resonating with, um, our, our

972
00:39:33.845 --> 00:39:35.645
customers who are also shopping competitors.

973
00:39:36.515 --> 00:39:39.965
This was going to change how we designed out our navigation

974
00:39:40.025 --> 00:39:41.325
and the full site experience.

975
00:39:41.465 --> 00:39:44.525
And the UI design studio didn't just survey customers.

976
00:39:44.525 --> 00:39:47.125
They actually used a sample that matched our demographics

977
00:39:47.505 --> 00:39:50.525
and partnered with the lab that monitors facial expressions

978
00:39:50.625 --> 00:39:54.125
and eye movement to capture all sorts of learnings about

979
00:39:54.505 --> 00:39:57.045
how engaged people are with the site and what is meaningful.

980
00:39:57.345 --> 00:39:59.005
So that's just an example as

981
00:39:59.005 --> 00:40:01.845
to why you wanna choose a partner that is paying attention.

982
00:40:01.875 --> 00:40:04.005
They're not just taking notes on what your requirements are.

983
00:40:04.195 --> 00:40:06.245
They're understanding who you are as a business

984
00:40:06.505 --> 00:40:09.805
and what it is that you are going to need to understand so

985
00:40:09.805 --> 00:40:12.005
that you can make the right decisions together in

986
00:40:12.005 --> 00:40:13.365
partnership to step forward.

987
00:40:15.185 --> 00:40:19.095
Great. Um, and that's, I've a wonderful overview of,

988
00:40:19.195 --> 00:40:20.895
of sort of your own processes and,

989
00:40:20.895 --> 00:40:22.575
and some of the conversations that we've been obviously,

990
00:40:23.155 --> 00:40:24.735
you know, privy, privy and, and,

991
00:40:24.735 --> 00:40:26.655
and privilege to, to, to, to have

992
00:40:26.655 --> 00:40:27.695
with you and, and be a part of.

993
00:40:28.035 --> 00:40:30.015
Uh, Michael, over to you a little bit, um, when,

994
00:40:30.015 --> 00:40:32.815
when we think about, um, you know, other organizations

995
00:40:32.815 --> 00:40:35.415
that are focused on growing their commerce businesses,

996
00:40:35.475 --> 00:40:38.255
and I use that word, you know, very joyfully,

997
00:40:38.395 --> 00:40:39.575
not e-commerce specifically,

998
00:40:39.595 --> 00:40:42.335
but commerce generally given, uh, some

999
00:40:42.335 --> 00:40:44.335
of the commerce we were just having around unified commerce.

1000
00:40:44.795 --> 00:40:46.575
So when you think about organizations that are looking

1001
00:40:46.575 --> 00:40:48.815
to grow commerce, you know,

1002
00:40:48.845 --> 00:40:50.695
what advice would Shopify offer them?

1003
00:40:51.945 --> 00:40:55.235
Yeah, echoing what Steven said earlier, um, I think if you

1004
00:40:55.375 --> 00:40:58.315
as a, as an organization take a look at your next one

1005
00:40:58.315 --> 00:41:00.235
to three years, and you ask yourself,

1006
00:41:00.545 --> 00:41:02.955
does my technology meet the growth goals

1007
00:41:02.955 --> 00:41:04.195
that I have planned out?

1008
00:41:04.695 --> 00:41:07.435
Um, because as you grow any challenges,

1009
00:41:07.575 --> 00:41:09.555
any time spent doing X, Y, z,

1010
00:41:09.555 --> 00:41:12.515
reconciling manual processes will only be magnified.

1011
00:41:12.935 --> 00:41:15.915
So I think the question to ask yourself is, does I,

1012
00:41:16.015 --> 00:41:18.195
if I don't change anything right now, will I get to

1013
00:41:18.195 --> 00:41:19.355
where I want to be in the future?

1014
00:41:19.545 --> 00:41:22.475
Because commerce retail is very fast paced.

1015
00:41:22.735 --> 00:41:24.195
You don't know what trend's gonna pop up.

1016
00:41:24.195 --> 00:41:26.395
Maybe some new buy online pickup in store

1017
00:41:26.415 --> 00:41:28.795
or a new online tool's gonna pop up,

1018
00:41:28.795 --> 00:41:30.955
and if you don't have the ability to kind of take advantage

1019
00:41:30.955 --> 00:41:32.395
of that, you're gonna be even farther

1020
00:41:32.395 --> 00:41:33.450
behind than you are today.

1021
00:41:33.905 --> 00:41:35.365
So just kind of a, an assessment of

1022
00:41:35.365 --> 00:41:36.405
where you're at versus the future.

