Every proposal sounds right
Vendors answer different versions of the brief. Features are easy to compare; operating implications, dependencies and recurring costs are harder to see.
01 / Digital Solutions Consulting for Retail
Make the platform decision your business can live with.
Independent advice on commerce platforms, connected systems and the investments behind them. Bring a decision that has become difficult to compare, defend or move forward.
Independent advice. A clear scope. Decisions your team can act on.
Workflow fitTotal costTeam capacity
| Option | What must be true? |
|---|---|
| Keep & improve | The constraint can be fixed in the current stack. |
| Extend | A focused addition closes a defined gap. |
| Replatform | The benefit justifies the disruption. |
Recommend the smallest justified change.Make the tradeoffs visible before the contract.
Illustrative decision framework
Retail & DTC focusIndependent of platform vendorsAdvisory shaped around your decision
Which option fits the business we actually operate?
A platform shortlist often conceals several different problems. Start by agreeing what the investment must change.
Growth keeps adding work
A new market, channel or brand brings another workaround. You need to understand which constraints belong to the platform and which belong to the process.
The recommendation lacks a business case
There is a preferred solution, but no shared view of the costs, internal capacity or conditions required to make it successful.
Get close to the work.
Make the decision clearer.
We work with the people who own the outcome and the teams who will deliver it. Your constraints shape the recommendation.
- 01
Frame the decision
Review the business goals, current stack, constraints and stakeholder expectations. Agree how the options will be judged.
- 02
Test the options
Use representative workflows and available evidence to examine fit, integration effort, commercial assumptions and team capacity.
- 03
Prepare the commitment
Bring the recommendation, unresolved risks and negotiation questions together so sponsors can choose a path with clear ownership.
A recommendation you can put to work.
Get the evidence and tradeoffs into a form leadership can use before a contract or delivery commitment locks them in.
A decision brief
A clear problem statement, business priorities, non-negotiable requirements and the questions that still need evidence.
An options assessment
Evaluate relevant choices, including Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud or Magento where appropriate, against your operating needs and existing investments.
A complete cost view
Separate licensing, implementation, integration, migration and ongoing support. Show assumptions, likely cost drivers and what each proposal excludes.
A recommendation with conditions
Document the preferred path, its tradeoffs, the decisions needed next and the circumstances that would justify reconsidering it.
Put it to the test
A commerce platform renewal becomes a larger question
Illustrative scenario: a retailer approaches renewal while considering international expansion. One proposal promises a simpler storefront; another offers broader capabilities. The decision depends on what happens beyond checkout.
The questions worth answering
- How will regional inventory and pricing reach the storefront?
- Which capabilities will the internal team operate after launch?
- What becomes more expensive as markets, orders and integrations grow?
The outcome is a defensible choice, including whether to renew, change scope or proceed with a replacement.
Related case study
Read the case study A replatforming decision with an operating-model problem
Explore how platform choices connect to ownership, workflow design and the conditions needed for a workable delivery plan.
A few practical questions.
Scope, ownership and the next step should be clear before an engagement begins.
Can you review a decision already in progress?
Yes. An independent review can examine a shortlist, vendor proposal or business case and identify the questions that matter before commitment.
Do you implement the platform?
JM Digital provides advisory services. The scope can include preparing a delivery brief and evaluating implementation proposals; software delivery remains with your team or chosen partner.
Are you tied to a platform or reseller?
The recommendation is independent of platform partnerships and reseller incentives. Evaluation criteria are agreed around your business, constraints and operating capacity.
Let's talkBring the decision
Bring the decision
you need to make.
Tell us what is changing, what is at stake and where you need an independent perspective. We will discuss the right starting point and agree the scope before work begins.
Still framing the problem?
The free Retail Architecture Risk Score can help surface where systems, ownership or delivery capacity need a closer look.
Start with the Risk ScoreThe work rarely stops at one boundary.
Where we work
Independent advice for your regional team.
A platform decision can affect teams across cities and channels. We assess the operating requirements, integration work and commercial assumptions behind the shortlist.
Remote collaboration, with workshop and meeting arrangements agreed during scoping.