Very few companies have a monolithic technology stack. That means you’ll often find different behavior with:
- Mobile apps versus a website
- Older terminal hardware versus newer hardware
- Android apps versus iOS apps
- Version 1.0 versus version 1.1
Ok cool. How about a few specific examples?
- FlyingBlue will show different pricing and availability on AirFrance’s site than KLM’s
- Turkish Airlines fails to ticket some itineraries on desktop, but they’re easily bookable in the app
- Older Walmart terminals behave differently than newer terminals
- Some Kroger registers auto-drain cards, others won’t
- Old school bill payment platforms charge different fees based on what you use to start a payment
Ok, cool again. Now why should you care?
- Different technologies get different results, which leads to conflicting data points. Not all conflicts are easily explained by different technology stacks, but a surprising number are
- Fees, funding methods, and functionality often differ. Can’t get that payment to go through on the desktop? Maybe hit up the mobile app. Mobile app doesn’t work? How about the prior version?
Good luck, and have a nice weekend!
Even shoes have different technology stacks.