Gaining an Edge in Ecommerce with Expert Consultants
Every ecommerce enterprise hits bumps at times when growth plateaus. The way to surmount these hurdles sometimes involves enlisting the help of an expert. Hiring the best ecommerce consultants can ensure that you get fresh insights and knowledge accrued from diverse industries and are able to apply them to your unique business challenges. Utilize this guide, inspired by a compelling resource by Shopify, to understand what ecommerce consultants do, how to select the most suitable consultant for your needs, and browse a list of top ecommerce consultants.
Bottom Line: In an evolving ecommerce landscape, businesses need to stay agile and innovative. This article equips ecommerce business owners and managers with knowledge on when, why, and how to engage ecommerce consultants to accelerate growth and optimize operations.
As the ecommerce ecosystem continues to grow, it could be speculated that consultants will not only be sought for their proficiency in traditional ecommerce areas like web design and marketing strategy, but also in emerging technologies, compliance and risk management, and creating customer-centric experiences. This makes reading this piece a forethought that equips you for future demands.
Getting Acquainted with Ecommerce Consultants
An ecommerce consultant is a third-party expert who assesses the challenges of an online store and recommends solutions. Many consultants leverage their years of primary experience to provide guidance for merchants, offering expertise in particular industry niches and working on solutions themselves as contractors. Key areas of ecommerce where a consultant can advise include:
- Product development
- Web design
- Marketing strategy
- Logistics and operations
- Multichannel selling
- Physical retail
- New technologies
The Impact of Ecommerce Consultants on Business Growth
Here are four ways that an ecommerce consultant can propel your business growth:
1. Conversion Rate Optimization
Ecommerce consultants can suggest UX enhancements to make shopping easier for customers, thereby optimizing your store’s conversion rate. Under their guidance, you can identify areas of your website with poor UX that may frustrate customers and lead to cart abandonment. Changes to the checkout process, like implementing a live chat feature, can be brought about to support customers and streamline their purchase journey.
2. Digital Marketing Expansion
Consultants can help push your ecommerce business in front of new customers by implementing innovative marketing strategies. Their consultation can help you launch targeted ads, audit marketing channels, and leverage apps to find new customers.
3. Product Selection
An ecommerce consultant can help you evaluate your inventory and identify profitable products. They can conduct market research to determine the viability of new product ideas or suggest alternative growth strategies for existing products. Consultants can also help assess pricing strategies, boosting profit margins, and finding balance between product profitability and affordability.
4. Profit Maximization
Consultants can help improve the efficiency of your business to maximize profitability. By helping you negotiate better contracts, audit business processes to eliminate waste, automate or delegate tasks, and devise a growth roadmap, an ecommerce consultant can revolutionize your business practices for maximum gains.
Of course, hiring a consultant also allows you to gain an unbiased outside perspective, frees up time for you to focus on core business areas, and can help you optimize your cash flow. Costs of an ecommerce consultant range between $25 and $300 per hour, although some consultants charge monthly retainer fees for a set number of hours or deliverables.
The Top 10 Ecommerce Consultants
In no particular order, here’s a short list of some industry-renowned ecommerce consultants:
- Monumental
- Bain & Company
- A Group Consulting
- BearingPoint
- Exo Digital
- Groove Commerce
- McKinsey & Company
- IntuitSolutions
- OC&C Strategy Consultants
- Irish Titan
Choosing the Right Ecommerce Consultant for Your Store
Choosing the perfect ecommerce consultant starts with understanding your goals and budget. With clear objectives and a defined budget, you can begin to vet potential consultants through online searches or dedicated platforms like the Shopify Experts directory. At every step, be sure to align your goals with the consultant’s expertise. Subsequently, examine the consultant’s portfolio and engage in discovery calls to fully understand how their capabilities can meet your requirements. Lastly, ensure a comprehensive review of their proposal and the contract to avoid any discrepancies or undesired commitments.
Growing with the right ecommerce consultant can be difference between stagnation and success. An ecommerce consultant, with their unique perspectives and diverse experiences, can help your business navigate moments of plateau and achieve new stages of growth.