1023
00:41:37.535 --> 00:41:39.525
Great. Thanks Michael. Uh, and,

1024
00:41:39.585 --> 00:41:42.445
and Steven, um, you know, generally the same kind

1025
00:41:42.445 --> 00:41:44.805
of question for you, you know, what else needs

1026
00:41:44.805 --> 00:41:47.685
to be said when we think about, you know, offering advice

1027
00:41:47.685 --> 00:41:48.805
to other organizations looking

1028
00:41:48.805 --> 00:41:50.445
to transform their, their commerce posture?

1029
00:41:51.665 --> 00:41:55.445
Um, I guess I have, uh, sort of one big question

1030
00:41:55.905 --> 00:41:56.965
to ask yourself

1031
00:41:57.105 --> 00:42:00.525
and then some, some sub-bullets, uh, under

1032
00:42:00.525 --> 00:42:01.685
that. Um, but I think

1033
00:42:01.685 --> 00:42:03.325
Like, like a true consultant. Perfect.

1034
00:42:04.275 --> 00:42:06.245
Yeah. Um, I, I guess the,

1035
00:42:06.305 --> 00:42:08.925
the big question is really like, are you ready?

1036
00:42:09.155 --> 00:42:11.685
Like, do you really feel that the organization

1037
00:42:11.705 --> 00:42:15.365
and the stakeholders not only know what needs to happen,

1038
00:42:15.705 --> 00:42:18.605
but also knows what the journey is going to look like,

1039
00:42:19.265 --> 00:42:21.525
has the vision and, you know, here's the sub bullets,

1040
00:42:21.705 --> 00:42:25.045
you know, has the vision for the your, your growth ambition,

1041
00:42:25.105 --> 00:42:26.485
has that been crafted?

1042
00:42:26.985 --> 00:42:28.885
Has that been socialized?

1043
00:42:29.385 --> 00:42:32.085
Has it received buy-in from the entire organization?

1044
00:42:32.665 --> 00:42:35.685
Um, has the case for, you know, a replatform

1045
00:42:35.685 --> 00:42:39.125
or a transformation been created with a lens on ROI?

1046
00:42:39.145 --> 00:42:42.005
So are you doing this for the right reasons?

1047
00:42:42.155 --> 00:42:46.325
Like, do you have a ton of staff on your current

1048
00:42:46.965 --> 00:42:50.605
platform doing non-revenue producing activities just

1049
00:42:50.605 --> 00:42:51.645
to manage tech debt?

1050
00:42:51.675 --> 00:42:55.045
Like, that's a good indication of like, how

1051
00:42:55.105 --> 00:42:57.805
to start thinking about, yes, this is a right reason

1052
00:42:57.865 --> 00:42:59.045
to start replatforming.

1053
00:42:59.465 --> 00:43:03.245
Um, how many other projects that dominate the, uh,

1054
00:43:03.245 --> 00:43:06.045
the agenda of other areas of the organization

1055
00:43:06.625 --> 00:43:10.845
are currently in flight when this project would be slated?

1056
00:43:11.065 --> 00:43:13.605
And if you can't find those opportunities to ensure

1057
00:43:13.605 --> 00:43:15.325
that this is a priority project,

1058
00:43:15.915 --> 00:43:19.645
like across the organization, um, then find ways

1059
00:43:19.645 --> 00:43:21.765
to deprioritize other projects

1060
00:43:22.225 --> 00:43:25.805
or find another time to make this project a priority.

1061
00:43:26.265 --> 00:43:28.845
And then lastly, you know, find the partner

1062
00:43:29.115 --> 00:43:30.805
with whom success is shared.

1063
00:43:31.185 --> 00:43:34.605
Um, so when you do that, there's always going

1064
00:43:34.605 --> 00:43:37.805
to be difficult conversations in a months long

1065
00:43:37.805 --> 00:43:39.085
transformation like this,

1066
00:43:40.185 --> 00:43:42.765
but when you have those difficult conversations,

1067
00:43:43.065 --> 00:43:44.925
you wanna know that the partner on the other side

1068
00:43:44.925 --> 00:43:48.165
of the table has your success

1069
00:43:49.025 --> 00:43:51.085
as the, the north star.

1070
00:43:51.545 --> 00:43:54.125
And that all of these discussions are coming from a place

1071
00:43:54.145 --> 00:43:55.525
of wanting the best for each other

1072
00:43:55.945 --> 00:43:57.685
and keeping each other's eyes on the prize.

1073
00:43:58.265 --> 00:44:01.645
And, you know, those, those are really like the, all

1074
00:44:01.925 --> 00:44:05.405
of the things that I would ask myself if I was undergoing,

1075
00:44:05.865 --> 00:44:07.325
um, a transformation like this.

1076
00:44:09.195 --> 00:44:11.175
That's great. I mean, I feel like I'm in therapy.

