Ever since we began our journey in 2009, Ampersand has worked with a wide and varied range of retailers. Every one very different, and each one with their own particular challenges. It’s those challenges, their diversity and the ever-changing landscape of ecommerce that has shaped how we work today.

A little over 18 months ago, we launched a radical new approach to how we deliver projects. It was a direct response to the recurring challenges we’d experienced working with retailers over the last ten years, where the project scope, project deadline and budget were often in conflict. 

Our Accelerator now enables retailers to transform at speed. Not just one type of retailer either. Accelerator can drive change in multichannel retailers slowed down by legacy systems. It can replatform pure-play retailers who are ready to scale up. And it has the power to transform a business which may already be online but know the only way to be successful is get their site transactional – and fast.

Today, our current portfolio of clients is still very diverse and different, but they all have one thing in common; they’ve each experienced for themselves how Accelerator can transform their ecommerce business.

So far Accelerator has brought transformation, beyond the ecommerce platform, to a British furniture brand, a global maternity fashion label and a marketplace for luxury and high street fashion, all in the space of six months. (You can read more about the work here.) Accelerator has changed each of these businesses trajectories in different ways. It’s changed us as a business too, as we continue to learn, adapt, iterate and share our expertise. From going live with our first Accelerator with Secret Sales last autumn, to building our first PWA Accelerator with Swoon, which launched at the end of June.

Ecommerce is growing faster than ever, and as retailers increase their investment in online channels and more consumers continue to shop online, Ampersand is here to drive that transformation. But ‘being online’ isn’t enough anymore; poor ecommerce experiences deny businesses a share of crucial revenue. Difficult navigation, inaccurate search, confusing product information, and inflexible delivery and payment options are all areas where retailers continue to fall down. 

Looking ahead, how retailers deliver and connect experiences and ensure their operational systems are up to the task will be absolutely critical to their success. Needless to say, the winners here will be those who adapt and invest in technology to meet the inevitable and accelerating increase in online demand. 

Because of the pandemic, retailers have had to quickly increase their operational efficiency and reduce their costs, while at the same time ramp-up their investment in ecommerce. And that’s the core of what Ampersand is delivering with Accelerator: at the intersection between operations and technology, helping retailers transform their ecommerce technology and their business operations, so that they can grow and adapt.

Discover Accelerator here.