adpapa Editor
23 August 2020
When it comes to ecommerce sales and management, WooCommerce and Shopify are two most popular and reliable e-commerce platforms on the market today. These two platforms are reliable efficient and easy to use. If you are starting online e-commerce platform then they are the best platforms to those.
However, their efficiency and reliability have made it difficult for online entrepreneurs especially those who are starting their own online stores to make a decision on which one to choose.
Both platforms are unique in their own way because each one has its own distinct feature. Deciding on which platform to choose will depend on individual needs of your e-commerce platform. In this article, we are going to discuss in details the features of WooCommerce and Shopify inventory management to help you make an informed decision on which one to choose.
Design
Any e-commerce entrepreneur will tell you that design plays a very crucial in earning customers trust. E-commerce sites that do have good aesthetic appeal don’t attract customers. One of the main selling points of Shopify is a visual quality of all its themes. Shopify comes with over 40 different templates, ten of which are free. In addition to that, each theme has its own unique variation. All themes are also mobile responsive and have a variety of amazing colours.
On the other hand, WooCommerce is actually a plugin designed by WooThemes developers. As a result, it does not have any specific design on its own. This means that the design is left to your future or current WordPress theme. WooCommerce has been created to blend with most themes available on the market that follow standard regulations and best practices. This means that you are actually free to choose any WordPress theme and it will perfectly work on WooCommerce.
Price
This is a very important factor that most online entrepreneurs look for when making the decision of ecommerce sales and management. The main difference between WooCommerce and Shopify is pricing structure. When it comes to pricing, Shopify is straightforward and clear. On the other hand, WooCommerce is not very clear. WooCommerce is an open source software plugin that is free. However, there is some additional cost involved such as theme cost, SSL certificate among many others.
On the other hand, Shopify is very clear when it comes to pricing. All that you need to do is to sign up you be given a price package. Upon payment, you can use your new ecommerce store immediately because it has everything you need. When considering price, you also need to factor in additional costs before you make your final decision. From our analysis, WooCommerce listings have more additional cost than Shopify.
Over the years Amazon has emerged as the largest online marketplace in the world. It has changed not just the consumers however has also changed the way supply chain operations are done. Amazon inventory management is a challenging task if you are a seller on Amazon. It is a challenge to keep a record of your stock and change your prices again and again in order to stay competitive in the market.
Ecommerce inventory management
Here are some tips that will help you in inventory management:
Stay organised
You warehouse should be well-organized with correctly labeled products. It helps in less efforts during packing and shipping. This also saves you from stress of looking a particular product when an online purchase is made.
Use SKUs effectively
Stock keeping units aka SKUs are identification codes for a product, often bar-codes that help in tracking the particular item for inventory. Decide on the strategy of how SKUs will be assigned. Use unique SKUs that relate to products of the similar category.
Sort products as per their demand
Do a market analysis and determine what products are going to be in higher demand. Products having higher demand should be prioritised during Amazon inventory management. These products should be kept in easily accessible areas in order to save time and effort.
Invest in your staff
A well-trained staff is required if you want to stay relevant in a marketplace like Amazon. Train your staff. Get them equipped to processes: moving, packaging, getting items ready for shipping. If you have a well-trained staff, you have an effective warehouse.
Error free data Entry
Error-prone accounting and faulty data entries can result in a lot of mess in your inventory management. Manage data and inventory from a central unit. Integrate your stock data with Amazon sales system. Upload accurate and updated inventory counts & sync in real time.
Every product is important
Take a close look at the sales data for every single product. Keep a focus on seasonal purchasing waves-holiday season results in increase in sales, keep inventory to back up these orders. Be sure that you don’t run out of stock in the middle of the season.
Trust your feeling
If you have a feeling that some product is going to become a hit in the next few days, place a good size order. Take the risk. Believe in your best judgment, however don’t go overboard in excitement.
Update daily
Update your inventory daily. Make daily additions and deletions. Keep an eye on small issues and complaints arising on a regular basis.
And most importantly, be proactive. Watch out your competition. And remember: nothing is worse than having an order, and not having the desired product. That’s your ecommerce sales and management advice for today.
