Multiple eCommerce Stores

Every new eCommerce store you open doubles your opportunity for sales. But managing multiple stores can get inefficient pretty quickly if you don’t adapt your workflow and figure out ways to reduce the burden on you. 

Whether you’re about to open a second store or you just want to better manage the stores you already run, here are six efficiency tips to get you started. 

Keep Branding Consistent Across All Stores

If you want your new store(s) to link to your original store’s branding, the smart and efficient move is to use the same tone, logo, and color scheme across all platforms. 

That way, you’re not only building recognition, but you’re also saving yourself the hassle and unnecessary extra work of branding your new ventures from scratch.

Use an Automated Inventory Syncing Tool

The last thing you want is to deal with angry customers after overselling an item, or lose money due to stock shortages because your inventory across multiple stores is out of sync. But this can easily become a reality if you continue to manually update your stock after opening a second or third store. 

The more efficient, accurate solution is to use a tool like Syncio, which will sync your inventory in real time.

Centralize Your Order Management

When it comes to tracking your orders, the most efficient approach is to use a single centralized system, so you don’t have to log into each store. 

Aside from speeding up your processing times, it’ll also help reduce the likelihood of errors, as you’ll be able to see all the data you need on a single page. You’ll also want to use tools that allow you to centralize your analytics, so you can easily identify best-sellers and performance gaps at a glance.

Streamline Customer Service

Just because you have two stores doesn’t mean you need two separate customer service teams. In fact, this would be completely inefficient, costing you more time and money than necessary. 

The better option is to set up a single helpdesk or ticketing system for all your stores, so you can respond faster to your customers and avoid accidentally missing support requests.

Standardize Shipping and Fulfillment

Shipping and fulfilment can get pretty complicated when you’re expanding to multiple stores, but there are usually ways to work more efficiently in most scenarios. 

Where possible, try to work with a single courier or fulfillment partner, so you can keep your logistics as straightforward as you can and reduce delays in your deliveries.

Automate Repetitive Tasks

Finally, we’ve briefly mentioned automation already, and this should be your goal across the board when it comes to running your eCommerce stores. That means setting up automation for customer emails (from purchase right through to delivery and sales completion), as well as abandoned cart reminders, sales, and stock alerts. 

This will free up your time to focus on strategy, rather than bogging you down with mindless admin that no longer requires human effort.