How to build the perfect retail tech stack with MyDeal.com.au

Suhaib Anwar, Head of Growth & Martech, MyDeal.com.au is the marketing master that has taken MyDeal.com from start-up status to eCommerce superstardom in little over a decade. In 2022 Woolworths acquired a majority stake in the business, since then, MyDeal has established a huge presence in the Australian market.

In this exclusive interview, Suhaib shares what he considers to be critical considerations every brand should make when choosing their tech stack and the building blocks needed when envisioning the future. We discuss why personalisation is such a crucial part of their business strategy, how to achieve a comprehensive, self-sustaining review eco-system that’s mutually beneficial for both consumers and brands as well as why you mustn’t get distracted by the “nice-to-haves” and instead should focus on getting the foundations right.

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career journey at MyDeal.com.au

I come with almost 20 years of experience as a data-driven marketer and am currently, responsible for the Growth and Martech function at MyDeal.com.au. I have been a part of the company since its early days as I joined right after the company's first funding round and have had the pleasure to watch it grow exponentially ever since.

I am also responsible for driving customer growth by establishing a personalised customer experience across multiple touch points including spearheading SEM, Email, Push, SMS and other digital marketing channels. My thorough understanding of the digital landscape and expertise in leveraging customer data has allowed me to post significant growth in today's challenging and rapidly evolving digital landscape.

2. Since awarded Best Marketplace 2022 at the Nora Solution Partner Awards, what is the vision that you are working towards in 2023 and beyond?

Our vision is to become the most favoured marketplace in Australia by offering Australian consumers the best prices on everyday items they need and want while delivering superior customer experience at every touch point. We strive to create a seamless and personalised online shopping experience, backed by a knowledgeable and friendly customer service team, and reliable delivery logistics.

Our goal is to build trust and loyalty with our customers and become their go-to destination for all their shopping needs.

3. How are you converting real-time analytics into real-time actions at MyDeal.com.au?

Data is the key driving force behind all of our actions. Over a period of time, we have developed sophisticated systems to capture user engagement data and we use that data to nudge users across the purchase journey. Web personalization, Emails, Push Notifications and SMS are all the channels we use to prompt users to carry out a purchase.

Personalisation has become a crucial part of the online retail experience. In this day and age, most users expect to see everything tailored to their tastes, but with online retail, nobody wants to spend time updating their preferences. Instead, we capture and utilise all user engagement data that we can get resulting in a continuous customer profile buildup leading to a more personalized experience with each interaction. And that is only possible with real-time data activation.

4. What are three key steps for retailers to upgrade their tech stack for the next generation of retail media technology?

There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into consideration before onboarding a new tech stack for retail media technology:-

Goals and Objectives: First and foremost, identify the primary use or main use cases that you want to accomplish. The goal should be to get a stack that not only fulfils current use cases efficiently but can be scalable for future expansion. There would always be a choice between a stack that is really feature-rich and one which fulfils your main use case. The aim should always be to focus on the problem that you want to solve and not get distracted by the “nice-to-haves”. If you could find one which offers both then that would be ideal.

Data Collection and Security: On the Martech side of things, the tech stack is as good as the data it can capture. In this post-privacy compliance era, data collection can also be a little tricky, so you have to map out what data you want to collect and how effectively you would be able to do it. As that would be the main driving force behind activation.

It is also important to keep data security at the top of your mind, especially when you are sharing Personal Identifiable Information (PII) or other sensitive data.

Ease of Use: At the end of the day if the stack is not user-friendly or the learning curve is too high then you can not take full advantage of the system. Because in the end, people who are using it on a daily basis, onboarding partners and managing placements would need a complete understanding of the system to enhance the performance of the channel.

5. How can retailers they make their insider processes as smooth as they are trying to make their customer experience?

Behind a winning customer experience, there’s always a dedicated team working cohesively towards a common goal. So, investing in the right talent and building seamless internal processes to accomplish your goals is the key to success.

One simple output is dependent upon output from different functions of the business. A single email sent out from our business goes through several channels before the final output is sent out. It starts from onboarding a deal, working through compliance, and going through the entire merchandising process to eventually get to the eDM team to execute. Each business function although having its own objectives eventually produces outputs to be utilised for the other department.

Project management software such as Monday, Asana or Trello are very useful in tracking and reporting the progress of each function. An organised platform automatically pushes the team towards optimising and improving their internal processes and makes the whole process a lot more collaborative.

6. There’s only so much a retailer can diversify its product offering, so how does diversification from retail into tech services benefit a business?

Being a marketplace with millions of SKUs, we curate our product offerings very carefully. Our sole emphasis is on transparency so that customers can make informed decisions and enjoy the full value of the product. We have managed to achieve that by utilising a very comprehensive product review ecosystem that allows customers to share their experience not only about the products but also about the delivery and service they get with them.

This also opens up another data dimension on product offering quality which feeds into other systems like- internal search, product recommendations and overall product discoverability. All of this is done through different Martech stacks. The seamless integration of all the stacks and extensive data sharing enables our customers to find the best product offering for their needs.

7. Take us through some of the recent software adoption patterns you’ve been observing in the retail market?

The retail market is constantly evolving, and one of the most significant trends in recent years has been the adoption of software solutions that enable retailers to provide a more seamless and personalised shopping experience for their customers. These solutions come in many forms, including e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, and in-store technology.

At the heart of these solutions is the ability to gather data and insights about customer behaviour, preferences, and purchase history. By leveraging this data, retailers can create more personalised experiences for their customers, such as recommending products based on their browsing history or purchase behaviour.

In addition to improving the customer experience, these solutions can also help retailers streamline their operations and increase efficiency. For example, analytics tools can provide insights into sales trends and help retailers make informed decisions about pricing and promotions.

Overall, the trend towards the adoption of solutions in the retail market is driven by a desire to create a more customer-centric shopping experience while improving operational efficiency. As technology continues to evolve, retailers will need to stay up to date with the latest innovations in order to remain competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers.

8. What is your advice for someone looking to add a new system to their retail tech stack?

Adopting a new technology can be really tricky. So, one piece of advice that I always give out is to understand your business requirements and map out all use cases very carefully. The way to do that is to bring all stakeholders into the discussion and never forget your tech resources because they are the ones who will eventually make it work.

Once that is done reach out to at least 3-4 providers in that niche. Every provider has a slightly different approach to achieving the end goal, but you have to see it in action to identify what suits you best.

Also, get a deep understanding of the limitations of the systems that you are signing up to. Maybe the solution works for your Today’s needs but it has to be scalable for future growth.

Lastly, don't compromise on the support from the solution provider. You will always need expert support to solve your day-to-day challenges. You need to look for a solution provider who is invested in your success.

9. What are some of the key topics which you are keen to listen to during the eTail Asia?

The entire eTail Asia event looks very exciting but I am really looking forward to joining the sessions on building scalable tech stacks and hyper-personalisation. It is always great to listen to industry leaders and professionals on how they tackle modern-day retail challenges.

10. And why must people not miss the eTail Asia this year?

Being the leading e-commerce and digital marketing conference for retailers in Asia, eTail Asia gives people like me the opportunity to network, learn about the latest trends, gain inspiration and witness the latest technologies from industry experts and solution providers. It's a valuable event for retailers who want to improve their e-commerce and digital marketing strategies. Therefore, I would strongly recommend retailers from all over to join and listen to industry experts share their experiences. Also, with such a star-studded lineup of industry experts this year, I can already feel that it is going to be a valuable learning experience.