1077
00:44:11.175 --> 00:44:13.775
That's a, it's a, it's a great, uh, it's a great overview

1078
00:44:13.775 --> 00:44:15.935
of, of our relationship work and,

1079
00:44:16.115 --> 00:44:18.215
and absolutely how, you know, we should be engaging with,

1080
00:44:18.435 --> 00:44:21.095
uh, you know, with with clients on, on these types of, uh,

1081
00:44:21.205 --> 00:44:23.055
this type of work, which is, you know, to,

1082
00:44:23.055 --> 00:44:24.855
to your point earlier, a little bit like open heart surgery

1083
00:44:24.855 --> 00:44:25.735
when we think about, about

1084
00:44:25.735 --> 00:44:26.855
transforming a business like this.

1085
00:44:27.235 --> 00:44:29.575
Um, so with that, we're gonna move into, um,

1086
00:44:29.925 --> 00:44:30.935
some, some q and a.

1087
00:44:31.105 --> 00:44:33.165
We have a couple of questions in the queue and,

1088
00:44:33.165 --> 00:44:35.405
and hopefully some more from, from the audience coming in.

1089
00:44:35.745 --> 00:44:36.805
Um, first question, I'm gonna

1090
00:44:36.805 --> 00:44:37.925
stay with you, Steven, on this one.

1091
00:44:38.105 --> 00:44:41.085
Um, when we think about sort of enterprise transformations,

1092
00:44:41.655 --> 00:44:44.045
we'll, we'll stick with commerce specifically here.

1093
00:44:44.425 --> 00:44:47.885
Um, you know, how do you think about the critical com the,

1094
00:44:47.885 --> 00:44:49.485
the more critical components to consider, right?

1095
00:44:49.665 --> 00:44:52.885
So we have technology, we have internal change management,

1096
00:44:52.885 --> 00:44:55.685
we have the mindset of the, of the executive team,

1097
00:44:55.685 --> 00:44:57.005
the mindset of the customer.

1098
00:44:57.425 --> 00:44:58.765
We have customer experiences.

1099
00:44:59.075 --> 00:45:00.925
Like if you think about all of the different variables,

1100
00:45:01.085 --> 00:45:02.685
I don't know if you can rank stack them,

1101
00:45:02.685 --> 00:45:05.245
but like, you know, how do you think about, um, prioritizing

1102
00:45:05.385 --> 00:45:08.325
or, or solving into, uh, you know, some of those variables

1103
00:45:08.325 --> 00:45:10.365
that, that, that any organization would be thinking about?

1104
00:45:10.945 --> 00:45:14.045
Uh, it's, I don't want to to rank them.

1105
00:45:14.225 --> 00:45:15.645
Uh, it's too hard to rank them,

1106
00:45:15.665 --> 00:45:18.485
but I guess, you know, as I look through that list, I mean,

1107
00:45:18.755 --> 00:45:19.805
they're all connected.

1108
00:45:20.065 --> 00:45:25.005
Um, I, I think what, what an organiza, uh,

1109
00:45:25.005 --> 00:45:28.765
what an organization has, um, is certainly, you know,

1110
00:45:28.945 --> 00:45:31.725
one lens that when we're approaching a project, we have

1111
00:45:31.725 --> 00:45:34.765
to look at, you know, what is their current technology stack

1112
00:45:34.865 --> 00:45:36.125
and what is it doing?

1113
00:45:36.305 --> 00:45:37.885
How are they operating around it?

1114
00:45:38.225 --> 00:45:40.885
How have they structured, you know, their teams around it,

1115
00:45:41.185 --> 00:45:43.965
and is that the point where it's causing the most amount

1116
00:45:43.985 --> 00:45:45.965
of challenge and the most amount of friction

1117
00:45:45.965 --> 00:45:47.365
and the most amount of inefficiency?

1118
00:45:48.305 --> 00:45:51.445
If you contrast that with the customer experience

1119
00:45:51.445 --> 00:45:52.805
that they're trying to create,

1120
00:45:53.905 --> 00:45:56.405
and those friction points are too great,

1121
00:45:56.505 --> 00:45:59.005
and it's not delivering on that customer experience,

1122
00:45:59.555 --> 00:46:01.765
then you've gotta find a way to identify

1123
00:46:02.785 --> 00:46:05.565
how you can retool the technology to reach

1124
00:46:05.565 --> 00:46:07.485
that desired customer experience state,

1125
00:46:08.105 --> 00:46:12.965
or find a way to completely change both sides of the coin.

1126
00:46:13.585 --> 00:46:16.565
Um, internal change management is going to be

1127
00:46:17.385 --> 00:46:21.205
the most important thing once the project gets underway,

1128
00:46:22.075 --> 00:46:26.125
knowing that, you know, you can't just deliver something

1129
00:46:26.665 --> 00:46:28.845
and then think that you're done.

