Why e-commerce strategy is the missing link to growth
A successful e-commerce strategy is no longer optional. As customer expectations rise and technology evolves faster than ever, businesses need a clear digital commerce strategy that aligns technology, operations, and customer experience. Without it, even the most ambitious e-commerce investments struggle to generate long-term business value.
As an e-commerce consulting company, this is the strategy gap we see across industries. In B2C, it shows up as siloed initiatives, short-sighted technology choices, and customer journeys designed from the inside out. In B2B, it’s digital commerce treated as a “bolt-on” rather than a growth engine, with disconnected channels, unclear ownership, and a lack of self-service for customers.
The reality is clear: your customers see one brand, but if your systems, teams, and goals are fragmented, they feel the friction. That’s why commerce needs strategy, not just tactics. It’s the multiplier of every digital investment that aligns vision, stakeholders, and execution to deliver measurable outcomes.
To dig deeper into these challenges and how to solve them we sat down with Dan Andersson, GTM & Solution Director at Columbus. In this interview, Dan shares how to become a top e-commerce consulting firm, why commerce leaders can’t afford to chase tactics in isolation, what pitfalls to avoid in B2C and B2B, and how our advisory services can help businesses simplify the complex and unlock growth.
Q: Why do so many companies struggle with digital commerce today?
Dan Andersson: One of the most common e-commerce strategy mistakes is treating customer experience, technology, and operations as separate initiatives rather than part of a unified commerce strategy. Many organisations are quick to invest in new technology or launch digital initiatives, but without a guiding framework those efforts often lose impact. What’s missing isn’t ambition though, it’s more internal alignment. Commerce success requires connecting business goals, customer expectations, and the technology foundation in a way that moves the whole organisation forward.
When that connection is absent, companies end up with fragmented solutions that don’t scale, or with teams pulling in different directions. That’s why strategy is the anchor that ensures every investment contributes to long-term growth.
Q: What are the common pitfalls you see in B2C commerce?
Dan Andersson: In B2C, one of the biggest issues is that initiatives often happen in silos. Marketing might launch something new; IT makes a tech decision, and operations adjust processes, but without a shared direction, these activities rarely add to a stronger customer experience.
We also see companies designing experiences from their own perspective rather than starting with the customer. That leads to friction: confusing journeys, unclear value, or KPIs that don’t reflect what customers care about. Without an agreed vision and roadmap, it’s easy to lose focus and end up reacting instead of building for the future.
Q: And what about in B2B?
Dan Andersson: A successful B2B e-commerce strategy should integrate sales, service, pricing, and customer self-service into one connected experience. In B2B, the challenge is often that digital commerce is treated as something separate from the core business. It becomes an add-on instead of being built into the growth engine. That can leave sales channels disconnected, ownership unclear, and customers struggling to find the self-service tools they expect.
At the same time, sales teams are overloaded with manual work because processes aren’t integrated. Without a clear strategy and supporting architecture, it’s hard to achieve transparency around pricing, availability, and personalisation - all of which are critical in B2B buying decisions. With the majority of B2B sales moving online, treating digital commerce as “optional” is no longer an option.
Q: So, what’s the key to closing this strategy gap?
Dan Andersson: The key is building a digital commerce strategy that connects business goals, customer needs, technology investments, and operational processes. Companies need a roadmap that aligns leadership ambitions with customer needs and then translates that into concrete actions. That means doing the groundwork, e.g. pre-studies, assessments, and experiments before making big technology bets.
It also requires an architecture that’s flexible enough to grow with the business. Commerce doesn’t live in isolation; it must work seamlessly with ERP, CRM, PIM, payments, and other critical systems. When you bring those elements together, you move from a collection of projects to a connected strategy that delivers value.
Q: Can you share some examples of this in action?
Dan Andersson: We’ve seen it across industries. For Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the challenge was scaling globally on fragmented legacy systems. By focusing on the bigger picture, we helped them unify operations and build an architecture that supported multi-market growth.
In retail, companies like Stadium, Åhléns and Elkjøp are strengthening customer experiences while ensuring their platforms remain adaptable. And in industrial B2B, businesses like Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) are creating integrated buying journeys that remove complexity for customers and sales teams alike. Different contexts, but the same principle: a clear strategy amplifies every investment. These organisations succeeded because they treated e-commerce strategy as a business initiative rather than a technology project.
