How to automate an online store?

The field of e-commerce plays an important role for many entrepreneurs by providing an opportunity to purchase goods and services online.
However, when you manually operate an online store, various problems can arise that slow down the development of the company, which negatively affects customer satisfaction.

In this article, we will look at the disadvantages of manual online store optimization, the benefits of automation, and a step-by-step plan for implementing automation in your store.

Handmade disadvantages

When trying to manually configure an online store, many people encounter problems related to the incorrect operation of the portal, which significantly slows down the process and causes inconvenience in use.

Commonly made mistakes are:

• Errors in working with the product range
  When information is entered manually, it may contain typos or errors, resulting in incorrect display of products and prices.
• Lack of timely feedback from customers Expressed by delays in responding to customer questions or requests for feedback, which lowers the level of service and the customer leaves and remains dissatisfied.
• Ineffective inventory and warehouse management
  This can lead to an increase in incorrect orders and mismatched item quantities, as well as inventory control problems in the warehouse.
• Delay in order processing and delivery deadlines
  When it takes a lot of time to process one customer's orders - it negatively affects delivery times and customer satisfaction.
• Lack of analytical information and insights for decision making
  Insufficient analytical data is not provided to help make strategic decisions for store development.

In fact, this is only part of the problems, there are many more. Manual optimization requires considerable effort and resources to ensure correct functioning.
However, what if these problems could be solved much more quickly and correctly?

Benefits of automation

That's where automation comes into play.....
With the help of new technologies, the store can be optimized to minimize errors. Automated systems allow for quick data entry, manage product assortment and prevent human error.

Let's take a look at the four main benefits that come with automation:

Improving the quality of customer service

Now the store's customers can get answers to their queries many times faster.
For example, automated systems can send notifications about order status or offer personalized recommendations based on previous purchases.
This helps to improve customer satisfaction as well as increase the likelihood of repeat purchases.

Various services can be used to accomplish this goal, such as:

• Zendesk - A customer service platform that offers various tools including feedback system, online chat, request management system and knowledge base. Allows you to efficiently manage customer inquiries and provide fast and quality support.

• MailChimp - an automatic e-mail service that can be used to send notifications about order status, information about discounts and special offers. It allows you to maintain constant communication with your customers and improves their engagement.

• LiveChat - an online chatting platform that allows store operators to communicate directly with customers in real time. Providing quick feedback, the ability to provide hints and assistance with product selection, and improves the overall shopping experience.

• Yotpo - A review and ratings management platform that collects and displays customer feedback on products and services. Provides a tool for collecting and moderating reviews, as well as for using positive reviews for marketing purposes.

Optimization of warehouse accounting

Helps reduce the risks associated with shortages or overstocks. Systems automatically monitor stock levels and provide information on the most needed products and those that need to be replenished.
Which helps to reduce storage costs and ensure that the right products are available at the right time.

One can cite programs such as:

• Integration with order management system (OMS): Allows you to automatically update information about available stock in the warehouse and process orders efficiently. Which improves the accuracy and speed of order processing and reduces the risk of errors.
• WMS-systems (Warehouse Management System): Specialized warehouse management systems that automate and optimize warehouse operations.
• RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): Technology that enables contactless identification and tracking of goods in the warehouse. Provides accurate and automatic inventory control, simplifies the inventory process and optimizes inventory management.
• IMS (Inventory Management System): It is a software that allows you to optimize inventory levels, prevent shortages or overstock and automatically order new supplies. Examples include such programs as Fishbowl, inFlow Inventory, TradeGecko.

Reduction of order processing time

Much less time is spent on the order processing process, resulting in increased delivery speed and customer satisfaction.
You can learn more about order automation in our article dedicated to this topic.

Analyzing data for strategic decisions

Detailed analytical information that helps to analyze sales, customer behavior and determine effective business development strategies.
Metrics such as Yandex.Metrica and Google Analytics can help you out

If you implement these tools, you will immediately notice a noticeable relief in your work.
We have now broken down the problems in optimizing the store manually and the benefits of automating these processes.
But that's where one question comes in, how do you start automating your store?

How do you automate your store?

Let's face it, there are two ways to automate: personal automation or implementing automated systems on your own.

Self-automation

To successfully automate an online store, it is recommended to follow the following order of steps:

• Analyze the current state of the store and define automation goals: Assess current processes, identify problems, and set goals for automation.
• Implementation of specialized software: Research the market for software platforms, choose the right one for your needs, and implement it.
• Collect and import data into the management system: Identify data sources, establish connection, create scripts, test and debug, set up monitoring and updating. In this way, the online store management system will automatically receive up-to-date data from various sources.
• Set up automatic notification of customers about order status and feedback: Set up an automatic notification system so customers are always aware of the status of their orders and can contact you.
• Optimize inventory, warehouse and delivery management processes: Leverage the power of an automated system to effectively manage inventory, control warehouse operations and speed delivery.
• Implement analytical tools and reporting to analyze key performance indicators: Take advantage of the system's analytical tools to get data on sales, customers and other important metrics.
• Training of employees to work with the automated system and support during operation: Provide the necessary training to employees so they can use the system effectively, and provide in-service support.

If the above steps are followed, successful automation of the online store and cost reduction in the business process is expected.

Personal automation

Unlike a standalone implementation, personal development provides a more professional and secure approach, which can be beneficial for effective store automation.

After all, personalized automation gives:

• Professional Development: Utilizing best practices and state-of-the-art solutions, and effectively configuring and integrating systems for maximum performance.
• Personalized approach: The specifics and unique needs of the store are taken into account. Analysis of current processes is performed to identify problematic issues and help develop a customized solution to meet specific requirements.
• Technical Support: Providing technical support and assistance in system operation. This allows us to respond quickly to possible problems and questions, and ensures smooth operation of automated processes.
• Conservation of time and resources: Saves you the time and resources you would have to spend researching, developing and implementing automation systems on your own.
• Integration and scalability: Automation experts will be able to integrate different systems and tools, as well as ensure the solution is scalable to accommodate your store's growth and changing needs.

Conclusion

To summarize, to automate the business processes of an online store, it is necessary to analyze and select a suitable system, and then consistently follow the steps of implementation.

In addition, it is important to continue to develop and improve the system to meet the changing needs of the business.
Don't put off implementing automation - start transforming your online store today!

If you are interested in automating the business processes of your store, you can contact us for consultation at sailet.kz and we will help you to realize your project..