E-commerce or electronic commerce is the process of selling or buying goods and services with the help of the internet. By embracing E-Commerce we can involve in transactions with the customers without their physical presence.
E-commerce is gaining momentum these days as COVID-19 the pandemic has locked down the whole world. Restriction for the movement of people for buying goods and getting services has paved the way for the huge demand for E-Commerce.
Apart from big business groups, small business groups, supermarkets, and even retail grocery shops are taking the e-route by embracing E-Commerce. E-commerce has become a synonym for the expansion of business in the modern world. If brick and mortar replicate the presence of commerce, e-commerce replicates the future.
Any industry can depend on the E-Commerce platform to improve their business, be it the grocery shops, milk shops, wood, or plastic industry.
Top 30 reasons to embrace E-Commerce
1) Worldwide customer base
One of the most important benefits of E-Commerce is the ability to build a worldwide customer base. With the support of the internet, a customer from anywhere in the world can purchase goods from your e-market.
Facilities to deliver purchased goods directly, through courier and specialized service providers make E-Commerce the choice of many internet users. The option to choose a product from anywhere in the world and the facilities for checking customer reviews and feedback also make e-markets a hangout place for web browsers.
2) Effective e-display of products
Well displayed products are sure to attract the eye of the customer. In an E-Commerce platform, the vendor has the scope to arrange all the products in a systematized manner.
Product categories can be searched with ease on an e-commerce platform. A set of good photographs of the product with a description will easily influence the buyer.
The single-click purchase facility and easy to manage payment methods along with the good display help the customers choose the best product for them. E-Commerce enables you to display the products not only for those reaching your cash wrap but to the whole population using the internet.
3) Click and Collect facility
Click and collect facility is the highlight of all E-Commerce ERPs. The customer can select the items from anywhere and collect the purchased goods directly from the shop using this facility.
It helps the customers save their time. A customer does not have to wander in the shop to choose their products. Instead, they can glance through the products on display at the E-Commerce platform and click the product for purchase. Payment can be made directly or through an online payment.
4) Quick Door delivery service
Customers preferring home delivery always prefer quick service. An E-Commerce platform helps the vendor to easily pack the items purchased by the customer.
The chances for duplication of product, mistaking of one item for another and other mistakes are avoided in the E-Commerce platform. As everything is done online, the delivery points can also be prioritized enabling timely delivery of products.
Quick customer support is sure to prompt the customers to revisit your E-Commerce platform.
5) Suitable for elderly customers
The E-Commerce platform is the most suitable choice for elderly customers. All those who can use the internet or those who have the assistance of others for re-purchase can depend on a user-friendly E-Commerce platform.
Senior citizens, for whom it would be difficult to move out of their houses to purchase household items, furniture, and home appliances are sure to depend on your E-Commerce platform.
6)Virtual Market
E-Commerce platform offers a virtual marketplace for the vendor and the buyer. The entrepreneur can save expenditure by avoiding a fully functional showroom facility. Instead, the entrepreneur can arrange a virtual market place.
Only an inventory or warehouse will be required for storing the goods instead of a perfect market place to attract buyers.
7) Easy Selection
Easy selection is the major highlight of E-Commerce platforms. The arrangement, categorization, organized management and display of products and the review and rating of the product helps the customer to select the product easily.
Interaction with the sales executive or bargaining can be avoided as all offers and discounts come along with the display image.
8) Easy to compare the product quality
Choosing the best product is the toughest task for any customer. But in an E-Commerce platform where products belonging to the same category are arranged together, it becomes an easy task. Besides, the arrangement helps the people understand the specifications of different products with a click.
The review of the customers, rating of the products, and the comments on the products make it easy for the customers to compare the quality of the product.
9) Price comparison becomes simple
Comparing the product becomes a cakewalk in an E-Commerce Platform. As the actual prices, discounted price, and other offers of all products are displayed in the E-Commerce Platform it becomes easy for a customer to choose the product that suits his budget.
Price comparison makes purchasing a happy experience for the customer. A customer who is satisfied with the buying experience is more likely to return to your marketplace frequently.