1130
00:46:29.555 --> 00:46:31.325
It's gotta be delivery

1131
00:46:31.865 --> 00:46:34.565
and then ensuring success beyond delivery,

1132
00:46:35.155 --> 00:46:37.885
because that's what long-term relationships are all about.

1133
00:46:38.185 --> 00:46:42.605
And, uh, when I approach these, these kinds of problems,

1134
00:46:43.145 --> 00:46:45.285
it is all about moving at the speed of trust

1135
00:46:45.465 --> 00:46:47.725
and building those really long-term relationships

1136
00:46:48.395 --> 00:46:51.085
through looking at all of those elements

1137
00:46:51.145 --> 00:46:53.165
and making sure that we're all in agreement of

1138
00:46:53.195 --> 00:46:54.485
what is the most important thing.

1139
00:46:55.205 --> 00:46:59.205
Hmm. Uh, j Jen, uh, anything to add to that?

1140
00:46:59.315 --> 00:47:01.805
Just, just kinda curious about your reflections on, on,

1141
00:47:01.865 --> 00:47:02.885
uh, on, on Steven?

1142
00:47:03.515 --> 00:47:04.925
Yeah, I, I fully agree.

1143
00:47:04.945 --> 00:47:06.525
All of these are equally important.

1144
00:47:06.625 --> 00:47:09.245
And what's interesting is they will have a different level

1145
00:47:09.245 --> 00:47:11.365
of importance to different stakeholders on the project.

1146
00:47:11.825 --> 00:47:14.045
So, for example, operations cares deeply

1147
00:47:14.055 --> 00:47:15.205
about change management.

1148
00:47:15.315 --> 00:47:18.125
They care more about that than they do about the new

1149
00:47:18.125 --> 00:47:19.765
innovative things that we're gonna be able to do.

1150
00:47:20.115 --> 00:47:22.605
Marketing team, on the other hand, wants to know about

1151
00:47:22.605 --> 00:47:24.525
what is new and innovative that is going

1152
00:47:24.525 --> 00:47:25.925
to allow us to reach further.

1153
00:47:26.505 --> 00:47:28.925
So this is where having a partner who's able to think

1154
00:47:29.005 --> 00:47:30.565
through all elements critically

1155
00:47:30.625 --> 00:47:33.365
and make sure that they're, you know, really meeting each

1156
00:47:33.365 --> 00:47:35.485
of your stakeholders with the right tone

1157
00:47:35.505 --> 00:47:38.165
and the right response while still elevating the full

1158
00:47:38.165 --> 00:47:39.365
organization is key.

1159
00:47:41.045 --> 00:47:43.785
That's great. Um, so Michael, I've got one for you.

1160
00:47:44.005 --> 00:47:47.385
Um, so when we think about, uh, again, going back

1161
00:47:47.385 --> 00:47:50.065
to unified commerce a little bit, um, you know,

1162
00:47:50.375 --> 00:47:52.385
when you're talking to clients about unified commerce,

1163
00:47:52.385 --> 00:47:54.465
when you talk about the vision that, that Shopify has

1164
00:47:54.465 --> 00:47:58.345
for unified commerce, um, you know, what, you know,

1165
00:47:58.345 --> 00:47:59.785
what resonates most with them?

1166
00:47:59.785 --> 00:48:01.345
What are, what are people most excited about?

1167
00:48:01.935 --> 00:48:04.575
Yeah, I mean, it's a bit of a non-answer,

1168
00:48:04.575 --> 00:48:05.815
but it's almost, it's almost everything.

1169
00:48:05.815 --> 00:48:08.975
Like, I don't know whether a customer will be heavy on the

1170
00:48:09.055 --> 00:48:10.495
B2B side or if they want

1171
00:48:10.495 --> 00:48:13.895
to invest deeply into their online D two C side,

1172
00:48:13.895 --> 00:48:16.575
or maybe it's POS, maybe it's marketplaces.

1173
00:48:16.915 --> 00:48:19.695
So whatever, um, a customer's priorities are

1174
00:48:19.695 --> 00:48:21.575
or whatever they want to grow, we have the

1175
00:48:21.775 --> 00:48:22.935
platform in place to allow that.

1176
00:48:23.355 --> 00:48:27.895
So like any kind of, um, chains on, on a, on a, on a,

1177
00:48:28.075 --> 00:48:30.695
on a customer's growth is completely unchained.

1178
00:48:30.795 --> 00:48:32.455
If you wanna get more specific, I can,

1179
00:48:32.475 --> 00:48:35.415
but it's a non-answer where everything, whether you want

1180
00:48:35.415 --> 00:48:38.015
to go big, small is, uh, is available at Shopify.

