Businesses are now competing in an age of Total Commerce in which online merchants must deliver a frictionless ecommerce experience in order to remain competitive. Delivering the seamless journey which the customer has come to expect also means a relentless focus on the integration of operations behind the scenes. That is why Linnworks has partnered with a full spectrum of providers to give merchants the options and flexibility they need to thrive.
As the opportunities presented by ecommerce continue to expand, so does its complexity. In this challenging business landscape, a company that fails to fully integrate its ecommerce operations will often find itself firefighting problems on an almost daily basis. Especially as your business grows, your operations will rely on an increasing number of processes that need to synchronize. Failure to streamline will not only distract you from your core business – it could also mean losing a sale or losing a customer to a competitor who has mastered Total Commerce.
Partner integrations to help you scale quickly
Your company needs to integrate with the right platform at every step of the customer journey to meet those customer needs whenever, wherever, and however they choose to interact with your business. Since the earliest days of ecommerce there have been companies that have provided the design, development and support necessary, but as selling and serving customers becomes more complex, the right infrastructure has never been more important. Linnworks has a range of partner integrations across key selling and logistics channels which put commerce control at the center of any selling operation to ensure retailers can scale and sell wherever their customers are.
Linnworks has recently partnered with Redstage and Fulcrum Digital who have built a reputation over the last 22 years as two of the leading ecommerce integration agencies. Reflecting the different integration issues that particular industries face, the agencies have developed particular expertise in sectors such as aerospace, construction, life sciences, distribution, CPG/DTC and manufacturing. Their expertise ensures your online sales channels can link efficiently to back-end systems such as finance software, warehouse management systems and your ERP platform.
Automating tasks is the key to growth
Data is, of course, essential to this integration. The services provided by partners such as Redstage and Fulcrum Digital enable data to flow seamlessly within an organization, providing meaningful insight, readily utilizable and automatically applied where it’s needed within your business. Automating tasks across platforms and synchronizing activities across multiple selling channels removes the wasteful need for manually inputting data into separate systems. Not only does this dramatically reduce paperwork and the risk of human error, it also drives efficiency and lowers costs.
The automation that integration enables can have a positive impact across many aspects of your business. For example, integrating payment gateways, shipping and logistical systems has benefits for your back-office staff, particularly those tasked with handling accounting and inventory systems. It also benefits your customers who have more flexibility in deciding how best to interact with your business, and likely impacts positively on conversion rates and customer loyalty. These benefits compound further as your enterprise grows. Integration can maintain the same synchronized and efficient attributes even as more and more sales channels are introduced.
Synchronized management of stock and fulfillment
Being able to manage inventory, listings and fulfillment in one place can be a huge advantage in driving Total Commerce. Linnworks can provide that single interface control with a wide range of channels such as Amazon, eBay, Shopify and Magento. This allows for automation of time-consuming tasks such as managing multiple marketplace listings and inventory control across multiple selling channels. Not only will this increase productivity and reduce errors, but also creates a platform for merchants to quickly scale to new markets as new selling opportunities arise.
Shipping integrations
Shipping integration is another key benefit for many merchants. Linnworks’ rich integration ecosystem lets retailers expand the functionality of their back office. Linnworks gives users access to Amazon, FedEx and DHL shipping services, as well as a range of other major shipping companies. Rapid, reliable and seamless delivery is increasingly a must-have for customers and a potential key point of differentiation between your organization and competing merchants.
Digital transformation is vital to compete
With the competitive advantage that integration brings it’s hardly surprising that companies have been investing heavily in this space. IDC predicts that spending on digital transformation will approach $2 trillion by next year. The uncertainties and challenges of COVID-19 have provided further impetus. Redstage reports that only 12% of B2B companies are taking a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to ecommerce as the impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt. According to consultancy firm McKinsey, one European retailer managed to build an integrated and functioning ecommerce platform in just 13 weeks.
Investing in integration now is not just desirable – it’s vital to maintain competitiveness and grow strongly as we emerge from immediate impacts of COVID-19. McKinsey also reports that over 65% of consumers anticipate they will continue their new online shopping behaviors after the pandemic. Consumer expectations of effortless ecommerce and the arrival of Total Commerce has been accelerated and merchants must embrace that future if they are to survive and prosper. But they do not face that challenge alone.
The Linnworks platform can sit at the center of your ecommerce ecosystem and partner with multiple integrations across each function. Partners such as Redstage and Fulcrum Digital, with a proven track record of modernizing and supporting B2B customers with end-to-end ecommerce services, can make all the difference to the smooth, seamless and automated running of many business functions, leaving you with the resources and focus to grow your business and take advantage of every selling opportunity.