WORKFLOW AUTOMATION FOR E-COMMERCE

Global online shopping is booming! A study from Statista says, there are over five billion internet users worldwide, it’s equivalent to almost 7 out of 10 people on planet Earth! No wonder the number of people making purchases online is always rising and this will not stop. 

E-commerce is a dynamic business unlike traditional shops. It’s not uncommon to have sudden surge of demands or shifts in customer preferences because of product trends or social media.  As buying online has become easier than before, consumers are always expecting a better and faster service. 

To be responsive to the current market, it is crucial for your business to be agile and efficient. This is why, Workflow automation is the key to achieving these goals: 

10 BENEFITS OF WORKFLOW AUTOMATION IN E-COMMERCE 

1. Increase in efficiency 

In e-commerce, speed is critical. Automated workflow will help you process orders faster, update your inventory automatically and accurately, and even handle your customer’s queries in real time! This will free you or your team from manual data entry, save time and minimize human errors. As a result, your organization can focus better on high-value operational activities like customer service and strategic planning. 

2. Enhance your customer experience 

Customers can be informed in real-time about their order updates, this delivers consistent communication and personalized marketing based on customer behavior. Automation simplifies backend operations and assists businesses to offer a faster, and smoother experience. This can raise customer satisfaction and loyalty. 
 

3. Reduce costs 

Inefficient workflows can cost up to 30% of your company’s revenue! The number itself is alarming, think of what you could do with this extra money in your budget! So, by automating tasks, you can reduce errors that could lead to lost sales, refunds, and customer dissatisfaction. 

4. Make your business scalable 

As your e-commerce business grows, with workflow automation, you can scale your business seamlessly. For example, automation can handle larger order volumes, which gives you the opportunity to expand into new markets without significantly increasing staff or changing your operations. 

5. Help in decision making 

You can gain valuable insights for your business strategies, by automating the collection of data on sales, customer behavior, and operational performance. This collected data can be used to forecast your inventory needs by understanding the demand patterns. Also, your business can develop effective pricing strategies and create targeted marketing campaigns by figuring out pricing trends or specific customer segments and preferences. 

6. Strengthen compliance and security 

Automate your processes to protect your business from data breaches. This will help you keep your records organized and up to date with easy access.  

Mistakes and compliance with your company’s rules can be improved by reducing manual data handling. Plus, it will protect your sensitive information from unauthorized access. 

7. Competitive advantage 

You can react quickly to changes in customer demands and market trends. It enables you to quickly implement new features and sales strategies, staying ahead of the competition. You can fine-tune your pricing and service offerings, providing superior value to your customers. 

8. Improve employee morale 

Workflow automation takes over repetitive tasks and potentially helps to ease employee stress. Your employees will get more time to focus on tasks that are more strategic and of higher value, leading to the improvement of your business to help you gain success. 

9. Seamless integration 

Different parts of your e-commerce business can be easily linked together. You can connect various aspects of your workflow between your existing tools, from sales and marketing to finance and logistics, without interruption or delays. 

10. Enhance supplier and partner management 

Automation makes it easier to coordinate with different partners like logistics providers or drop-shippers. It can send automatic notifications and reminders for tasks like contract renewals, scheduled deliveries, or quality checks. Businesses can improve transparency and accountability with their partners by minimizing the need for frequent follow-up and manual data entry. 

Order processing and fulfillment

According to a report of McKinsey research, automation can speed up your order processing and shipping from 2 or 3 days to 1 or 2 hours. 

You can automate steps like order confirmation, payment, and shipping.   

There is no need for manual data input or rushing to update inventory levels anymore. Automation guarantees that orders are handled at a quicker pace and with fewer mistakes.  

Customer service

After a purchase, automated emails can be sent to thank customers, request reviews or suggest related products. These automated messages provide valuable data for future advertising strategies.  

With chatbots and AI-powered systems, you can address typical questions, process refunds, and suggest products quickly, without the need for a human representative.   

Automated systems can provide continuous assistance 24/7, to save time and deliver consistent support. You can offer a more personalized and responsive customer experience. 

Inventory aspect

Automatically update your inventory and keep your stock level accurate. When your inventory is running low, a notification will alert you to reorder before supplies deplete. 

Also, you can set up a workflow to analyze sales data in order to predict future inventory needs. 

Marketing tasks 

Automate your email marketing through sending personalized welcome emails to new subscribers, reminding customers of abandoned carts, and following up after purchases. This helps build relationships and boosts sales.  

