Ecommerce Tip of the Week: Embrace and Leverage Technology

An alarming number of online retailers and brands -- particularly those that trace their roots back to an earlier generation of commerce -- do not embrace and leverage technology effectively.

It concerns me how these businesses are supposed to compete against larger, more technically savvy rivals if they're not fundamentally operating in a manner that squeezes out every last ounce of productivity from working capital (employees, service providers, suppliers).

A member of our team was on a call a few weeks ago with the owner of a $2M online/offline retail business. An impressive company in quite an interesting niche but it was obvious that there was so much untapped potential. The Zentail solutions engineer asked "what are the things preventing you from being more productive and selling on more channels?" To which the owner replied; "Got too much work, not enough time."

Confident that our solution was a perfect fit for this business, the engineer provided a quick overview and tour of our multichannel software platform. The owner replied "If we use your technology, I wont have any work for my employees. Sorry, I'm not interested."

Listening in on the conversation, I realized there is a dangerous misconception about technology that participants in online retail - an industry so heavily influenced by technology - must be aware of.

The right technology, properly implemented, is an incredibly powerful asset to any business. Technology amplifies the productivity of your workforce. It makes your people better and faster. Most importantly, it frees up time. This doesn't mean you'll have to lay off team members. It means you'll have to repurpose or hire additional employees to focus on higher value operations such as customer service, merchandising, supplier development, product and brand development. Across our seller base there is one unmistakable trend; as sales and profitability grow, so too does headcount.

Here are some eye-opening stats that we carefully monitor:

• The average Zentail seller saves $3,207 per month just on listing management.
• The average Zentail seller saves $1,266 per month on order processing.
• The average Zentail seller grows over 30% in their first year.
• Average revenue per employee increases 44% with Zentail.

How will you capitalize on technology?

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Zentail is a leading ecommerce technology platform that makes it easy to manage listings, inventory and orders across Amazon, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, Jet.com, Google, Shopify, Bigcommerce, and a growing selection of channels. Leverage Zentail to unlock the true potential of your online retail business.