Four ways you can upgrade your eCommerce operations
If you want to scale up your eCommerce business, it’s important that you upgrade and streamline your operations. Here are four helpful ways you can do just that.
Use eCommerce integration tools
One of the best ways of upgrading your eCommerce operations is to use integration. Basically, eCommerce integration is the coordination between your online platform and back-end systems, like an ERP or CRM system.
With eCommerce integration, retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers can create bidirectional flows of data between two systems, which means information only needs to be entered into a single system. The other systems then automatically update the data entry as well.
Ecommerce integration can be used for accounts, inventory, order fulfilment, shipping, and more. You can also use vendor integration tools, such as Spark Shipping integrations for eCommerce. In case your website has more complex data and needs a package service, you can use the Integration service of e-commerce agencies like Bavaan to help your operations run automatically and smoothly.
When you adopt eCommerce integration for automating processes, it’s much easier for your online business to scale up.
Rethink and increase your marketing
If you want to scale your eCommerce business, you need to step up your marketing operations. That doesn’t just mean increasing the number of online ads you use, it also means advertising to the right audience on the right platforms and using methods to grow your brand over time.
Start by researching your customers’ demographics. You’ll then have a better idea of who your customers are and what their interests are. In turn, you can focus on posting content and ads on social media platforms where your target audience hangs out the most. You can also look at selling new products that cater to your target market and rethink other products that you currently sell.
Enhance your customer service
Do not underestimate how important providing excellent customer service is. Whatever type of eCommerce business you run, the more you provide customers with the help they need, and provide it quickly, the more your customers will have faith in your company and return.
Good customer service isn’t only about getting repeat custom, though. When you offer first-rate customer service, the word soon spreads that your eCommerce business is reputable, trustworthy, and puts its customers first. Furthermore, that means you can stand out against your competitors in a crowded marketplace. There are several ways you can upgrade your customer service.
To quicken up responses to customer queries, using part-automation is crucial. Implement technological things like chatbots to help answer customer FAQs, and you’ll have won half the battle. However, you need to ensure not all areas of your customer service are automated. Customers want to be able to speak to a human being a lot of the time, so put a highly-trained customer service team in place.
Upgrade your shipping methods
By rethinking your shipping operations and warehouse management, your operations can run more smoothly. Many eCommerce businesses use automation tools to streamline and enhance their shipping processes. And with a dropshipping business model, all of the shipping logistics and order fulfilment is left to your supplier.
That can be very useful, as you do not need to find warehouse space for products and spend time handling customer orders. But think beyond automating your shipping methods. Depending on your specific type of eCommerce business, you could offer pickups as well as deliveries. And for all shipping, you can make use of tracking codes to ensure the status of items being delivered is always up-to-date and no products go missing.
Don’t just use tracking technology to track shipments yourself. Also, send your customers regular updates about the status of their orders. When your customers know exactly where their items are and when they will be delivered, you’ll increase customer confidence and get repeat custom. In turn, that means you can scale up and make more profit.
Even so, if you’re not ready to let go of managing inventory and shipping yourself, warehouse rentals are becoming less daunting, more affordable, and even creative. New business models like co-warehousing offer flexible options with shared amenities like conference rooms, kitchen areas, and even forklifts! They’re worth a look to upgrade your operations. For more information, visit https://readyspaces.com/cowarehousing-guide-comparison/.
Photo by Laura Chouette
