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On a recent spring afternoon, I took a walk to one of my local coffee shops. I was eager to get outside, enjoy the weather, and in a small way do my part to support the local community. Satiating my caffeine craving would need to wait just a little longer than usual. My normal haunt, located closer to home, was shuttered until further notice.
Like much of the country, many of Denver’s small and medium-sized businesses were forced to close to slow the spread of COVID-19. Some companies were better prepared to adapt to this new reality. While food and beverage establishments were no longer serving customers in-house, they were allowed to continue to offer delivery, window, walk-up, and drive-through service.
Prepared for Challenges
As I neared the coffee shop I pulled out my phone and looked up their menu online. A couple of taps later and my Americano and snack were in my cart. My payment information was securely saved and the checkout process was encrypted over HTTPS. A note confirmed my order would be ready in minutes.
Stepping into the café I was greeted with a warm welcome, a sparsely populated space and my order was on the counter. The exchange was easy and contactless. I thanked them and promised to return.
On my walk home I reflected on my shopping experience. I was encouraged by how some businesses, by being prepared, have managed to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Keeping their businesses afloat, while supporting their employees and communities through turbulent times.
Establishing a presence and conducting commerce online is all but a requirement today. In good times and bad, it is critical to be available to customers where they shop.
The local coffee shop that I supported was prepared and quick to act when faced with today’s challenge. They launched an email marketing campaign appealing to customers to purchase gift certificates, followed up by emails with specials and promotions, and highlighted the ease of their contactless order process. They were set up for omni-channel retail and were better positioned to weather the storm.
Prepared for Growth
Doing business online is not just a backup plan that positions companies to overcome challenges. It sets the stage to allow middle-market firms to grow and thrive in good times, as well as bad.
Opening new locations, reaching into new target markets, optimizing operations, and improving a firm’s bottom line all become much more manageable goals as information is organized and data is shared across silos to facilitate commerce and inform decision making.
Launching a web store is another sales channel. It can grow sales and act as a backup in bad times. It can also be a stepping stone to catapult a business towards exponential growth. A web store backed by an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can uncover new insights and help a firm understand its business on a completely different level.
Enter Sana Commerce, powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) is not just a point of sales system (POS). As an ERP, D365 offers a complete toolbox: support for back-office operations for finance and operations, sales and customer relationship management (CRM), dashboards and metrics to support customer acquisition and retention, among other features
Pairing your D365 ERP with a multi-web store capable e-commerce solutions such as Sana Commerce invites a whole new level of success.
Sana plugs into D365 seamlessly, allowing your firm to power one or more multi-form factor web stores, with real-time data, directly from your ERP. Sana simplifies the speed to market helping you launch your first store in weeks. For more complex implementations Sana is flexible and allows for custom web store development to support your needs.
Setting Your Business up For Success!
Whether it’s weathering the storm or growing your business, having an e-commerce partner that can understand your business, your industry and the technical landscape is invaluable. RSM US has a wealth of experience working with myriad ERP systems and implementing e-commerce solutions for the middle-market, across market segments.
We encourage you to reach out to us and see how we can help. Whether it’s plugging in Sana Commerce to your existing ERP architecture or bringing your business onto an ERP we will help guide you in the right direction.
RSM US offers end to end e-commerce and digital marketing capabilities, with over twelve years of experience. Our team has helped numerous clients in the B2B and B2C space, with integrating various third-party e-commerce platforms, from POS to ERP, extending and customizing ERP systems, developing ground-up solutions for your web store or customer portal, designing intuitive and inviting user interfaces and launching engaging digital campaigns.
Zach Oxman
Growing the Sana Commerce practice at RSM US - Over 15 years of full stack software development experience - Ground-up and ERP backed e-commerce solution expertise - Lead developer and architect
