Solving the biggest global retail challenges with Google Cloud and Teamwork Commerce

Editor’s note: To kick off the new year and in preparation for NRF The Big Show, we invited partners from across our retail ecosystem to share stories, best practices, and tips and tricks on how they are helping retailers transform during a time that continues to see tremendous change. Please enjoy this entry from our partner.

Retailers are facing unique challenges in today's retail landscape. Customer behavior is rapidly changing and well-established retail organizations cannot rely on their old ways of operating. The world has seen accelerated changes in customer behavior in the last few years - with things like Buy Online Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) quickly becoming the standard of omnichannel retailers. Now we are seeing physical retail remaining stronger than expected. In addition, direct-to-consumer eCommerce brands are opening stores for the first time. As a result, retailers must invest in technology that is flexible enough to face the new challenges of the future. 

Breaking Down Data Silos

Paul Stuart is an 84-year-old American brand that offers exclusive and custom-tailored clothing, sportswear, footwear, and accessories for men and women. Using legacy technology, Paul Stuart faced challenges with inventory management, customer data information, and inventory optimization in their stores. Access to data - including measurements and order status, is paramount to providing the best customer experience for their global client base. 

Paul Stuart merged the in-store and eCommerce operations with Teamwork Commerce, a cloud-based solution powered by Google Cloud. By implementing a cloud-based solution, Paul Stuart's associates have vital data at their fingertips. They gained the ability to fulfill orders quickly, no matter the channel, using the secure CRM and real-time inventory functionality of Teamwork's order management system. 

By deploying Teamwork's robust platform, Paul Stuart has changed the customer experience in all stores; brick-and-mortar and eCommerce, since they are fully connected with a Google Cloud-backed solution. 

Meet Demand at Scale 

Many retailers face the challenge of meeting increased demand during peak times. Expandable resources during peak times are essential to eCommerce brands with big sales, exclusive launches and product drops. Teamwork moved to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) to assist with the increase of website users around the holidays. GKE has allowed Teamwork clients not to overload the system when thousands of people are shopping that big sale or performing tasks like checking their gift card balances.

Retailers like Catbird, one of the world's leading ethically sourced jewelry brands, see massive fluctuations in order volume during peak times. As a result, Catbird adopted Teamwork Commerce technology, which relies entirely on GKE, to give retailers access to an expansive fulfillment network to meet customer demand. 

Teamwork utilizes Google BigQuery, Cloud Composer, and Looker to provide its clients with instant responses to any analytical query and to help bring the power of data-driven decisions to all aspects of business operations. In addition, clients can utilize ML models with BigQuery ML and Vertex AI to solve demand forecasting problems connected to replenishment, assortment planning, and product allocation.

Global Expansion Means Adapting Fast

Compliance is becoming more and more crucial in different regions. Teamwork Commerce's global Cloud Headquarters (CHQ) runs on Google Cloud, allowing retailers to house their data appropriately, depending on the location of their physical stores, to stay compliant with local laws and regulations. Teamwork clients can rest assured that their future growth is supported by Google Cloud’s growing global coverage. As of October 2022, Google Cloud is available in 35 regions and 106 zones across over 200 countries and territories. Google Cloud’s massive global infrastructure is designed to deliver software solutions like Teamwork Commerce to clients, no matter where they are around the world.

Teamwork Commerce's Secure CRM solution provides the highest level of security to protect customer data. In addition, the platform is completely GDPR compliant and constantly evolving. The Google Cloud platform makes customer data accessible on all retail channels, enabling engagement and customer-centric sales journeys. 

With Teamwork Commerce and Google Cloud, global retailers are positioned to stay ahead of the competition with the foundational strength to solve complex issues using exciting and easy-to-deploy technology.