Timothy Willis, Head of eCommerce at PushON

The Adobe Summit is over for another year. Boasting over 400 sessions covering all things marketing, automation, analytics, advertising, and commerce, it offered something for everyone in the industry. 

Watching Dan Levy interviewing the innovators who are working on some great new technology in partnership with Adobe Labs was a definite highlight, as there is some truly game-changing tech on the horizon (and also, I’m a huge fan of Schitt’s Creek).

Of course, here at PushON, we’re all about marketing and commerce, so here are some of our key takeaways from the summit. 

1. eCommerce spending is on the rise

The opening keynote dropped the mind-blowing prediction that 2022 could be the first ever trillion-dollar year for eCommerce spend. If there’s ever been a case for taking your brand online, it’s this! eCommerce is only going to keep growing, so retailers need to keep up the pace.

2. Keeping migration and maintenance costs down

Increasing numbers of businesses are reducing migration and maintenance costs with Adobe Commerce, with some staying closer to the Adobe Commerce out-of-the-box solution to reduce technical debt. When you combine that with Adobe’s exciting roadmap, it makes a lot of sense – you can find out more about it on Adobe’s Commerce Roadmap Updates.

3. Direct-to-consumer is the future of retail

COVID certainly accelerated the increase in online shopping as physical stores were forced to close, but throw in the added barrier of stock issues and it’s little surprise that more and more people are buying directly from brands. Not only is it more convenient and usually cheaper, but getting products straight from the manufacturer also means greater product availability. Keep an eye on our website and LinkedIn for our upcoming publication on leveraging the potential of a direct customer relationship.

4. Focusing on owned data

With all the questions being asked about a cookie-less future in marketing, first-party data is taking centre stage. The summit emphasised focusing on data that you already own, meaning that you can create new opportunities to deliver personalised experiences to the right audiences. The end game is making sure that customers feel valued and therefore become loyal and keep coming back for more.

5. Keeping up with Core Web Vitals

If you work in the digital industry, you’ll no doubt be all over Google’s upcoming ranking update, involving Core Web Vitals. It’s crucial for eCommerce merchants to be prepared for these changes, as delivering a high-quality page experience won’t just affect your conversion rate – it’ll also affect your search rankings.

This is where Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) come in. These are websites that use new technology to behave like native apps; they can be installed, can work offline, are fast and are supported by Adobe Commerce. With the ranking update taking effect this month, the features of PWA are sure to align positively – so you must get ahead of your competition now.

6. A new name for Magento Commerce (and some exciting new features)

This one came as no great surprise to us, but Adobe officially announced that Magento Commerce will now be known as Adobe Commerce. This signifies Adobe’s commitment to supporting the ecosystem and we look forward to continuing to see a roadmap of product investment and innovation.

Adobe also announced that it will be launching a fully integrated payment system that will accept local currencies and remove some of the hassle of implementing a third-party payment solution. Adobe also announced an upcoming integration between Adobe Commerce and Adobe Sign meant to make e-signing a more natural part of the checkout process.

These were my top takeaways from the Adobe Summit – what were yours? If there’s anything you would like to discuss further or to find out what PushON can do to drive your business forward, get in touch.