Listen to this articleGroupBy Inc. was founded in 2013 on the promise of transforming the way businesses interact with their customers online through data-driven commerce software solutions. Through its SaaS software, GroupBy’s technology powers relevant eCommerce websites, while reducing manual effort. GroupBy’s software provides features for data enrichment, search, navigation, personalization, merchandising, SEO, search autocomplete and headless CMS.
GroupBy helps many of the world’s leading online retailers, distributors and manufacturers drive more targeted site traffic, boost order values and increase revenues.
Below is our recent interview with Roland Gossage, CEO of GroupBy Inc.:
Q: What do you feel is one of the biggest challenges facing the eCommerce industry right now?
Roland Gossage: COVID-19. In the United States alone, the number of online shoppers increased by 30%, a number that was not expected until 2022. Home-bound buyers today have really no option other than to buy through eCommerce. While an uptick in online shoppers is good for the industry, it also brings some challenges with it. For instance, in 2021, a major test will come from higher customer expectations, as well as continued uncertainty about things like logistics, delivery and transparency. For eCommerce stores, transparency is going to be key. Buyers are also going to want a more customized shopping experience, and so I think eCommerce players are going to have to step up to the plate and find innovative solutions that meet customer expectations.
Q: Can you give us some insight as to what GroupBy’s SaaS package offers?
Roland Gossage: We are a provider of user journey software. Conventionally, everyone thinks of us as search, but we do a lot more than that. Everything from data extraction, enrichment, search, merchandizing, as well as SEO and CMS. So, we really try to encapsulate the entire user journey, optimize it and help B2B companies get through this journey to digitize what they’re doing and to create a highly modern approach to their customers and distribution.
Q: It’s hard to ignore Amazon’s massive presence and influence on customers. What is Amazon doing that other eCommerce stores are not?
Roland Gossage: Everybody has experience using Amazon. So everybody is familiar with that platform. Amazon has really increased the speed and pace of the digital marketplace, and they’ve made the stakes higher to where eCommerce platforms have to perform with the same level of digital connectivity to succeed. Why does Amazon stand out? For one, the eCommerce giant has created an outstanding user experience. This makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for. Furthermore, it allows more conversions, and more conversions result in more sales. In eCommerce, user experience is key.
Q: For eCommerce, what is the importance in using technologies to automate?
Roland Gossage: With all the complexity of eCommerce and to ensure you maximize on the opportunities, implementing the right technology is key. I’m talking about content management systems, backend eCommerce platforms, logistics, and more. eCommerce players need to be able to incorporate a single source to ensure a seamless integration with their other technologies, so that they can in turn maximize efficiency. Technology like artificial intelligence (AI) is proven to work much faster than people. Fast solutions are exactly what the industry needs right now, especially since everyone is flocking online to make purchases.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
Roland Gossage: I am looking forward to the future of eCommerce. For our company, we’re proud to have recently partnered with SaaS SEO platform Authoritas, which will add SEO functionality to the GroupBy suite. Late last year, we also partnered with Zesty.io to create a unique solution to dramatically increase page speeds on eCommerce websites. All in all, GroupBy is just happy to be able to help eCommerce websites provide a seamless shopping experience, and our goal is to keep doing what we’re doing and to improve our offerings even further in the future.
