5 Ways To Increase eCommerce Productivity
Having an efficient operation is exceedingly essential for every business’s success. While new products generate further interest, it is productivity that scales up performance and fastens the process. In this blog, we outline a few tips to increase eCommerce productivity. 1. Find the Most Profitable Segment and Nurture It Modern eCommerce companies tend to target their most profitable groups of customers rather than a mass strategy. Segmentation allows for special attention and nurture programs for the most potential buyers. Thanks to data analysis tools, companies can effectively sort out customers based on several categories, including demographics, geographics, behaviour, etc. This segmentation helps enhance the effectiveness of their marketing effort without wasting too much money on advertising. 2. Improve Relationship with Vendor Building strong relationships with a vendor is crucial for any business. This is because vendors play an important role in the value chain. A constant connection with them will assure recurring values and sufficient inventory supply. For example, they’ll provide you with e timely and high-quality stocks that would help you stay ahead of the competition and increase eCommerce productivity. 3. Collect Employees Feedback No business can grow without innovation. Employees are the ones who keep the business running so collecting feedback from them will help you increase operational efficiencies. Communicate with them to identify point out problems encountered in performing tasks. Then, finding a way to eliminate those will help you to improve productivity. Moreover, a company should always invest in training and employee development. A high employee churn rate can cost the company heavily, so it is paramount to collect feedback from them and resolve the problems they are facing. This will ensure a happy and satisfactory working environment within your company. Above all, happy employees are more productive and, in return, increase the productivity of the company. 4. Automate Repetitive Task Automating repetitive e-commerce tasks can save you hours of manual work and takes off the burden from your employees. Automation streamlines the business processes and minimizing human errors, thereby increasing operational efficiency. Furthermore, it improves operations and business intelligence and is critical to inventory and order management. Meanwhile, sales and marketing automation helps boost the productivity of an eCommerce company. All in all, automation platforms help you in focusing on tasks that are crucial for the growth of your business. 5. Evaluate Performance and Set Clear KPIs A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a metric that communicates how well a company performs against its principal objectives. Setting clear KPIs helps monitor the most important aspects of a business. It also provides timely and accurate insight of your overall performance to make informed and strategic decisions. Evaluating performance against KPIs will help you increase the productivity of your e-commerce operations. Final note After all, you need a combination of tactics to maximizing your eCommerce productivity. Focusing on these points will help you increase your performance effectively.
eCommerce Furniture Industry Trends 2021
As more and more retailers go online, the eCommerce furniture industry is growing leaps and bounds. Therefore, brands are embracing technology to maintain competitive advantages. In this article, we discuss some of the emerging trends in 2021 within the industry that every business should watch out for. 1. Augmented Reality Changes Purchasing Behaviour Using augmented reality, virtual reality, AI, and 3D design visuals create a first-hand experience of what the store looks like. Thus, it helps generate higher interest and drive more sales. Specifically, augmented reality has become essential for the eCommerce furniture industry for stimulating more vivid product visualization. The technology allows customers to view products, choose colours and patterns, rotate, customize the furniture images according to their taste before purchasing. This provides them with a chance to see whether it matches their home decor. In other words, augmented reality helps them to make better decisions without moving out of their houses. That’s why it can influence purchasing decisions. 2. Product Customization Product customization possesses a key differentiator that helps fuel sales. People these days are very vocal about their tastes and preferences, and they want everything accordingly, right from the fabric to the colour. Besides a mix-and-match look, consumers are also opting for green/sustainable furniture designs. Therefore, rather than prebuilt stocks, furniture companies need to adopt a large number of made-to-order workflow. Product customization has emerged beyond a trend. Owing to customization, the buying journey within the furniture industry has become more interesting and convenient 3. Social Commerce Shopping on social networks are becoming more popular. Because of millions number of users, platforms like Tiktok or Instagram is considered as a potential channel for product marketing. Social media enhances the customer experience by enabling them to make a purchase on the platform without being redirected to different pages. 4. Younger Generation Prefer Cash and Carry Future eCommerce companies are focusing on winning the interest of the Millennials. This young generation is looking for quality products accompanied by good customer service and quick delivery. They also don’t want to make extra effort to assemble every piece together. Thus companies have to come up with new business models or product designs to meet up such demands. 5. Use automation Brands are heading on to serve the best of their customers. For instance, reengaged emails are sent out every day accompanied by on-site recommendations and many more. These are automation applications that can be integrated into your website to leverage your customer experience. Thanks to automation, store owners can focus their time and efforts on improving their products and services instead of executing repetitive tasks. If you are opening a store on BigCommerce, Atom8 will significantly help you! Try it now: The app will automatically solve repetitive store management tasks. Final note The furniture e-commerce market is growing at a steady pace. This industry is no more confined to traditional brick-and-mortar stores and is becoming omnichannel. To maintain a competitive advantage, heads up to the coming trends and make the best use of them.
Steps to build your eCommerce return policy
An eCommerce return policy is essential for any eCommerce store as it covers rules as to what can be returned or exchanged by a customer. It serves as a guideline for customers regarding what product can be returned if their order has any issue. Typically, most eCommerce return policies include the supported products to return, the return window, acceptable return, and how to return the product. In setting up an eCommerce return policy, there are essential steps or things that should be included because they can help boost your sales. When navigating through your brand in the ever-competitive world of online retailing, some things might slip through your eyes. Most times, your return policy is one of such things. To help you build your return policy as a new eCommerce online retailer, here are the essential steps to follow to have a comprehensive eCommerce return policy. Determine which product can be returned/exchanged Your return policy should have a list of items that can be exchanged or returned. Here, you have to specify the particular products a customer can return or not. For instance, after delivery, consumable items shouldn’t be returned whereas physical products that have been opened and used shouldn’t be returned. Determine return time window While customers can return any product, there must be a timeframe when it should be done. Understandably, customers can return the product between 30, 60, or 90 days. However, this return time window will depend on the product category. For instance, you cannot return a phone you purchase after 30 days because you might have used it the wrong way. Setting a clear timeframe for your return policy prevents further issues. Determine return conditions Ensure to enlighten your customers to understand the details of the return policy and the process involved. With this, the return process can be handled quickly and effectively. Furthermore, set clear guidelines on the process and how the item can be returned. For example, clothing retailers usually require returned products to have attached tags. Determine how a customer can initiate a return Here, you give customers how they will contact you if they want to initiate a return. Most eCommerce store allows customers to initiate a return through phone call and email. Additionally, you can also include a chatbot or other means of communication that is easier for customers. Be simple, straightforward, and careful with vocabulary When writing your eCommerce return policy, use clear language that anyone can understand, notwithstanding their academic level. Frequently, consumers face complications when trying to return a product because of the choice of words used in the return policy. Write in a conversational and friendly tone that instills peace of mind when a customer wants to return a product. Particularly, avoid using a commanding tone with “must”, “have to”.eCommerce return policy Make your policy easy to find Besides communicating your return policy in a friendly and straightforward manner, you need to make it easy to find. You won’t want your customers to go through the stress of finding your return policy. There are several places you can place the return policy, such as in carts, within product pages, as a static header or footer on your website, and at the checkout page. Automate return process Handling eCommerce returns involves many repetitive tasks. Analyzing which steps to automate can save time for both your staff and customers. Moreover, you can only integrate workflow automation with a clear return policy and planned steps for various different scenarios.
