PIVOT – E-Commerce Lessons from a Friends Episode

Starting an e-Commerce business can be very satisfying and financially enriching. It’s certainly a worthwhile project for many reasons, but it can be a long and hard process. It starts with lots of planning, shopping around, and involves the input from executives, IT, marketing, retail, finance, etc. It’s a huge decision that affects people across the business. You have to define requirements, design the process and experience, think about the technology involved, logistics, marketing, and sales. There needs to be a change in mindset to succeed in the e-Commerce space.

The right solution may have been found; it’s the “dream website”. But then there’s the investment of actually implementing such a solution with all the customizations you want and having it integrated with the ERP system. You’re investing in new technologies and people to provide the services to maintain it.

You have to commit all the way. Let’s draw on the Friends episode, “The One with the Cop” where Ross buys a new couch, for inspiration and a little help to explain.

We see Ross finding the perfect couch.

This is like finding the right e-Commerce solution for your business.

Ross balks at the price for delivery. That’s ridiculous. His apartment is 2 blocks away. He clearly hasn’t really considered the whole problem.

You balk at the price for implementing such a solution the right way, even though it is less work for you. You start to evaluate other options in getting this e-Commerce platform but cheaper (not easier, mind you, as you will soon see).

Ross and Rachel carry the couch, even though they’re not best-suited for this job. It’s not that heavy, but anyone who has moved anything in their life will tell you that the longer you hold something, the heavier it is. But they do it.

You find a way to implement the solution, even if you don’t necessarily have the expertise or the qualifications.

Ross and Rachel get it inside the building.Ross draws a plan on how to move the couch around the stairs. There’s a plan, with a diagram!

You devise a plan. It looks like it’ll work. There’s a diagram! (Maybe. Whatever floats your boat.)

Ross has Rachel (she’s just available) and recruits Chandler, who wasn’t even his first choice for help. Let’s remember that none of them have experience in moving a couch, especially up a flight of stairs.

You have a team to help you. You recruit some other people for good measure. Are they qualified or are they simply available?

They start moving the couch and it looks like they’ll get it up the stairs and around the corner (remember, there’s a diagram). Ross yells “PIVOT! PIVOT!” They’re changing gears, getting it up the stairs. But then it gets stuck. No matter how hard they try, the couch is stuck. (Note: yelling PIVOT many times will not change facts.)

You start to implement your solution. Maybe it’s some “creative” coding meant to integrate it with your back-end system. It’s a mish-mash of different ideas meant to connect as one. If one thing doesn’t work, it’s fixed by putting a band-aid solution on top. But it’s just not working and you’re stuck. You have the vision of what you want, but somehow it just doesn’t add up. You can’t just change gears, or pivot, easily when everything is already in motion. It’s difficult when you’re this far in the game with so many components and factors to consider. It’s not completely impossible though if you read on and see how Ross gets the couch out (though it’s not an ideal solution).

Ross ends up back at the furniture store. The couch is cut in half. He wants to exchange it for a couch that is not cut in half. He gets $4 worth of store credit.

Now you may not have a couch that is cut in half, but you have a solution that doesn’t quite fit and you don’t have the tools or the resources or the know-how to make it fit.

Seeing the couch in the store is one thing. But getting it home in one piece and making it fit with the rest of your furniture and home is another.

The same goes for an e-Commerce solution. You see all the features you want, how it looks, and how it can be customized. Actually implementing it and having the code that seamlessly integrates it to your ERP system is another thing. We need to make sure we do it properly the first time, saving time, effort, and money. A webshop requires continuous investment. You don’t just buy the thing and expect it to work all by itself.

It’s not just about how a product is, but how it suits us and our needs. How does it interact with all the systems we already have in place? “Creative” coding jobs may do the job for now, but it won’t last. You’ll be left with a mess to deal with after.

So avoid getting yourself in a messy situation like Ross. Commit fully to the e-Commerce solution, from beginning to end.

You may also like to read: Risk vs. Reward and Build It and They Will Come…Or Will They?

Talk to us about your e-Commerce concerns. We’d love to help! sales@dvp.net

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