Technology is rapidly reshaping retail, but Jon Cleaver, chief technology officer at SportsShoes.com, emphasizes that successful transformation isn’t about adopting every new innovation. It’s about making strategic investments to enhance the customer experience while building a future-ready business. On 2 September 2026, Patrick Overall shared insights from Cleaver’s conversation at Commerce Live EMEA 2026 in London, where he discussed the future of retail and the importance of technology foundations for long-term success.
With over 20 years in retail technology, Cleaver has led digital transformation across various businesses, helping them move away from legacy systems. At SportsShoes.com, he’s spearheaded a significant transformation, modernizing the ecommerce platform with a composable architecture and focusing on backend systems. His extensive experience highlights the balance between technological innovation and practical business needs.
Building the Right Foundations
By moving to BigCommerce and adopting a composable architecture, SportsShoes.com has created a flexible platform that evolves with the business. This approach prioritizes adaptability and scalability over chasing trends, ensuring the company can respond to industry changes without constant overhauls.
Experimentation is key to their strategy. “You don’t really know how customers are going to interact with new technology until you put it in front of them,” Cleaver explains. This philosophy guides their exploration of AI, product discovery improvements, and innovative uses of product data, allowing them to refine solutions based on real customer behavior.
Their focus is on solving real problems. New capabilities are only pursued if they enhance the customer experience or provide greater business flexibility. This pragmatic approach has led to a 50% increase in conversion rates since the platform modernization, demonstrating the value of customer-centric innovation.
The shift to a composable architecture has also enabled partnerships with specialists like Feedonomics and Bloomreach, enhancing product data and discovery. This ecosystem of partners supports their long-term strategy, allowing them to integrate best-of-breed solutions and respond swiftly to changing customer expectations.
Lessons from Transformation
Cleaver stresses that successful transformation is as much about people as it is about technology. Gaining buy-in across the organization and helping teams understand the changes are critical steps. You’re asking teams to adopt new ways of working, so bringing everyone on that journey is critical, he notes, emphasizing the human element in technological change.
Measuring success starts with the customer. While commercial metrics like conversion are important, the ability to introduce new capabilities quickly and respond to feedback is equally vital. Success is an ongoing process, not a one-time achievement, requiring continuous improvement and adaptation.
Focusing on Customer-Centric Innovation
Cleaver emphasizes the importance of understanding customer behavior. By reviewing product data through the customer’s perspective, SportsShoes.com has improved product discovery and made informed investment decisions. This approach has led to the implementation of tools like Feedonomics, ensuring accurate and well-structured data for future technologies like agentic commerce. Such initiatives reflect their commitment to staying ahead of retail trends.
Building a Flexible Ecosystem
The transition to a composable architecture has allowed SportsShoes.com to partner with specialists like BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Bloomreach. This ecosystem approach provides flexibility, enabling the integration of tailored, best-of-breed solutions to address specific business challenges. It ensures the company can adapt its technology stack as retail trends evolve, maintaining a competitive edge.