Creatuity: Modernizing Retail Strategies with Omnichannel Solutions

It has been interesting to watch the shifts in retail and e-commerce over the last five years as consumer behaviors and innovative technology continue to shape the industry. With global brands that have proven to be a massive force in the market, companies of all shapes and sizes have had to adapt their mindset toward an omni-channel approach. No longer can the stores survive by focusing their efforts in a single silo, like brick and mortar locations or an online presence; instead, businesses need to embrace the new reality of the e-commerce landscape to keep up with consumer demands. Buyers want what they want when they want it, and retailers without the right processes and platforms in place are inept to meet these needs.

Recognizing the far-reaching changes in the retail space, Joshua Warren launched Creatuity; a Texas-based company focused on delivering value, efficiency, and growth to e-commerce businesses of all sizes. As the Founder and CEO, Warren understands that businesses wanting to survive in today’s retail space have to do more than simply embrace the best technology or the right products. There is a pressing need for differentiation among retailers, both at physical locations and online, as consumers are inundated with options for where and how they buy. Creatuity, with its all in-house team of seasoned experts, offers a necessary hand in the often complex process of helping brands adapt to consumer desires through a suite of tailored Magento products and services.

A Full Scope of E-commerce Solutions

“In recent years, we’ve seen several companies moving away from models where everything was siloed off, creating an opportunity for the business to stand out among consumers, especially around in-store and online experiences,” says Warren. While some companies have overcome the recent shifts and enhanced their processes to deliver exceptional customer experiences, some brands have found it difficult to merge legacy systems with customer and product data to meet the needs. “To respond adequately to new demands, companies have to utilize technology to compete with major players in the space,” Warren adds. Creatuity helps retailers of any size offer a major brand experience with technology-driven tools that are advanced, affordable, and easy to implement.

Creatuity bases each of its retailer services on the Magento platform as an Enterprise partner, and offers e-commerce clients solutions to design a new Magento site, support an existing Magento site, or optimize e-commerce growth with the help of Magento tools. One or a combination of these updated components in a business can provide that extra edge toward staying relevant in today’s saturated marketplace. Warren explains, “The biggest brands have been using Magento platform, which includes their entire suite of products.

From order management to business intelligence, upgrading these elements will allow the systems to talk to each other with ease, and that helps retailers adapt quickly.” Moving e-commerce businesses to an omnichannel structure with an integrated Magento platform not only helps transform the customer experience, but it also improves the company’s internal experience dramatically.

Creatuity does not give every e-commerce client a one-size-fits-all solution but instead works to fully understand the business needs as well as the needs of its customers. Warren states, “We hold a discovery workshop with each of our clients to spark conversations among different departments. In some cases, the head of retail and the head of e-commerce may feel as though they are competing with one another. We help change that mindset and develop a solution that turns each store, site, or department into a mini fulfillment center.” The discovery workshop sets Creatuity apart from other Magento providers, as it provides a unique opportunity to change how teams within a company define their roles and how those roles impact the total business. Once there is a clear understanding of the underlying needs of the e-commerce brand, Creatuity can map out which parts of the Magento product portfolio are best equipped to solve the business problem. Warren states, “Spending time on-site with our customers is a great way to build a customized plan that we can then design and implement.”

The Creatuity team can identify technical and business requirements throughout the discovery process as well, a crucial aspect of a system upgrade or overall change. The day to day integration work is all managed by the company’s in-house Magento experts, and ongoing support is available for each project. Warren explains another differentiating factor on which Creatuity is built, stating, “We’re always thinking about what’s next, even before we have launched a new site or enhanced an in-store experience. Our team can see where there are opportunities to increase revenue, deliver on improvements, train staff and sales teams, or implement marketing campaigns.” In addition to these beneficial aspects, Creatuity’s e-commerce clients have access to an open-ended contract, meaning they can get help as needed.

Success in Embracing Omnichannel

Creatuity has had several success stories in bringing retailers and e-commerce businesses into the modern world of omnichannel infrastructure. Recently, a large farm and home store with a thriving website and over 100 retail stores, Rural King, came to the company with the challenge of streamlining its in-store and online customer experience. Warren states, “Rural King was doing the technology side of the business well, but there were so many different silos and pieces to the operations puzzle.”

After determining the company’s end-goal for its customers, Creatuity was able to deploy an e-commerce, business intelligence, and order management solution on the Magento platform. In doing so, Rural King allows its customers to find a local store, see what they have in stock, purchase online, and have it shipped to their home or the store for pickup. Warren explains, “It was a significant improvement, and the company is seeing a noticeable shift in store behaviors based on that customer experience change.”

Part of the benefit of using Magento solutions is that they are what Warren calls the latest and greatest when it comes to features. Retailers and e-commerce businesses can offer a rich, engaging experience to customers no matter where they are or how they view brand information or products. Whether it is on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone, customers can quickly interact with the retailer to see what’s available, how it can be purchased and delivered, and recommended products that align with that purchase. These technology upgrades keep brands top of mind for consumers, which allow Creatuity’s clients to stay competitive and relevant.

"We are always questioning what is happening in the industry, and we have positioned ourselves to be there before the realization of a new solution is widespread"

Preparing for the Future of Retail Business

Creatuity was born out of a need for robust e-commerce solutions, and Magento is a powerful partner to enable those solutions. Warren has built a team of Magento experts that know the features of each product inside and out, making the process of designing and implementing solutions for clients simple. The success of Creatuity can be attributed to its team members and the diversity they can leverage. Because Creatuity consists of individuals who have owned their own e-commerce businesses, worked in customer service and fulfillment roles, and been on the front lines of development, the discussion of new projects always results in different perspectives. These varied viewpoints are at the core of how Creatuity solves the business problems facing e-commerce and retail companies today.

The roadmap for Creatuity is promising, as Warren explains what’s coming in the near future. “We are always questioning what is happening in the industry, and we have positioned ourselves to be there before the realization of a new solution is widespread.” Recently, Creatuity has embarked on projects involving the management of product data through a new partnership with Akeneo. The research and development investment there is focused on connecting with a platform so that retailers can merge systems and data sets from multiplesources to improve upon store and customer experiences. Also, the company is exploring methods to bring the newest technology to legacy systems to keep adaptation of new retail and e-commerce trends affordable and feasible for clients. Warren concludes, “retail and e-commerce are constantly changing, and technology is in the middle of that. We are excited to have a job that helps retailers improve their business through modernization, keep customers engaged with their brand, and ultimately, generate more revenue.”