It’s expected that 1.92 billion of people are going to buy online in 2019 which is about one-quarter of the entire human population. By the year 2021, this figure is expected to hit 2.14 billion global buyers. Needless to say, as the number of people who buy online grows, the significance of e-commerce as a trend grows as well. These figures alone are enough to make this field appear incredibly appealing and lucrative to a lot of potential entrepreneurs out there, especially due to the quick boost that they could get by using the technology in the right way. Here are six such methods that you should definitely consider.

1.      Third-party marketplaces

The first thing that everyone interested in joining the world of e-commerce should consider is selling their merchandise via major online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. The reason why this is so perfect for first-timers is due to the fact that they get a chance to just sell their goods without having to worry about the logistics. Programs like FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) are a perfect example of how this works. In other words, it’s a chance for one to learn the ropes and even earn some serious profit. This comfortable numbness, however, can make it harder for some to move on and make their own e-commerce platform.

2.      Digital marketing

The next way in which technology helps e-commerce is the use of predictive analysis. By finding out which people are looking for the goods that you’re selling or just browsing your industry, you have a much easier job of creating a more efficient outreach program. Other than this, with the help of digital marketing, you can get an exact estimate of your average cost-per-conversion. John Wannamaker once said that half the money he spends on marketing goes to waste but he can’t know which half. Needless to say, this is no longer the case in the marketing world.

3.      More efficient warehouse management

The next thing you need to understand is the importance of storage in e-commerce. This is a concept that’s keeping your products safe and accessible, as well as a concept that allows you to order these items in bulk. The simplest way in which technology can help you out here is for you to find a reliable warehouse management system like CartonCloud. The best part about this is the fact that as you grow as an enterprise, this scales together with you, thus creating a sustainable business model for you to benefit from.

4.      Efficient fleet management

Another thing you should think about is improving your fleet efficiency. Needless to say, this is something that a great transport management system (TMS) can help you with. This is most commonly done by optimizing your delivery routes, which saves time and improves your fleet’s fuel economy. Other than this, you can also improve the reliability of your delivery system by automating a form which provides proof of delivery. Needless to say, such an iron-clad system makes employee theft a lot less likely, which is also a huge plus.

5.      Responsive website

The responsiveness of your platform is one of the most important things that you need to consider, which is why your business needs to work a bit more on this. People are browsing the internet on a lot of different devices and, even more importantly, buying via them. The recent rise in the trend of e-commerce is just one example of how this works. Unfortunately, an online audience has a short attention span, which is why you only have a couple of seconds to make your offer before you lose them forever. This is why you need to invest in responsiveness.

6.      Drop-shipping

Last but in no way least important is the notion of drop-shipping, which is ideal for those who aim to enter the world of e-commerce on a short budget. In fact, if one aims to start modest, they could enter the e-commerce world this way with as little as $2,000 to $5,000. Sure, it’s not nearly as lucrative as some of the above-discussed methods but, then again, it’s not nearly as complex, either.

By using some of these methods, you can gain a significant competitive advantage or just increase the survival rate of your enterprise until you can learn the ropes. Either way, by increasing one’s chances, this field is bound to become more competitive. Now, this would be a massive problem, if not for the fact that the customer base is expanding at such a rapid pace, as well.