A feature for comparing prices will help you attract customers belonging to different financial backgrounds to your marketplace.
10) Spot online payment
Spot payment online is the major highlight of the E-Commerce Platform. In an E-Commerce Platform, the customer can pay the amount through Paytm, Google Pay, or with credit or debit cards.
Manual calculation of the bill amount or balance amount to be returned to the customer is no more worry in the E-Commerce Platform. Besides, it makes accounting an easy task for the vendor.
11) Online rewards for payment
The scope for an online reward for payment is one of the most attractive features of the E-Commerce Platform. Many banks offer reward points for using their credit and debit card purchases.
Almost all online payment gateways are offering credit points and reward points for using their gateway. As repeated use of such gateways offers gifts, air tickets, and other offers to the customers, customers are more likely to engage in the buying process.
The online payment gateways help the customers identify their gains through the purchase of items. All discounts and offers can be reviewed and this ensures customer satisfaction.
12) Info on the delivery status
Quick info on delivery status is another major highlight of the E-Commerce Platform. The vendor can ensure that the buyer gets their delivery on time.
The quick information facility also helps to communicate the delivery time to the client. The tracking of the product sent for delivery also helps speed up the delivery process. The delivery speed could also be increased if the delivery status is updated.
13) SMS and e-mail updates
E-Commerce Platform enables a business group to communicate with the clients continuously. E-mail messages and SMS facilities can be used to communicate about offers and discounts with customers.
Alert messages about offers on a specific day and frequent communication with a list of products help the vendors stay connected with the clients. The E-Commerce Platform will enable the vendor to become a part of the daily life of the customer.
14) Delivery through service providers
E-Commerce Platform offers business groups to seek the support of service providers to deliver the purchased goods. It helps you to cut short the number of permanent employees and thus manage your labor force and finance effectively.
The support of service providers is required only based on the requirement of the customers. It also helps the vendor to seek the support of different persons to deliver products in different areas. This ensures quick delivery of products.
Instead of appointing a single delivery boy for all delivery processes, the project helps the vendor to decentralize the distribution process and quicken the act.
15) Safe and secure delivery
Apart from the quick delivery of products, the safe delivery of goods can also be ensured with the help of an E-Commerce Platform. As the products are categorized into different groups, the packaging is done to suit the package.
Seeking the support of different delivery service providers also helps to ensure the safe and secure delivery of products. Glass items, wooden products, valuable items, and easily degradable products can be delivered separately taking into account the character of the product.
A consumer will revisit your market place only if the product is delivered to him safely. This feature enables you the best review from the customer.
16) Cost-effective replacement
E-Commerce Platform also makes cost-effective replacement possible. Unlike in a brick and mortar business where the customer has to visit the shop in person to purchase a product and revisit the shop to replace, an E-Commerce Platform offers facilities to replace the product in an easy way.
Products purchased from anywhere in the world can be replaced with ease. The same way the vendor also is able to replace the product following the customer request without much physical effort.
This kind of customer-friendly features offered by an E-Commerce Platform is sure to win the hearts of the customers.
17) Customer relationship management becomes effective
The E-Commerce Platform that functions with the support of an ERP helps the vendor to improve customer relationship management. Frequent interactions through e-mail, SMS, and other social media platforms offer better customer relations.
E-Commerce Platform provides an online platform for sharing their reviews and feedback. Another feature helps the customers to get a response from the vendor on all their queries and this makes communication two-directional making communication more effective.
Customers, being the king of any business, a good CRM is a key to the success of any business. Good customer relations can do what an advertisement cannot.
18) Live customer support
E-Commerce Platform offers facilities for live interaction with the customer. The customer interaction through live chats helps the customer to present their grievance and get the grievance addressed immediately.
Timely communication could easily avoid misunderstanding. Those who are able to get the complaints redressed quickly are sure to collaborate with the firm in the future too. On the other hand, if a firm fails to offer proper customer support, the customer is unlikely to continue the collaboration.
