Today, scalability and flexibility are the key reasons for eCommerce’s ongoing success. Before the emergence of the next crucial trends attracting the target audience, brands have to collect necessary data, analyze and then utilize it. However, it can become a cumbersome task if performed manually. It is where an integrated eCommerce solution comes into the picture.
Platforms with eCommerce integration are helping companies in keeping up with the competition and paving the way forward in the industry.
Moreover, an eCommerce platform has to rely on multiple marketing and inventory management solutions that if not integrated can lead to data silos, poor time management, company visibility, overlooked advertising opportunities, and even less streamlined customer experience. This way, it becomes difficult to reach your audience and build ongoing customer loyalty.
Therefore, it is important to ensure that you are using an appropriate eCommerce platform with an integrated solution. In this blog, we are going to discuss the detailed reasons why you should be utilizing an integrated eCommerce platform.
What Do You Mean By Integrated eCommerce Platform?
Integrated eCommerce platform helps in transferring data to accounting, inventory, sales, CRM, and marketing. It creates a bi-directional flow of information between the systems. It is considered a time and resource saver as all the data is stored in a single server and can be accessed in different forms by different departments.
Furthermore, it eliminates the process of updating inventory count into the system manually. Therefore, when the information is uploaded on a single platform utilizing an automated approach and real-time inventory, you tend to effortlessly access accurate sales data in distinct systems.
In short, an integrated eCommerce solution allows you to combine all the necessary processes in a single system, thereby streamlining the functions and operations.
Reasons To Prefer An Integrated eCommerce Platform
Upgrading your platforms enables you to yield several benefits, not just for you but for your employees and customers as well. If you are still skeptical about eCommerce integration, here are the reasons you can look for while switching your solution.
Streamlines Inventory Management
Over the past few years, eCommerce has changed dramatically in terms of accessing products and services. Because of convenient apps and automated features, managing inventory has become a lot easier.
An eCommerce platform with ERP integration streamlines the business operations and processes. It helps both the business and consumer by making the ordering experience seamless. It helps in tracking and making real-time inventory visible. It also reduces manual data entry, improves customer relationship management and data accuracy.
Furthermore, an integrated system helps in adjusting the prices of the products and rolling out new marketing campaigns from a single dashboard.
Minimizes Redundancy
When a customer purchases a product from your eCommerce site, and it gets reflected on your system, you might have to upgrade the information concerning the web order, payment, and shipment details without an integrated solution. The manual uploading of data leads to errors and data redundancy.
However, when you use integrated platforms, you get all the information in a single dashboard. It helps in changing the marketing tactics and campaigns immediately, acquiring an accurate view of the organization, and managing ongoing sales techniques efficiently without the need for integrating several integrations. This way, it reduces data redundancies and errors in one go.
Simplifies Finance And Compliance Solutions
An integrated solution helps in centralizing, updating, and even accessing all your financial data. You can easily get accounting reports and financial information concerning sales, profit and loss accounts, payroll, and more, without having to work on tedious tasks manually. When you use a cloud-based solution, multiple users can access financial information at the same time. It is considered a crucial benefit for those managing an eCommerce business globally.
Moreover, the problem of tax compliance acts as a barrier when you try to sell products and services across national borders. However, using accurate accounting software automatically resolves the issues. Its assists in storing all crucial tax information in a centralized location, thereby minimizing human errors. It also ensures that your company remains compliant with regulations all around the world.
Decreases Common Errors
Simple human errors are susceptible to unnecessary confusion and frustration for both your team as well as your customers. However, with the help of an integrated platform, you can minimize manual data entry that is needed while rechecking the figures added by your customers into the system.
For instance, by integrating an ERP, the information is automatically transferred to an ERP system from an eCommerce store. It also allows for automating orders, faster fulfillment, updating real-time inventory, etc. This way, you will be able to provide your customer with more accurate data for the products that are most relevant to their needs.
Management Omnichannel Sales
A single-channel eCommerce site with one digital storefront can make your business a success. However, when you expand your eCommerce business to an omnichannel model that includes multiple storefronts and sales channels, it can lead to greater success. Furthermore, despite its increasing popularity, merchants hesitate to adopt this model because of the difficulties they have to face in managing omnichannel sales and extra expenses.
A fully integrated eCommerce platform makes omnichannel a breeze. It allows you to monitor and manage your sales across multiple different channels and marketplaces. Expanding your sales channel enables you to expose your company to a wider audience. It is a great strategy to increase revenue, enhance the customer shopping experience, and establish your brand’s expertise in your industry.
Improves Site Security
When integrated with an ERP system, it provides a great level of security to your business. With the help of cloud ERP, you can utilize the latest security technologies that help you to keep the information of your customer safe from hackers and other security threats. A highly secured store can increase its brand and traffic.
Increases Scalability And Flexibility
Scalability plays a very crucial role in an eCommerce business. However, not having a proper infrastructure can cost more money than returns.
The integrated solution helps you to rapidly gain popularity. Also, it is considered a great tool in managing the increasing number of buyers. A cloud-based ERP solution provides the brands the scalability they need without investing any money.
Boosts Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
The majority of large-scale businesses face the challenge of expanding the customer base through their eCommerce platform. But, capturing new interest and reaching out to more people is not that difficult. The considerable challenge lies in retaining the existing one and increasing its lifetime value.
Moreover, while handling a B2B model, your marketing strategy has to be aligned so that you can communicate better with your customer and increase conversion swiftly. An integrated eCommerce platform helps you in doing so.
It synchronizes all your logistics information and customer data. This way, you can create a seamless and easy experience for your customer. Whether you drive traffic from social media platforms, Google, or email campaign, with an integrated solution, they will have a consistent and enjoyable shopping journey. Hence, using these features, you will be able to build trust and brand loyalty.
Helps In Building Effective Marketing Campaigns
Having access to all the customer and inventory data in a single location allows you to see the results of your marketing campaigns instantly. It enables you to monitor customer engagement with multiple strategies, like email newsletters, text messages, social media ads, etc.
With the help of this detailed data, you will be able to determine the best time to send messages to the right prospects for maximizing customer base or identifying the type of content preferred by them.
Viewing the results of a marketing campaign is also effective for merchants. It enables you and your team to focus more on the channels that are not given enough attention.
Enhances Customer Personalization
Several eCommerce businesses collect customer data but fail to grow their business using this information. An integrated eCommerce platform assists you to collect useful data across various touchpoints and accurately segment audiences in distinctive categories. This way, you can acquire better insight into your top customers, the way they like to interact with your brand, and the marketing campaign they engage with more.
Also, it will make personalization straightforward using AI. Systems having built-in AI functionalities can showcase buyers some relevant ads, related products, and customer reviews they are interested in.
Key Takeaway
Integrating your eCommerce business enables you to expand further. It gives you significant control over the business and helps you to build a better relationship with your customer. In a nutshell, it changes the entire working system of your business.
