How to Sell Across E-Commerce Channels
For every new channel you plan to add, develop and implement a plan that addresses channel connections, marketing, sales operations, fulfillment and channel optimization.
Sell on Multiple Channels
Adding new channels to your network is an excellent strategy for reaching more customers, optimizing your customer journey and creating a resilient distribution. But you need a methodical approach to launch and operate each channel successfully: If each new channel takes years to set up and vastly increases your team’s workload, the costs may well outweigh the benefits.
We identify five focus areas correlated with successful multichannel operations. For every new channel that you want to add, develop and implement a plan for each of the following areas:
- Connection. Thoroughly review and understand the channel requirements. Build connections for efficient inventory management, product information and ongoing monitoring after launch.
- Marketing. Operate campaigns that ensure your products are highly visible and sales take off.
- Sales operations. Manage and consolidate inventory to replenish products and avoid out-of-stocks. Create compelling product listings. Adjust prices to remain competitive,visible and profitable.
- Fulfillment. Develop fulfillment options following the requirements of the channel and prepare to meet consumer expectations for timely communication and product delivery.
- Optimization. Through intelligent monitoring, collect data to feed KPIs and gain insights to increase the channel’s performance.
Connecting Products to Multiple Channels
As the e-commerce landscape continues to fragment into various experiences that involve different audiences and sales channels, the need to engage with consumers where they’re shopping — and help them feel connected to your brand — becomes more critical than ever.
Marketplaces are rising as digital malls, with many curating experiences for their specific target audiences and specializing in particular categories. In addition, shoppers seek inspiration and peer recommendations through social media.
Even in physical retail stores, consumers search for comparable pricing or products or reviews to help increase confidence in their purchase. If you’re not present where buyers are looking, you risk losing those critical connections that allow you to link to a more extensive network and build a more robust platform for your brand.