How to Prepare Your Ecommerce Store for the Post-COVID World

The coronavirus outbreak is hurting the global economy. Most companies are reassessing their future strategy. Almost every sector is seeing a negative trend during this pandemic. However, the eCommerce store is telling the opposite story. More people are using eCommerce stores for buying essential products. Thus, most online retailers are experiencing increased demand. This increased demand won’t guarantee your business success. However, you should try your best to make the most of these trends.

Effect of coronavirus pandemic on eCommerce stores:

Social distancing measures are forcing most people to use eCommerce stores. Thus, the demand for eCommerce stores has increased due to this pandemic. Many eCommerce retailers are thinking that the consumer’s habits will revert after this coronavirus pandemic ends.

According to various studies, online shopping is a very sticky behavior. It is very difficult to reverse your shopping habits after using online stores. The eCommerce trend was very consistent last year. But, it spiked during the holiday season. Every year the eCommerce sector was starting with a higher baseline. The groups that decided to use eCommerce stores during the holiday season actually became regular users. Their plan was only to do a few purchases. However, the good experience of online shopping shifted their buying habits. Thus, they can become regular eCommerce customers. This trend is going to continue after this pandemic is over.

If you have an eCommerce store, then you will see an increasing demand even after the physical stores are running again. The online retail market was slowly growing every year. However, most online retailers don’t have a proper plan for meeting this increased demand. It is important to adapt quickly. This will help you in taking advantage of this opportunity. We are going to share some tips that will help you in preparing your eCommerce store for the post-COVID world.

1. Increase your capacity

Technology investments can be very expensive for eCommerce stores. However, they will help you in handling more traffic. It is important to ensure that you have enough bandwidth and servers. This will help you in meeting the growing demands. However, companies don’t want to overestimate future demand. If you are overestimating your future traffic, then you will waste a lot of money. Also, you can’t underestimate your future needs. If you have fewer resources, then your whole business might crash.

You can use cloud computing for providing the perfect customer experience. If more people are visiting your site, then you can scale up your infrastructure. It is very difficult to scale up or down your on-premises infrastructure. There are also many disadvantages to public cloud-based solutions. Thus, most companies are opting for hybrid IT solutions. They are working with a neutral colocation provider. This will ensure that you will have control over your important data.

2. Work on building a good digital customer experience

The eCommerce market is becoming saturated with time. There are thousands of online retailers that are providing similar services to their customers. Thus, customer experience is becoming the biggest differentiator between companies. It will help you in standing out. There are many things that are required for good customer experience. You need to streamline your payment options. It is important to ensure that you are providing quality support to your customers. However, your IT infrastructure is the most important thing.

If you have a high latency network, then it can destroy your user’s customer experience. There are various amazing options available to customers. Thus, they don’t want to use a slow-loading eCommerce store. Also, they don’t want to risk their data. They will only shop on those websites that have a good reputation. You should invest your time and money in creating a solid infrastructure.

3. Invest your money in uptime

Downtime can have a negative impact on your online business. If your users can’t access your website, then they will switch to another platform. This can also give rise to many security risks. If your servers are down, then it will be very difficult to enforce the controls and policies. These policies are responsible for keeping your data secure. If your website is down, then your customers will worry about their financial information. Your systems might come online after some. However, many of your customers will never come back due to the downtime.

You should move your important systems to a safe colocation environment. Many colocation providers will give you 100% SLA. This will ensure that severs will always stay online. You can also use a DR plan for establishing redundancies and backups.

4. Diversify your supply chains

The biggest lesson that we can learn from coronavirus pandemic is that we should diversify your supply chains. If you are not diversifying your supply chains, then your business will always stay vulnerable. It is important to ensure that you can deliver your products to your customers in every situation. If there is a disruption to supply chains, then this will cause shipping delays. You should work on creating a flexible strategy that will help you in meeting the demands.

Every eCommerce business should look for multiple options for sourcing their materials. You should ensure that your vendors are meeting all the compliances. Colocation data centers will help you in meeting the connectivity and security needs. Thus, it will ensure that you can focus on serving your customers.

Conclusion

Most online retailers are experiencing an increased demand during this pandemic. This demand is going to stay even after this pandemic. Thus, it is important to ensure that you can handle the increased demand. You should work on developing a strong IT infrastructure. This will help you in meeting the increased demands. You should increase your infrastructure capacity. Also, it is important to build a better digital customer experience. It is important to ensure that your servers are always running. You should also work on diversifying your supply chains. Colocation data centers will help you in solving all these problems. Thus, you should consider working with a colocation provider. If you need more tips regarding your IT infrastructure, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.