Ecommerce entrepreneurs are no stranger to doing it all. From marketing to customer service and website development, they’re accustomed to having their hands in everything to keep their business running. Although there’s an upside to building your own success, the downside is that your attention is constantly divided with different tasks, and it’s challenging to gain traction in any given area.

The good news is you don’t need a big budget to take advantage of automation for your ecommerce website. The results are also impressive. Research shows that 63% of companies using marketing automation outperformed competitors. But with so many automation tools on the market, where do you start? Here are six ideas to kickstart your automation journey.

Streamline Customer Service

Customer service has long been the backbone of a successful ecommerce website, and it was also one of the most time-consuming tasks that required dedicated help to keep it going. Today, platforms like Shopify offer customer service-focused apps like chatbots, a centralized help center, live chat, and CRM; all support streamlining your communication and services. Empowering your customers to help each other on dedicated social media channels can also help build a community while providing the answers your audience is looking for.

Tackle Abandoned Cart Emails

Ecommerce sellers have all felt the frustration of seeing abandoned carts with hundreds of dollars worth of inventory just waiting to be bought. Instead of awkwardly trying to follow up with customers about their abandoned merchandise, you can automate the process with the help of an app. You can set the preferences to send an automatic email reminding customers about their abandoned cart and offer incentives like limited-time discount codes or free shipping to complete their orders.

Set Email Marketing on Autopilot

Email marketing takes up valuable time but is an effective way to keep in touch with customers and earn more sales for your ecommerce website. Research shows that 59% of consumers say marketing emails influence their purchase decision, and 42% of Americans subscribe to marketing emails to receive discounts and offers.

You may not be able to automate all of the writing and creation of email marketing without outsourcing, but you can put the process on autopilot. Batching together several weeks, or even months, of content and scheduling it in your email marketing manager frees up time and money in the long run. Once your emails deploy, you can monitor for responses and open rates and include last-minute deals in your campaign stream.

Automate Up-Selling and Cross-Selling

If you’re not taking advantage of up-selling and cross-selling, you’re leaving money on the table. Amazon has reported that cross-selling and upselling makeup as much as 35% of their revenue! The good news is you don’t need a billion-dollar company to take the same approach. Shopify’s cross-selling and up-selling apps automate the process and automatically show customers what to buy next based on your criteria.

Monitor Stock Levels

Tired of keeping up with stock levels for your ecommerce website and running out? There’s an app for that. You can see what inventory you’re low on and when to order more. The upside is you’re on top of your business operations and don’t have excess stock lying around when you don’t need it. However, customers also benefit from inventory apps. Integrate Shopify’s apps with your website, and it alerts customers if stock is running low on a particular item and prompt a faster sale.

Automate the User Experience

The User Experience (UX) determines how a customer interacts with and perceives your website or product. A rock-solid user experience directly impacts how profitable your ecommerce store is. Studies show that up to 88% of online shoppers say they wouldn’t return to a website after a poor user experience.

Part of creating a positive user experience is making your ecommerce website intuitive, easy to navigate, and responsive. Everything from engaging copy to the right visuals shapes how customers view your online presence. Although it takes some time to develop and test your UX efforts, it continues to attract and convert customers for the long haul.

Despite the need for hands-on work, the user experience can eventually be automated. To start, you can outsource the task to a team to take over the responsibility altogether. Automating areas like customer service, email marketing, and cross-selling to help customers find the best products possible also lends to UX and frees up more time and resources for business owners.

Outsource Your Tasks

Automation is a powerful tool that streamlines your ecommerce website and helps you earn more while saving time and resources. However, true automation efforts only go so far, and your ecommerce store still needs hands-on intervention and monitoring to maximize your results. The good news is there are entire teams designed to take everything off your plate, from ecommerce website creation to content marketing. Talk to the team at Digital Nomad Designs about improving your content, SEO, UX, and UI to attract and retain a more targeted audience. Book a free call here to discuss your project.