It’s safe to say most people know by now that if you have a product or service that can be sold online it is absolutely necessary that you do so to remain competitive. However, most people may not know that you can continue to build this online sales presence with an online accounting package, which can also make your life a whole lot easier.
When you are initially choosing your online retail package consider, how well it integrates with other platforms you use. Ideally your retail package should sync with your social media accounts, CRM, Email platforms, accounting packages, reporting tools, inventory management, shipping and much more. Not only should it work with additional applications, it should also be mobile friendly and give you the option to use it as a mobile point of sale during event sales.
There are many retail packages that have the capability to do this namely Amazon, eBay, Shopify or Vend. Shopify is a great example, as it has its own online app store. It is a good idea to sell your products via a number of retail packages, to suit a range of customer preferences.
Once you have set up your online retail package and are able to automate processes such as payments, delivery and stock replenishment it is worth looking at an online accountancy package. Most businesses don’t think that they need an accountant during start-up, yet 40% of businesses fail within the first year due to finances. Online accounting is an affordable way to sort your finances from around £12 per month and it can be easily customised to exactly the way that you need to use it.
With the right online accounting platform, you should be able to automate your workflows in the same way that you can in your retail packages. Examples would be integration with your bank, automating customer payments and chasing debts, income and expenditure reports, book keeping and even staff payroll. This makes managing your finances much easier for you and any staff saving you heaps of time and money, as everything will be in one place rather than numerous packages that you have to pay extra for. Again, this ability to integrate with so many different platforms will open up your customer base further.
Perhaps a more important factor of late is the security that using an online accounting package with your retail platform can offer you and your customers. Although retail packages are generally pretty secure, your online accounting package offers you that extra cyber security with all information being stored and backed up in the UK.
However, for this you will need the right package, which can be done with the E R Grove Online accounting platform. Your accountant can remotely gain access to the software to offer you the advice that you need, which again saves you meeting time and keeps fees to a minimum. All in using automated packages gives you that extra time to focus on your business and do what you love.
How does this increase my online sales presence?
You may still be wondering how this increases your online sales presence.
Well, first of all many of the retail platforms that your online accounting package integrate with will have easy to use SEO features. For example, Shopify uses editable title tags, meta descriptions, ALT tags for images and other features that can help your page move up in the search engine rankings. Furthermore, Shopify, Vend and many other online retail packages can integrate with your WordPress site if you needed it to, utilising your current SEO efforts.
Syncing your online retail platforms to your Social media platforms, most notably Instagram and Pinterest can have a great impact on your social presence. The age groups that society has coined the ‘Millienials’ and ‘Generation Z’ are likely to make their buying choices based on what they have seen on social media (see E R Grove’s last post on social media influencers).
If your retail platforms are integrated or visible on your social media sites, then it is much easier and faster for consumers to make their buying decisions. This is what ‘Millennials’ and ‘Generation Z’ want.
In fact, which age group doesn’t like the buying process to be much easier and faster. 21% of shoppers abandon their shopping carts due to the process being far too lengthy. So, if the customer only has to press a few buttons to make a purchase, then you are more likely to make a sale. Most retail and accounting packages now work with PayPal meaning that the customer doesn’t even need to get their card out to make a payment.
Once the sale has been made your nicely automated system will have processed the order, taken payment, organised shipping and stock replenishment and added the payment to your books. In addition to this, you will also have the customers details available for future marketing purposes (with their permission).
As it is easy to do so, people also like to share and recommend their purchases through Social Media, further boosting your social media presence. Consequently, it is worth reassessing what online retail and accounting packages you are using to fully automate your operations and in return maximise your customer base.
