IT
TOP TIPS FOR LAUNCHING YOUR ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
An ecommerce website is quickly becoming a crucial tool for staying competitive in today’s market. Most customers will expect you to have a website – but what if you’ve never launched a business online before?
G
iles Greenslade, Business Development Director for Ecommerce at Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) says his top tips for making those all-important first steps into the online domain start with choosing a fully- integrated solution
“Choosing a website that can integrate directly into your ERP solution can have great benefits to your business,” he says. “Details such as stock and pricing can be passed from your ERP to your online portal in real time. “Regardless of what business you are in, the website should be able to work within your business and provide the synergy needed to realise its full potential. Your company doesn’t want to have to change its processes to work around a non-integrated ecommerce solution.” Greenslade says his second tip is to select a solution that’s designed for your industry “Your ecommerce platform should be easily usable by both your staff and customers. It is beneficial to choose a partner who understands both selling online and your specific industry.
“An ERP solution not designed for your industry could include “numerous options that are completely irrelevant to the customer,2 he adds. “An industry-tailored content management system will make it simpler to operate day-to-day.”
It’s vital that companies see their websites as extensions of the existing business is Greenslade’s third tip.
“Establishing an ecommerce website is “essentially like opening a new branch”. It’s not enough just to build a new website,” he says. “You could have an industry-leading website, but if nobody knows it’s there, then it is unlikely to generate the desired return on investment. Marketing is therefore essential to your website’s success. Any interaction with a customer or prospect should be viewed as a chance to promote your site.”
It’s also vital to think about your customer service, he says. “Although an ecommerce site may remove the human element, it still needs to be thought of as another salesperson in
its own right. Customers today are probably better informed than ever before, and a site that passes on knowledge will be seen as a valuable resource in attracting repeat business.”
Don’t be afraid to try something new, either. “Ecommerce provides another route to market. The use of online shopping has accelerated exponentially over the past 12 months and increasing.
“Mobile and tablet usage underlines the shift in technology application in real-world business operations. The days of having to make a call to source materials while on a job are gone, the ability to find the right items and place an immediate order is now an essential component of business,” Greenslade says.
24
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70
