Manufacturing Magazine February 2024 | Page 15

JONATHAN TAYLOR
TITLE : CTO COMPANY : ZOOVU INDUSTRY : TECHNOLOGY LOCATION : HOUSTON , TEXAS
Jonathan Taylor is the CTO at Zoovu , a leading AI-powered product discovery and e-commerce experience platform . Taylor ’ s background is in software engineering and computer science . our global clientele . For instance , I am currently working on joint development efforts with Microsoft around AI and e-commerce .
Q . TELL US ABOUT THE CURRENT B2B E-COMMERCE ENVIRONMENT

» Even with the global e-commerce industry at US $ 6trn and still growing , B2B e-commerce is still in its infancy . Zoovu and Forrester Consulting recently commissioned a survey of more than 400 B2B executives with a minimum of US $ 200m in B2B ecommerce revenue .

Manufacturing was the biggest industry sector represented in the study . The findings prove how far most B2B companies have to go to meet customer expectations . Some 65 % agreed that ‘ ecommerce was broken ’ in their organisation .
The biggest problem B2B companies face is around data management . Too many products can ’ t be brought online and discovered because of poor-quality , missing , complex and siloed product data . They are trying to handle large volumes of complex product data , bundles and configurations without proper data hygiene or automation . In fact , only a third of companies surveyed have even 60 % of their product portfolio available online .
Q . WHAT ARE THE COMMON ISSUES IMPACTING MANUFACTURERS ?

» At the top of the list of challenges for manufacturers is the ability to successfully sell online . Manufacturers , even mid-sized ones , face the difficulties of managing hundreds to thousands of complex product options and

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