Why E-Commerce Won’t Win on Best Practices Alone with Rob Hoekman
Thu Feb 05 2026
“We’re kind of drowning in a sea of sameness.”
That’s how Rob Hoekman, Senior Director of Experience Consulting at Empathy Lab by EPAM describes the state of ecommerce today.
On this week’s episode of The FODcast, our CEO Tim and Rob unpack how decades of optimisation and best practice have led to convergence - in platforms, patterns and experiences - and why differentiation is getting harder, not easier.
They explore:
How ecommerce capability has become commoditisedWhy replatforming now delivers smaller gains than it once didThe risk created by years of customisation and legacyWhy brands are being pushed to rethink their entire commerce fabricRob’s view is measured but direct: the next phase of growth won’t come from chasing new stacks, but from rethinking how commerce ecosystems are designed and operated.
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#DigitalCommerce #DigitalStrategy #Engineering #FODcast
Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership.
Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/
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“We’re kind of drowning in a sea of sameness.” That’s how Rob Hoekman, Senior Director of Experience Consulting at Empathy Lab by EPAM describes the state of ecommerce today. On this week’s episode of The FODcast, our CEO Tim and Rob unpack how decades of optimisation and best practice have led to convergence - in platforms, patterns and experiences - and why differentiation is getting harder, not easier. They explore: How ecommerce capability has become commoditisedWhy replatforming now delivers smaller gains than it once didThe risk created by years of customisation and legacyWhy brands are being pushed to rethink their entire commerce fabricRob’s view is measured but direct: the next phase of growth won’t come from chasing new stacks, but from rethinking how commerce ecosystems are designed and operated. 🎧 Listen | Comment | Share #DigitalCommerce #DigitalStrategy #Engineering #FODcast Simply Commerce is the leading supplier of talent into digital commerce across technology, digital marketing, product, sales, and leadership. Find our more about our approach and our services within digital commerce recruitment here: https://simply-commerce.co.uk/