Problems
There are some common problems that each e-commerce seller has to face. Because of the complexity of all the tasks that must be done in order management, every business faces some of these problems.
Time management
Multiple sales channels
Tracking performance
Time management
As a new merchant, you’ll spend extra time figuring out the whole process of managing orders, inventory, shipping and other things experienced merchants can auto-pilot through.
Along the way, you’ll learn shortcuts. But the workload normally builds faster than those shortcuts reduce it. This means you’ll be slowly falling behind, with tasks piling up. That’s no way to run a business.
Multiple sales channels
You’re probably aware how slow it is to build up a reputable seller account on most platforms. Be it eBay, Amazon or any other – you’re limited by the system. These limits get lifted once you start to establish yourself.
The optimal way to do this is to start an account on all the sales channels you’re planning to sell on. Preferably, as early as possible. This means you’ll have to manage several accounts all by yourself. Not only does this get confusing rather quickly, but it is also very labour-intensive.
For example, you’re selling paintbrushes on two platforms. Whenever you make a sale on one of them, you’ll have to adjust stock levels on the other one. If you’re not quick enough, it can result in overselling. Now, you have more orders to fulfill than products in stock.
The added time it takes for you to restock might lead you to these problems. Either you’ll end up losing sales and reputation or have an unsatisfied customer, who now has to wait extra before their order arrives. So, such a small problem quickly becomes a bigger one. This is highly inefficient. Now, imagine having several products and constantly updating stock both ways.
Tracking performance
This is an integral part for any business. If you’re not tracking performance, you can’t know how profitable or net-negative your efforts are. However, you’re overrun by more immediate tasks, like incomplete orders. Mapping your performance sadly gets moved down the priority list. Often, way below the line you have time for.
Even if you manage to make time for this – it ends up eating a lot of it. Adding and deducting all the figures is tedious and prone to human error. Without meticulous attention, all the work you put in can produce false information. Now, try to make an informed business decision off of wrong information.