A tech stack is a collection of technology platforms and software applications. Brands and marketing teams utilize their tech stack to automate processes and improve the efficiency of performing specific marketing efforts. Nowadays, there is a tool for everything (if not multiple). If there is a gap you are experiencing, there is likely a tool that can be implemented into your brand’s tech stack to help automate just about any process or function. With the thousands of options available to us, how do you decide which platforms and apps are right for your brand?
At BuzzShift, we specialize in working with direct-to-consumer / eCommerce brands. When it comes to building a digital tech stack for eCommerce brands, we always start by considering their core business objectives and their existing tech stack. The CMS that the brand’s website is built with usually provides guardrails for the tech stack. This is important because some platforms integrate with Shopify, some integrate with WooCommerce, and some may integrate with both. You’ll also need to know which apps and platforms are compatible working together and can seamlessly integrate with your online store and existing systems and platforms. We often make tech recommendations on the transactional elements of a brand’s user experience for example payment processing, subscription management, shipping, coupon generators, and cart add-ons. Other impactful areas we focus on when it comes to tech stack are customer communication (email and SMS platforms), customer service platforms, analytics platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, review platforms, and loyalty and referral programs. We also always make sure to recommend platforms and apps for your tech stack that we like to use and have had a good experience with. Most of our recommendations are very user-friendly and offer customer support for whoever is managing the platforms.
Building out the right tech stack is important because it is truly the unseen driver behind how smoothly your business runs online. Fewer manual functions create more time for you to perform more strategic tasks and improve the user experience. It is also important to determine if the cost of the tech you are using is worth the time saved and projected ROI. While automating every process seems wonderful, make sure that it makes sense for the phase of growth that your company is in.
With thousands of options available and new ones coming out every day, knowing where to start with building your tech stack can be overwhelming. We have written a few blogs outlining some of the basic plugins we often implement for WordPress or Shopify websites. However, we recommend taking into consideration your brand goals, your existing CMS, platforms and subscriptions, and your level of comfortability working with the backend of a website to build the most effective tech stack for your brand. If you are looking for guidance, let’s chat about the best approach to building the right tech stack for your brand!
About BuzzShift
BuzzShift is a digital growth strategy agency with a focus on mid-market, scaling, purpose-driven DTC Brands. By combining the ideologies of branding, performance marketing, and retention agency, we are able to create memorable experiences with measurable results, and build long-term success for our clients with scalable, sustainable growth. Learn more about BuzzShift.
