ERP systems are an essential part for all types of businesses. 53% of businesses believe ERP is one of the most priority sectors for investments. And why not! From entering data into a single database to analyzing, and reporting backend operations, ERP integrates all the business processes seamlessly.
Within the eCommerce domain, ERP not only automates data workflow, but can also create greater visibility for customers.
While it is obvious that an ERP software for eCommerce helps solve major pain points for your business, choosing the ‘right’ ERP integration is not a cakewalk.
Business goals vary from one business to another. Hence, it is important that the software you choose aligns well with your business operations.
You might be a business owner who operates on both eCommerce website and marketplace. In that case, having a solution that is compatible with both the platforms is important. Or you might have some custom requirements that you would like to fulfill when integrating an ERP software.
Therefore, selecting the right ERP is the first step you need to consider before integrating. To help you with this, we have prepared this post. It aims to highlight the benefits of ERP software for eCommerce and guide you on how to choose ERP.
Here are the topics that this post will cover
- Benefits of the Right ERP for eCommerce
- How to Choose the Right ERP System – Questions You Need to Ask
- Important ERP Features
2 Major Benefits of RIght ERP Software for Your eCommerce
Here are the major benefits of integrating your eCommerce storefront with an ERP system.
1. Centralized Information
It is challenging to keep every piece of information organized, mainly if your company conducts sales in multiple locations or on different platforms.
One of the biggest advantages of ERP for eCommerce is the centralization of information. It is all about storing information like shipping or payment information, customer details, web orders, etc. in just one place or one single database.
That way, you can reduce data redundancy. Since there will be no human involvement, the chances of errors reduce. In addition, website orders are automatically sent to ERP systems in real-time, which speeds up the shopping process and prevents mistakes.
2. Improved Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction. These are two words that can either shoot up or cripple your business. Making customer satisfaction a priority is a way to a competitive edge.
ERP solutions to help eCommerce companies build direct interaction with the customers and know how much they appreciate their services. Here are two main ways having ERP for eCommerce can help improve customer satisfaction.
A. Better Inventory and Order Management
Sometimes, an unexpected out-of-stock item can lead to delays or unscheduled downtime. An eCommerce ERP system can help you manage inventory by keeping stock in check with automated notifications. It even enables you to forecast customer demand.
Additionally, consider incorporating top route optimization software to further streamline your logistics. Some ERP programs automate tracking shipments and sending notifications to the customer on product delivery, creating a better overall customer experience.
B. Customer Relationship Management
Many ERP systems include CRM functionality. These capabilities are crucial when it comes to customer retention and satisfaction. You can leverage a centralized repository of customer information. This information, in turn, helps you in providing faster, tailored, and more accurate customer service based on demographics and order history.
As companies look for ways to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency, ERP solutions are becoming increasingly valuable. ERP, by connecting business processes, cuts overall operational costs and sets your business towards growth. Besides, it can help you analyze data to make informed decisions.
Choosing the right ERP is the first step to a successful project. Web to Print ERP software by PrintXpand aims to cater every need of the printing industry. The print ERP software has everything like price estimating, order confirmation, quotation, etc. to maintain an error-free production cycle.
Our ERP software solution is an asset for fast-paced businesses like yours. It helps create a balance between ever increasing customer demands and growing volumes of orders and products. Get in touch with us and we will help you choose the most suitable ERP for your business.
How to Select ERP System – Questions You Need to Ask
Investing in technology solutions is a tough decision given the high initial cost. But when you look ahead, such investments help in the long run. To ensure that you are choosing the right ERP for eCommerce business, these are some questions that will help you make an informed decision.
1. What eCommerce platform the solution integrates with?
Do you run your eCommerce business from a single eCommerce platform like Shopify/Magento, etc.? or you have multiple platforms like an eCommerce marketplace plus an eCommerce platform?
Some of the ERP software for eCommerce may be specialized only for a specific platform. Therefore, it is good to check if your chosen software is compatible with all the systems you are operating on. Here, you also need to decide if you want to integrate the ERP with all the channels or the channel with the highest volume.
2. How flexible is the ERP software?
By flexibility, I mean the ability to use the software from any device and any place. Not just speedy data, you need mobility as well. You and your employees would want constant access to the ERP from any location (if you have a brick-and-mortar store too) or any device you use.
Having a mobile functionality will allow you to get important data in real-time via mobile phones and tablets running iOS or Android. Moreover, mobile functionality enables employees to check and take care of all the orders even when they are away from the desktop. Thus, this flexibility to ‘use it anywhere’ always enables you to stay informed and take quick decisions in case of an emergency.
3. How secure is the transfer of business information?
Security is not a topic that you should take lightly. As each day brings new news about security threats, data security becomes a top priority for eCommerce companies. This finding from the Arcserve 2020 Data Attack Surface Report is interesting.