1181
00:48:38.015 --> 00:48:40.695
Okay. So I'm gonna, so what are you most excited about?

1182
00:48:40.755 --> 00:48:42.695
So, you know, you're obviously part of the POS team,

1183
00:48:42.755 --> 00:48:45.095
so you might, we might hedge a little bit on that side,

1184
00:48:45.115 --> 00:48:47.215
but try not to hedge too much on that side.

1185
00:48:47.595 --> 00:48:49.775
Um, whatcha most excited about with respect to,

1186
00:48:49.775 --> 00:48:52.215
to Shopify's, uh, sort of strategy around unified commerce?

1187
00:48:52.735 --> 00:48:54.335
I think it's gotta be the international growth.

1188
00:48:54.635 --> 00:48:56.575
Um, I, I sit in North America, I only work

1189
00:48:56.575 --> 00:48:59.175
with North American clients, but we're investing heavily

1190
00:48:59.325 --> 00:49:00.735
into our expansion globally.

1191
00:49:00.835 --> 00:49:03.375
And that's through a product called Markets Pro is

1192
00:49:03.375 --> 00:49:05.735
through our payments and getting, uh, approved

1193
00:49:05.795 --> 00:49:08.095
to Shopify payments all over the world.

1194
00:49:08.715 --> 00:49:11.735
And right now, like in, in the past, like a customer's,

1195
00:49:12.055 --> 00:49:14.895
a client's ability to expand globally would be

1196
00:49:15.155 --> 00:49:16.975
so incredibly hard from a technology standpoint,

1197
00:49:17.045 --> 00:49:19.375
getting teams in those different geos

1198
00:49:19.395 --> 00:49:21.095
and be just so challenging.

1199
00:49:21.115 --> 00:49:23.775
But with Shopify, you can do it all from my

1200
00:49:23.935 --> 00:49:25.015
basement if you really wanted to.

1201
00:49:25.275 --> 00:49:26.735
So that's what I'm super excited about.

1202
00:49:27.875 --> 00:49:30.855
Jen, um, just on that note, I know, I know a bit of, a bit

1203
00:49:30.855 --> 00:49:32.375
of a setup for you to plug sort

1204
00:49:32.375 --> 00:49:34.895
of your international strategy or thinking or international.

1205
00:49:34.895 --> 00:49:37.055
Maybe you can talk a bit about sort of thinking about in

1206
00:49:37.055 --> 00:49:39.695
terms of, um, you know, outside of, uh, north America.

1207
00:49:40.365 --> 00:49:42.855
Yeah, obviously we have our eyes on growing

1208
00:49:43.075 --> 00:49:45.735
internationally in all corners,

1209
00:49:45.955 --> 00:49:49.175
and this is where Shopify has a lot of solutions like

1210
00:49:49.205 --> 00:49:50.895
that are baked into the product

1211
00:49:50.895 --> 00:49:52.295
that are going to support us on that.

1212
00:49:52.355 --> 00:49:54.015
So that includes things like currency,

1213
00:49:54.315 --> 00:49:57.255
it includes like translation capabilities as well.

1214
00:49:57.515 --> 00:50:00.575
And this is a very big step forward that we're going

1215
00:50:00.575 --> 00:50:02.015
to be able to take as we're ready.

1216
00:50:02.395 --> 00:50:03.855
Um, today we have our,

1217
00:50:03.875 --> 00:50:06.495
our customers shopping on our.com website if,

1218
00:50:06.555 --> 00:50:08.455
or sorry, our.ca website if they're

1219
00:50:08.455 --> 00:50:10.335
international.com is US based.

1220
00:50:10.675 --> 00:50:14.255
Um, but going forward we can choose to create an experience

1221
00:50:14.255 --> 00:50:16.255
that is a little bit more straightforward for them

1222
00:50:16.515 --> 00:50:18.895
and allow them to select the currencies that they're seeing,

1223
00:50:19.275 --> 00:50:21.855
you know, that is going to help ease any friction points

1224
00:50:21.855 --> 00:50:23.095
because they'll be able to recognize

1225
00:50:23.095 --> 00:50:24.175
what is the price they're paying.

1226
00:50:24.555 --> 00:50:26.135
And then of course, there are plenty of tools

1227
00:50:26.135 --> 00:50:28.830
that can be plugged in, in very easily within the ecosystem

1228
00:50:29.065 --> 00:50:31.245
to also even help offset what is duties

1229
00:50:31.345 --> 00:50:33.085
and customs going to look like as well.

