Tools to Scale Your E-Commerce Business

It’s hard to believe how recent it was that e-commerce business wasn’t absolutely paramount to a brand’s success. At times it seems like it has always been there, partly because we are so accustomed to having it available. Nowadays you can go online to find any product or service that your heart desires. Although digital marketing may seem intimidating to tackle up front, there are many different apps and programs on the market to make the job much easier.

Mailing Lists

As an e-commerce business owner, you already know that qualified emails are worth their weight in gold. However, managing pop-ups and the mailing list that comes with it can be a different story. Those most interested in what you provide (your top fans!) are the ones who sign up, and who are most likely to become repeat customers. Therefore, it’s critical to have a great pop-up to help manage them all.

There are several companies out there that help build your list, but our favorite is Privy. Their Shopify app allows you to grow your email list and drive more sales with timely popups, fly-outs, and onsite displays.

‍Shipping

Effective shipping methods are an absolute necessity. Signing up with a shipping program will streamline the process as well as provide some nice discounts on the cost itself. Depending on the size and weight of your products, there are many options out there, some of which include Shippo, ShippingEasy, and Sellbrite. The service PirateShip compares the prices for you and provides a discount on what you would pay if you just walked into the post office. Shipstation, on the other hand, has their own software that can import orders from several different marketplaces and sites, cost-compare shipping options, and even manage your inventory.

Referrals

Remember that customer last month who raved about the quality of your product? Wouldn’t you like her to tell everyone she knows about it? Incentivize word-of-mouth through an e-commerce business referral program! Giving your top customers a discount or product credit for each successful purchaser they send your way gives them even more motivation to talk about their love for your business. A really great option to help manage this task is Swell. Not only do they simplify the process for you, but they also integrate with many other programs that you may already be using. There are no better drivers of small business e-commerce than happy customers!

‍Analytics

Did your Grandma always tell you “you don’t know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been” like mine did? Don’t tell her I said this, but she was right. Not just in the personal, familial sense, either. When it comes to e-commerce, you need to know where your customers are coming from, what pages they land on, how long they are on that page, and whether or not they click through to any other pages. This knowledge will help you understand where your audiences are coming from and whether or not you need to make any changes to entice them to hang around your site longer. Hands down, the best option for analyzing this data is through Google Analytics. It plugs right into the code on your website and goes to work. You can reference it as often as you like and analyze the activity that occurs.

Multi-Channel Selling

It’s a proven fact that the more places your products are seen, the more frequently they will be purchased or acquired. However, it’s a headache having to manage several different online platforms in order to do so, especially as an e-commerce small business. Of course, there’s something out there to help you. Companies like Sellbrite, Channel Advisor, and Skubana provide one website where you can view all of your different sales channels and oversee your inventory. One login, one website—super easy and efficient!

Social Media

This may sound simple, but it is so frequently overlooked by e-commerce businesses. Having a solid social media game plan is vital to getting your business out there to the masses. There’s no other type of platform where one post can be shared multiple times over and can reach people you never would have reached on your own. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter get a ton of attention throughout the day, and putting your information out there makes your reach all the greater.

Social Sharing

Now, with all that social media engagement, you’re going to need a way to share content at the appropriate times. Did you know that there is actually a window of time where your tweets are more likely to be read than others? Due to being drivers of e-commerce business we can’t always be online at the exact second of the day that is prime for such sharing. Therefore, it’s a blessing that there are programs out there to do it for us. Sites like Sprout, Tailwind, and Hootsuite take your material and compile it into a calendar that works for your specific site. You can be planning your next business move while your marketing posts basically share themselves!

Content Marketing

Most people will see this and go: “Content Marketing? What? I’m learning how to scale an e-commerce business, I’m not one of those bloggers!” But let me tell you, blogging, or content marketing, is one of the simplest and most-effective ways to get your message and products' purposes out to others. Putting your products or services into real-life scenarios helps people to visualize the benefits they would receive as a result of obtaining them. Blogging is actually considered a media platform in and of itself, and words have the power to resonate on a deeper level with your target audience.

If you’re looking to publish blogs on a site with tons of traffic, you should utilize Vocal. Vocal is home to 34 unique communities and hundreds of thousands of creators and users. Not only can you post for free on Vocal and generate qualified leads, they’ll even pay you based on the performance of your published content. If you’re looking to get the most bang out of your advertising budget while exposing your brand to thousands of new potential customers, Vocal is your best bet.

Finance

Okay, you’ve been in the e-commerce world for a bit now. You’ve been effectively and intensely marketing, and you have a decent amount of sales. Don’t let it become an accounting nightmare! Many companies acquire the services of a third party to make sure all of their i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed when it comes to their income, taxes, and especially employee pay (if and when it comes to it). This is not something that you just want to take your chances on or “wing it”. There are several companies out there that can help you in this department. One, inDinero, actually works as part of your team and helps you to be proactive so there are no surprises that you aren’t prepared for. There are others to look into as well, including Quickbooks, Paro, and Countsy.

Legal

You might be surprised when you find out all the legal hoops you have to jump through in e-commerce business models. The littlest things will require a disclaimer or policy, whether it be for affiliate marketing, or using cookies on your site, or even trademarking logos or names that you have created. All in all, it’s always a benefit to have someone to turn to in moments like these. Having a lawyer on retainer isn’t always a feasible option, but there are other possibilities. Services like UpCounsel allow you to post a job, receive proposals almost immediately, and then decide who to hire on your own. You won’t talk to a bot or customer service representative. You will correspond with an actual lawyer with ample experience who will be able to work with you on the issue at hand.

Final Thoughts

The world moves fast, and different types of e-commerce businesses have taken it by storm. Knowing that it’s only going to continue to grow and expand, it’s pertinent to have all of your ducks in a row and to have important resources in your back pocket to scale your business to the size of your dreams. Luckily, in this day and age, resources are readily available and easy to come by. Seller’s Choice is a full-service digital media company and works with countless online brands attempting to scale every single day. By analyzing your needs and acquiring the necessary services, Seller’s Choice will help you be ready to move forward at a moment's notice and to deliver your product or service in the best way possible.