Many ecommerce merchants think of user experience in terms of the user interface. They take great pains to optimize the aesthetic appearance of their sites with the goal of increasing conversions. Yet, it’s often the less sexy backend issues that are driving customers away, and increasing operating costs to boot.

One of the most common complaints I hear from online merchants is they failed to consider what their businesses and customers would require as they grew. At some point they discover that smooth customer transactions require seamless backend integrations, and that their organizations must monitor and engage customers throughout the entire customer lifecycle. Getting there is difficult because companies outgrow software solu...