*By Caio Klein
Companies have already understood that investing in technology has become crucial to remain competitive in the market, especially on dates with high demand, such as Black Friday. This need for technology arose mainly because digital customer service channels open up opportunities to reach audiences far beyond traditional physical stores. In e-commerce, for example, such a scenario is very significant, since the physical limitations imposed by a real store are no longer valid for this world. To give you an idea, Brazilian e-commerce closed the first half of 2022 with R＄ 118.6 billion in sales, pointing to a growth of 6% compared to 2021.
This year we still have an extra factor that contributes to the growth of e-commerce and, consequently, demands attention to the technical issues of websites. According to the Brazilian Retail Association (ABV), the combination of Black Friday and the World Cup at the same time of year should increase sales by 12%, the result could be the entry of up to R＄ 20 billion into the economy.
However, it is necessary to reflect and plan, so that a virtual store can operate properly, and have cutting-edge resources supporting the business as a whole. This is because computers have a limited amount of memory and processing power, which therefore need to be respected. For this, it is essential to have solutions that make the workload elastic and ready to scale in situations of peak visits, so that the store can accommodate a much larger number of customers.
The cloud as an ally of e-commerce
Undoubtedly, the migration to a cloud assumes an essential role when it comes to technologies to sustain a business. In general, the cloud is nothing more than a set of data centers managed by specialized companies in the sector. In this way, through the technologies that these organizations make available, it is possible to consume memory and computer processing in a much more dynamic way.
In other words, if a company's application demands more memory or processing, it is necessary to immediately request and receive the resources that are missing, since these "data centers" have massive amounts of resources and can allocate them for use when needed. required. This even helps to reduce costs, since the company will only pay for the time it is using this environment.
Thus, it is evident that online stores need to rely on a virtually infinite infrastructure through global cloud providers. This gives companies peace of mind that e-commerce will not be limited by scarce computing resources.
Challenges for companies that do not invest in the cloud
Assuming that virtual environments are infinite, the technology behind these environments is based on computers with real and limited resources. Without them, virtual stores do not exist, and no matter how small the virtual space that a digital visitor occupies in this system, it is necessary to count on preservation in the form of RAM memory, processing cycles and other processes that involve the manipulation of a digital order. For this reason, the cloud is definitely the best possible environment to accommodate the instantaneous growth of demands for computing resources.
Without the cloud, it would be necessary to buy the “hardware” necessary to meet the peak of demand on seasonal dates, there are several adversities in this task. Among them are: the fact that the company does not know exactly what the peak demand will be and the actual consumption of resources when it occurs, the knowledge that it is necessary to set up all the necessary automation for the application to benefit from the additional resources that the company is buying, as well as the need to shell out huge CAPEX to buy equipment that will be idle most of the time.
Systems integration: the key to e-commerce success
Digital transformation typically presents itself as new solutions, processes and systems that are integrated into the existing environment. The retail market, in particular, has been undergoing a very strong process of digitalization, since new sales channels, such as e-commerce or marketplaces, are CRM solutions that add personalization in dealing with the end customer, promoting efficiency. in purchases, sales and logistics, which are daily incorporated into the day-to-day activities of retailers.
All this innovation puts enormous pressure on the interconnection mechanisms of legacy systems that necessarily need to receive and consolidate information from the new digital channels. Therefore, in a highly interconnected environment such as e-commerce, it is imperative that the integration can scale along with your application, allowing you to interact with all the blocks and auxiliary services that guarantee the success of the virtual store.
Another critical point is related to knowing how to use all the resources. What many do not know is that it is not necessary, for example, to set up its own logistics network to deliver goods. Currently, there are already companies specializing in this service, optimizing the entire logistics process, covering important steps such as means of payment, tax calculations, inventory management and so on.
Security in e-commerce
Just as physical stores require protection, virtual stores and systems also need protection. safety, as vulnerabilities grow as the system becomes more scalable and robust. In this sense, having a security scheme designed to protect and monitor the virtual environments of e-commerce can be the key to the success of the operation.
Part of it is usually defined by processes and procedures, but another significant part is assembled by tools that help in the prevention, monitoring and mitigation of possible attacks. After all, would you set up an infinitely large store without having guards, security cameras and electronic sensors scattered all over the place? In the virtual universe the threat is similar, which is why cybersecurity is so important.
In addition, during times of high demand, systems become more fragile to the action of malicious agents, increasing the need for investments in cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions to deal with these attacks, monitoring and protecting online operations.
To evade cyberattacks, it is necessary to assess the risk posture of companies' IT environments. Services such as penetration and/or intrusion testing mimic the actions of a hacker and are important for identifying security gaps. Therefore, creating and establishing an information security awareness program with your employees and managers is another point that greatly contributes to risk mitigation.
In short, all these topics are directly linked to the objective that companies most desire: conquering and retaining customers. To make the online experience a positive differentiator, companies need to leverage investment in technologies responsible for interacting with consumers. Only then will they be prepared and protected to serve their customers with excellence not only on Black Friday, but at any time of the year.
*Caio Klein is CPO of Sky.One
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
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