Running a successful ecommerce operation is all about customer satisfaction. Whether you’re launching a new business or hoping to improve your existing company, creating an efficient and user-friendly experience is paramount when it comes to optimizing online operations.
From improving customer satisfaction, to implementing marketing strategies, to prioritizing product management, we’ve compiled a comprehensive checklist to help you streamline your ecommerce operations. Let’s make 2022 your most successful year yet!
Optimize eCommerce Operation User Experience
Let’s start with the core focus of your business: the customers. Happy and engaged customers are the lifeblood of your business. In order to engage customers and provide the best experience possible, focus on updating your website, product pages, and checkout operations.
- #1 Update Your Homepage
Does the homepage of your website reflect the values, mission, and branding of your company? A positive first impression goes a long way. Spend time making your website elegant and easy to navigate. This includes clearly labeling resource pages such as “FAQs” so your customers can find the support they need. - #2 Streamline Customer Checkout
Once a customer has decided to make a purchase, you want their checkout experience to be straightforward. Research popular payment methods and expand your accepted payment modes to include online financing services as well as credit cards. Offer customers the ability to easily create an account and save payment and shipping information for a faster checkout in the future. - #3 Update Product Descriptions
Set your product apart from the competition by crafting a detailed and clear description. Make sure product pages are navigable, clearly labeled, and offer plenty of product images and specifications.
Prioritize Marketing
Strategic marketing techniques increase brand awareness and encourage customer engagement. Online marketing is an effective tool for targeting specific customer profiles and promoting an omnichannel experience.
- #4 Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is a fantastic way to reach a large number of customers with brand announcements, promotions, and special offers. Emails are personal, yet not as intrusive as text messages or phone calls. Email marketing is most effective when paired with other platforms, creating a unified message and easy access to product information. - #5 Improve SEO
Improve your SEO by carefully selecting keywords that link to your site. Prioritize keywords that garner a high search volume and target your ideal customers. Well-designed SEO will help direct qualified customers to your website and increase your site’s overall visibility. You also need to improve SEO on the product catalogs in the Merchant Center of Google, Bing and other search engines to get more exposure for your products through shopping search channels. - #6 Embrace Social Media Marketing
Expand your marketing strategies to include social channels. Use an integrated approach for content by optimizing the product catalog on the social platforms and make sure your social pages link seamlessly with your ecommerce site. Social media marketing should work in tandem with email marketing and SEO to create a cohesive brand experience online.
Utilize Technology
At the end of the day running an ecommerce business involves many of the nuts and bolts of running a brick-and-mortar business, while embracing the convenience of technology.
- #7 Use Inventory Management Software
Keeping tabs on your inventory is a necessary part of running a successful company. Afterall, you don’t want to overspend on inventory or run out of popular items due to poorly managed stock. Inventory management software will help you keep tabs on your products.
- #8 Use Order Management Software
To keep up with the volume of the ecommerce sales order every day, you need order management system to handle the order processing operation including order download, order routing, shipping label/document printing and package tracking upload, etc. You also need the system to help you manage the PO processing as well as return & refund functionalities. Customer returns are part of the game of ecommerce, and how you deal with it will define the profitability of the whole business.
- #9 Embrace Analytics
Understanding how your customers use your website optimizes your content for increased engagement. Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics, etc. to track website traffic, email and other marketing event engagement, shopping cart fulfillment and more. Investing in insight tools will help you finesse your content and cater more effectively to your ideal customers. - #10 Offer Tech-Based Customer Support
Implementing customer support services is a priority when it comes to customer satisfaction. Having an ERP or CRM system can equip your customer service rep with insight about the customer who called, and the order inquired. For companies without a host of on-call customer service reps, services like chatbots are a great way to ensure customers have access to 24/7 help and answers to common questions.
Simplify Your eCommerce Operation with an All-In-One Platform
Instead of using ecommerce services ala carte, simplify your life by investing in a complete ecommerce solution. Digitbridge offers a cloud-based SaaS ecommerce operation management system built to streamline your online business. From warehouse management to enterprise resource planning, to content creation management, Digitbridge is an all-in-one portal that allows you to manage your business from anywhere in the world without worrying about hardware and internal IT support. Evolve your business today by integrating Digitbridge into your operations.
