The time to start an eCommerce business has never been better. At present, 67% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer online shopping to visit a brick-and-mortar store. More than 80 percent of digitally native shoppers make usual impulse purchases online.
Fortunately, we live in an age where digital technologies are constantly evolving. In today's world, powerful tools and platforms are at their disposal to help ambitious eCommerce business owners streamline their internal processes in a variety of ways, allowing them to focus on developing their brand and building relationships with clients and consumers.
We explore how to utilize digital technology to streamline your eCommerce business.
Storage sharing
The right way to start an online business is to focus on the fundamentals first *-and implementing a seamless storage sharing system will help you lay solid foundations from the very beginning.
The sharing and storage of files were once considered a laborious task, but there are now a host of cloud-based solutions that will save you countless hours digging through archives or looking for lost USB sticks.
The likes of Google Drive, WeTransfer, and Dropbox are effective tools for organising, locating, and sharing files internally and with business partners.
By selecting a cloud-based storage system and an online file transfer system that suit your business model, you will reduce the amount of time you spend looking for or sending integral information or data.
Project time management
Managing several tasks and projects at once is an inevitable part of owning an eCommerce business. Streamlining your time management while delivering campaigns or initiatives can be challenging, but with the right tools, it is exceedingly possible.
Digital technologies have enabled us to transcend time and location, making it possible to connect, communicate, and collaborate from anywhere in the world.
Slack and Trello are excellent solutions for real-time communication and setting detailed goals in one centralised location. It provides a host of functionality that promotes quick communication and seamless project management.
You will boost your productivity exponentially if you choose a project management platform that will benefit your eCommerce business along with an online calendar and list-making tool.
Process automation
Managing a budding eCommerce empire involves many processes, initiatives, and activities.
Keeping the ship running smoothly involves everything from fulfilment and website development to marketing and client communications. Whenever resources are stretched thin and responsibilities pile up, progress is stunted and deadlines are missed-but, with automation software, you can streamline every aspect of your online business.
Currently, 51% of businesses across all sectors use automation to boost productivity across departments. Automating omnichannel marketing activities increased customer retention by up to 90%.
Platforms and tools are available to automate business functions such as content scheduling, social media, email marketing, customer service communications, order fulfilment, and more. Following are some quick tips to help you choose the right solution for your business:
- Consider your key business goals, both short-term and long-term. You will be able to choose tools and functionality that will scale with your business.
- Discuss with your team the areas of their job (or the organization as a whole) that they feel could benefit the most from automation. If you do this, you'll choose solutions that are valuable to everyone within the organization, which will ensure a healthy return on investment (ROI).
- Analyze tools and platforms. While some offer all-in-one functionality, others specialize in specific areas (e.g. social media or email marketing). If you drill down into your existing processes and compare a number of potential tools, you'll be able to decide whether one platform will integrate all your systems or if you'll need a variety of tools for different parts of the business.
