The Great Digital Transformation - by Gerard Szatvanyi (Hardcover)

About the Book

What should retailers know about the purpose of the store? How can team members be treated so they feel engaged in meaningful work? What potential exists in technologies like headless commerce, virtual spaces, the long tail of commerce, and data analytics?
As an IT industry thought leader and the founder of OSF Digital, a Salesforce partner, Gerard Szatvanyi has provided the answers to these questions to retailers around the globe. In his debut book, he explains what true digital transformation encompasses. He presents ways to put the customer at the center of everything, incorporate mobile experiences, utilize video interactions, and build communities. He lays out best practices to set up teams and systems, and then bring in digital tools to support the overarching goals. Readers will walk away with a long list of action items they can get started on right away.

Book Synopsis

Dare to dream

Creating a website and digitizing processes may have seemed cutting edge at one time; but technologies have continued to advance, and retailers must keep up. Gerard Szatvanyi, an entrepreneur and founder of OSF Digital, a leading Salesforce partner, knows firsthand what it takes to remain on top (and not become obsolete) in today's connected retail world. Global brands and companies of all sizes have turned to him, time and again, to help them through their own digital transformation journeys. Thanks to the expertise of Szatvanyi and his team, these retailers have been able to avoid the red. Better yet, they have built systems that support customer interactions and enable an integrated, experience-driven path forward.

What does it take to digitally transform? Szatvanyi is aware of the obstacles, and he doesn't shy away from tough topics in the retail space, including the challenges surrounding stores and misunderstandings about remote work. Rather, in an approachable "around the fireplace" style, he extends his hand and invites readers to sit back with him and dream. After all, with the technologies available today, the possibilities are nearly endless. Szatvanyi points out that the starting line is not a budget review or the development of a to-do list. Rather, it's a thinking exercise; a conversation, if you will, about what could be.

In his pragmatic way, Szatvanyi turns the complicated topic of digital transformation into easy-to-digest segments. What other strategy allows you to play video games for a few hours and try on headsets? Yet that's exactly what Szatvanyi advises. Doing so can help readers understand the potential of these technologies. After engaging in up-and-coming channels, it's often easier to imagine ways to use them to interact with customers. With personal examples and case studies sprinkled throughout, readers shift from thinking about new ways to live and work to seeing them in action.

Szatvanyi lays out:

- What digital transformation is

- How to be customer-centric

- Ways to create mobile experiences

- The purpose of on-the-ground stores

- How to engage in video

- Guidelines to give employees meaningful tasks

- Ways to reimagine remote work

- What to know about headless commerce

- How to target a niche market

- Why building a community matters

- How to capture data the right way

- Best practices for setting up teams and systems

After presenting concepts, Szatvanyi shares practical guidelines to weigh the costs and benefits of new implementations. The book maintains a focus on revenue generation and improved profit margins. In every chapter, Szatvanyi lists questions to help readers re-think their current practices and re-imagine their business. These takeaways make it easy for organizations, regardless of their available resources or budgets, to take steps forward. Readers will be inspired to start their own digital transformation journeys and lead their brands toward a bright, profitable future.

From the Back Cover

AN INVITATION TO DREAM

What lies ahead for retailers? Certainly, the landscape is changing. Businesses who want to remain in the game must adapt to play in this connected, digital environment. The challenge arises when we begin to discuss how to forge into the future. The status quo?

Will no longer work. Creativity, imagination, and a little dreaming are the starting points to truly implement an effective, profitable transformation, explains sought-after entrepreneur and renowned executive Gerard Szatvanyi in his groundbreaking book. After guiding global brands through their own digital journeys, Szatvanyi pulls back the layers behind the trends in retail and the digital world. In doing so, he reveals that the possibilities are nearly endless for those who are open to exploring new ways to live and work.

In easy-to-follow language and real-life examples, Szatvanyi explains that digital transformation isn't about discussing software, digital products, and new technologies. Instead, the conversation begins with the question, "What if...?" followed by an invitation to re think how we currently do business and interact with customers.