The rise of eCommerce has led to the emergence of small business owners looking for ways to compete with larger companies. However, their lack of resources can make it difficult for them to do so.
And that’s where enterprise solutions come in. Enterprise solutions can help improve the performance of your website, increase conversions, and give you a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. In fact, in 2019, worldwide spending on enterprise solutions amounted to US$456 billion.
This article will cover all aspects of an enterprise solution for small eCommerce businesses, including what they do, how they work, and why you should consider implementing one today.
What Is An Enterprise Solution
An enterprise solution is a custom-built software package designed to meet the needs of companies. The enterprise solutions for small eCommerce businesses are tailored to meet the needs of small companies. These packages often include features that cater to their specific organizational requirements, such as accounting for inventory and purchasing management.
For instance, if you want to use Google’s BigQuery for data analysis, it’s a good idea to use one of the many BigQuery ETL tools that can help you work through and make sense of most of the data headed your way in order to attain accelerated insights.
Apart from this, some enterprises have been designing custom-built software packages with a standardized set of functionalities in accordance with company size and industry type. These packages are often designed to be easily customizable and extensible for enterprises of different sizes.
Benefits Of Using An Enterprise Solution For Small eCommerce Businesses
These solutions provide small businesses with a customized software package tailored to meet their needs, rather than using standardized solutions which do not always cater to these requirements. Enterprise solutions also have features that allow them to grow with the company, allowing a business to use the same software package for as long as it needs without needing to switch or upgrade unnecessarily.
Apart from this, they also provide robust back-end features and customer support that is necessary for a small business to run smoothly. An enterprise eCommerce platform comes with analytical tools, inventory management, scalability, flexibility and integration capabilities with other systems such as email marketing platforms or CRM software solutions. Hence, they eliminate the need for multiple vendors or software that may not be compatible with each other.
Furthermore, they are affordable even for the smallest of businesses because eCommerce enterprise solutions can be bought in monthly or annual subscriptions. You’ll have a better chance at success and survival with enterprise solutions than without them.
Moreover, enterprise solutions allow you to build your own customized dashboard with all your favorite tools in one place. It reduces the time spent switching between tabs and hunting for features. Lastly, it will save time by eliminating the need to worry about different providers for each service that your company needs.
Features Of An Enterprise Solution For Small eCommerce Businesses
An enterprise solution provides a wide range of capabilities that can be designed to address the needs and specific challenges faced by a particular organization.
Enterprise solutions typically offer features such as:
- Multi-user support – so more than one person in an organization can have access to the system at any given time;
- High security levels – which safeguard data against external threats;
- Integration with third-party applications – so that data can be shared across different channels and platforms to increase operational efficiency;
- Inventory management – so businesses can track stock and reorder when needed;
- Reporting functionality – which provides insights into an organization’s performance across a range of areas.
These enterprise solutions are often available as on-premise software that is installed in the company’s own premises or through a hosted service model where companies rent access to the system from its provider.
Types Of Enterprise Solutions Available
There are three main types of enterprise solutions available:
- Software as a service (SaaS), which delivers applications over the internet with cloud-based hosting, this type of service is easy to use and offers a high level of scalability for businesses that are looking to grow as they succeed.
- On-premise solutions, this type of service involves a company installing the software on its own servers and management systems, it is costly but offers good control over security.
- Hosting services, these are typically companies that provide both hardware and software to businesses for them to install themselves or manage remotely from elsewhere, they offer limited scalability as well as access to data.
Considerations Before Choosing An Enterprise Solution
Consider the size and complexity of your business before choosing an enterprise solution. Enterprise solutions are expensive, but they offer a lot more than what you get with small-business web hosts like Bluehost or HostGator. Do some research on how much storage space is enough for you to use. Many options will charge per GB as well if you need more space.
You want to take into account how much overhead you’re willing to accept with the enterprise solution when it comes to updates, monitoring and maintenance as well. Many of these will require a significant monthly or yearly fee for those services in addition to your hosting fees. You also don’t have control over upgrades which can be difficult if you’re not very skilled in technology.
Final Thoughts
Small businesses now have access to enterprise-level solutions at a fraction of what they would cost otherwise. This has given them new hope for growth and success after years or even decades of stagnant progress due to the lack of available resources.
It’s a great idea for small eCommerce businesses to take advantage of such solutions to help them grow and succeed.