How Choosing the Right E-commerce Consultant Can Catapult Your Business to Success
The e-commerce industry is growing at a rapid rate and if you are a business owner venturing into this area, tying up with an e-commerce consultant (either an individual or a consulting group) is a wise thing to do for multiple reasons.
In this world where all you need to sell your products is a functional website and a supply chain, instead of a brick-and-mortar structure, it becomes essential to come out on top among all the competition. It’s possible that when you start a business online that you’ve done your research and stepped into this world prepared. However, there are certain areas that need special care for niche businesses to grow and flourish.
An e-commerce consultant is a person you look up to, for these purposes. They have a vivid idea of how to promote an online business, analyze the market value of the e-store and guide you accordingly. Their set of skills help you to have a unique insight of your growth over potential competitors and your reach to prospective clients.
Now that you know how beneficial an e-commerce consultant could be for you, here are somethings to keep in mind to get the best person for the job at hand!
Do You Need an E-commerce Consultant?
The first thing you need to determine is whether you really need an e-commerce consultant. If you are a business owner with an e-commerce store set-up or are trying to venture into this field, you probably do. You may think that you know the ins and outs of your business completely. However, a consultant partner would be skilled enough to provide you valuable ideas and prospects to go even further and annihilate your competition!
Bear in mind that it is crucial to choose the right individual for this role. Because a lot of your business health and future would be dependent on how well they tie into your vision and work accordingly.
Determine Your E-Commerce Needs First
Now that you have decided to go ahead with finding someone for the role, you must be able to identify your needs as a business owner. The type of professional you hire will depend on the type of business you have, your existing concerns regarding the company and how well their workflow and skills gel with your existing team.
For example, if your company primarily deals with B2B sales the e-commerce consultant you require should be knowledgeable in the B2B commerce space.
Similarly, the type of product you sell will also require some thought. Do similar products already exist in the market or do you have a new kind of product that needs special marketing to gain customers?
These are the questions you need clarity on before you hire an e-commerce consultant.
While you are in discussion with an e-commerce consulting company, you need to clearly highlight the services you need. Set down a lucid set of concerns and problems which you want to solve and inquire what services the consultant can provide to help solve them. Typical services provided by a consultant involve things like:
· E-commerce platform design and development
· Search Engine Optimization
· Online business health analytics
· Marketing
· Website maintenance
Platform Development and Design for Your Store
Your e-commerce store would require a robust platform to maintain your business proceedings on a daily basis. This is one of the areas your consultant can help the most.
The consulting company can assist you in each step of setting up a platform with the right appeal for your business. Some of the activities an e-commerce consultant will cater to in this regard are:
1) Selecting the most suitable platform
2) Designing UX/UI of the website
3) Defining inventory and pricing strategy
4) Developing responsiveness and PWAs
5) Optimizing website performance
6) Implementing extensions/plugins
7) Setting up and maintaining multi-language websites
Some consulting companies provide round-the-clock e-commerce managed services. This helps you to stay focused on your business-critical processes while the e-commerce consultant manages customer experience and website maintenance operations.
E-commerce Consultants Help Boost Sales, If Chosen Correctly. How?
· An e-commerce consultant can help you reach out to more potential customers through innovative marketing and can help you launch successful campaigns.
· They can also work in close proximity to your product team to reduce extra costs and to reinvest in particular areas, all in an effort to increase the business for your company.
· Particular Business Intelligence or Data Analytics skills also go a long way in predicting what future ventures to work towards and to constantly monitor the current health of your business as a whole.
· Essentially, with the help of e-commerce consultants you’ll be able to fortify your strategies with great ROI.
Unbiased Feedback — The Need of the Hour
A very positive argument for getting an e-commerce consultant for your business is that you get an unbiased set of eyes on your company. This really helps to get an objective overview of the workings of your company and brings to your notice things which can be improved immediately, most of which is often overlooked by your core team members.
How Much Are You Willing to Pay?
It is evident that in order to pay for an e-commerce consultant you would need to shell out money from your budget.
Investing in a reliable e-commerce consulting company ultimately brings back returns in the form of better sales and growth. Always keep in mind that this investment can be the stepping-stone for you to gain a lot back in return, often much more than you initially spent.
Previous Experiences
For hiring the correct person for the job, it is important to look at the portfolio of the e-commerce consultant and refer to their past clients and experience. It is crucial for the business and the consultant to have aligned goals and you need to make sure that the general demeanor of the consultant will sit well in the environment of your company.
Knowing more about their experience in e-commerce and going through their portfolio extensively will give you an understanding of which consultant will be best suited for partnership with your company.
Perform Extensive Research
Beware of false practitioners as there are many professionals who tag themselves to be experienced in e-commerce consulting but do not have the necessary skills in that regard.
A good thumb rule is to keep an eye out for credible certifications achieved by the company. For example, being a certified Adobe Solutions partner would mean that the consultant team has experience with Magento Commerce, and would be able to migrate your platform to Magento seamlessly, if needed.
In addition to that, it should also be clear as to what tasks the consultant will help with and what level of involvement they will show in solving the problems at hand.
In a Nutshell
The profession of e-commerce consulting is becoming progressively important in the world of increasing online markets. Fore-commerce businesses to keep soaring, especially in the wake of a worldwide pandemic, it is essential to opt for the right e-commerce consulting partner.
Almost all major e-commerce giants have multiple teams assigned for this particular role and even smaller businesses are following suit. While hiring an e-commerce consultant it is important to remember you hire the correct person for the job according to your business type, skills/services required and general compatibility with the company. Doing this will help you free up time and resources to focus on more critical aspects of your business.