It suggests that cybersecurity can be a significant competitive advantage. The report states that 59% of buyers are likely to avoid companies that suffered from a cyberattack in the past year. This suggests that having good cybersecurity protects your business from threats and directly impacts customer satisfaction.
ERP systems are the hub of your company’s most sensitive information like business processes, inventory, orders, payment information, customer information, etc. Hence, choosing ERP for eCommerce business with the right security features becomes crucial.
4. Does the ERP software for eCommerce include CRM functionality?
In the eCommerce industry, retaining customers depends on how well a business can interact with them. Customer Relationship Management tools play a major role in increasing lead generation and customer retention.
These tools enable you to track prospects and leads through a comprehensive sales cycle. That will help you better serve your customers by providing tailored solutions. Moreover, client information centralization will enable your sales and marketing team to easily maintain a strong relationship with potential clients.
ERP software often has its CRM functionality included. By choosing an ERP system with CRM capabilities, you eliminate the need to have two different systems and train employees on two separate systems. With CRM functionality in the ERP, you get to deliver more value-added services, giving you an advantage over your competitors.
5. What kind of data integration does the ERP software offer?
eCommerce businesses thrive on data. They ought to know the customer’s purchase history, how they came to the website, payment/shipping information, and more. Hence, when choosing an ERP, it’s good to look for a complete integration process. Consider the integration keeping in mind the future too. You would want to integrate several data touchpoints like – orders, payments, customer/shipping information, changes in inventory stock level, etc.
Important ERP Features
An ERP for eCommerce comes with a long list of features that help you run your business smoothly. At PrintXpand, our aim is to help you streamline your business process with our ERP solution. Our solution is a combination of various modules that enables you to optimize your operations at every level. Choosing ERP software for eCommerce that has the following features will help fulfill all business needs.
1. Inventory Manager
Understanding how to manage inventory is crucial for any online business. Problems like unwanted cancel orders or flawed inventory can pose challenges. Effective inventory management saves time, costs, and prevents waste.
PrintXpand’s ERP software helps in managing inventory across all your warehouses and sales channels. Any changes that you make in the stock will reflect instantly in all your sales channels. That way, you can easily keep your inventory up to date and prevent out-of-stock conditions. Our solution includes essential features like
- Warehouse Management
- Multi-Channel Management
- Barcode Management
2. Quotation Manager
Adding automatic quoting capabilities is a good way to maximize your sales team’s productivity by enabling your customers to explore your offerings fully. Additionally, with this feature, you become more accessible to your customers, which is crucial in building strong connections.
With our ERP Software, you can accept quote requests, process and mail them to your clients in real-time. With an easy-to-use send accurate estimates to win more conversions! Have a look at some features
- Simplified Quote Generation
- Customer Information Database
- Custom Quote Templates
- Standard Price Rules
3. Order Manager
Order management is at the heart of eCommerce companies. With a centralized order management system, you will be able to optimize the entire process. You can manage every product from the time you stock to its delivery.
PrintXpand ERP software solution can help you in managing all the online orders from the back-end. Moreover, you can quickly resolve order errors, re-order, and overall streamline your order process. These are some features that order management includes
- Customer Management
- Manufacturing Order Management
- Work Process Routing
4. Advanced Dashboard
As Gartner explains, ERP dashboards gather and visualize critical metrics from across the organization. It offers insight into the performance, outlook, and interconnectivity of business processes. In business, unforeseen circumstances always arrive. That’s when ERP dashboards will help get a clear picture of business processes and make informed decisions.
With our ERP software solutions, with an advanced dashboard view, you get a glimpse of everything that’s happening in the back-end. Plus, with visual charts, and reports, you can also customize your dashboard as per your needs! Some features of the dashboard
- Intuitive Counters
- Graph Summary
- Activity Notifications
- Alerts/Reminder Notifications
5. Theme Settings
You would want to customize your ERP software as per your business model. And hence, we provide complete freedom with theme settings. You can change the overall theme and color combination just the way you want.
For any eCommerce business looking to grow, Enterprise Resource Planning serves as a helping hand. Take your eCommerce business on the journey of growth with a feature-rich ERP software solution. Request a personalized demo, and we will get back to you!
Over to You
With the right ERP software implementation, your eCommerce business becomes more manageable. Every data remains organized, and each step of the process is automated. Selecting an ERP for eCommerce based on the features listed above offers several benefits, including access to valuable data, process visibility, etc.
If you are planning to integrate ERP into your eCommerce system, our team at PrintXpand can help you with our feature-rich ERP solutions.
Launched by eCommerce industry experts, PrintXpand is a complete web-to-print hub powering up businesses with solutions like ERP software, web-to-print store, product design tools, and more.
In our 16+ years of experience, we have helped businesses by providing a framework of services that are fast, easy-to-manage, and not heavy on the pocket.
Not just that, we also help businesses like yours drive traffic on their online store by providing a range of digital marketing services. Tell us about your project, and we help you power up your business operations with our ERP solutions.
All product and company names are trademarks™, registered® or copyright© trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
