Integrated internet sales
Running your own online store is not only a benefit, but also many responsibilities. Currently, there are special systems and applications that make it possible to automate and improve everyday activities in e-business. Their implementation significantly relieves the owners of online stores and streamlines the order fulfillment process.
The popularity of online stores is growing all the time
The growing popularity of online stores is a global trend, the dynamics of which has been significantly accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. Only in the face of the epidemic threat, many people appreciated the many benefits of purchasing various goods and services online.
Online sales in Poland are also doing quite well, as evidenced by the fact that new e-stores are constantly being created. On the other hand, those that are already operational are constantly expanding their offer and trying to adapt to the growing expectations of their customers.
Integrated Internet Sales: Why Invest in Business Automation Tools?
Many online stores, due to their short existence and lack of funds, rely on the basic software for conducting online trading, which means that completing and shipping orders takes a relatively long time. Most of the activities are carried out manually, which means that employees have a lot of responsibilities.
In addition, the lack of an integrated system for online sales means that employees do not have access to up-to-date information on actual stock levels, promotions or price lists, which significantly hinders everyday work. Low work automation often results in the fact that parcels are incorrectly addressed or reach customers with a significant delay.
The company is also not able to replenish the shortages in stock on an ongoing basis, which means that there are long periods when customers cannot order their favorite products. This, in turn, inevitably leads to an outflow of customers to the competition, and hence - a significant drop in revenues. As you can see, the lack of an integrated system for online sales can cause many difficulties in the functioning of an e-shop. The sooner we decide to implement it, the better.
When should you invest in an integrated online sales system?
Should every e-shop start with specialized software that integrates online sales? Not necessarily. In the event that the scope of the conducted activity is small and we can easily deal with manual handling of shipments, there is no need to make a decision on the implementation of such a system. Only when the scale of the business is large, i.e. the number of customers and orders increases and the offered assortment increases, will we need a sales integration system.
ERP system, i.e. the best tool for automating and integrating online sales
Among the available solutions for integrated Internet sales, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are very popular among Polish entrepreneurs.
What distinguishes ERP systems? It is a term for special software designed to facilitate the management of specific assets belonging to a given company. With the help of ERP, you can easily verify the current stock levels, check the number of orders and many, many more. The ERP system is also used to organize work in all departments of the company, such as warehouse, sales, customer service, production, human resources, accounting, etc.
A characteristic feature of ERP systems is the fact that they are based on one database. This means that all employees employed by the company have access to the data collected there. Thanks to this, the circulation of information in the company is much easier. The presence of the ERP system is especially important during crisis situations, when reaction time plays a particularly important role. Modern ERP systems also have a convenient and clear interface, which is why even those who have never dealt with this type of software before can handle it without any problems.
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The most important benefits of implementing the ERP system in the company
The implementation of an ERP system for the owner of an online store has many measurable benefits. First of all, it can control the actual number of orders, inventory levels or verify the work of individual departments in the company on an ongoing basis.
In the ERP system, we also gain access to the customer base and the history of their purchases, so the most faithful can be easily and quickly assigned special discounts and rebates. The discussed ERP system also receives up-to-date information on the latest orders, so the employees responsible for preparing packages can start working immediately. This, in turn, means that the total waiting time by the customer for the delivery of the package is significantly reduced.
The implementation of the ERP system will be appreciated primarily by customers
As we mentioned earlier, thanks to the ERP system, customers will have to wait much shorter for the parcel to be delivered. It should be mentioned that the order fulfillment time is one of the most important elements (next to the price) that customers take into account before finalizing the transaction.
The ERP system also brings other benefits for customers, namely it reduces the risk of errors in the form of sending the wrong goods or sending a parcel to the wrong address to zero. The presence of the discussed software in the company will also make lodging a complaint or returning goods much easier for customers.
Summary
It is worth deciding to implement the system for integrated online sales when the scale of our business is sufficiently high. A properly selected ERP system guarantees that many logistic processes will be simplified, which will result in e.g. the fact that the waiting time of customers for the delivery of the parcel will be reduced and the risk of errors will be reduced to almost zero.