19) Easy Re-funding
Refunding becomes an easy task with the E-Commerce Platform. Transactions can be completed with a click. Any refund for any product becomes quick and it improves the customer relationship.
The trust won by the vendor with a quick refund is equal to ten advertisements.
20) Review of customers to help promotion
Taking care of the customer review and work to get the best reviews is sure to achieve success. E-Commerce Platform helps the vendors get customer reviews for every product sold by them. The services including the delivery speed, refund, and other small tasks are reviewed by the customers and these reviews are stepping stone to success.
21) Understand buying preferences
E-Commerce Platform helps a vendor to list out all items sold and all items searched by the customers. This helps the seller to understand the demand of the customers.
The number of units sold out from each shelf and the items which are running out of stock can easily be assessed if the sale is done online. Stock management based on buying preferences improves the sale and avoids dead stock. Wastage of degradable products could also be avoided if the buying preference is studied well.
22) Most suitable in the Internet ERA
The Internet is ruling the world now and the majority of the population are preferring online transactions to simplify their lives. In the modern era, where all are busy with their personal and work life, E-Commerce Platform platforms are offering smooth buying and choosing a pattern. IT makes the E-Commerce Platform the best choice in the internet era.
23) Location of bricks and mortar not important
In a business involving bricks and mortar, the location of the store is more important. As buyers need to reach the store physically, the location plays a crucial role.
But in an E-Commerce Platform, we have a virtual marketplace and the location of the real store does not matter.
24) Easy to take stocks
One of the most important features of the E-Commerce Platform is the ease to take stock of the goods in the warehouse. All items listed out in the e-platform automatically help you take the stock.
The number of units purchased, the number of units sold, and the number of units remaining at the warehouse can be calculated with ease.
It would also help to get alert on the running out of stock. The E-Commerce Platform helps to maintain stock and avoid the items which are of least demand.
25) Easy finance management
Keeping track of the accounts of a business group becomes simple when using the E-Commerce Platform. With simple entries during each sale, the accounts always remain well managed and updated with the use of E-Commerce ERP.
Internal and external auditing and other activities become simple with the E-Commerce ERP.
26) Manage inventory and purchase
Get rid of all your worries about Inventory management and purchase management with the help of the E-Commerce Platform. Here, you get the best support for managing inventory.
With ready to use stock reports and sales reports, managing purchase is not a big deal. Choosing the buying points too becomes simple as the buying pattern and customer preferences also come in handy with the E-commerce ERP.
27) Get reports quickly
Preparing reports will not worry you anymore if you embrace the E-Commerce Platform. With the specialized ERPs, you can get reports ready. The perfect ERP solution provided with the support of Odoo will help you prepare reports in the form of graphs and charts. Managing the business and understanding the pattern of business also become a cakewalk on the E-Commerce Platform.
28) Manage employees
Employee management, performance review of employees, tracking the delivery reports, monitoring the work at the inventory are just a click away with E-Commerce ERP. The employee number can be reduced by managing functioning effectively. The best management of finance also follows with employee management. Salary of employees, their working hours and leave days can be managed with the platform.
29) Track product movement
Movement of goods from the manufacturer to the inventory, movement from inventory to shop, tracking of products sent for delivery to doorsteps everything comes under surveillance with E-Commerce ERP.
30) Manage everything with a single click
Managing a business is no more a tough task as E-Commerce Platforms are plenty. Amongst many ERPs, we, an Odoo provider, offer you the best E-Commerce ERP. This single point solution helps you control all aspects of your business with a mouse click.
The business can be managed from anywhere in the world if you have access to the E-Commerce Platform. Our Odoo assisted ERP platform will ease all your work and help you ensure better customer relations, order tracking, employee management, stocktaking, purchase, inventory management, and other processes.
Reduced number of employees for the physical management of the shop, continuous communication with the customers, and ready to use reports and reviews are added advantages of Odoo ERP.
Odoo ERP ensures you the best service with optimized features. The interest of the vendor is taken into account and the software is developed to best suit the demand of different industries.