eCommerce software refers to the complete mechanism of running an online eCommerce platform. Right from managing inventory, to tackling products, processing orders and more such processes are all managed by eCommerce software.
The eCommerce industry is on a rise and businesses are targeting to venture onto or expand in this arena. With the right eCommerce software, businesses get to portray their best solutions and services in the easiest way possible.
To ensure that your online business has a 360-degree functioning and management, it is necessary to have a strong eCommerce software onboard.
A reliable eCommerce software that provides a seamless interface to your clients, yet manages the highly technological backend functions of your eCommerce business can profit you in multiple ways right from saving your time, efforts and money.
This article brings to you the intricacies of why having an eCommerce software necessary, what benefits and advantages it provides to your business, how to choose the best eCommerce software for your business and how it can help you scale up and achieve growth.
Read on the blog and get a hold of the perfect eCommerce software that suits you and your business best.
What does eCommerce software do?
Starting right from the fundamentals of eCommerce, you need to first understand what an eCommerce software does!
Capable of handling most of the required processes of running an eCommerce store or retail outlet, an eCommerce software selling platform also works as an integrating program that enables your business to collaborate with several other eCommerce service providers that can help you with various features you may need to expand and exponentiate your business.
The major tasks involved for an eCommerce software solution is to take care of your customers and their requirements.
The moment a customer steps into your online or retail store, the work of an eCommerce software begins. From product display to checkout and finally, to delivery, all these vital processes are taken care of.
Amidst these major processes, an eCommerce software also manages the orders, keeps a track of the order delivery, and provides real-time updates to you as well as your customer.
Along with this, one can get complete details of product specifics like SKUs and variations (size, colour, quantity) to names and images, allowing you to organize and catalogue items. The right eCommerce software will allow you to be fully aware of the stock levels of each item and which of them need restocking.
With multiple integrations in place, a single eCommerce software can even take care of your payment processes, maintain accounting records, keep tabs on the customer interests and provide efficient analysis and reports about your progress and shortcomings, if any.
What type of eCommerce Softwares are available?
eCommerce software is meant to empower your consumers to find what they need quickly and easily. To do so, it is important to understand what type of eCommerce system your business requires.
Majorly eCommerce management softwares are distributed in 3 categories with business-specific requirements. Some of the best eCommerce software available in the market include:
Open source eCommerce platform
Magento Software, Woocommerce, etc are examples of this type of eCommerce software platform. Such software systems do not require any license fees and have a source code that is open for edits, modifications and additions by anyone on the internet.
An open source eCommerce software should be considered by those businesses who provide custom features, have the budget to hire a dedicated team of eCommerce developers and want to have a custom web design for their business.
SaaS: Software as a Service
Shopify, Bigcommerce, etc are the top references of SaaS eCommerce platforms. Software as a Service platform are cloud-based systems available on the internet, licensed to a single user or business on a subscription basis
SaaS platforms are handled and managed by 3rd- Party technology providers and the complete responsibility of hosting, handling and maintaining relies on them.
Such software is highly cost-effective and allows real-time access to complete management of eCommerce platforms.
On-Premise
For sellers that wish to have their eCommerce business managed right from their own platforms but with the help of an expert organization, then On Premise or licensed and hosted solutions are adopted.
This form of eCommerce software allows immense flexibility and developers provide manual support, updates and fixes on-site for all kinds of issues.
The biggest factor in determining which of these 3 to go with is how much access you want to have over your system, what is the scale of your business and how much of growth do you expect out of current operations.
Keeping crucial factors in mind such as the volume of products, arenas you want to have visibility on such as mobile commerce, and the possibility of going international are all to be considered before you choose an eCommerce software for your business.
How to choose the right eCommerce software?
With the types of eCommerce Software available, choosing the right one which suits your business needs becomes highly necessary.
The best eCommerce software should include some important features to be able to provide you with the right assistance with which your business can deliver effortless services to the consumers.
Some critical features an eCommerce solution must include are:
eCommerce Front End Services
The paramount requirement for your eCommerce business is to provide a user-friendly experience because an easy to use UI determines the interest of your customers on your page and that is what front end services mean.
No longer restricted to a bigger screen, a huge number of consumers prefer accessing eCommerce platforms from their mobiles and if your front end services are not mobile-friendly, you may lose out on a big chunk of customers.
Software that provides quicker load speed, lesser delays and smooth navigation should be considered.
eCommerce Inventory & Order Management
Once you have a faster front end, the next most important thing is to master your inventory management and order processing. Not just virtually, you need your services to be quicker on the ground as well.
A good eCommerce order management system and inventory software allows you to monitor and manage your inventory, stock count, order processing, order fulfilment, order tracking, real-time updates on shipping and logistics and timely delivery, all via automation
Your eCommerce software needs to have a well-organized order and inventory management system to make sure that the right data about stocks is maintained and only in-stock items are visible for customers.
