What is eCommerce implementation?

eCommerce implementation consists of all the steps related to the launch, update, and maintenance of an online store. eCommerce allows businesses to sell products from anywhere at any time, and it connects businesses to new customers who were previously unreachable due to distance and hours of operation. Furthermore, implementing eCommerce solutions enables the collection of better customer data and demographic information that can be used to increase the conversions of marketing and sales leads.

The rapid, global rise in eCommerce has led nearly every industry to implement it in some form in order to provide more modern, efficient customer experiences.

Objectives of Your eCommerce Implementation

Most often, the objectives of an eCommerce implementation is to meet the modern needs of your customers, share your products in meaningful ways, integrate smoothly with your existing systems, effectively and efficiently manage company resources, facilitate a strong return on investment (ROI), support future business growth, and implement an organizational change management process.

Steps in eCommerce Implementation

As previously mentioned, eCommerce implementation activities can include building new eCommerce sites, or upgrading and maintaining existing online stores. If you are refreshing your existing online commerce site, begin by evaluating your current sites and goals, and then proceed with the actionable steps to accomplish your objectives. If you are starting from scratch, it can be helpful to follow the complete set of steps detailed below.

Understanding your customers’ needs

The first and most important step of your eCommerce implementation is understanding your customers. The whole goal of your eCommerce strategy should be to make their lives easier. If the new, online processes are more frustrating than they are intuitive, then the entire strategy can backfire - both internally and externally. Ask yourself important questions like:

• What info is required to make an informed purchase?
• What type of shopping/checkout experience is best suited for your product? A standard shopping cart experience? Ordering portal? Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ)? Custom process?
• What do customers need in their login/self-service portal?
• How can we make everything easier and more intuitive for the customer than it is “the old way”?

Solicit Feedback and Inclusion from Stakeholders

It is best practice to solicit feedback and inclusion from all stakeholders, as successful eCommerce implementation relies upon both internal and external adoption. A good plan of action is to find out what can and should be achieved. After all, eCommerce exists to make everyone's lives easier.

Now that the customer’s needs are understood, consider the perspective of the sales teams and work to implement your eCommerce solution in a way that allows salespeople to process orders more quickly and more efficiently. Create a commission structure that gives sales agents credit for sales closed through digital channels so they can benefit from the new structure and increase the number of sales.

Strategically Plan Pre-Implementation

The next step in eCommerce implementation is to create a clear roadmap with specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely objectives. This is the stage in which resources and constraints must be defined. Getting buy-in on the vision from all stakeholders is critical in this stage, and the mission and goals of the company will shape the proceeding actions.

Evaluate eCommerce Solutions

Now comes time to choose your actual eCommerce solution. The platform should be compatible with your existing systems, customizable to your current and future needs, scalable, and must create experiences appropriate for your business. Various technologies may offer different functionalities, like B2B vs. B2C, and it is important that the capabilities complement your industry, target audience, and business model.

Make sure the eCommerce platform can:

• Integrate with your ERP
• Easy to manage
• Delivers robust capacity and capabilities
• Complements your sector
• Includes reliable and long-term customer support