It seems like everyone either has or needs an API these days. Analysts are touting how critical it is for businesses to engage their customers across every touchpoint. APIs are supposed to fuel innovation for these new applications, new channels, and, ultimately, new ways to generate revenue.
But getting your API strategy off the ground could be more difficult than it sounds. Even with the right strategy and architecture, there are very real technical challenges in your way.
Join API experts from Elastic Path Software as well as API Evangelist Kin Lane for a frank discussion on the current state of APIs.
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
Business Challenges Solved by APIs: What Every Executive Should Know
1. Elastic Path Software Inc.
Business Challenges Solved by APIs
What Every Executive Should Know
May 25, 2012
David Chiu
Matthew Bishop
Kin Lane
Elastic Path™
2. Introducing Elastic Path Software
Digital Commerce for Innovators
• We help the world’s biggest brands sell digital goods and services
• We provide a flexible digital commerce platform and expertise in
commerce strategy and implementation
• #1 ecommerce blog www.getelastic.com
• For more on-demand digital commerce resources
www.elasticpath.com/resources
Elastic Path™
3. What every executive should know
• Distilling digital disruption into specific issues
• The promise of an API strategy
• The current reality of API technology
• Why the developer experience is critical
• What makes a great commerce API
• The future of API technology
• Taking it to the real world
Elastic Path™
4. What exactly are we trying to solve here?
Device and plan selection
Elastic Path™
6. Digital disruption distilled
Singular experience Everywhere Consistent Relevant
Embedded Unobtrusive Partnered Fast Cheap
Elastic Path™
7. Commerce APIs are great at these things (in theory)
Singular experience Everywhere Consistent Relevant
Embedded Unobtrusive Partnered Fast Cheap
• Commerce-as-a-service
• Allows core data and capabilities to be easily shared
• Loops commerce into your BI stream
• Puts commerce into every customer experience
• Isolates the “do” from the “how” and “why”
• It’s like the Borg from Star Trek
• Empowers developers to do all these things
Elastic Path™
9. The Promise
Storefront Mobile OTT Apps CMS/CEM
Social
Partners
Embedded
In-App/In-Game
Magical API Magic!
PIM Acquisition Monetization Subscriptions
Entitlements Billing Customer Care Analytics
Elastic Path™
10. The Reality
$$$
$$$
Conventional REST API
PIM Acquisition Monetization Subscriptions
Entitlements Billing Customer Care Analytics
Elastic Path™
11. A good API gets the job done.
A great API works like a superpower.
Elastic Path™
12. What separates to good from the great?
• A good API uses the REST architectural style
• A great API conforms to Level 3 or 3+ REST
• Very hard to do this with SOAP or RPC
– SOAP is not designed for simplicity and human
understanding
– RPC does not communicate very well and is
usually an existing programmatic API
Elastic Path™
13. A model centered on the user, not the system
• The names and data shapes should look like what
you are trying to accomplish
• You don't have to learn how their system functions in
order to use it
• Netflix's API uses terms and actions pulled straight
from their user experience
Elastic Path™
14. Consistency applied to all resources
• Facebook's Graph API is a great example
– All the resources behave the same way
– View the same, post the same, search the same
• You learn it for one resource and you have it for all
the resources
Elastic Path™
15. Thin data objects
• Be wary of APIs that have huge objects
– These are hard to maintain on both sides
• Look for APIs that have expands to let your client
shape the response
– Our API calls this feature “zoom”
Elastic Path™
16. Stateless
• The API should let you call into it at any point
without precursor calls, other than authentication
Elastic Path™
17. The value of a great API is speed and agility.
Go from an idea to a prototype in hours, not weeks.
Elastic Path™
18. Questions
For more on-demand digital commerce resources
www.elasticpath.com/resources
info@elasticpath.com
1.800.942.5282 (toll-free in North America)
www.elasticpath.com
Elastic Path™
Hinweis der Redaktion
Competitive and market pressure to innovate, differentiate, and extend reach (geographic, demographic, market share, audience)Upward pressure on speed, agility, and ROIDownward pressure on cost and time-to-marketShifting technological ecosystem – computing power, mobility, pervasive connectivity, data sharingResulting shift in consumer attitudes, preferences, and behavior (in-home, in-store, retail, content consumption)Change in how people buy – want to buy
This is how people want to engage, shop, and buy now – telco, media company, software company, or even at the cutting edge of retail
Ultimately, fulfilling the promise of APIs lies in the hands of your developersLet’s hear from one to understand what it is we need to be looking for if we want to meet and profit from the challenges of digital disruption