COVID19 lockdown is a big setback for eCommerce operations. The bigger lasting change due to the pandemic involves extensive partnerships with outsourcing service providers to handle tasks currently performed in-house.

This is the most turbulent time when the world is fighting the CORONA pandemic. Social distancing and work from home have become the new norm for more than 70% global population. It has virtually brought normal life to a halt and is becoming an increased concern for governments and businesses globally.

However, progressive eCommerce companies, online retailers and CEOs have a question. “Can we utilize the CORONA virus lockdown period for business activity which can help us in the future?” The answer is YES.

What should eCommerce companies do to utilize the lockdown period

Ecommerce players with positive thinking can use this lockdown period as a golden opportunity to sell products online – more than ever. It is noteworthy that online orders and sale of daily use and essential household items have skyrocketed.

But eCommerce players who already outsourced their retail data processing, eCommerce data management, eCommerce Product listing management, etc.; are reaping all the benefits.

Ecommerce companies should use the global lockdown to build a responsible, dedicated, skilled, and experienced outsourcing business team working at cost-effective rates.

Why eCommerce companies should outsource business processes

Outsourced eCommerce services give your organization the access to latest tools and equipments, infrastructure and best in class talent pool at very affordable prices. Around 45% of operational cost saving is possible with a remote team of eCommerce data experts working by your side. Moreover, Outsourcing not only saves you dollars; but this back-office arrangement also ensures business continuity during this lockdown period.

Which business processes should eCommerce companies outsource

As an Ecommerce player, you are required to manage tons of online and offline data. Outsourcing all your data related activities to a remote team of data professionals working for you at a lower price is a smart move. The data related services your retail company should outsource include; data collection, data mining, web scraping, eCommerce data entry, data input, eCommerce image editing and retouching, etc.

1. Data Collection

For eCommerce players knowing customer’s need, desires, preferences, and behavioral patterns; better than competition proves to be a game changer. It ultimately translates into offering intuitive UX, increased conversions and improved customer loyalty.

But 73% eCommerce companies don’t collect data that is rich enough to be used by their marketing teams. 63% eCommerce players do not have a consistent data collection strategy, nor the required tools and technology, to collect quality data.

Not only the data collection is important, but the methods and resources used to collect the data impact its effectiveness.  With online retail industry increasingly becoming data-driven, numerous e-commerce brands partner outsourced data collection services to capture high-quality data attributes including:

2. Retail Data Mining

Retailers are required to know everything about their customers including who they are, what they buy and why, when they buy and from whom and much more. The amount of data being generated and exchanged has answers to all these questions; provided the online retailer is capable to collect, organize, clean and analyze this customer information. Outsourcing retail data mining helps in having answer to these pressing customer data needs in real-time basis.

3. Website Data Scraping

Web scraping is highly advantageous to eCommerce companies and helps them with data and strategy of how to do competitor analysis. It has completely altered the way eCommerce companies think, work and compete. Online retailers scrape source websites to collect data to be used for machine learning, data mining, market research, financial research and much more. For scraping vast amount of data of varying complexity; ecommerce companies need not worry about the privacy of data being scraped. Web scraping for retailers is superbly managed by dedicated and reliable remote service providers.

4. Data Entry

• Ecommerce Data Entry

E-commerce data entry requires navigational skills, eCommerce platform knowledge, and proven experience; hence it is not everyone’s cup of tea. The entire eCommerce industry unanimously agrees that outsourcing eCommerce data entry is beneficial as compared to DIY approach. Outsourcing service providers have the requisite experts needed to make correct product feed on the site.

Outsourced data entry teams ensure that all your data is gathered and entered accurately for further use. Furthermore, the propensity at which intelligent data is used to automate business processes makes accurate data entry a prime necessity for businesses.

• Routine Data Entry

Ecommerce players are supposed to be data intelligent in order to survive concurrent market dynamics and frequent economic meltdowns. You need a dedicated data team to do all your data entry and management tasks at cost-effective rates.

• Keying in the data into Microsoft excel, word, power point, CRM/ERP, etc.
• Online and offline forms data entry with multilevel checks and accuracy.
• Entering data regularly in disparate software for digitizing documents, forms, collaterals, catalogs etc;
• Meticulous management of digital files and data within for smooth operations.

• Image Data Entry

Scraping and entering data from thousands of images, online or offline; forms a very critical part of the entire eCommerce business. Outsourced service providers have dedicated teams to accurately capture data from your image documents and enter it into a workable database. Other scanned image data entry services include:

• Image capturing
• Image storage
• Image keying
• Image retrieval
• Catalogue data entry
• Image entry into an existing database
• Book entry
• Deleting and uploading the images

Outsourcing image data entry services will save time of your core operations team, reduces operational overheads; and you don’t have to worry about hiring data entry operators.

5. Ecommerce Products Upload Management

Usually, you as an eCommerce player struggle with time and resources to upload and manage product information on marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Flipkart, Etsy etc. The situation remains same when uploading product information on your eCommerce store on Shopify, Volusion, 3d cart, Magento, Zen cart, Big Commerce, Open Cart, Woocommerce, Yo! Kart, Prestashop, Volusion, SquareSpace, Big Cartel, etc.

But while you manage these non-core activities; critical supply chain issues, product shortages, shipping delays, and predicting a drop in the demand awaits your attention. Outsourcing the product upload management to an outsourcing partner and enjoy the best class services is an option being taken up by increased number of eCommerce companies.

6. Image Editing / Photo Enhancement

If you are an eCommerce player you spend a lot of time and dollars in retouching and enhancing product images on daily and monthly basis. Image editing and retouching is mandatory for companies wanting to sell their products on eCommerce marketplaces like Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, AliExpress, Rakuten, Flipkart, Taobao, etc. Outsourcing image editing and enhancement services to offshore photo editing experts can be done at reasonable rates. Ecommerce companies across the globe are conveniently outsourcing their image editing tasks such as:

• Raw image conversion and culling
• Product photo retouching and enhancement (cleaning)
• Product photo background remove and change
• Ghost mannequin effect
• 3D/360° packshot retouching
• Photoshop shadow effects
• Color correction and editing
• Batch photo editing (cropping & resizing)

Conclusion

COVID19 lockdown though unfortunate, has proved to be an opportunity for eCommerce companies. With 52% of customers avoiding crowds and 32% avoiding leaving their houses; consumers want items delivered at their doorstep. No one wants to risk their lives.

Ecommerce players, to reap these benefits, will have to invest time and dollars in hiring employees, acquiring the right tools & technology, creating infrastructure and much more. But outsourcing companies are working even during this lockdown; ensuring client requirements are fulfilled and online retailers don’t have to make additional investments. For utilizing Corona lockdown to their advantage, eCommerce companies should consider outsourcing at the earliest.