Automation of business processes in an online store

Automation is a necessary condition for fast and high-quality work of any online store. Without it, it is impossible to withstand competition in ecommerce. The more coordinated and faster the store works, the more tasks are completed per day. Saving time makes the work of all staff more productive, which makes it possible to serve more purchases and attract more customers. Automation of business processes is important at all stages of work — from advertising and attracting customers to payment and delivery.

Leads generation

The volume of sales and overall business development depends on the effectiveness of lead generation — this is especially noticeable in the B2B segment. It is she who provides a stable flow of potential clients or buyers. Lead generation automation is essential to process traffic faster and generate more leads in the same amount of time. In addition, it facilitates constant contacts with existing customers, as well as work to increase their loyalty and attract attention.

In addition, automation makes it possible to build and adjust a sales funnel with jewel-like precision, which increases conversion times and reduces advertising costs.

The following tools are used to automate lead generation, in particular the sales funnel:

1. Tracking codes (Facebook Pixel, Google Pixel, etc.). With the help of these codes, it is possible not only to collect the entire audience of visitors, but also to divide it into separate segments and launch personalized advertising for each of them. All this data is stored and updated automatically;
2. Setting rules on advertising platforms allows you to adjust the frequency of impressions, as well as optimize the advertising budget automatically.

Payment and delivery

To automate these processes, integration of payment systems and postal services with the online store and warehouse is required. CRM and ERP systems are used for this. They combine all the tools with which the order is served and the payment is accepted — from creating the basket to sending the order to the buyer.

Automation of payment is facilitated by the introduction of online payment. Some website building platforms have ready-made solutions with built-in online payment. For example, based on the SaaS platform Shop-Express, it is possible to create a mini-store with acquiring monobank, or choose any other payment system.

Chatbots and IP-telephony systems are used to automate communication with the buyer, clarify data for delivery, and survey product quality.

Up-selling and cross-selling

Cross-sell and up-sell are known to be effective tools for increasing your average check and sales in general. Both related goods and offers of similar goods from the middle market or elite collection look tempting to many buyers.

The automation of these tools looks like the presence of ready-made cross-sell and up-sell options in the administrative panel of the online store. In particular, on the Shop-Express SaaS platform, it is possible to set up related products (cross-sell option) and more expensive analogues (up-sell option) for each item.

Automation of communications

The mailing system is complex and multi-vector, but properly configured and automated also saves time while attracting customers with trigger emails. The process of attracting customers to the store takes place without any effort from your employees: all that remains is to process the order on time, receive money and deliver it to the customer.

Such interaction with buyers takes place through chatbots and email newsletters, including trigger letters:

• letter after registration;
• letter after ordering with a request to leave feedback;
• birthday greeting card with a personal promotional code;
• greeting letter for any current holiday with a thematic discount;
• reminder letter about regular order, event registration, etc.;
• letter-reminder about collected, but not processed order ("lost basket").

Another form of interaction is automated message chains that are sent to potential buyers in turn based on their actions. Automated mailing can "warm up" the client well and motivate him to buy. But for such mailings, the content of the letters is especially important — they must interest the buyer, otherwise they will very quickly end up in spam.

Reactivation message chains are built, for example, for inactive customers. They may contain offers of discounts on certain groups of products, as well as information about updating the assortment.

Automation of reporting and analytics

Without analytics, it is impossible to build an effective development strategy, evaluate the results of marketing campaigns and the success of the store in general, and calculate income and expenses. Modern analytical and reporting automation tools allow you to summarize and structure all this data. These are BI systems.

Extremely easy to maintain, they can update data in real time, presenting it in the form of graphs and infographics. These platforms process many sources of information and integrate with many services. In addition, every employee of the company interacts with the BI system, providing data in the form of reports.

BI systems include the following tools:

• analytical data storage. In this repository, all information is structured and processed;
• ETL system. It combines the processes of transferring data from different sources into one, as well as removing duplicates and other redundant information;
• Data Mining. This is a set of tools for data processing and the actual conduct of analytics, which reveals the information necessary for further planning of work - sales statistics, semantic analysis of advertising, target audience, average check, etc.;
• Tools for data visualization and display of reports on the screen. The list of indicators can be edited and filtered according to the position and duties of the employee.

Thanks to the BI system, the collection, processing and systematization of data is much faster. Clearly structured information makes it possible to predict further work, determine its format and build a strategy.

Conclusions

Automation is incredibly useful for any stage of online store operation. It contributes not only to success in working with clients, but also organizes and structures data for internal work, assessing its quality, working on weak points and planning further business development.