How to Create E-Commerce Systems That Scale
Three levers to build a scalable, high-impact e-commerce strategy
When I got back from the latest Fórum E-Commerce Brasil, I blinked, and suddenly, it was mid-November. That’s how 2024 has felt: fast, relentless, and, if we’re honest, not exactly groundbreaking.
No paradigm-shifting tech. No e-commerce revolution. Just a series of incremental changes.
And yet, the brands that win in 2025 won’t be the ones waiting for a breakthrough. They’ll be the ones making the most of what they already have.
Scaling Isn’t Just Growth
Scaling e-commerce isn’t just about expanding reach. It’s about making the systems that drive your business more efficient, more impactful, and more valuable.
Three key areas define whether a brand can scale:
Consumer engagement
Technology enablement
Brand activation
All best-in-class e-commerce experiences deliver on these three points, emphasizing one or the other at different times. Many brands have sizable gaps in one or all three of these areas. The focus should be to find those gaps, evaluate which ones are easiest to solve while bringing the greatest business value, and create workstreams to address them.
This is also the best way to frame a strategy for stakeholders. A plan for the coming year that focuses on getting more out of what is already available—rather than asking for incremental resources—will always resonate with finance and leadership teams. The goal is not just to grow, but to improve efficiency and longevity in a sustainable way.
A Case for Smarter Execution
The Vendée Globe is one of the most challenging ocean races in the world. Skippers set off from France, head south toward Antarctica, round the three legendary capes, and return north.
The fastest way around the world isn’t a straight line. It’s a carefully calculated path that navigates around obstacles.
E-commerce is no different.
The race to acquire customers is never-ending, but how you retain them determines long-term success
Chasing short-term wins often means overlooking hidden efficiencies already built into existing systems
Growth happens when transactions turn into relationships and shopping experiences become something memorable
Key Levers for Scaling
Reactive Proactivity
Knowing when and how to prompt consumers to visit and buy
Using a mix of CRM, automated messaging, and personalized communications to increase recency and frequency
Measuring impact through traffic benchmarks, basket size, and incremental revenue
Hidden Features
Identifying underutilized capabilities within existing e-commerce platforms
Activating features that enhance UX, such as subscriptions or surprise-and-delight incentives
Aligning technology with both product and brand objectives
Endpoint as Starting Point
Treating the point of sale as the beginning of a brand experience, not just the end of a transaction
Leveraging order confirmation pages and post-purchase touchpoints to increase engagement
Shifting marketing strategies to make each purchase a moment of reinforcement
What’s Next?
2024 was a year of small shifts, but 2025 will be about execution, not reinvention.
Brands that build scalable systems will be the ones that know how to leverage what they already have: maximizing consumer engagement, unlocking technology, and driving long-term brand activation.
Read the full breakdown on how to make that happen here:
Delivering High-Frequency, High-Impact E-Commerce