If you are in business, you know that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of daily living — from how we work and live to how we shop.
It has created recent trends in consumer behaviors, including a preference for online shopping that has seen the market for digital commerce grow by an astounding 31—3% in just one year.
Not only is that the highest jump in two decades, but it also represents the acceleration of two years’ growth in under twelve months.
For companies, that means that creating an online presence is critical. If you already have one, ensuring that it operates with maximum effectiveness and efficiency will be essential to continued business success.
In this article, we look at several tools you can use to increase your online reach, provide a better customer experience, and leverage the power of technology and third-party talent to boost your results.
Building a Stronger Online Presence with Ecommerce Automation and Other Tools
When it comes to consumer behavior, online shopping is a circular activity. The more customers get used to online shopping options and conveniences, the less likely they are to shop at brick-and-mortar stores.
This trend represents both a wake-up call and a bonus to businesses who are ready and willing to dip a toe in this fast-growing market to increase their revenue streams.
Whether or not you have already developed an online presence, you should consider some of the following options to optimize your eCommerce offerings for better results — and competitive advantage.
- Digital Marketing
To be successful at eCommerce, you will need to rethink your marketing to meet your customers where they are — online.
Creating a targeted digital marketing plan is a smart way to boost your online profile and bolster sales. Consider adding clear, HD photos or videos to your site to give customers the details or add 3D technology to enhance the shopping experience.
Chatbots and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools can also help encourage more engagement and provide analytics that can help you refine your site further.
Email campaigns, newsletters, and options that limit cart abandonment are other innovative marketing tools that can elevate your site above the competition.
- Leverage Data and Automation
Information is key to the smooth operation of an online shopping site. Understanding customer demographics, their needs, shopping behaviors, and how they use your site can be invaluable to creating a better, more engaging experience that drives revenue.
Automating manual tasks surrounding your eCommerce operation can reduce errors, speed up response times, and generate more customer loyalty and trust. However, these IT-intensive activities typically can result in a drain on your in-house IT staff — or a problem if you do not have an in-house staff.
One innovative solution to alleviate this problem is partnering with a trusted third-party managed services provider (MSP) to explore eCommerce automation options.
- Optimize Core Operations
Finally, your eCommerce presence is only as good as the infrastructure that supports it. Ensuring that you have the right technology in place to keep your online store running quickly, efficiently, and with little or no downtime can be easy and cost-effective when you leverage third-party IT talent.
For those day-to-day tasks that involve managing invoices, customer surveys, shipping bills of lading, warehouse management, and even human resources, consider deploying a document management system (DMS) to help maximize efficiency and reduce errors.
A robust DMS can reduce the time spent on paper-heavy processes and help your employees process customer orders and requests fast for better service and an outstanding customer experience.
Trust Blue Technologies to Help You Launch — or Perfect — Your Online Store
At Blue Technologies, we understand how difficult it has been for our business clients — from small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enterprise-level organizations — to stay abreast of the challenges, trends, and changes precipitated by the pandemic.
That is why we have curated several targeted technologies, tools, and services that are geared toward helping you make the transition to eCommerce with as little disruption — and the most success — possible.
Our team of IT experts offers a complete suite of services, from document and print management to full-scale Managed IT services, to ensure your infrastructure is ready and able to handle your online venture.
Make the most of the surge in online business. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant today and let our team of IT experts provide the tools and technology to take your eCommerce efforts to the next level.
