For ten years, PetSmart experienced very little growth in online revenues—a situation that was unsustainable for long-term success. By 2015, senior management recognized the urgent need for change and made revitalizing web sales a top priority.
PetSmart specifically needed the ability to easily add new content to their ecommerce site, enabling them to quickly run promotions and feature new products. The company also sought to improve visibility and integration across their online presence and the rest of the business. Meanwhile, more nimble competitors were offering services such as online order-in-store pickup and enhanced mobile capabilities. To get back on the growth path, PetSmart needed a comprehensive solution.
PetSmart did not want the expense, effort, or complexity of hosting a new ecommerce site themselves. Scalability and the ability to implement updates with minimal interruption were also critical requirements. A cloud-based solution was the natural choice.
PetSmart selected a Publicis Sapient solution built on Salesforce Commerce Cloud. With over ten years of experience in the cloud model and more than 100 successful deployments, Salesforce stood out as the clear leader. PetSmart valued the managed-solution approach—where all updates are automatically included and implemented by Salesforce—removing a significant burden and ensuring the latest capabilities are always available.
The revenue sharing model for Commerce Cloud ensured that all parties were focused on the same goals, with Salesforce committed for the long term. Additionally, Publicis Sapient assigned a global program manager to the project, aligning all touch points across PetSmart and proactively resolving potential issues. This demonstrated a commitment to doing things right the first time.
The new system, one of the largest Commerce Cloud sites implemented to date, was deployed in less than nine months—just in time for the critical holiday shopping season. PetSmart’s choice of Publicis Sapient and Salesforce proved wise: the new ecommerce site paid for itself in that first holiday season alone.
Integration of Commerce Cloud with Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Service Cloud at a systems level enables PetSmart to present a unified customer experience and provides their teams with a 360-degree view of all customer behavior and internal efforts. This allows for efficient, company-wide initiatives to improve service and develop more targeted promotions to grow revenues. PetSmart now benefits from a multichannel solution with full mobile capabilities, giving customers the convenience of meeting their pets’ needs anywhere, anytime.