10 Tasks eCommerce Sellers Can Outsource

Because we here at Logicblock provide an outsourced product, the 7Cart ecommerce solution, we work with plenty of ecommerce sellers who, due to their size, outsource all or part of their online selling operation. If you’re experiencing growing pains yourself, here’s a handy list of ecommerce store tasks that can be outsourced:

  1. Fulfillment – Sure it’s called fulfillment, but it can be one of the least fulfilling tasks in your ecommerce store when it comes to how you spend your time. Once your store takes off, storing inventory, then packing and shipping ordered items is a huge undertaking. You can rent a warehouse and hire staff, or you can outsource this task.
  2. Copywriting – A veteran copywriter can evoke all five senses in their description of your items. Hire one to paint a verbal picture of your products, and watch them fly off your warehouse shelves.  
  3. Product Photography – Speaking of pictures, human beings are extremely visual, and the difference between a dingy, badly cropped product photo and a professional photo taken with the aid of a light box can mean the difference between a sale and a near miss. 
  4. Advertising – A novice online seller might buy some Google Adwords space or an ad on a big website and then hope the customers come pouring in. Advertising pros can help you get the most out of your advertising dollars by exploring niche areas or newer advertising opportunities like extremely powerful Facebook ads.
  5. Marketing – A marketing pro can help you identify your target market and speak to it in the quickest, clearest way possible. 
  6. Social Media – Social media is still relatively new, but there are plenty of people out there who have embraced it and found success. A social media consultant will come up with the best strategy for your ecommerce store and either implement it themselves or teach you how to implement it.  
  7. Bookkeeping – An ecommerce seller has to deal with many transactions, inventory, the vagaries of sales tax laws, paying vendors, and the fun of trying to process returns and exchanges. And that’s just a small tip of the ecommerce seller’s bookkeeping iceberg.  While debits and credits and shipping income and sales tax give most non-financial folks a headache, there are people out there who thrive on these numbers games. Give them a crack at your books and save yourself the hassle!
  8. Accounting and Payroll – Quarterly taxes, end of year taxes, sales tax, payroll tax – once again enough to give any ecommerce seller a headache. Consider outsourcing your accounting to a pro who can keep the numbers straight and find deductions you may not have known existed.
  9. Administration – More and more professionals are turning to virtual assistants (VA’s) to handle their calendar, email, travel management and more. These tasks might seem small, but they take up a surprising amount of your time every day. Consider outsourcing them to a dedicated pro who can keep your plate empty while you get on with the business of running your business.
  10. Customer Service – Online stores like Zappos have built a reputation around their stellar customer service. Why not hire a pro who knows how to go above and beyond soothing ruffled feathers and who is dedicated to quickly and accurately answering customer support emails? Customer support is another vital tasks that takes up more time than you think, so outsource it to a pro who can represent your company to the world.

And last but not least, even though this is a post about outsourcing, be sure you don’t outsource what you love about your business. If you love talking with your customers, keep answering those customer support calls and emails. Or if you can’t pass a social media platform without signing up, dedicated yourself to your company’s social media strategy. You started your business for a reason. Keep on doing what you love, and let experts handle the rest!