Due to the ever-growing online marketplaces, more and more companies are now going online in an effort to improve their profits. With never-ending benefits, you might consider setting up an e-commerce store to sell your products/services online and increase your customer base.
However, with such growth and numerous businesses shifting their operations online, you can expect a few roadblocks in your journey to success in the digital marketplace. Some of these problems include difficulties dealing with stiff competition and attracting customers.
But there is some good news. 2022 is when online sales made up the bulk of products and services sold in the last decade. In fact, recent success stories have come from entrepreneurs setting up online stores and businesses. So, you can rest assured that setting up your e-commerce store can lead to success, granted you do everything right. And one thing you have to get right is the tools you use to manage your e-commerce store.
With that in mind, listed below are a few tools to help you manage your e-commerce store more effectively and efficiently.
1. Product Information Management System
While running an e-commerce business, it might be challenging to maintain data integrity for products and services and provide excellent customer service simultaneously. First and foremost, attempting to gather data from multiple sources can be demanding and time-consuming. And by the time you’ve organized it logically, it’s probably inconsistent, incomplete, or outdated.
However, this is where PIM software services can be a lifesaver. With the help of PIM software, your product data management will be streamlined and centralized in one location. In addition, it will let you instantly update your website, datasheets, and any other integrated data whenever you update or add a new product. Due to this, your staff won’t need to manually update each system each time one of your product’s information changes.
2. Digital Asset Management Solution
If you want to establish and extend your e-commerce business, you must have this tool. In essence, it allows you to keep your transactions in order. However, since seeing your clients in person is difficult, you might need to locate a substitute. To get their trust, you could, for instance, use videos, diagrams, or pictures.
A digital asset management tool helps you develop a business portfolio. Essentially, it guarantees your services/products are marketed to the right customers. Some common digital asset management tools include Mediafly, Bynder, and Brandfolder.
3. Social Media Management Tool
Social media should always be a part of any e-commerce business’s marketing strategy. Nowadays, the best way to market your products is through various social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
However, this means updating your company’s social media page more often. It is the most effective technique for you to publicize and support brand-new services and goods. Some popular social media management and automation tools include Radian6, HubSpot, and Hootsuite. These social media management systems contain functions that help manage and categorize your content according to your requirements.
4. Customer Relationship Management Solution
Customer satisfaction should always come first, regardless of your technologies and tools. Although customer relationship management (CRM) solutions have been around for a while, not all businesses have incorporated them into their e-commerce store. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t as well!
A Customer relationship management tool focuses on generating the best user experience for your website’s visitors while recording those experiences via a user-friendly interface. It includes features such as calls, live chat, chatbot support, ticketing automation, and much more to ensure that your customer’s queries are answered quickly. Therefore, using a customer relationship management tool combined with a committed customer care team can give your business a distinct advantage over competitors who don’t prioritize client engagement.
5. Analytics Tool
Once your e-commerce business is operational, you must monitor and evaluate all critical sales data for your business. By offering behavioral customer interaction automation, analytics tools enable you to comprehend your consumers’ buying patterns better.
Whether your goal is to increase sales or the performance of your website, this tool’s website integration capabilities enable you to test essential data points on your digital store and determine what adjustments you need to make to enhance efficiency.
6. Email Marketing
Email marketing can inform current and potential clients about your services/products. Email marketing is a fantastic approach to promoting your company and its products/services. However, you can use an email marketing tool as an instrument to expand your email list and carry out well-coordinated marketing campaigns with a few clicks.
The fact that these tools can automate a lot of your marketing duties is what makes them so great. They also allow you to track abandoned shopping carts and automatically send customer follow-ups.
7. Print Media
Direct mail is another powerful tool for promoting your e-commerce business. You can reach your target clients using direct mail and cut through the continual digital noise. For over a decade, online and offline companies have relied on print media and the distribution of eye-catching direct mail pieces.
Print media marketing includes postcards, flyers, brochures, catalogs, and newsletters. So, it would be wise to complement your e-commerce business with print media and leverage offline and online customers.
8. A Shipping Service
This only applies to you if you’re still a small e-commerce business. After all, it can be difficult to personally deliver your products to your customers, especially if you want to serve a global market.
However, you can reach your consumers more efficiently and relieve yourself of the strain of product delivery by using a shipping service. Easyship, ShippyPro, and Shiptheory are a few examples of excellent shipping services. These shipping providers also offer shipping labels and effective tracking for hassle-free delivery.
Conclusion
These are just a few tools you might require to support your e-commerce business’s expansion and growth in the digital space. However, don’t forget that not all companies will benefit from what has worked for others. So, understanding your business’s particular needs and requirements is crucial here.
It might be preferable to lay out every tool you have shortlisted and see where their features overlap. Once you do, the sky is the limit regarding how many tools you can use!
