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When a company’s customers increase, it leads to more profits, and every day feels exciting. It’s a great feeling to see your business grow. However, when a business grows, so does its demands and if your business is not equipped to take care of these demands, it can present challenges. To help take off this weight, automating processes in ecommerce is crucial. Automation of ecommerce can help in streamlining repetitive and essential parts of the business which would usually take up too much of your time. Ecommerce automation is a process of using automation software that makes tasks easily executable with fewer errors.
A few common examples of how ecommerce businesses leverage automation.
- Fraud filters
- Suspicious login alerts
- Email newsletters based on customer groups
- Similar item suggestions
- Order status updates
And much more.
Imagine if you had to do all this manually or divide it amongst your team members, it would require constant monitoring and collection of information, parameters check, followed by taking action on these by following a certain process (e.g. sending an email, flagging orders, adding customers to specific segments), etc. Automation provides a means for the software to handle all this and proceed accordingly, without the need to intervene. The above can also be termed as workflow automation; automating tasks that keep the flow of work systematic.
Workflow automation aids any ecommerce business to run smoothly. If implemented properly, it can reduce redundancy, improve communications and customer experience and allows organizations to review how well the business is operating. While we’ve looked at a few examples where automation is generally applied, here are some key ecommerce business areas that cannot function without automation.
- Inventory and order management
- Accounting
- Cart abandonment
- Rating and review reminder
- Follow-ups
Automation and inventory management
There are hundreds of products in the inventory of an ecommerce business, and keeping track of each of them is simply a waste of time. Automation here lends a helping hand by keeping track of whether the products are in stock or out of stock. The scalability of your business also depends on the automation systems that have been implemented. With automation, businesses can get more visibility into their inventory which helps in checking backorders and missed sales opportunities. Not just this, from order placement to shipping labels and dispatch to post-sales, all of these processes can be automated and viewed in real-time.
Accounting with automation
An ecommerce business deals with several transactions in a day. Handling the receipts, invoices and other relevant documents manually will take an eternity. When these tasks are automated, you are not only increasing the productivity of your business but also saving time. Having an automation system that seamlessly integrates with your payment systems and automatically pulls in data on revenues and expenses while providing a detailed report is a basic feature ecommerce businesses need today. This can take care of expenses, purchases, refunds, returns, coupon code applications etc. effortlessly and eliminate delays and inaccuracies in the transactions.
Address cart abandonment with automation
According to Statista, the shopping cart abandonment rate in 2020 was 88.05%. Many people who add products to their cart, don’t necessarily purchase them, however, waiting too long to address the abandonment can affect your cart recovery and there is a chance your customer might lose interest. There are plenty of ways to recover the abandoned carts. By giving your automation tool the necessary commands, you can filter the users who did not complete their purchase and link it with an email reminder that shoots out an email to the user with a single click. Sending these automated emails keeps the products fresh in the customer’s mind making it easy to jump back into the buying process and pick up where they left off.
Review reminders with automation
According to research by Spiegel, about 95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. This clearly indicates that if your customers ignore the ratings and review pop-up, does not mean that you should give up on it. Email still remains a flexible and universal messaging medium. It allows us to send longer, targeted messages to customers irrespective of where they are in the buying lifecycle. One way to remind customers to leave a rating or review is by sending them an email reminding them to express their thoughts about the product they just purchased. Automated emails can drive conversions that would have otherwise been left behind.
Automate follow-ups
As per a study by Bain, revenues for businesses that prioritize customer service rise 4-8% above their market. A satisfied customer will purchase more and even serve as a promoter who recommends to their friends, making them extremely valuable. Targeting customers who bought something and suggesting something suitable can be a difficult process only if it is done manually. Automation can simplify this to a large extent and keep the conversation going with the customers. By offering them new products and giving discounts, you cannot just bring back existing customers and increase your chance at further sales, but build sustainable paths that lead people back to your online store again and again.
Productive businesses rule the market and automation can help unlock the full value of your ecommerce business. The customer of today expects a smooth, streamlined experience that is augmented by intuitive and easy-to-use technology. Automation workflow makes operations less intricate and more well-organized. As automation simplifies task management and diminishes human errors, your team can focus on detecting customer pain points and analyzing the big picture. IGT’s Automation Centre of Excellence plays a vital role in providing a range of automation services that suit every business’ requirements. With strong expertise in the design and delivery of tailor-made solutions, we aim to cater to the demands of today’s customer.
Author
Gurm
eet Oberoi is a researcher and writer of change tactics and technologies in travel and other verticals, she frequently posts across the digital ecosystem. With 9-yrs of experience in communications and marketing, Gurmeet has a passion for travel and reading among other things. She can be reached at gurmeet.oberoi@igtsolutions.azurewebsites.net