Best-of-Breed vs Consolidation: Choosing the Right eCommerce Tech Stack with Portmeirion’s Ankit Jadav (episode 603)
Ankit Jadav is the Global Head of Digital Operations at Portmeirion Group, home to six unique homeware and fragrance brands with a combined 750 years of trading… including Spode, Portmeirion, Royal Worcester, Nambe, Pimpernel and Wax Lyrical. Turnover is now £110,000,000 of which 10% is DTC.
In this episode, Ankit shares how his team manages five DTC brands with just eight people, why they recently consolidated their tech stack, and what he looks for when evaluating new technology. It’s a masterclass in building an eCommerce operation that is efficient, scalable, and focused on delivering real ROI.
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Dive in:
[09:36] Implementing and Scaling eCommerce Projects
[12:02] Understanding code for collaboration
[16:01] Evaluating tech stack consolidation
[21:04] Implementing a Customer Data Platform
[22:35] Exploring AI for internal use
[26:08] Listen to Ankit’s Top Tips!
More Tools Don’t Always Mean Better Results
Many eCommerce brands assume that buying the latest software will solve their problems. Ankit explains why this often leads to disappointment. A great tool only creates value if your team has the time and skills to use it properly. Without clear ownership, even the best platform can become an expensive unused asset. Before investing in new technology, make sure you have the resources to execute on its potential.
Tech Stack Consolidation Can Unlock Growth
Managing multiple platforms across multiple brands sounds flexible, but it can create unnecessary complexity. Portmeirion recently consolidated its DTC brands onto a single platform to simplify operations and improve efficiency. This reduced the workload for the team and made it easier to manage content, pricing, and day-to-day website updates. The lesson is clear: sometimes growth comes from simplifying rather than adding more. A streamlined tech stack can free up time and budget for more impactful projects.
Prioritization Is a Competitive Advantage
With only eight people supporting five global brands, Ankit’s team cannot do everything at once. Instead, they focus on the projects that deliver the highest value with the least effort. Every initiative is assessed based on its potential impact, required resources, and expected return. This disciplined approach helps them make progress without stretching the team too thin. For eCommerce leaders, success often comes from knowing what not to do as much as knowing what to do.
Personalization Starts with Better Customer Data
One of the next major investments for Portmeirion is a Customer Data Platform (CDP). The goal is to build a deeper understanding of customer behaviour and create more relevant shopping experiences. Instead of showing every visitor the same website, brands can tailor content, products, and recommendations to individual interests. Better personalization can improve engagement and increase conversion rates. As competition grows, the brands that understand their customers best will have a clear advantage.
The Biggest AI Opportunities Are Happening Behind the Scenes
Despite all the excitement around AI-generated content, Ankit sees the biggest opportunities elsewhere. He believes AI will have the greatest impact when it is built into the tools eCommerce teams already use every day. This includes reporting, analytics, personalization, and decision-making systems. AI can help teams find insights faster and make better decisions, but it still requires human oversight. The brands that treat AI as a practical business tool, rather than a magic solution, are likely to see the best results.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim S. Grover
- The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Invest in organic traffic by telling compelling product and brand stories that help customers connect with your business and remember your products first.
Tool Top Tip
- Use the Pomodoro method (25 minutes focused work, 5 minutes break) to stay productive, and leverage an AI assistant as a brainstorming partner to develop ideas faster.
Carbon Top Tip
- Reduce your environmental impact through practical initiatives such as sustainable packaging, EV-enabled delivery partners, sensor lighting, and energy-efficient equipment.
Interview links
*Thank you to Nosto for the guest introduction!
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