Warehouse Management Solutions
Post implementing the right inventory and order management systems, the next thing in line should be the management of warehouse operations because this is from where the products are rolled out to be delivered to a consumer.
Warehouse management solutions by an eCommerce software should save your time, efforts and money, Some of the most important features to look for include the availability of drop-ship programs, returns management, stock control, real-time updates on cycle count and put-away services.
ERP and POS Assistance
Availability of integration with strong ERP and POS solutions through API integration or plugin installation should be considered as well. A one-stop solution provider will not only enable you to have all the necessary updates about your business in one place but reduce our efforts to jump from one platform to another.
Shopify, Woocommerce, Bigcommerce, Magento, etc., are all platforms that either provide direct plugins with such systems or initiate 3rd party integrations to achieve the same.
WhatsApp eCommerce Option
Growing rapidly, Whatsapp is becoming the new avenue for merchants to sell their products and attract customers without spending too much time and money.
Supporting Whatsapp eCommerce is one of the top choices for businesses looking out for an eCommerce software.
eCommerce Marketing Solutions
Marketing is a game-changer when it comes to businesses who want to grow rapidly with a prominent presence in the eCommerce ecosystem. Having your products, pages rank high on google search engines ensure immediate attraction of customers.
And so it becomes important for your eCommerce platform to render good marketing solutions right from SEO to Analytics and content generation.
Logistics Management
Without a proper logistics provider or good eCommerce shipping software by your side, your eCommerce business cannot survive. Consumer behaviour indicates that those who can deliver products faster have a better rate of acquiring loyal customers and the new normal demands this swiftness even more.
Invest in eCommerce software that gives you multiple integration options with various logistics providers to ensure timely delivery and reduced returns.
What are the benefits of eCommerce software?
By now you must have understood the importance of having the right eCommerce software by your side and what all to look for when choosing one, but what about the benefits of having SaaS based or open-source, even a PaaS based software?
Designed with a plethora of services to make the entire process of your eCommerce management easier, an eCommerce software avails you more rewards than what you invest for.
With automation of processes, everything becomes faster, easier and saves a lot of time for you to focus on other aspects of your business such as increasing your product catalogue, running offers and sales to attract more customers, and giving your customers complete satisfaction from all the ways possible.
Some key benefits of having an eCommerce Software Solution are:
Exponential Growth
eCommerce system enables you to increase your revenues and achieve higher sales volumes by managing multiple sales channels such as marketplaces, store outlets, websites, etc., right from a single eCommerce solution platform that allows seamless integrations with them all, saving your time, efforts and money that you can dedicate to further expanding your business.
Reduced Operational Costs
With a good eCommerce system, you can streamline and automate your supply chain processes such as inventory, order, warehouse management and reduce the manual and operational cost associated with them.
Increased Productivity
Manual processes involved in managing order and inventory along with keeping track of sales, returns and refunds cause a lot of strain on productivity but with the help of automation, you can save a lot on manpower as well as utilise human resources specifically for people-oriented tasks and increase productivity.
Expansion to New Markets
Highly advanced technologies in the supply chain have eliminated the barrier of geographies. Cross border or international eCommerce is no longer a far fetched idea but a reality in today’s time. eCommerce solutions are equipped with integration capacities to hundreds of marketplaces, carts, shipping, ERP & POS systems, etc. to allow your business to expand to a more diverse customer base.
Valuable Customer Support
The best eCommerce solutions will rapidly increase your customer handling processes by limiting manual efforts and dependency.
Automated processes exponentiate productivity as every detail and data is managed in real-time with complete efficiency. Right from managing orders to maintaining your stock listings, purchase history, delivery updates, returns & cancellations, taxes and accounting, everything is handled by a single software solution.
Improved Marketing Activities
In the new age, the importance of marketing and SEO related activities is understood by all and eCommerce software systems cater to this need as well.
Most eCommerce solutions include services to manage marketing strategies and search engine optimization needs for your online business to increase traffic and in turn, bring in more customers via social channels.
Error-proof Data Analysis
Real-time and efficient data analysis by eCommerce software solutions, sellers, retailers and brands can focus on buying patterns, maintain purchase history to create customised suggestions for customers.
These activities produce highly insightful information about your consumers, helping you provide them with the best possible services.
In conclusion
Giving your business a boost, eCommerce solutions help you figure out how to sell online, make profits and ensure the sustainability of your business.
No matter how technologically advanced you are, an eCommerce software platform will be at your disposal to help you through every step of the way and that is the biggest benefit you can expect out of it.
And to help you achieve that, Unicommerce is just a click away!
Serving over 10,000 eCommerce businesses, helping them integrate and manage their 360 degree eCommerce operations, Unicommerce’s highly advanced eCommerce software solutions have been solving all the eCommerce challenges faced by brands, retailers, and sellers to focus on growth and have better unit economics.
Check out our solutions for free by requesting a demo now!