Your Guide to Ecommerce Management: Best Practices & How To Manage Your Ecommerce Business
As the world becomes increasingly digitized, more and more people are turning to e-commerce to buy the products and services they need.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2021, U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $959.5 billion, an 18.3% increase from 2020. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder businesses of all sizes are looking to get into the e-commerce game.
If you’re one of those business owners, this Upscribe guide is for you. In it, we’ll discuss some of the best practices for running an e-commerce business, as well as tips on how to grow your online store. We’ll also cover some of the most common mistakes made by new e-commerce entrepreneurs and how to avoid them.
So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the game for a while, this guide has something for you.
What Is E-commerce Management?
Ecommerce management is the process of planning, executing, and overseeing all activities designed to achieve online business goals across a range of areas, including:
- Product quality
- Customer acquisition
- Customer retention
- Growth
You might be thinking: ‘Aren’t there dedicated teams responsible for all those tasks?’ Yes, in a lot of cases, there are. For example, your marketing team is partially responsible for customer acquisition.
E-commerce managers leave the details of each task to the experts and instead focus on managing teams, setting goals, and assessing progress. They take a higher-level view of the business to make sure that each team, process, and function is working in alignment with common goals and targets.
Key Components of Ecommerce Management
Ecommerce management encompasses a range of essential components that are crucial for running a successful online business. From handling inventory and order fulfillment to maintaining excellent customer relationships and optimizing website performance, each aspect plays a significant role in the overall success of an Ecommerce venture. Let’s delve into the key components of Ecommerce management and explore their importance:
1. Inventory Management
Inventory management is the process of overseeing and controlling the flow of products throughout the supply chain. It involves keeping track of stock levels, monitoring product demand, and ensuring that the right products are available when customers place orders. Efficient inventory management is essential to avoid stockouts or overstock situations, as both can lead to lost sales and increased carrying costs. By employing various inventory management techniques, such as calculating average inventory, just-in-time inventory or ABC analysis, Ecommerce businesses can optimize their inventory levels and maintain a healthy balance between supply and demand.
2. Order Fulfillment
Order fulfillment in ecommerce management encompasses all the activities involved in processing and delivering customer orders. From the moment a customer places an order on the Ecommerce website to the moment they receive the package, order fulfillment plays a critical role in customer satisfaction.
Timely and accurate order processing, efficient picking and packing, and reliable shipping options are vital for meeting customer expectations. Ecommerce businesses must optimize their order fulfillment processes to reduce order processing time, minimize shipping errors, and provide customers with tracking information to enhance transparency.
3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Building and maintaining strong relationships with customers is essential for any business, and Ecommerce is no exception. CRM in Ecommerce involves using technology and strategies to manage interactions with current and potential customers. It includes customer data collection, segmentation, and personalized communication. By understanding customer preferences, purchase history, and behavior, Ecommerce businesses can offer tailored promotions, provide better customer support, and foster long-term loyalty.
4. Payment Processing and Security
Payment processing entails ensuring a smooth and secure process for handling payments and facilitating transactions between customers and merchants.. Ecommerce businesses must offer a variety of secure payment options to accommodate customer preferences and facilitate smooth transactions. Integrating secure payment gateways that comply with industry standards (e.g., PCI DSS) ensures that customers’ financial data is protected. Implementing robust security measures helps build trust with customers, reducing the risk of data breaches and fraudulent activities.
5. Website Performance and Optimization
A well-optimized Ecommerce website is the backbone of any online business. Ecommerce managers need to ensure that the website is fast, user-friendly, and mobile-responsive. Website performance directly impacts user experience, conversion rates, and search engine rankings. Implementing best practices in website design, navigation, and page load times can enhance customer satisfaction and encourage repeat visits.
6. Marketing and Sales Strategies
Effective marketing and sales strategies are essential part of ecommerce management to attract potential customers and drive conversions. Ecommerce managers should employ various digital marketing techniques, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email campaigns, and content marketing. By crafting compelling product descriptions, engaging visuals, and targeted advertising, Ecommerce businesses can effectively reach their target audience and increase sales.
Who Is Responsible for E-commerce Management?
If you’re the hands-on founder of an e-commerce business, you’re probably occupying an e-commerce management role as we speak.
However, many businesses with more established operations have dedicated e-commerce managers. E-commerce manager is a common job title in the industry. It’s usually held by someone who has years of experience in e-commerce operations, marketing, customer service, and other related areas.
Not all e-commerce businesses work with in-house e-commerce managers, though. Many outsource their management to consulting firms or agencies due to the high cost of hiring someone with the experience to really make a difference.
Tools like Upscribe make it easier for e-commerce managers to grow their retention business by gaining access to powerful features, allowing them to tap into their existing merchant base. This helps them build, grow and scale their retention business.
Why Is E-commerce Management Important?
The benefits of having people responsible for high-level e-commerce management are clear. The right business strategies can help you optimize your spending, increase customer loyalty and trust, and encourage more sales.