1230
00:50:33.425 --> 00:50:34.485
And having the capability

1231
00:50:34.505 --> 00:50:36.805
to open a pop-up shop internationally

1232
00:50:36.805 --> 00:50:39.125
and start seeding the market is also very,

1233
00:50:39.195 --> 00:50:40.205
very exciting for us.

1234
00:50:40.625 --> 00:50:43.685
Um, to share a little bit today, when we open a new store,

1235
00:50:43.795 --> 00:50:45.965
sometimes it takes greater than four

1236
00:50:45.965 --> 00:50:47.605
or six weeks to get our payment devices,

1237
00:50:47.825 --> 00:50:50.365
not Shopify payments, another provider, uh, in place.

1238
00:50:50.585 --> 00:50:54.965
And that is extremely slow with Shopify payments,

1239
00:50:55.185 --> 00:50:57.125
you can literally have your device

1240
00:50:57.345 --> 00:50:59.285
and link it to your store and you're ready to go.

1241
00:50:59.385 --> 00:51:01.365
And that's exactly what we've seen with the warehouse sales.

1242
00:51:01.465 --> 00:51:04.765
So we know that we're gonna be able to have that flexibility

1243
00:51:04.905 --> 00:51:07.365
to be anywhere that we wanna be, to sell anywhere

1244
00:51:07.365 --> 00:51:09.325
that we wanna sell, to have pop-up events

1245
00:51:09.465 --> 00:51:12.285
to experiment without having to go all in

1246
00:51:12.315 --> 00:51:13.845
with really expensive plays.

1247
00:51:14.345 --> 00:51:17.405
And then of course, the scalability too includes everything

1248
00:51:17.405 --> 00:51:20.845
that is in the Shopify app store in terms of different tools

1249
00:51:20.845 --> 00:51:23.125
that can help unlock appropriate experiences

1250
00:51:23.505 --> 00:51:24.885
for our customers and allow us

1251
00:51:24.885 --> 00:51:27.765
to really personalize the experiences going forward based

1252
00:51:27.785 --> 00:51:28.925
on their regions too.

1253
00:51:30.915 --> 00:51:34.345
Great. Um, so again, staying, I mean, there's a lot

1254
00:51:34.345 --> 00:51:35.425
of energy around unified commerce,

1255
00:51:35.425 --> 00:51:36.825
so I'm gonna stay with that one for, for a little bit.

1256
00:51:36.825 --> 00:51:38.025
And Michael, this is over to you.

1257
00:51:38.405 --> 00:51:42.625
Um, you know, when we think about, uh, you know,

1258
00:51:42.815 --> 00:51:46.145
omnichannel today versus unified in the future, um,

1259
00:51:46.725 --> 00:51:48.945
you know, tracking online visits

1260
00:51:49.015 --> 00:51:50.825
that end up converting offline

1261
00:51:50.825 --> 00:51:52.825
or in-store is, is super challenging.

1262
00:51:53.365 --> 00:51:55.825
Is there anything that you can talk about relative to,

1263
00:51:55.965 --> 00:51:59.585
to work that Shopify's doing, to basically sort

1264
00:51:59.585 --> 00:52:02.505
of provide insight into, you know, clients that,

1265
00:52:02.535 --> 00:52:06.025
that maybe have, um, you know, explored a product

1266
00:52:06.045 --> 00:52:08.865
or service online that ends up converting in store.

1267
00:52:08.865 --> 00:52:10.025
Like, is there, is there anything that kind

1268
00:52:10.025 --> 00:52:11.025
of links those two?

1269
00:52:11.365 --> 00:52:14.785
Um, you know, I, I guess, uh, browsing profiles and,

1270
00:52:14.785 --> 00:52:17.825
and purchasing profiles, uh, within the context of Shopify.

1271
00:52:18.605 --> 00:52:20.825
Um, you know, I, I've mentioned it a few times,

1272
00:52:20.845 --> 00:52:23.625
but the buy online pickup in store I think would be a,

1273
00:52:23.665 --> 00:52:25.025
a good tool for online stores.

1274
00:52:25.025 --> 00:52:26.065
Like you can have the ability

1275
00:52:26.085 --> 00:52:27.625
to purchase online, pick up in store.

1276
00:52:27.625 --> 00:52:30.265
That's kind of a unified commerce conversion.

1277
00:52:30.645 --> 00:52:32.825
On the flip side, Shopify point of sale has the ability

1278
00:52:32.825 --> 00:52:36.185
to create a cart, create a customer profile in store,

1279
00:52:36.525 --> 00:52:38.305
and then send it back to the customer,

1280
00:52:38.325 --> 00:52:39.585
and that customer can go home

1281
00:52:39.805 --> 00:52:41.985
and then check out online like they would initially.

