Every business in every industry is subject to competitive forces. How a business responds to these forces is what shapes that business’s competitive advantage relative to other players in their industry. The digital commerce application industry is no different in these respects. Every vendor in this field has distinct strengths and weaknesses when compared to its competition.
The competitive differences between businesses in the digital commerce application field are extremely important to buyers who need to strengthen their online selling capabilities. During the course of vendor selection processes, it is often difficult for buyers to attain a comprehensive understanding of the differences between vendors. It is limited to information gleaned and gathered from conversations with various vendors who are chiefly interested in promoting their strengths and deriding those of their competitors.
As Michael Porter, a Harvard professor with a major influence on our understanding of business competition, wrote in his book Competitive Strategy, “The essence of formulating competitive strategy is relating a company to its environment.” But how can buyers gain an objective view of each prospective vendor’s capabilities? Talking to references is one good idea, but references can only give buyers a single perspective on one or two companies. Also, a references’ business objectives and pain points are not necessarily identical to the buyer’s. Again, the buyer is left with the question of discovering the best vendor to help them succeed in ecommerce. Thankfully, there are reports from research firms to help steer buyers in the right direction.
Who is IDC?
Wikipedia defines IDC as “an American market research, analysis and advisory firm specializing in information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology,” while IDC describes itself as “the premier global provider of market intelligence.” Market intelligence is important for buyers and providers alike. It helps each party understand what capabilities players in a given industry have. This knowledge can be indispensable for making sound business decisions.
What is the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Digital Commerce Applications 2014 Vendor Assessment?
The IDC MarketScape evaluates 13 digital commerce vendors in 14 areas, assessing their strengths and challenges in the following categories:
- Product functionality
- Delivery model
- Portfolio capabilities and strategies
- Integration capabilities and strategies
- New release/revisions
- Scalability and user experience
- Pricing model
- Sales/distribution
- Customer service
- Other go-to-market strategy
- Growth strategy
- Innovation/R&D pace and productivity
- Financial/funding model
- Employee strategy
The report wisely notes that the major players in the ecommerce application market all have different strengths. Not only that, every application integrates with a variety of partner services, including ERP and CRM applications.
If you are a vendor of digital products you need a digital commerce application in order to collect payment from customers and deliver your products to them. This report will help you find an digital commerce application vendor whose strengths suit your needs.
Where is it found?
cleverbridge, the brains and heart behind Building Keystones, was named Leader in this report. Proud to have earned this position in our industry, Building Keystones and cleverbridge are offering our readers complimentary access to an excerpt from IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Digital Commerce Applications 2014 Vendor Assessment.
Download the IDC MarketScape evaluation of cleverbridge now!
