Tapp Perspectives

Let's cut straight to the chase: eCommerce is complicated - and the status quo isn't making things any easier. Many businesses find themselves stuck in endless loops, chasing after the latest tools and platforms in hopes they'll solve deep-rooted issues and that growth will explode. What goes unnoticed or ignored even, is that technology alone isn't enough. Real innovation requires confronting organizational silos, changing outdated mindsets, and aligning teams and tools to genuinely work together. In this post we've dived into our journey—from recognizing common retail struggles to building solutions and, eventually, discovering a more practical approach. We'll share the key insights that shaped our unique perspective and explain how we arrived at the solutions we champion today. ## Our Journey: From In-House Frustrations to Real Solutions ### The In-House Days: Stuck in Innovation Limbo We spent years working in-house at retail businesses across multiple departments—trading, digital marketing, SEO, merchandising, and engineering. We experienced firsthand the constant barriers to innovation. Promising ideas frequently ran into roadblocks, silos held teams apart, and outdated processes hindered progress. Genuine innovation often felt just out of reach. ### Focused Agencies: Progress in Silos Initially we tried addressing some of these challenges by launching specialized agencies in technical SEO and engineering. The agencies improved performance within their own scope but glass ceilings were never broken; the same old problems persisted. Most organizations weren't ready to embrace a genuinely holistic approach, leaving us boxed into isolated lanes and still hindered by the same outdated mindsets and technical constraints. ### Enter Merchstack: Bridging the Gap (or Trying To!) The success of the agencies, mixed with a clear market gap, led us to bootstrap Merchstack—a SaaS platform intended to enhance on- and off-site product discovery by uniting SEO and merchandising teams within a single tool. Our aim was ambitious: break down the silos and simplify processes. We quickly discovered a significant challenge: SaaS platforms inevitably drift toward generic solutions. To scale, solutions must become generalized—but generic tools can't fully meet unique business needs. Retailers have different products, teams, tech stacks, and requirements. Standard, out-of-the-box platforms don't offer competitive differentiation without significant work. ### Merchstack Goes Open Source To address these realities, we transitioned Merchstack into an open-source, broader solution that allows retail engineering teams to customize the platform for their unique needs. But open source isn't the answer for everyone. Many retailers simply weren't prepared or resourced to manage such solutions independently. ## Key Learnings ### The Admin Panel Effect: Interface Drives Perception Most eCommerce tools are essentially databases accessed via APIs beneath their polished interfaces. Yet, it's the usability and intuitiveness of admin panels—rather than underlying technology—that shapes retailer adoption and perception. Retail teams often judge tools by how seamlessly they integrate into existing workflows, emphasizing the need for interfaces that align closely with users' real-world needs, comfort zones, and expectations. ### Genuine Transformation is Cultural, Not Just Technical Retailers consistently chase new SaaS platforms, anticipating instant and dramatic results. But technology alone rarely delivers sustained performance improvements. In fact it presents a paradox: it is both a powerful solution and a potential source of complexity. While it streamlines processes, enhances customer experiences, and enables sophisticated capabilities, poorly implemented technology can inadvertently introduce new challenges—technical debt, resistance to change, and organizational dependencies. According to [research from McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/three-new-mandates-for-capturing-a-digital-transformations-full-value) and in our own experience, genuine transformation requires cultural shifts—embracing new mindsets, breaking organizational silos, and fostering meaningful collaboration across departments. In product discovery it involves empowering merchandisers, traders, and SEOs by enhancing their existing skillsets, rather than forcing them into unfamiliar technical territory. ### Innovation Thrives in Familiarity We've learned that the most impactful innovations leverage existing tools, knowledge, and processes, rather than forcing disruptive changes onto reluctant teams. When innovation feels organic and familiar, teams embrace it more readily, leading to smoother integration and sustained improvements. Effective innovation respects existing workflows, subtly transforming them rather than replacing them outright. ### Bridging the Gap Between Product and Engineering Another realization that hit home often is the necessity of aligning product and engineering teams. Typically speaking different languages, these two critical teams must be harmonized to accelerate innovation, reduce misunderstanding, and improve business outcomes dramatically. ### AI Circles: Practical and Cross-Functional AI Adoption AI holds vast promise for retail, but isolated or siloed efforts rarely deliver tangible business value. Effective AI integration requires deliberate, cross-functional collaboration. Our most successful engagements have revolved around forming internal "AI circles"—dedicated, cross-disciplinary teams responsible for championing, strategizing, and operationalizing AI initiatives. These circles ensure AI solutions remain practical, aligned with strategic goals, widely adopted, and ultimately impactful across the entire organization. ## Fast Forward to Tapp Digital One of the most challenging yet crucial lessons we've embraced is the art of the pivot. As founders, adapting quickly to new information and insights without becoming overly attached to initial strategies or products is vital for long-term success. The journey of building Tapp Digital has reinforced that flexibility, open-mindedness, and the willingness to change direction when necessary are foundational qualities for innovation and sustainable growth. With Tapp Digital, we chose to focus specifically on product discovery not only because it's our bread and butter but because it naturally sits at the intersection of multiple workflows and departments—SEO, merchandising, trading, marketing, product, and engineering. It's the ideal area to break down silos, align goals, and introduce innovative, cross-functional collaboration. Our practical yet strategic approach integrates automation and AI directly into existing workflows, helping achieve meaningful, sustainable results without unnecessary disruption. If you're interested in exploring a genuinely innovative yet practical approach to eCommerce, we're here to chat. We're looking for true innovators ready to tackle complexity and uncover what's truly possible.