Time is a precious commodity for small business owners – every second counts. Whether you’re managing inventory or answering customer questions, the hours can fly by before you even drink your morning coffee.
This is where automation comes in.
Imagine a world where tedious tasks are handled by themselves and you can focus on what really matters – growing your business.
This article will guide you through proven strategies for automating various aspects of your online store to make it more efficient and profitable
Don’t have an online store yet? Get started with Ecwid for free – it’s a breeze! (You can also migrate your existing online store to Ecwid.) Plus, it allows you to effortlessly automate your online store tasks using all the methods described below.
Sending automated marketing emails
Automated marketing emails are like little reminders that keep your business in the minds of your customers. Once set up, these emails work like magic by automatically sending each time a specific event occurs.
Imagine this: your customer adds a product to their cart, but then abandons it… and boom! They get a friendly, personalized message that keeps them engaged with your brand.
An example of an abandoned cart email you can send with Ecwid
Abandoned cart emails aren’t the only emails you can automate. From reminders of favorite items to
Automated emails are timely and relevant to the recipient, so they help bring customers back to your store, generate sales and increase customer loyalty. Think of it as a virtual assistant ready to engage your customers at every stage of their shopping journey.
Learn what automated marketing emails you can set up in your Ecwid store.
Schedule automatic opening and closing of sales
Planning promotions is an important part of retail strategy. problem? It can be
Fortunately, some e-commerce platforms, like Lightspeed’s Ecwid, make it easy for you to schedule automatic opening and closing of sales. This way, you can ensure that your discounts take effect exactly when you want them, without lifting a finger.
Scheduling a sale takes just a few clicks
This tool allows you to plan for peak seasons, holidays or special events, giving you more time to prepare other aspects of your business.
Learn how to strategically plan promotions and explore other tips for successful sales.
Run automatic Google Shopping ads
You know it – Google is where people search for everything, including your products. Wouldn’t it be great to meet them right before they explore all the competitors down on the SERPs?
With Google Shopping ads, this is entirely possible. You can place photos and a short description of your products above the search results, making them hard to miss. And yes, you can also automate ad serving.
With Google Shopping Auto Ads, you’ll save time on setup and tracking while maximizing your reach. Set your audience, select categories and estimate your budget. The system takes care of the rest, strategically bidding to optimize your ad spend.
Shopping ads at the top of the Google Search tab
Automating this process means you can focus on creating great products and not worry about every ad campaign. It’s like having a dedicated marketing team working tirelessly to make your products stand out on Google while you sleep.
If you’re running an Ecwid store, here’s how to run automatic Google ads.
Run remarketing ads on social media
Remarketing ads are designed to reach people who have previously interacted with your brand, such as visiting your website or adding products to their cart, but not completing a purchase.
Automating this process on platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows you to effortlessly remind past visitors of the value you offer with dynamic ads.
Dynamic ads adapt product offers based on a user’s previous interactions, making them more relevant and effective.
For example, if a customer was browsing your selection of shoes, they’ll see ads for those specific styles instead of generic ads, increasing the chance of a conversion.
This retargeting ad is aimed at consumers who have previously shown interest in those particular products
Whether you’re running a seasonal sale or launching a new line, automated remarketing will keep your brand top-of-mind without requiring you to do constant manual input.
With Ecwid, you can easily run remarketing wherever your target audience encounters ads – whether it’s on Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat or Pinterest.
Automate tax calculations
Tax compliance may seem daunting, but it is vital for any business.
Manually collecting numbers for different locations can be tedious and
With automatic tax setup, your e-commerce platform keeps up with changes in tax legislation and applies the latest rates without requiring any action from you. It saves you time and eliminates the stress of manual updates.
This tool provides peace of mind knowing you are in compliance with current tax laws, allowing you to focus on more strategic business initiatives.
Learn more about setting up automatic tax calculation in your Ecwid store.
Show In real time Shipping prices in your online store
Another critical aspect of running an online store is making sure you charge your customers the correct shipping costs. You definitely don’t want to pay additional shipping fees because your store’s prices were out of date.
Offer
Exact
This transparency builds trust with customers who appreciate knowing the exact costs. It also prevents unexpected charges that could lead to cart abandonment. Plus, it helps you avoid additional shipping charges when using the wrong rate.
Implementation
Get automatic restocking reminders
Every business owner’s worst nightmare is running out of bestsellers or popular products and watching customers leave! Stay ahead of demand and stock these shelves to ensure your customers come back for more.
Automatic restocking alerts ensure you always have an overview of key products. Set an alert when the stock is too low and you will be notified in time to change the order.
This proactive approach prevents lost sales and sustains your business
At Ecwid, setting up automatic restock alerts is as easy as clicking a few buttons – here’s how.
Automate sales on marketplaces and social networks
Expanding your reach is a must for business growth. Today’s savvy consumers shop everywhere—from Amazon and eBay to Facebook and TikTok and more. Are you ready to meet them where they are?
With Instagram Shop, you can allow customers to buy your products directly in the application
Selling on marketplaces and social media can really boost your business, but manually updating product information on each platform can be time-consuming and take away from all your hard work.
Synchronizing your product catalog with marketplaces and social media ensures that your products are visible on multiple platforms without the need for manual updates.
This approach synchronizes product details, stock levels and prices, ensuring consistency wherever your products appear. It also reduces the risk of errors that can occur during manual entry.
Automating multi-channel sales with Ecwid allows you to engage a wider audience and increase your sales potential. You can connect your Ecwid store to dozens of marketplaces and key social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Automate the collection of product reviews
When was the last time you bought something online without reading reviews? Chances are your customers will do the same!
Product reviews are a fantastic way to build trust and credibility. However, their regular collection often eludes busy business owners
Fortunately, collecting reviews is a breeze to automate – just a few clicks and you’re done!
You can also offer a review discount as an incentive
Automating the review collection process allows you to encourage customers to share feedback without constantly nudging them.
Automatic review requests are sent in Ecwid
Learn all about collecting customer reviews on your Ecwid store.
Implement Apple Wallet order tracking
One of the questions business owners often hear from customers is, “Where’s my order?” Answering each question can take a while, especially during peak shopping season.
Minimize customer inquiries about order statuses and save them the hassle of finding and entering tracking order numbers. With Apple Wallet, customers can track their orders effortlessly
View order details and current status in the Orders section of the Apple Wallet app
This tool improves the shopping experience, reduces shipping concerns and improves overall customer service.
Here’s the best part: if you have an Ecwid store, you don’t have to lift a finger to enable Apple Wallet order tracking! Once customers place an order, they can start tracking it directly from the order confirmation screen.
Sync your online store with other tools
Think about how much time you spend each day doing repetitive tasks. For example, creating an invoice in your accounting software whenever a customer makes a purchase from your online store. Or by adding the customer’s email to your email platform.
Even the smallest tasks can add up and eat up hours of your time each week. But what if you could eliminate repetitive tasks altogether?
This is possible with automation platforms like Zapier. It connects your store with applications for accounting, email marketing and more. This way, you can create a cohesive and efficient workflow that is ideally suited to your business needs.
If you run an Ecwid store, you can easily connect it to over 2,000 business tools through Zapier, all without any coding required.
Get started with automation
Automation is the way forward for modern businesses. It not only saves time but also ensures consistency and reliability of your operations.
Investing in automation tools can also give a business a competitive advantage, allowing it to focus on growth and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
With Ecwid
If you still lack an online store, don’t be left behind – create one with Ecwid and take advantage of its automation capabilities.