Q: What’s your advice to leaders right now?
Dan Andersson: Don’t let digital commerce become a collection of disconnected initiatives. Step back and define what success looks like for your business and your customers, then build the roadmap that gets you there. Start with your e-commerce growth strategy before evaluating platforms, AI initiatives, or channel investments.
My advice is to focus on clarity and alignment. When stakeholders share the same vision, when systems are designed to support it, and when teams know their role in delivering it, you create momentum that lasts. That’s where our e-commerce advisory makes a difference: it helps leaders simplify the journey and focus on what really drives growth.
Q: Excellent, and what do you think defines a successful advisory process?
Dan Andersson: Successful advisory is about helping organisations gain clarity and confidence in their direction. Many of our customers already have strong ambitions, but they just need structure and focus.
Our process starts by understanding where the organisation is today: what’s working, what’s holding them back, and what opportunities exist. From there, we build a roadmap that connects strategy and execution. It’s not about adding more complexity, but more about simplifying it in a way that makes progress achievable and measurable.
Best practice process for a successful advisory engagement
Advisory is a structured process designed to simplify complexity and turn ambitions into clear, measurable outcomes. It helps organisations close the gap between strategy and execution, ensuring that digital commerce initiatives translate into real business value. The process is built so that any organisation, regardless of where they are on their journey, can move forward with confidence.
Yet the need for structure has never been greater and most organisations face three major pressures today:
- Execution gap: 70% of strategies fail to deliver intended outcomes (McKinsey, HBR).
- Technology overload: Too many platforms, fragmented localisation, and siloed processes often create confusion instead of clarity.
- Decision pressure: Organisations must act faster than ever, while balancing rising costs, regulatory demands, and shifting customer expectations.
This is where advisory plays its strongest role by accelerating decision-making, reducing risk, and aligning strategy, operations, and technology so leaders can act with confidence.
“We always start by understanding the current situation, mapping challenges, and identifying opportunities,” explains Dan Andersson.
“From there, we align on goals, build the roadmap, and design the architecture to support it. Every step is about clarity, making sure strategy connects to execution and always with the customer in mind.”
The process follows a proven methodology:
- Set direction – Alignment between key stakeholders
- Assess – Identify current state, pain points, and opportunities
- Align – Define goals, KPIs, and success measures with stakeholders that are prioritised based on outcome.
- Design – Map customer journeys, outline target architecture, and draft a roadmap
- Validate – Run assessments, or pilots to de-risk decisions
- Deliver – Present clear recommendations and next steps that connect strategy to execution
“Regardless of where a business is, whether just starting out or already mid-project, we can step in and adapt the process to fit,” Dan explains, and adds:
“Sometimes it’s about validating a business case. Other times it’s about mapping a customer journey or clarifying a future architecture. We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach; we adapt to the situation, the timeline, and the level of ambition.”
Q: Can you walk us through this process — what does it look like in practice?
Dan Andersson: Every engagement follows a structured but flexible framework. It usually starts with an audit of the current state, assessing digital performance across areas like UX, conversion, loyalty, and architecture. We benchmark this against best practices to identify quick wins and long-term needs.
Next, we help define the digital commerce strategy, aligning stakeholders around a shared vision, and building a clear roadmap. Once that direction is in place, we can help customers build their business case — setting measurable KPIs that prove the value of each initiative.
From there, we might move into technical due diligence or solution selection, ensuring the chosen technology and partners align with the strategy. And finally, we guide leadership and teams through our prepare phase for transformation workshops — helping them embrace change, improve collaboration, and build confidence.
No matter the stage, the goal is always the same: connect strategy with results.
Q: You recently worked with Phoenix Group, what did that collaboration look like?
Dan Andersson: Phoenix Group is a great example of advisory in action. They needed to bring structure to a highly complex setup, aligning 12 countries across Europe under one e-commerce strategy.
We worked closely with their leadership to build a unified roadmap, supported by impact and effort analysis and a clear 3–5-year outlook. The result was a shared vision that balanced global consistency with local flexibility.
As Andy Thorburn, Digital Data & MI Lead at Phoenix Group, put it himself:
“Columbus gave us the structure and strategic insight we needed to align local market needs with a global digital vision. Their advisory was key to unlocking smarter, more scalable e-commerce growth.”
