The business of launching a rocket into space is an understandably complicated affair. Not only do you need to plan and design against the universal laws of physics, but you need to strategize against abstract factors, like the technological development timeline and the actions of competitors.

The secret to a successful launch is in the timing. Not just the timing of the launch and the conditions on the day, but launching with the right technology to make the mission effective.

Observations such as Moore’s Law show that technology is improving at an exponential rate. For our prospective rocketeers, this means there is a risk that your shiny rocket launched today could be overtaken by a faster, more advanced, maybe even cheaper, rocket that launches tomorrow.

Getting a rocket into space is as big and expensive as a project can be. But this issue of timing vs technology vs cost is one that affects many areas of business too.

In particular, we see this issue with retailers entering the eCommerce space. A brand will decide they want to enter the online marketplace, but by the time they have built, tested and gone to market with a site, their technology and/or product is already out of date.

This is not only a huge resource drain, but it can directly impact the brand if the new site is underperforming against consumer expectations. Online shoppers require a certain level of convenience and the overall user experience.

eCommerce can be a daunting opportunity to approach, but it has never been more important for brands to exist online to engage and transact with consumers.

Online activity has exploded recently whilst social distancing measures mean that retailers can’t operate at full capacity. Research from Ipsos Mori report shows that 18% of UK consumers are using online stores more frequently, while in countries currently more severely affected by the outbreak, like China and Italy, these figures have risen to 50% and 31% respectively.

It all comes back to timing. Traditional retailers are now scrambling to get online – but they must avoid signing up for a costly, lengthy project. These types of projects will help them match today’s market conditions, but won’t be ready to go live for another year. Meanwhile, the world and consumers will likely have moved on.

Simply put, the launch process is too long. Lift-off is tough and expensive. NASA’s Saturn V Rocket used about 3.4 million kilograms of fuel in its 2-minute launch – that’s around 20 tonnes of fuel per second. Getting an eCommerce platform live can feel similarly weighty.

What they need is something that launches them into the online space with immediacy. This is impossible to achieve with a product built from the ground up – but as Virgin Galactic has shown – it is far easier to get into space from the clouds.

This is what we offer at Ultra Commerce. Our cloud-based solution empowers retailers to get online and get to market with a reliable service quickly.

Brands and retailers can quickly adapt to rapidly changing market conditions, without having to gamble on a big, costly project that will likely be out-of-date by the time it gets to launch.

Launching an eCommerce platform shouldn’t feel like launching a space program. Retailers looking to enter the online universe need to find the solution which best allows them to balance cost and the rate of technological development, with getting to market on time. For more information on how Ultra Commerce can help you launch, contact us at www.ultracommerce.co/contact.