1282
00:52:42.125 --> 00:52:45.305
So tracking the actual conversions between the two is,

1283
00:52:45.305 --> 00:52:47.425
is a bit difficult, but there are ways to kind

1284
00:52:47.425 --> 00:52:49.105
of get intent in that way.

1285
00:52:49.105 --> 00:52:52.305
There's a bit more method to, uh, to converting customers.

1286
00:52:52.695 --> 00:52:54.105
Yeah. And, and Shopify,

1287
00:52:54.125 --> 00:52:56.425
or sorry, Shopify, Steven, you,

1288
00:52:56.445 --> 00:52:57.425
do you have a perspective there as

1289
00:52:57.425 --> 00:52:58.225
well? I think, I think you might.

1290
00:52:58.695 --> 00:53:01.585
Yeah. I mean, there's, there's definitely areas, uh,

1291
00:53:01.735 --> 00:53:06.065
that fall outside of Shopify that, um, would sort

1292
00:53:06.065 --> 00:53:10.065
of allow an organization to understand how, uh, a visit

1293
00:53:10.065 --> 00:53:12.545
to the website has created attribution

1294
00:53:12.545 --> 00:53:14.025
to an offline purchase.

1295
00:53:14.605 --> 00:53:18.585
Um, I think primarily one of the key ways of doing that is

1296
00:53:19.545 --> 00:53:23.745
identifying the, the customer at the point of sale, um,

1297
00:53:23.815 --> 00:53:25.410
through loyalty programs.

1298
00:53:25.410 --> 00:53:27.605
This is a great idea or unique coupon codes

1299
00:53:27.605 --> 00:53:31.685
and offers, uh, that are unique to be redeemable in store.

1300
00:53:32.145 --> 00:53:35.285
Um, so you can then create that digital profile

1301
00:53:35.285 --> 00:53:38.725
of a customer who was, who did visit the digital channel,

1302
00:53:38.865 --> 00:53:40.645
and then, you know, use made

1303
00:53:40.645 --> 00:53:41.725
the purchase on a loyalty program.

1304
00:53:42.345 --> 00:53:45.005
Um, there's also, you know, geotargeting and,

1305
00:53:45.025 --> 00:53:46.165
and footfall analytics.

1306
00:53:46.665 --> 00:53:50.405
Um, so you can create campaigns when customers are

1307
00:53:50.995 --> 00:53:52.085
near a physical store

1308
00:53:52.265 --> 00:53:54.365
and then analyze that foot traffic data

1309
00:53:54.425 --> 00:53:56.045
to see if there's an uptick in visits

1310
00:53:56.395 --> 00:53:57.765
following those campaigns.

1311
00:53:58.145 --> 00:54:02.205
Um, so you can really see how that digital channel is

1312
00:54:02.765 --> 00:54:05.765
contributing or assisting those, uh, those,

1313
00:54:05.765 --> 00:54:07.165
those offline purchases.

1314
00:54:07.585 --> 00:54:08.805
Um, and then, you know,

1315
00:54:08.805 --> 00:54:10.605
finally an omnichannel tracking solution.

1316
00:54:10.745 --> 00:54:13.365
Uh, and just really by integrating with that point of sale,

1317
00:54:13.435 --> 00:54:16.205
with online analytics, you can really start to understand

1318
00:54:16.205 --> 00:54:18.885
that customer journey from all of the different channels

1319
00:54:18.885 --> 00:54:21.125
and where that attribution lies, um,

1320
00:54:21.345 --> 00:54:23.645
and then how that leads to a physical store purchase.

1321
00:54:25.815 --> 00:54:26.955
So, so last question.

1322
00:54:27.135 --> 00:54:29.515
Uh, again, sticking with you, uh, Steve, uh,

1323
00:54:29.515 --> 00:54:31.795
we have a question from the audience around just, you know,

1324
00:54:32.215 --> 00:54:36.555
how involved the design studio typically is when it comes

1325
00:54:36.575 --> 00:54:38.155
to work like this.

1326
00:54:38.335 --> 00:54:42.595
So obviously, you know, ey a very large firm, you know, lots

1327
00:54:42.595 --> 00:54:44.675
of work that we do, um, both, you know,

1328
00:54:44.675 --> 00:54:47.795
technical hands-on keyboards implementation work, as well

1329
00:54:47.795 --> 00:54:51.355
as strategy work, you know, wanna know, you know, how, how,

1330
00:54:51.455 --> 00:54:53.635
how, how would the design studio really get involved?

1331
00:54:53.635 --> 00:54:56.715
Or how, how are we getting involved with, uh, with respect

1332
00:54:56.715 --> 00:54:58.435
to OK Andfor and other transformations like this?

1333
00:54:59.235 --> 00:55:01.615
Um, as involved as we need to be?

