We live in a digitally-connected world to a point where everything is accessible with a single tap on the phone. From groceries to buying cars to ordering food online, e-commerce has changed the way people interact with businesses. Several companies have embraced this transition and have invested heavily in establishing an online presence over the past couple of years.
If you have a business in the food industry and are still wondering, “well, how do I go about establishing my own online presence?” Fret not, for this article talks about the tools you would need to create a direct-to-customer brand.
1. Shopify
Shopify is an online e-commerce platform that provides businesses with various products and services such as website templates, payment solutions, marketing and customer engagement tools. It is famous for its low startup cost and easy-to-use interface. Today, Shopify is used globally by all sorts of businesses to manage their day-to-day operations, from a small store selling cupcakes to a large warehousing company that has to dispatch cargo.
Features such as Shopify POS, help multichannel shop owners sell products online, allowing customers to easily complete transactions and process credit card payments. Apart from creating an e-commerce store, integrating payment solutions, and writing blogs, Shopify add-ons let you use the platform powerfully. Useful add-ons such as ShipRocket enable you to incorporate logistics solutions into your platform.
You can also carry out daily business transactions from the comfort of your phone with the Shopify mobile application. It is a powerful tool for your business, especially if you do not have access to a desktop computer or are situated in a remote location.
2. Order Management System
An Order Management System (OMS) is a software application used to enter, process, and analyse orders. They can be received from businesses, consumers, or a mix of both. An excellent example of an OMS is the Barometer Order Management System which lets you create, manage and analyse your orders in real-time.
The Barometer OMS has features such as multi-order channel management which allows you to manage all your orders through one dashboard, upload bulk and offline orders, plan production and manage your riders effectively. The dashboard allows you to view and manage the status of the orders in real-time, hence keeping up with the schedule and delivering the orders on time.
3. Payment Integrations
One of the main aspects of an online store is accepting and processing payments from customers. The chosen payment method has to satisfy both the needs of your customer and your business. Hence, it must be protected against fraud, support various payment methods, be convenient to use, and be compatible with your platform. Payment gateways are used to integrate payments into your business.
BillDesk, PayU Biz, and RazorPay are examples of payment gateways. A payment gateway is a merchant service that allows a customer to complete its journey by processing online payments. While starting out with an online store, one of the most preferred payment gateway options is a hosted gateway. In a hosted payment gateway, all the payment processing is taken care of by the third party service provider. Payment Gateways are integrated into a website using REST APIs or simple plugins on e-commerce websites such as Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, etc.
Now that you have learned about the 3 essential tools needed to start your online store, go ahead and design one. Take advantage of the consumer trend to switch to online shopping and reap the benefits as a business owner.
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