ABC, an e-commerce client, currently utilises structured and semi-structured data to support its business operations. However, as the company expands, it faces increasing challenges in processing unstructured data sources, such as social media content, images, and audio files. Currently, all data processing is performed on a local server, which limit scalability and performance. With plans to expand its operations globally, and the company aims to expand its operations globally. ABC recognises the need to modernise its data infrastructure to efficiently manage and extract value from diverse data types.
As Is State
ABC is currently facing several operational challenges as it scales:
System Reliability Issues:
Frequent system breakdowns during peak sales periods, particularly due to increased customer traffic, impacting overall performance and customer experience.
Data Accessibility Gaps:
Limited access to crucial data during high-demand periods (e.g., December sales), such as top-selling products and real-time inventory levels, hindering timely decision-making.
Limited Insights into Customer Feedback:
Difficulty identifying products with the most customer reviews, affecting marketing and inventory strategies.
Customer Behaviour Blind Spots:
Inability to track or analyse customer behaviour, making it challenging to personalise services or optimise the user experience.
Brand and Device Preference Uncertainty:
Difficulty identifying the most popular brands and customer-preferred devices, which limits the company’s ability to tailor its offerings.
The following are several key questions that I utilised for this project.
1. Data Management & Processing
What unstructured data do you need to process (e.g., images, reviews, logs)?
How frequently do you need to analyze this data?
Do you require real-time processing, or is batch processing for unstructured data?
2. Scalability & Performance
What is the estimated traffic increase during peak sales periods?
During the next few years, are you expecting a rapid growth in data volume?
Have you explored horizontal or vertical scaling for your database before?
3. Business Intelligence & Data Analytics
What specific insights and reports, such as best-selling products, stock levels, and revenue trends, do you need during peak seasons?
Do you require real-time dashboards for decision-making?
Would you like AI-driven predictive analytics for demand forecasting and customer trends?
4. Customer Insights & Personalization
How do you currently collect and analyse customer reviews?
Do you want to implement artificial intelligence/machine learning to analyse customer behaviour and make personalized recommendations?
Do you need tools to identify top brands, devices, and customer demographics?
5. Social Media & Marketing Strategy
Would you like to implement social commerce, allowing customers to buy directly from social platforms?
How do you plan to handle localized social media marketing in different regions?
Are you interested in social media sentiment analysis to understand customer perception?
Do you want to track and analyze social media engagement?
6. Website Traffic & User Experience
What tools, if any, do you currently use to track website traffic?
Do you need heatmaps or user journey analysis to improve website UX?
Are you interested in A/B testing to optimize website merchandising?
7. Inventory & Supply Chain Optimization
How do you currently track inventory levels?
Do you need automated alerts for low-stock products and supplier restocking?
Would you be interested in using AI-powered demand forecasting to predict product shortages or overstock situations?
8. Geographical Expansion Considerations
Can you tell me about your plans to expand into new markets and what technical challenges you face?
Would you require multilingual support if your website and customer service are localized?
Is regional pricing a priority? How will currency conversions and tax compliance be handled?
Is there a plan for dealing with different time zones regarding customer service and fulfilment?
9. Cloud Transition & Security Considerations
Do you have cloud adoption plans or preferences (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)?
What are your key security and compliance requirements for cloud migration?
Do you need a hybrid cloud approach, or are you planning a complete migration?
Recommendations
Integration of Big Data Technologies
ABC should continue to invest in AI, ML, and cloud technologies to maintain a competitive edge.
Consider migrating data analytics operations to a cloud-based infrastructure to enhance scalability and flexibility.
Implement advanced AI models that can predict customer behaviour and personalise user experiences.
Consider integrating tools such as Apache Hadoop or Spark to efficiently manage the growing volume of ABC's data.
Enhance security with AI-driven fraud detection.
Protect business and customers proactively.