Let’s quickly break down the importance of e-commerce management in more detail:
1. It Enables Data-Driven Decisions.
E-commerce managers leverage management tools and a deep understanding of eCommerce business data to make decisions that are informed, targeted, and effective.
And these aren’t just buzzwords—according to the McKinsey Global Institute, data-driven businesses are 23X more likely to acquire customers, 6X more likely to retain them, and 19X more likely to be profitable. It pays dividends to have someone on your team who can use the data you collect to your advantage.
2. It Helps You Track & Monitor Performance.
E-commerce management helps you track the overall performance of your e-commerce store. You can monitor your progress against key performance indicators (KPIs), such as site visits, customer retention rate, and average order value.
3. It Maximizes Revenue.
The right e-commerce management strategies can help you maximize revenue through targeted adjustments. For example, you can use segmentation and personalization techniques to target the right customers with upsells, cross-sells, and bundles.
Upscribe gives merchants the tools to target customers with personalized offers based on their purchase history and custom segments. Whether you’re sending discounts to deflect churn or delivering incentives to encourage repeat purchases, Upscribe is packed with features designed to increase revenue.
4. It Boosts Retention.
Retention is a hugely important metric for e-commerce businesses—especially those with a subscription-based pricing model. And it’s something that e-commerce managers are acutely aware of.
Managers can use a combination of strategies, such as personalization, loyalty programs, and targeted emails, to increase customer retention and boost ROI. They also ensure that every customer’s experience with the store is as stress-free as possible by monitoring customer service quality.
How to Manage Your E-commerce Business?
1. Have a Vision and Identity.
Effective ecommerce management is all about alignment. To find your alignment, your business needs a vision and an identity.
Your vision should be specific and actionable, covering the big picture of where you want your business to go. Once you have a vision, create an identity for your brand. This can be anything from the product offerings you have to the style and tone of your website copy.
2. Invest in Your Team.
Tons of e-commerce businesses begin with one person, a laptop, and a Shopify account. But as your business grows, you’ll need to build a team for success. Invest in hiring the right people for your team—whether it’s an in-house team or external partners.
Start by identifying the kinds of roles you need to fill in order to pursue your vision for the business, whether that’s:
- Production
- Sourcing
- Marketing
- Sales
- Development
Then, source and hire the right people to fit those roles.
3. Invest in Your Tools.
After your team, the tools you use to manage your e-commerce business have the biggest impact on your success. Investing in an e-commerce management tool like Upscribe can help you save time and money while giving you access to features like self-service subscription management.
4. Test Everything.
Testing is key to success in e-commerce. All the data and analysis in the world can’t replace real-world customer feedback that comes from testing. Make sure to test everything, from your product designs and pricing, to website features and marketing campaigns.
This continual process of testing can help you quickly identify what works and what doesn’t—which can be hugely helpful in optimizing your store for optimal performance.
5. Make SEO a Priority.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important aspects of e-commerce management. SEO helps you reach potential customers who are searching for your products and can help you increase organic traffic to your store.
Ecommerce managers use a combination of tactics to optimize their stores for search, such as:
- Keyword research
- Content creation
- Link building
- Technical optimization
Performing regular SEO audits can also help you identify any areas that need improvement.
6. Get Serious About Email & SMS Marketing.
Email and SMS marketing are two of the most powerful tools for e-commerce businesses. Email and SMS campaigns can help you engage customers with personalized content, drive loyalty, build relationships, and boost sales.
It’s important to use data-driven tactics when crafting your messages—this includes everything from segmenting your audience to testing different copy and timing.
Upscribe supports your email and SMS marketing strategy by giving customers the ability to manage their subscriptions without having to log into their accounts. They can simply reply to emails and texts to skip, confirm, and cancel subscription orders.
7. Engage With Social Media.
Social media is a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter give you the perfect opportunity to interact with customers in real-time.
You can use social media to promote your products, create buzz around your brand, and engage with customers on a more personal level.
8. Be Customer-Centric.
Above all else, your e-commerce business should be customer-centric. Put the customer first in everything you do and ensure their experience is a priority. Focus on providing excellent customer service and make it easy for customers to find the information they need about your products.
With Upscribe’s customer analytics, you can track how customers interact with your store and use that data to improve their experience.
9. Measure & Analyze Everything.
Data is the lifeblood of any business—and e-commerce management is no different. Measure and analyze everything you do, from website performance to customer engagement and sales.
Using analytics tools like Upscribe’s dashboard, you can quickly identify trends in your data and optimize your store for maximum performance. This kind of analysis can help you uncover opportunities for growth and quickly address any issues before they become a problem.
Simplify Ecommerce Management With Upscribe
E-commerce management can be a daunting task—but it doesn’t have to be. With Upscribe, you can easily manage and optimize your subscription and retention business for success.
Upscribe’s suite of features makes it easier than ever to tap into your existing customers to build, grow and scale your retention business.
So, what are you waiting for? Schedule an Upscribe demo today!
