Running a business is challenging, whether you’re a B2B wholesaler or a B2C retail store. What makes it even harder is managing daily operations across multiple platforms and systems. But did you know that thanks to e-commerce integration it doesn’t have to be this way?
With e-commerce integration you can connect previously separated sources of data. For retail businesses this usually means their Point of Sale system and their e-commerce website. With integrated systems you’ll be able to:
- Remove manual data entry,
- Increase staff efficiency,
- Keep customers happy,
- Increase revenue,
- and much more.
This blog will help you understand what integrated e-commerce is and how it can help you grow your business.
What is e-commerce integration and why is it important?
E-commerce integration can be defined as the coordination between your business’ Point of Sale software and your e-commerce platform.
Modern retail businesses use lots of different apps, tools, and systems to operate. These are all often supplied by different vendors. That presents a lot of complications for your staff, who will typically have to switch between each system every day. Additionally, it also presents massive inefficiencies for your customer data which will be distributed across your platforms and systems.
If you want to run a unified commerce strategy, having un-integrated systems makes it impossible.
E-commerce integration brings your key in-store, back-office, and online retail systems together, saving your staff time while centralizing your customer and product data. WebSell does this simply and seamlessly.
WebSell is an integrated e-commerce platform that uses your existing Point of Sale or ERP system to power your webstore. When your systems are talking to each other and using one source of data, you can enjoy a multitude of benefits.
What are the benefits of e-commerce integration?
Now that you know what e-commerce integration is, it’s time to see what it can do for your business. All of the benefits aren’t completely obvious, so we’ll break them down for you in detail here.
By the way, this isn’t just us talking here. These are some of the key benefits we’ve learned from our customers after 16+ years of working with and talking to them.
1. Eliminated manual data entry and increased staff efficiency
When your POS system and website are integrated, your staff don’t need to enter data in two places, which is time-consuming and unnecessary. When you integrate, everything entered on your POS system is automatically reflected on your webstore, from sales and customer data to pricing and product information.
An integrated e-commerce platform can almost entirely eliminate the need for manual data entry. This means you can increase efficiency across the business, freeing up more time to focus on your customers.
How much time will it actually save you? One of our longest-serving customers actually quantified it:
Their integration with our POS system cuts everyday maintenance by at least 70%.
Rich Bendall, CEO at Forbidden Planet NYC
2. Simplified inventory management
With automated inventory management, you can give customers more accurate data on pricing and inventory. When you sell an item in your store, your webstore will automatically reflect this sale, meaning you won’t sell an item online that you don’t have in stock.
Any transaction or update your staff enters in the POS system will be synchronized with your webstore. That brings benefits for both your own staff and your customers.
Staff know what’s in stock and where, and customers have up-to-date information about what they can buy and for how much.
E-commerce integration lets you reduce human involvement in the transaction process, and when you do that the possibility for human error reduces significantly.
3. Tighter control of your business leading to better decisions
With greater visibility into your store’s data, you will have better control over it. That means you can make more informed decisions.
When you know when, how, and where your customers shop at specific times of the year, you can make better projections and predictions about what stock you’ll need. With disconnected systems, you won’t be able to see how your customers change behavior when they shop online instead of in-store.
WebSell gives you access to reporting dashboards which gives you detailed information about how your store is performing, including data around your order/visit conversion rates. Once you have this data at your fingertips, you can make more informed decisions about your inventory and marketing campaigns.
4. Reduced Costs
When you’re making more informed and data-led decisions, you can experience costs reductions on your inventory. As your POS system now stores all web sales, you can forecast what inventory you’ll need at every stage by analyzing historical data.
You won’t overstock on items and you can ensure costs are controlled. With the removal of manual data entry, you’ll also be able to reduce the overall cost of operations.
5. Better customer experience
For any business, satisfying the needs of your customers is one of your ongoing primary goals. E-commerce integration allows you to access and organize data more easily, so that you can get the full picture of how your customers interact with your business.
With centralized customer data, you can impress customers by using their information to deliver more targeted and personalized offers. When customers see that you use their data in a meaningful way, you can build customer trust, loyalty, and ultimately revenue.
70% of customers also said they would be more loyal to a business if they received regular personalized offers.
6. Improved order tracking and customer care
When your warehouse and webstore are integrated you can give customers accurate information at every stage of the fulfillment process. With WebSell you can download web orders at the click of a button, meaning you can process orders and update customers quicker.
You’ll also be able to estimate when an item should arrive, and should something go wrong with delivery, you’ll have full visibility over all issues.
When you’ve integrated, your POS system will automatically integrate every web sale, reducing the time your staff spend in the order fulfillment cycle.
This all leads to better customer care as you can keep them informed at every stage of their order.
How to Get Started with WebSell
E-commerce integration could be the missing piece in your business to take your sales to the next level. With integrated systems you can improve your decision-making, centralize your data source, and cut time out of you and your staff’s workday.
Integration might sound complicated, but WebSell makes it as easy and seamless as possible. We’ve created a platform that can communicate effectively with a variety of different POS and ERP systems. Which ones? You can view them all over here.
If you’re ready to start your journey into the future of retail, you can request a free demo and our sales team will get in touch with you to schedule your personalized demo. You can also email sales@websell.io for more info or check out some of our case studies to see how businesses like yours succeed with WebSell.
Want to learn more? Download the e-commerce integration playbook
An introduction to the benefits and best practices of e-commerce integration
In this eBook you’ll learn:
- Why integration is vital for growth
- Benefits of e-commerce integration
- Best practices for integration
- How to grow your store online
- Integration success stories
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