Perficient recognized as IBM's 2019 Watson Commerce Business Partner of the Year
St. Louis-based Perficient was recognized by computing giant IBM for its thought leadership in the e-commerce platform, and its excellence in delivering IBM Watson Commerce-built solutions to businesses. The award was announced at IBM’s flagship tech conference Think 2019, which was held in San Francisco from February 12-15.
Perficient has helped numerous global 2000 and large enterprise customers digitally transform their commerce with the IBM commerce solution. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers are under a lot of pressure to shift to online purchasing, and the consulting firm’s IBM software-based solutions help them effectively transform.
The IBM Watson Commerce platform allows companies to deliver seamless omnichannel experience with relevant marketing and promotions, effective order management and fulfilment, and stellar digital journeys with personalized content to boost conversion rates.
Seamless omnichannel experiences are critical in today’s consumer-driven world, according to Steve Gatto, national sales director of Perficient Digital's commerce solutions. “Together with our clients, we’re transforming businesses in a way that not only drives growth but strengthens their overall brand, and we continually evolving our offerings to keep customers at the top of their game,” he said. “We’re honored to be recognized by IBM, and we’re looking forward to sharing our innovative solutions during IBM Think 2019.”
Digital commerce consulting helps companies stay abreast of the massive changes wrought by online shifts. In one client engagement with a fabric retailer, Perficient used the IBM commerce platform to provide up-to-date inventory visibility, as well as clearer tracking of product quantity, location, and availability. The consultancy also performed a cloud migration to create a single view of supply and demand, and to upgrade customers' in-store and call center experience.
In another engagement, Perficient revamped the ordering process through an IBM-powered business-to-business portal. The IBM order management system implementation gave the client greater flexibility in order management, as well as greater reliability in processing and fulfilment.
“Perficient has been deploying IBM Commerce solutions for nearly 20 years, providing end-to-end digital commerce solutions that encompass multiple channels, and deliver seamless and efficient experiences across their entire enterprise,” Sameer Peera, general manager of Perficient’s commerce practice, said.
Head in the cloud
In December, IBM announced the $1.8 billion sale of a portion of its software product lineup – including its on-premises commerce software – to India-based HCL Technologies. The deal is expected to close in mid-2019.
IBM is looking to position itself in the hybrid cloud market, as evidenced by itsr $33 billion purchase of cloud provider Red Hat in October. IBM has seen the upstart cloud services of Amazon AWS and Microsoft eat into the sales of much of its existing hardware, software, and services. As such, it purchased Red Hat to become a credible cloud player.
The commerce software divestment by IBM means that 2019 is likely the last time any organization can win the title of IBM Watson Commerce Business Partner of the Year.
“With the recent news that HCL took over development of IBM WebSphere Portal, IBM Web Content Management and Web Experience Factory, our clients continue to engage us for help with their digital commerce strategies,” Peera said. “We’re pleased to be their go-to partner as they navigate the changing market landscape and deliver for their customers.”
Perficient is also a Red Hat Premier Partner, meaning it is well-placed to help clients implement the cloud solutions of the new IBM property. An IBM Global Elite Partner and Platinum Business Partner, Perficient has won more than 30 awards during its 20-year partnership with the company.
Related: Perficient launches dedicated Digital Health service line
