There are a lot of tasks to juggle when running an online store. Most companies can handle them all in-house – which is where outsourcing comes in. Many different tasks required to run an online store from website development to inventory management can be outsourced. This post delves into 12 different tasks that you can outsource.
Marketing
There are many elements of marketing that can be outsourced. These include:
1. Website development
Having a well-designed website is key to converting customers. If you don’t have any web design skills, consider outsourcing a web design agency to develop your website for you.
2. SEO
SEO stands for ‘search engine optimization’. It’s a strategy involving keywords, link building and website optimization that can help you to rank higher on search engines. SEO is quite complex and so many companies find it convenient to outsource it.
3. Social media marketing
Having a presence on social media is also important. If you don’t have time to manage social media channels yourself, why not outsource a marketing agency to do it for you?
4. Blogging
Blog posts can help attract more visitors to your site and boost your website authority. Writing blog posts can be quite time consuming – which is why many companies outsource copywriters.
5. Product photography
Having attractive photographs of your products on your site is essential for enticing customers into buying them. Outsourcing a product photographer can help you to produce such photographs.
Logistics
Logistics is another area where outsourcing can be economical and time-consuming. There are companies that specialise in B2B and B2C logistics that can handle the entire process for you, or you can outsource individual logistics tasks such as:
6. Packaging
Many online stores outsource a company to design and manufacture parcel packaging, however it’s also possible to outsource the packing process.
7. Warehousing
Don’t have space to store all of your inventory? Outsourcing warehousing could be a solution. This includes options like drop-shipping – in which products are stored in warehouses in multiple locations so that they can be shipped more quickly to clients.
8. Transportation
Handing your own transportation involves acquiring a fleet of vehicles and hiring drivers. Outsourcing this element is often much more economical.
9. Supply chain management
3PL providers can be outsourced to manage the entire supply chain for – including authorising the dispatch of orders, tracking down available transport and drivers, and monitoring shipments.
Admin
A number of general admin tasks can also be outsourced to save you time. A few examples of tasks your online store may want to outsource include:
10. Accounting
Keeping an accurate record of earning and expenses is essential for calculating tax accurately. Outsourcing an accountant is typically the best solution.
11. Customer support
It’s also possible to outsource customer support services. This includes outsourcing professionals to take phone calls, reply to emails and manage instant chat services.
12. Inventory management
Inventory management involves maintaining stock levels, writing product descriptions and updating product information. It can count as both a logistics and admin task, and is also a task that you can outsource to save time.
