The Young Dogs Approach: From Headless E-commerce to Data Digitalization

Welcome to The Varato Letter, Sponsored by Harris Web Works.

Every Saturday, we share insights with 1,100+ supply chain leaders on modernizing business operations for the digital age. This newsletter will be Free for the reader forever. Enjoy!

To learn more about how Harris Web Works can help you to future proof your manufacturing wholesale or distribution business, click here.

We recently hosted Folkert Elzingha from Young Dogs on the podcast to discuss the evolution of e-commerce, the massive shift toward data, and why the B2B space requires a unique, partnership-driven approach to digital transformation.

The Evolution of a Digital Agency

Young Dogs, based in Europe, has been in the e-commerce game since 2006. Like many agencies, they started with PHP open-source development, specifically using Magento. However, around 2018 or 2019, they recognized the benefits of newer, more stable scripts, leading them on a journey into the Headless architecture, adapting React for front-end development.

This move completely changed their perspective: they stopped seeing e-commerce platforms and started seeing data, APIs, and front ends. This allowed them to scale and process data more efficiently for their clients.

Today, Young Dogs has moved beyond being a specialist e-commerce agency and is evolving into a digitalization agent, focusing on large datasets. Folkert notes that while chat agents can quickly generate content code, the essential element for success is good, well-structured data.

Data is Your Most Valuable Asset

Folkert emphasizes a critical point that many companies overlook: their data asset is one of the most valuable resources they possess. Unfortunately, many businesses, especially those with 40 or more employees, underestimate both the security and the growth potential of this data, becoming "stuck in daily operational business".

The prevailing idea that AI will magically clean up messy data is misleading. The truth is the reverse: structured data builds the context that makes AI more powerful. When you build structure around your data—through taxonomies, schema, and categorization—you are essentially building the context that allows AI to absorb and learn from it effectively.

A powerful example of this focus on data-first digitalization is their work with a client to overhaul their entire purchase process. By taking scattered data from various software platforms, centralizing it into a database, and then hooking it up to a new, automated workflow, they achieved massive benefits. The resulting reduction in workload was equivalent to tens of full-time employees (FTEs), demonstrating the power of digitizing internal processes.

For companies dealing with product data, Folkert recommends implementing a PIM (Product Information Management) system as one of the first steps to help structure and complete the dataset.

Why B2B Requires a Partnership, Not a Vendor

In the B2B space, the problems are different than in B2C. The friction is less about new customer acquisition and more about sales enablement and the complexity of order flow processing and data normalization.

B2B companies often see the buying and selling process as a service, where a human being is involved to maintain the relationship on which their business is built. The goal of technology in this space is not to replace the salesperson, but to automate the repetitive work so they can focus on the most important part: the relationship.

This complex environment necessitates a true partnership with a solutions provider, not just a vendor.

• Learning the Data: A true partner invests significant time in learning the client’s dataset—understanding its structure, history, and how the company wants to evolve.

• Customized Solutions: Partners customize solutions to automate the repetitive aspects of the client’s sales flow, allowing the team to move more boxes more efficiently with the same amount of staff.

• Avoiding Vendor Lock-in: While SaaS offers ease of use and speed to market, it creates a risk of vendor lock-in and dependency, particularly when a company puts all its valuable data into one platform. Folkert strongly advises that companies treat SaaS as a tool, but never as their primary data store.

The key to success in digitalization is to apply the strangler pattern—don't try to change everything at once. Instead, break the large, monolithic system into smaller functional pieces (like order processing or customer relations), and systematically replace and optimize one piece at a time.

Ultimately, the best advice is a constant: content is king, and companies must own and protect their content (data) as an essential asset to avoid risks like ransomware and to position themselves to leverage the future of AI.

Whenever you're ready, here's how we can help you:

Harris Web Works is a digital transformation agency that helps supply chain partners (manufacturers, wholesalers & distributors) meet new generational buyer demands & expectations by installing streamlined e-commerce systems.

To learn more about how we can help you future-proof your business, click here.