Maturing E-Commerce Options for Microsoft Dynamics Raise the Bar for Success

If you are a Microsoft Dynamics customer with an e-commerce initiative, a visually appealing web site may be the least of your worries. 

More daunting, often, are the constant demands to update things like sales strategy, customer service, cloud services usage, XRM capabilities, and ISV add-on solutions. 

And as many businesses now realize, if you're doing e-commerce correctly, then execution should probably be as straight forward as any other sales channel by taking advantage of the latest capabilities of Microsoft and its partners.

[Editor's note: This piece is the first in an occasional series examining e-commerce strategies and solutions for Microsoft Dynamics.]

"Organizations with e-commerce initiatives face a flurry of competitive forces that challenge existing assumptions put in place a decade ago," according to R "Ray" Wang, Principal Analyst and CEO at Constellation Research Group.

That means organizations must enhance product offerings with services, improve the customer experience to ensure loyalty and tailor personalized experiences that support self-service options and mobility. In addition, Wang believes that as customers have shifted their buying behaviors, organizations can use social channels to better engage those customers.

Because customer behaviors have evolved, companies must relearn and reengage to revive their e-commerce initiatives. "They should establish trust, not obfuscate through half-truths," Wang said. "They should focus on influence, not an attempt at regaining control. Consequently, e-commerce must play a key role in the transformation of the customer's buying experience."

Microsoft positions the Dynamics product line's e-commerce capabilities in terms of creating a secure storefront and enabling effective communication among business team members and external partners. &...