Ecommerce continues to be one of the most significant growth sectors. Statista revealed that the industry was worth about 3.5 billion dollars at the end of 2019. Sectors that continue to move forward create a lot of opportunities for businesses to evolve.
However, given how most entrepreneurs and brands have to go against fierce competitors, it is essential to know how you can gain an advantage and be in the lead, or at least not fall behind too much.
Automation happens to be one of the most recent trends. Businesses benefit a lot by automating specific processes. This saves money and time that can be used for other matters, such as marketing and trying to establish better relationships with customers.
If you have not thought about how to automate your eCommerce venture beforehand, you can consider implementing the following ideas. The difference should be quite clear after some time passes.
Idea #1 – Production Outsourcing:
Not every eCommerce business is outsourcing production, but trying it at least once could be worth your while. For instance, if you have an established brand and would like to sell some merchandise with your logo, why not consider learning how to use print on demand with Printify as they offer some of the best services for custom-made t-shirts and other products.
Starting a partnership is simple, and you will only need to take care of the basics, like creating designs that you want to sell on the products. Who knows, you might find that outsourcing is better than you thought, and you will try to scale up the idea to get more profits for yourself after.
Idea #2 – Social Media Scheduling:
Social media presence is one thing that many brands are emphasizing, Cooperation with influencers, pages on multiple platforms, content organization, and everything else that will attract more potential customers.
While you cannot automate the entire campaign, there is an option to use scheduling tools and create posts in advance. You might not be able to post content live in some instances, so preparing multiple pieces and scheduling them in advance is an excellent way to ensure that you stick to the schedule and do not disappoint your followers.
Idea #3 – Customer Support:
Customer support plays a prominent role in ensuring that you are a successful brand. Unhappy customers will not bother returning, and they will send negative messages, damaging your reputation.
There are lots of developments in AI bots that are providing customer services similar to a real person. Sure, replacing a customer support rep with an AI is still long ways off, especially when you consider phone calls, but you can still look to invest some money that will pay off once the technology takes off.
Idea #4 – Email Lists:
Email marketing is not the most effective method these days, but you should still strive to gather solid email lists and leverage this information. Sending out attractive offers, exclusive discounts, and news about your business can help make subscribers visit the website more often.
The trickiest part is getting people to subscribe. You will need to offer them something. Newsletters and exclusive perks are one of the most popular methods. You have a plethora of plugins for email collecting available, so automating the process should not be an issue.
Idea #5 – Product Reviews:
People who make a purchase should register with their emails. And when they do, you can send them an automated message asking how satisfied they are with the product or services that they bought from you.
Most customers are not that keen to leave a review after they are finished, but sending an email is a great initiative and should encourage more people to leave feedback on your website.
Idea #6 – Invoicing and Payment:
It is worth mentioning that stores that offer multiple payment options have an advantage. There are numerous payment gateways that you can add. Something like cryptocurrency is not that common, but you could be one of the first in your niche.
Some people might also need invoices because they are ordering on behalf of another person or business. Some tools generate invoices, as well.
Idea #7 – Abandoned Shopping Cart Reminders:
Extra costs and the imperative to create an account are among the most common reasons customers end up abandoning their shopping cart. And it happens quite often. According to Sleeknote, almost 70 percent of shopping carts end up abandoned. The numbers are pretty high, considering how much potential money there is to be made if you can increase the percentage of successful sales.
Conclusion:
Eliminating the problem is more or less impossible, but you can still create a system that sends out automated messages to people who have not completed their purchase. Doing so ought to improve the situation.