1334
00:55:01.795 --> 00:55:04.535
Um, the, the bottom line is that we love to help.

1335
00:55:05.115 --> 00:55:07.575
And if an organization is well on their way

1336
00:55:07.595 --> 00:55:10.775
and they just need support for implementation, um,

1337
00:55:11.155 --> 00:55:12.215
we can help there.

1338
00:55:12.415 --> 00:55:16.015
I, I mean, ideally we love building these relationships

1339
00:55:16.085 --> 00:55:19.575
that start from these big problems that need to be solved

1340
00:55:20.155 --> 00:55:22.615
and create the strategy with our clients

1341
00:55:22.755 --> 00:55:26.015
and work with our clients to deliver, uh, a plan

1342
00:55:26.015 --> 00:55:30.015
that we are both behind, uh, up to deployment

1343
00:55:30.075 --> 00:55:32.055
and then helping them with managed services.

1344
00:55:32.555 --> 00:55:35.615
Um, so we're, we're in it for the long haul

1345
00:55:35.635 --> 00:55:38.615
or the short haul, uh, depending on, you know, where

1346
00:55:38.615 --> 00:55:40.975
that customer needs the most help.

1347
00:55:41.955 --> 00:55:45.135
Um, and then obviously, you know, the design studio

1348
00:55:46.275 --> 00:55:50.175
can also bring in the power of, you know, a global, uh,

1349
00:55:50.175 --> 00:55:54.735
organization like EY to, you know, at various points

1350
00:55:55.435 --> 00:55:58.575
to help the organization, you know, tackle some challenges

1351
00:55:58.575 --> 00:56:01.655
that go beyond the scope of potentially the design studio.

1352
00:56:03.225 --> 00:56:07.565
That's great. Um, and we are literally four minutes, uh,

1353
00:56:07.565 --> 00:56:09.725
before the hour, so we're gonna, um,

1354
00:56:10.135 --> 00:56:11.765
we're gonna end it there.

1355
00:56:12.145 --> 00:56:14.885
Uh, a a real huge thanks to the audience for,

1356
00:56:14.905 --> 00:56:18.565
for making the time for, for this particular conversation,

1357
00:56:19.025 --> 00:56:20.405
uh, for listening to our panelists.

1358
00:56:20.865 --> 00:56:23.765
Jen, uh, just a, a huge thank you you to, to you

1359
00:56:23.765 --> 00:56:26.925
and to Oaken fort for, um, for coming along this journey

1360
00:56:26.925 --> 00:56:28.765
with us and for, for, for working with us.

1361
00:56:28.785 --> 00:56:31.245
You've been, I kid you not like a

1362
00:56:31.245 --> 00:56:32.805
dream, a dream partner here.

1363
00:56:32.965 --> 00:56:34.605
I know Steven and I talk a lot about just

1364
00:56:34.605 --> 00:56:37.045
how much we value our relationship with you, uh, Michael

1365
00:56:37.265 --> 00:56:39.325
and, and Shopify, just, uh,

1366
00:56:39.425 --> 00:56:42.485
and outstanding partner, love the alliance

1367
00:56:42.745 --> 00:56:44.445
and love the work that we do together.

1368
00:56:44.465 --> 00:56:46.365
And, and there's a lot more that we do outside

1369
00:56:46.365 --> 00:56:47.765
of Oakland Ford, obviously that, uh,

1370
00:56:47.765 --> 00:56:49.085
that we would love to talk more about.

1371
00:56:49.585 --> 00:56:52.005
Um, but, but, uh, just really thank you again

1372
00:56:52.005 --> 00:56:53.245
to the Shopify team and to you, Michael,

1373
00:56:53.345 --> 00:56:54.485
for, for your, your support.

1374
00:56:54.515 --> 00:56:56.525
Stephen, it's always a pleasure hanging out with you and,

1375
00:56:56.545 --> 00:56:58.005
and getting into some of the weeds here.

1376
00:56:58.625 --> 00:57:00.965
Uh, so look forward to many more of these types

1377
00:57:00.965 --> 00:57:02.485
of conversations in, in the, in the future.

1378
00:57:02.865 --> 00:57:04.285
Um, for the audience, uh,

1379
00:57:04.285 --> 00:57:06.685
if you wanna learn more about Shopify

1380
00:57:06.865 --> 00:57:10.365
and the EY Alliance, just go to EY do com,

1381
00:57:11.395 --> 00:57:14.005
shopify ey com, Shopify.

1382
00:57:14.065 --> 00:57:15.405
You have all the information you

1383
00:57:15.405 --> 00:57:16.565
need to get in touch with us.

1384
00:57:16.565 --> 00:57:18.645
Thank you again everyone, and have a great day.