With Digital Commerce fit for the future

Digitalization and modern technologies are changing the way we work and live - and creating new jobs: Digital Commerce is part of this development. But where is digital commerce being used in industry? And what prospects are emerging in this area? We asked Bernadette Beck, the digital mastermind behind Digital Commerce at thyssenkrupp. 

As Head of Digital Commerce Solutions at thyssenkrupp Materials Services, digitalization is already in Beck's job title. For our #DigiJob series, we talked to her about the influence of digital technologies on materials commerce and new jobs in her field.

Digital Commerce in Materials Trading

"Within Materials Services, I am responsible for setting up and operating digital commerce solutions that are used by end customers. That means for eCommerce portals, stores as well as their subsystems, for example marketing tools," Bernadette Beck explains her area of responsibility.

 Beck and her team work with different departments of the materials retailer to build individual programs and service offerings that are centrally oriented to the needs of customers. "This also includes ensuring stable delivery and making digital trading technically possible," says Beck.

Digital Transformation with Digital Commerce

 But the field of digital commerce goes even further. The expert is particularly enthusiastic about the digital transformation of the individual trades at thyssenkrupp Materials Services:

• Beck and her team are currently building a B2B portal 2.0 for thyssenkrupp Schulte, which will set the course for thyssenkrupp's Europe-wide materials trading.

• For thyssenkrupp Materials North America, the colleagues are currently working on transforming two businesses and making them scalable.

• And in line with the internal offshore approach, the team at the delivery center in India is currently expanding digital technologies.

OnlineMetals.com success story

A prime example of Beck's projects is the materials distributor's U.S.-based OnlineMetals.com web store. Working with an expert from different parts of the U.S., India and Europe, Bernadette Beck and Greg Raece, president of Online Metals, redesigned and developed the online store in 2019.

Today, the store is continuously improved and updated every two weeks. In a bi-weekly sprint cycle, new features are released to the site's customers, allowing them to search for the material they want, in the exact shape, alloy or size they want - and order it within seconds. And with success: thanks to the optimization of the website, the conversion rate of the online store has increased enormously, and sales have also risen by 30% compared to the previous year.

But it's not just these different projects that make Bernadette Beck's day-to-day work so varied. The trends and opportunities in digital commerce are also constantly evolving.

Digital Commerce Trends

But what about the industry's Next Big Thing? "In my opinion, food delivery services will become increasingly popular and continue to grow, especially in the supermarket sector," says the expert. "Online medical advice will become more and more important in times of growing world population and social distancing. And the industry will also shift even more from traditional sales to eCommerce in the coming years."

In this context, Beck also sees the digital professions that help develop and advance eCommerce applications as particularly future proof. Specialist for User Experience, User Interface Design, Product Design and Digital Marketing as well as Data Science, Data Security, Software Development and Agility Coaches to support the increasingly interdisciplinary teams of the future.

The expert advises young career starters to always remain flexible and willing to learn. "Today, you can no longer commit to a specific job description at the beginning of your career and expect to work in exactly the same job until you retire," says Beck. A sound education is still important, but a digital understanding, a playful approach to tools and digital channels is essential in Bernadette Beck's view. "In an increasingly fast-paced and complex world of life, it is becoming more important to take care of your own well-being," advises the digital commerce specialist to young people entering the workforce. "Spend as much time as possible in nature as a counterbalance to the digital work environment.

Read more about digitalization, #DigiJobs and the latest technologies at thyssenkrupp in our stories.

The expert advises young career starters to always remain flexible and willing to learn. "Today, you can no longer commit to a specific job description at the beginning of your career and expect to work in exactly the same job until you retire," says Beck. A sound education is still important, but a digital understanding, a playful approach to tools and digital channels is essential in Bernadette Beck's view. "In an increasingly fast-paced and complex world of life, it is becoming more important to take care of your own well-being," advises the digital commerce specialist to young people entering the workforce. "Spend as much time as possible in nature as a counterbalance to the digital work environment.

Read more about digitalization, #DigiJobs and the latest technologies at thyssenkrupp in our stories.