The trading company makes a successful transition to e-commerce
For retailers, knowing and managing customer profiles, orders placed, stock levels and invoicing, as well as drawing up personalised quotations and managing their network of distributors, is essential if they are to make a successful transition to e-commerce. That's what this ERP guide is all about.
The main objective emerging is the implementation of a coherent multi-channel distribution strategy to optimise the customer experience and logistics flows.
But the open source solutions available for the e-commerce market do not provide a 360° view of transactions. They do not include the combined ERP and CRM functionalities mentioned above. This inability necessarily translates into a glass ceiling for your trading activities. And inefficient use of your sales force.
Let's take a look at the limitations of these solutions, which are so popular with SMEs.
A non-existent supply chain
Two components are not taken into account: the rigorous and precise monitoring of product routing, which makes it possible, for example, to keep consumers informed of product availability or to know delivery times.
The other side of the coin is anticipating demand in order to control the costs associated with out-of-stock situations or overstocking.
By using an ERP system, you can monitor and forecast your stock levels. If necessary, you can also use unsold products for dropshipping (managed by CRM), i.e. delivering products to a third-party customer under a white label.
A limited customer experience
All the studies carried out on the e-commerce industry show that one trend is intensifying in 2017: the convergence of distribution channels. E-retailers are having to adapt to the new behaviour of consumers, who are browsing and buying products online from a variety of devices, and expect a degree of consistency between physical and digital shops. Half of all purchases are made cross-device, and almost a third on mobile phones.
It therefore seems very important to centralise all your user and product data within a single information system, to offer a better experience throughout the customer journey. This means faster processing of requests, personalised offers and better customer follow-up.
Costly and superfluous functionalities
Open source solutions are generic and meet both B2B and B2C needs. So you're probably paying for features you'll never use. Also, many options come with hidden costs and are not adapted to the problems associated with your industry.
Adopting an ERP and a customer relationship management (CRM) tool will enable you to achieve the optimum level of large-scale deployment of your commercial activities.
Inefficient sales force management
If orders placed on your site are not linked to customer profiles (purchases, pages visited, etc.) and your product catalogue, your sales force will be unable to engage in a relevant conversation. This can lead to a reduction in their productivity and a loss of consumer confidence.
The addition of a CRM enables you to better identify customer needs (which sometimes lie beneath the surface and only come to light during a discussion), and to personalise the offers that your sales staff will put forward at the most opportune moment, throughout all the stages of the sales process. And, for example, increase the average basket by suggesting similar or complementary products.
You can also draw up sales forecasts to help you make the right strategic decisions, anticipate staff recruitment (which you can manage from your ERP) or any other type of investment.
Which solution should you choose?
However, ERP systems are not always interoperable - they are then said to be 'closed' - and require a significant cost to configure : the more specific modules you need, the higher the bill. So it makes sense to opt for solutions that can be easily and quickly connected to your e-commerce solution. The same goes for CRM solutions that integrate with your ERP.
On the other hand, an "open" solution such as Akilae offers an ERP in SaaS mode with an integrated CRM that appeals to trading companies, because it provides comprehensive management of their activities: tracking stocks, purchasing, invoicing, customer relations, accounting and even certain marketing campaigns. It's a turnkey solution that's modular and scalable, and part of a multi-channel approach.
And if you already have an ERP, Akilae gives you the option of bolstering your sales force with a "plug and play" SaaS CRM to complement it. It provides access to all the data (supplier documents, customers, catalogues, quotes, etc.) and numerous decision-making tools for your sales teams, even when they are on the move.
Conclusion
Intelligent planning of sales resources and product flows should enable you to respond better to demand and offer a fluid, consistent customer experience.
While open source solutions may seem sufficient to get your trading business off the ground in the digital world, they come up against the complexity of your business and its evolution, the plurality of distribution networks and new customer requirements.
Under this approach, the joint use of an ERP and a CRM, which can supplement these e-commerce solutions, improves the productivity of sales staff, relations with your customers and distributors, and stock management, leading to an increase in sales and a reduction in costs.
Article translated from French