eCommerce Automation- Leveraging it to Reclaim Your Time

Do you spend hours every week manually updating your online business inventory? Or way too much time chasing down orders and customer service issues?

The rise of mobile shopping means consumers expect retailers to offer them seamless checkout experiences and fast customer service. That’s why automation has become the go-to solution for the modern eCommerce business. 

Let’s break down how eCommerce automation removes the manual tasks so you can focus on growing your business!

First, what, exactly, is eCommerce automation?

E-Commerce Automation is the process of automating repetitive tasks such as order fulfillment, customer service, inventory management, shipping, etc. They are designed to address repetitive tasks and reduce human error in areas such as fulfilling customer orders, shipping items, and processing payments.

Other examples include automating email campaigns, managing inventory, optimizing product pages, and improving customer service.

What are some tasks that an eCommerce automation tool can do? 

• Create multiple product listings at once
• Add images to products
• Easily create different SKUs (stock keeping units)
• Set up automatic shipping based on weight
• Track inventory levels automatically
• Manage orders and shipments
• Receive email notifications when items are shipped
• Save money by reducing manual labor costs
• Increase customer experience by providing accurate information

Where can I apply automation to my business?

To begin using e-commerce automation, you first need to decide what type of automation you want to implement. Once you’ve decided on the type of automation you want, you can move forward. Here are just a few options to research and consider!

For setting up your business:

Shopify is probably the most well-known eCommerce platform around. They provide everything you’d expect from an eCommerce solution including inventory management, order processing, customer support, and much more. They’re also very affordable compared to other platforms!

BigCommerce is another eCommerce platform that provides all the functionality of a traditional eCommerce store plus a lot more. For example, they’ve got built-in SEO capabilities, analytics, email marketing, and much more. They also integrate with lots of different third-party apps so

For customer data and analytics: 

Google Analytics allows you to track shopping activity on your website and analyze transactions, revenue, and products with a high (or low) number of sales and add-to-cart rates.

Installing a FaceBook/Meta pixel gives you direct insight into the actions users take on your eCommerce site, with three main events to track: ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase. It’s an easy way to increase customer acquisition, customer retention, and conversions! 

Email marketing: 

Mailchimp is an automation tool that takes the work out of email marketing. You can segment customers and create automated campaigns for them, such as new subscribers, abandoned cart customers, repeat buyers, and more, which boost the feeling of more personalized experiences.

Every new customer who creates an account on your store receives a follow-up email welcoming them to the brand, while customers who step away from completing a transaction receive abandoned cart emails to remind them to take a second look. 

Customer service:

 Taking this step not only frees up time but improves efficiency and overall customer satisfaction. For example, Hubspot Service Hubs is a powerful tool that offers popular features like ticketing, live chat, customer feedback surveys, and conversation routing.  

By utilizing valuable resources like automation, you can streamline the tedious tasks of your eCommerce operation that would otherwise start to consume too much of your time, and focus more on customer engagement, which leads to happy customers who feel seen and heard!

Not sure what to choose, or where to start? Reach out to us – we can help!