Tools like Hootsuite, Metricool, Buffer, even Wiresk can strengthen your social media presence by automating your social media posts. This gives you a consistent engagement without manual effort.  

Pricing and promotions

By automating price adjustments based on factors like competitors and demand, businesses can offer personalized discounts and promotions tailored to customer segments.  

You can schedule discounts, target customer segments and even trigger follow-up offers, such as sending a discount to customers for their next purchase.  

Promotion can be linked to inventory level, offering discounts on overstocked items or pausing them when the stock is low.  

By automating pricing and promotion, your strategies are always adjusted, helping you stay competitive and drive sales.  

Return and refunds management

Recent statistics show that 65.1% of online shoppers return goods often (China International Electronic Commerce Center). 

Customers can submit return requests online, which can be automatically processed and approved if they meet your criteria. Once a return is inspected, the system can automatically process the refund and notify the customer.   

When the refund is processed, workflow automation can update your inventory making sure that stock levels are correct.  

Automating the returns process not only simplifies authorization, refunds, and inventory updates but also provides valuable data to refine products and reduce the high return rates. 

Abandoned cart recovery

Automation can intervene to recapture a lost sale when a customer leaves their cart. By sending email or SMS reminder, you gently influence them to finish the purchase.  

You have the choice to customize these messages by including the forgotten items, providing a discount, or emphasizing the limited availability of the products. It is a clever method to regain sales without having to individually pursue each customer. This procedure helps in improving your conversions, preventing potential revenue loss  

So now, you are considering automating your business workflow, but you don’t know where to start? Here’s 7 steps to follow for a good starting point. 

1. Define the area that you want to automate

You can start by finding the area of your business that is the most resources and time consuming, refer to the different aspects of business processing presented above. 

Next, define your goals for workflow automation, such as improving efficiency and productivity, enhancing customer experiences, optimizing operations, reducing costs, and more. 

2. Select the right tools or platform

You can find a variety of e-commerce automation tools accessible in the market, from simple email marketing platforms to e-commerce automation suites like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento.  

Also, you might want to try tools like Wiresk workflow automation, to automate different aspects of your business. Give it a shot! It’s free!  

3. Start small

Create diagram or flowchart of your existing processes like order fulfillment, inventory updates, email marketing, or customer feedback collection.  

Don’t try to automate everything at once. Start small with one or two key areas and gradually expand as you become more comfortable with the technology. 

Simplify your workflows where you can, for example, if you have multistep for order confirmation, see if you can combine them before automating. 

4. Implement and configure

Use your automation tool to create rules and conditions that manage your automated workflow. Connect the automation tool with other software if needed. 

5. Test and refine

As with any new system, it’s important to test your automated workflows and make adjustments as needed. Collect feedback from users, watch your performance and look for opportunities to improve.  

6. Train your team

Make sure your team is fully on board with automation and understand how to effectively use the tools. Support and training are necessary to assist them in adjusting to the new procedures.  

Get feedback from your team on how the automation is affecting their work. They might find areas for further improvement. 

7. Review and optimize

Once your automation workflows are in place, watch the results closely. Look for improvements.  

For instance, check if the automated marketing emails are generating the expected open and click rates.  

Keep an eye on updates to your automation tools, new features might allow you to automate even more tasks or improve existing workflows. 

In the current world of e-commerce and digital presence, workflow automation goes beyond just completing tasks or taking shortcuts; it gives your business ways to operate more efficiently. 

As customer needs change, they expect smooth experiences throughout the entire process, from browsing to receiving their items. Automation helps you to address these expectations directly by getting rid of manual tasks that consume your time and energy. 

With workflow automation you can fully concentrate on expanding your brand, fine-tuning strategies, and engaging with your customers, all the while, behind the scenes, orders are being processed, emails are being sent, inventory is being updated, and data is being collected—automatically. It is not about substituting individuals, rather providing your team with the resources to enhance productivity and innovation. 

Essentially, automation of workflows allows you to expand your business without experiencing the usual pains of growth. You are not only responding to current trends or dealing with emergencies; you are actively constructing a more flexible and customer-centered operation that is prepared for future challenges. And this is how you really distinguish your business in this competitive market. 

So, what are you waiting for? Start exploring the possibilities today and take your e-commerce business to the next level. Start creating your workflow automation for free with Wiresk.