Marketing Techstack Orchestration for eCommerce Companies with $100M+ Annual Turnover

Basic eCommerce Marketing techstack usually comprises of one or multiple of the following tools:

Basic eCommerce Marketing techstack usually comprises of one or multiple of the following tools:

• Email & SMS Marketing Platform (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Braze)

• Reporting Platform (Google Analytics, Mixpanel)

• Website Personalization & A/B Testing (Optimizely)

• Product Recommendations (Dynamic Yield, Nosto)

• Search (Algolia, Luigi’sBox)

• CDP (Segment)

• Data Warehouse (Google BigQuery, Snowflake)

You can read more on 8 Essential Marketing Tool Categories for eCommerce Titans here.

If one were to create a graphical representation of the data flow within the fundamental eCommerce marketing technology stack, it could potentially resemble the following:

1. Basic Marketing Techstack - without CDP platform

The primary drawback of this strategy lies in the dispersion of data across various marketing platforms, resulting in the absence of a consolidated "source of truth." This fragmentation can make it extremely challenging, if not impossible, to ensure a cohesive experience for an individual customer across all touchpoints.

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2. “Frankenstein” Techstack - with CDP platform

The majority of shortcomings associated with the Basic eCommerce technology stack can be addressed through the implementation of a Customer Data Platform (CDP).

A CDP facilitates the consolidation of data from every marketing channel into a “single customer view”, thereby establishing a unified source of truth accessible to the entire marketing team. It enables the creation of customer segments within the platform, which can then be distributed to all marketing tools, fostering a consistent customer experience across all marketing channels.

The integration of a CDP into a marketing technology stack can be represented as follows:

A crucial feature of a robust Customer Data Platform (CDP) is its ability to track and retain the activities of anonymous users—individuals who engage with a website but cannot be identified via their email addresses. It's worth noting that typically, over 80% of eCommerce traffic can comprise these anonymous users. Without the capability to track and store their data, exploiting it for website personalization, machine learning, or analytical purposes becomes unattainable.

One significant drawback of this approach is the necessity to manage data flows between the CDP and other marketing platforms. Based on our experience, standard integrations offered by these platforms rarely meet the requirements of advanced analytical or personalization use cases. Custom coding is typically needed in these situations.

We refer to this setup as the "Frankenstein" tech stack. This is because it involves selecting individual vendors for each marketing function and then "stitching" them together, with the aim is to create a cohesive system that facilitates a consistent, personalized experience across all marketing channels and offers deeper insights into customer behavior.

There's another eCommerce marketing configuration that warrants consideration.

3. “The Ecosystem” Techstack - with CDXP platform

The Customer Data Experience Platform (CDXP) is a comprehensive solution that consolidates the functionalities of five or more standalone marketing tools into one integrated system. Bloomreach Engagement, a frontrunner in this field, amalgamates a diverse array of tools, including:

• CDP,

• Email & SMS platform,

• Website personalisation & A/B testing,

• Reporting platform,

• Product Recommendations

We compare this techstack approach to the Apple ecosystem, wherein both the hardware and software of all devices are crafted by Apple, ensuring a seamlessly integrated and cohesive user experience.

There are two primary benefits of adopting this approach.

1. Firstly, it's likely to be more cost-effective to maintain a single platform as opposed to five separate marketing tools.

2. Secondly, the need to manage data flow among individual systems is eliminated, reducing maintenance efforts.

The drawback of this approach is that Bloomreach must excel across six platforms rather than mastering just one.

For instance, Bloomreach Engagement offers fewer email and website popup banner templates compared to specialized vendors like Klaviyo, which concentrate solely on a single channel. In Bloomreach Engagement, you can also craft any email design or popup to suit your preferences. However, there are currently fewer out-of-the-box options available.

Based on our experience, platforms like Klaviyo or Attentive tend to be more "marketer-friendly." They're more intuitive for teams lacking technical expertise, such as HTML, CSS, or Javascript. However, with tools like Klaviyo, you'll hit the ceiling of their capabilities quicker, compared to Bloomreach Engagement, which offers a broader scope of possibilities.

4. The Ultimate Techstack - with GCP

The capabilities of a CDXP can be significantly enhanced by integrating a Cloud Platform, with our preferred choice being Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

GCP facilitates the development of top-tier eCommerce reporting and enables a range of sophisticated applications. These include advanced email automation, data anomaly detection, and customer clustering analysis made possible through GCP's Machine Learning module.

The schematic representation of an advanced eCommerce marketing technology stack is as follows:

We'd value your input!

Which approach do you believe is superior? 'The Frankenstein' tech stack, where you select a distinct vendor for each marketing function, or 'The Ecosystem' model as provided by companies like Bloomreach Engagement?

Help us understand why in the comments below.

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