The Strategy of Brand Engagement
Insights
protecting your commerce
server platform investment
©2014 SMITH
INTRODUCTION
What’s Happening.
If your e-commerce site is built on Commerce Server 2007 or 2009, mainstream support
from Microsoft has expired and extended support ends.
next steps.
Whether you’re interested in migrating to the latest version of Commerce Server 11, or
require assistance planning your next e-commerce solution – our experts are available to
help you make the most of your investment.
COMMERCE SERVER 11 Upgrade.
If you are a Microsoft Commerce 2007 or 2009 customer who is satisfied with your
current e-commerce solution but would like the security of being in a supported state, we
recommend you migrate to Commerce Server 11. We can offer a cost effective upgrade
from prior releases, including modifying your code, recompiling and redeploying on
Commerce 11 given no breaking API changes.
For customers interested in deploying Commerce Server 11 in-house who require
additional deployment assistance, our Automated Deployment and Patching Tool (ADAPT)
can help reduce overall deployment time through the automation of server configuration,
solution deployment and patches. Just a few quick steps and our customers are able to
keep the deployment process in-house.
What’s new in Commerce Server 11.
Commerce Server 11 introduces a new web-based merchandising experience available
whether integrated with Sitecore CEP or deploy in a standalone fashion. This experience
will support the majority of tasks merchandisers perform while allowing users to interact
with their product data form anywhere, on laptops, tablets or other mobile devices. The
tools are designed for extensibility allowing SMITH to customize the tool to meet the
specifics of your merchandising team as well as continuing an existing corporate user
interface and experience standards.
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SMITH ALSO OFFERS OTHER SERVICES TO IMPROVE YOUR
DIGITAL EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING:
Remediation
SMITH can help remediate existing Commerce Server solutions to improve performance and
extend the life of your investment. Using our Performance Lab, we can investigate bottlenecks
on your site with .NET profiler, SQL traces, performance counters and more. We can also
assess your site’s overall architecture, external dependencies and batch processing and
suggest ways to make them more efficient.
Finally, we’ll develop specific recommendations around how to increase maintainability and
boost the overall performance of your site, including upgrading from older architecture (Win32
to Win64) and older software — whether it’s Commerce Server, Windows or SQL.
Architectural Design Session
Should you require more assistance beyond remediating your existing solution or migrating to
the next version, we can also help you plan your next e-commerce solution. Our Architectural
Design team will guide you through an architectural design session to provide you withall the
guidance necessary before committing to a major e-commerce investment.
The final result of this three-day process is a formal report that provides chief technology
officers, architects, and senior members of your development team with architectural guidance,
preferred practices input, and risk analysis.
Hosting and Solution Support
SMITH has provided Commerce Server hosting and solution support since 2001. Whether
you have on-site hosting or need a fully managed and hosted solution, we can provide the
right level of support. Solution support gives you access to our expertise on an ad hoc basis to
respond and resolve application or environment support requests for the developed solution.
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Insights
Usability Impact Diagnostic Report
Before you decide to invest in a new e-commerce solution, we can help you assess the
usability of your current solution. Our team of experts will provide a rapid, hard-hitting usability
assessment of your desktop and mobile shopping experiences with recommendations you can
take to market immediately. Your impact diagnostic report will include: an assessment of the
current state of your digital experiences; prioritized recommendations and areas of opportunity
for web, social and mobile; quick-fix recommendations for immediate conversion impact; and
competitor comparisons to guide your decision making.
Brand & Engagement Strategy
We have launched brands from scratch, revived classics, and extended them to new channels
and devices. But at the end of the day, it is all about engagement. We can help you find the
perfect mix of traditional, social, mobile and other emerging mediums so that your brand is a rich
customer experience on relevant platforms, devices and channels.
Research & Analytics
The more you know about your customers the better – for them and you. That knowledge
comes from all points of customer engagement: research, marketing, sales, support data and,
now, socially networked consumer conversations. We plan and execute traditional and digital
research – qualitative and quantitative – and report back results and action items.
Optimization
Continuous improvement is the essence of strong site performance. Our team of industry
experts will work with you to review success metrics for your e-commerce strategy and establish
KPI targets to achieve your goals. From merchandising optimization to refined customer
journeys and marketing campaigns that deliver, we have the expertise to grow your digital
business across channels and devices, to measure and track site activities, to recommend new
tactics and strategies, and ultimately to optimize your site’s ROI.
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WHY CHOOSE SMITH?
Our unique depth of experience in .NET based content and commerce technology means we
can help you make the best choice based on your e-commerce needs, budget and timelines.
Additionally, SMITH has unparalleled expertise in delivering, managing, and hosting Microsoft
digital marketing solutions. Starting as a premier Microsoft Content Management consultancy
in the Pacific Northwest in 2001, SMITH has had a long and successful SharePoint practice,
resulting in the deployment of hundreds of intranets, extranets and public-facing web sites.
Through the acquisition of Cactus Commerce in 2011, we enjoyed a strategic partnership
agreement with Microsoft for commerce solutions as well. For three years, we partnered with
Microsoft in a joint development arrangement to build its flagship e-commerce platform –
Microsoft Commerce Server.
In November 2013, Sitecore acquired Commerce Server from SMITH to complete their
Customer Engagement Platform offering. Today, SMITH is a Sitecore Strategic Commerce
Alliance Partner, recognized by Sitecore for its exceptional knowledge and experience in the
area of e-commerce and content management.
SUMMARY
From the creation of engaging user experiences and identifying the specific requirements that
help differentiate your business to wiring up interactions with back-end systems and trading
partners, we understand what it takes to successfully deliver an end-to-end e-commerce
solution. We look forward to working with you to evaluate ways to improve and support your
existing Commerce Server solution, as well as to help you define and plan your next solution.
Contact us today by email: marketing@smith.co.
About SMITH
SMITH is one of North America’s leading digital experience agencies. Creators of transactional
brand moments for humans living in an allchannelworld, SMITH is proud to serve some
of the world’s most highly recognized brands, including Microsoft, AT&T, Cisco, Motorola,
Amtrak,Nestle, Sam’s Club, Xerox, and MasterCard. The company is headquartered in Seattle
and has offices in Atlanta, Portland, Spokane, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.smith.co.
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Learn More at www.smith.co
©2014 SMITH