Michalina Staszewska
E-commerce is one of the strongest growing branches of commerce. According to a 2021 Gemius study, 77% of Internet users buy from online stores. Currently, the value of the e-commerce market in Poland alone is estimated at 100 billion. PLN. Just five years ago this amount was only 27 billion, and before the pandemic it was 70 billion! E-commerce solutions are becoming more popular every year, and there is no shortage of customers at all. Experts predict that this trend will become more and more pronounced in the coming years.
In today’s age of change, with online shopping we can purchase any product, even from the grocery department. How, then, to properly manage an online store to match market needs?
Starting e-commerce is an excellent way to expand your business and gain more customers, who will surely be attracted by the additional services of their favorite brand. The difficult step of expanding the traditional form of selling products and services is to choose the right technology to meet not only visual, but also technical expectations, and then to manage the entire service. That’s why every business must be overseen by a person who has not only mastered commerce to perfection, but also marketing or IT basics. Such a person is the E-commerce Manager.
The question of how to manage e-commerce is difficult to answer. Each store differs primarily in its assortment, approach to customers, commitment to the overall operation of the store, promotions or marketing campaigns. However, it is possible to distinguish the basic elements that play a major role in any business.
First, the infrastructure. The most important backend of any website. Choosing the environment on which the site will operate is a very important element. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize this, as environmental problems are only apparent in the later stages of a company’s development.
We can rely on shared hosting, VPS, dedicated server or cloud computing. The first are basic services that have been used for years. The latest solution is cloud computing, which I would like to tell you about today, especially with reference to the e-Commerce industry.
The environment must be resistant to all sorts of undesirable situations. By this I mean not only those caused by third parties, but also those that can be caused by too much traffic on the site or as a result of our, incorrect service configurations.
Cloud computing fits perfectly into the requirements of e-commerce. First, improving IT infrastructure at any stage is not a problem. Each parameter is tailored to your individual needs. Will you need more resources, or do you want them automatically tailored for your site traffic? This is not a problem, everything is decided by you. The same for additional security and backup and restore.
Analytics can be very broad, but being an E-commerce Manager, you know how important numbers are, especially sales results. They are the ones that motivate further action or alert you to the need for change. Traditional solutions often do not offer comprehensive data measurement support. A common problem is to connect the tools to the main page so that the counted values translate into reality. In the cloud it is much faster and, above all, simpler.
Cloud computing gives you real-time data. You don’t wait for things to change. You have them right now. In Amazon Web Services, we can additionally count on solutions aimed at easier and more efficient data analysis. Interpreting data in real time allows faster decision-making that affects company operations.
Work between departments does not always go smoothly. Coordination of activities, especially in large companies, is difficult, mainly due to the lack of appropriate tools. By choosing the cloud, we are more likely to succeed, thanks to tools that are tailored to each situation. Working remotely is not a challenge. The cloud is a service that can only be accessed by authorized people, regardless of their location and time. All you need is any device with network access to work.
In the e-commerce industry, the most important thing is online presence. Without sufficient visibility, we have no chance of attracting new customers. Cloud computing allows you to implement interesting marketing solutions that will differentiate your business. One of them is machine learning, which is used to aggregate data. On their basis it is possible to build models or carry out concrete actions such as customer segmentation, determination of needs over time, personalization of product or service offerings. All these aspects make it possible to implement targeted marketing campaigns aimed at a particular audience.
Aggregated data also allows for the implementation and effective management of a dynamic pricing structure in real time, which, combined with extensive forecasting capabilities, makes it possible to respond in advance to just-forming market changes. By analyzing the data we have gathered about our competitors, we are able to observe new customer buying trends and adjust our activities accordingly. Quick response to the dynamically changing market is the key to success, allowing our company to become a leader in e-commerce and, in the long run, to become a creator of all changes.
Another application of the cloud is the optimization of search results. Using cloud solutions, we can predict what the customer wants to see and suggest it to him. After all, we know perfectly well which “comfortable stilettos” are involved, or which shoes are those “new sneakers” advertised on social media for a week. Machine learning makes it possible to translate a consumer need into the specific product he or she is looking for at a given moment and deliver it to him or her in a simple and clear form.
Machine learning can also be used to improve the conversation bot, which is increasingly directly connected to the full-text search engine of the store itself. This solution is gaining popularity even in small stores.
With the support of the latest technology, not only promotional campaigns, but also all activities involving the area of e-commerce can be individually personalized for each client. By increasing brand awareness in the eyes of the user and gaining their trust during their buying journey, we can expect far greater customer loyalty in the future.
Other tools and capabilities of the platform are also worth noting. Depending on your company’s needs, you can use customized software for each department including accounting or IT.
Managing the entire cloud can seem difficult at times. Especially when it comes to infrastructure and proper selection and configuration of services. In this case, many service providers offer to help with the services of their partners. Responsibility for the administration and management of resources is taken over by the relevant company, which takes care of every detail, providing you with an efficient, trouble-free environment that is always available for work. Your task will only be to supervise whether sales results meet your expectations, control the activities of your colleagues or create effective campaigns.
Do you need to talk? Write boldly. I’m sure I can find time for you !!!
